The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1867-09-03
4 Race ip a Thunderstorm
after Dark.

after Dark.
We douh, if there is on record a mor,
pcrilous race than one in which the late
Hiram Woodruff bore a conspicuous part,
and now appears as the narrator. The
account OF 1t il taken from late number
Of Wilkes Spirit of the Times -
In 1913 Dutchman was brought to
New York again and placed in my charge.
Oar first race that season, and it was the
last season the old horse trotied on the
turf. was against Americas and Lady
Suffolk, two mile heats in harness, over
the Beacon Course. Bryant drove the
Lady, Spicer Americas, and Duclman.
Duichman won the first heat, Americus
the second, and Dutchman the third -
Lady Suffolk was third in all the heats
IN a week or ten days thereafter, we went
threr-nile heats in harness, over the Bea-
con Course, and it WAS a tremendous race
Of four heats The first wa. won by
Dutchman. The second was stoutly con.
tested, but Americus won it. The third
heat Was very hotly contested, and result
ei in a dead heat between the old horse
ard Americns. Lady Suffolk was now
ruled out for not winning heat in three.
and the betting was heavy, Dutchman
having the call. The long summer day
had drawn rapidly tea close. At the
same time, the heavens were overcast, aud
with fading CLEANS of dim, yellow light,
the sun sank into great banks of clouds.
They mounted higher and higher, and
seemed TO lie like a load upon the weary
earth. The heat was intense, and not a
breath OF air was stirring to break the
ominous repose. With the las; flicker of
day, the swift scud began to fly over head,
and the solld-sccmng clouds 10 tower up
and come on like moving mountains.
1t was dark when we got into our sui
kic9, and, soon after the start, the storm
burst upon Us with fury that have
never since seen equallcd The wind
blew hurricane, and the pelhng rain
fell in torrents, as though the sluces Of
the skies had opened all at once. Moth
ing could have overpowered the mighty
rush OF the wind AMI the furious splash Of
the rain but the dread. tremendous rattle
OF the thunder. 1t seemed TO be dis
charged right over our heads and only n
few yards above US. Nothing could have
penetrated the thick, profound gloom of
that darkness but the painful blue haza
OF the iorked Lightning, could not see
in the short intervals between the flashes,
the faintcst trace of lhe horse before me,
and then, in the twinkling of an eye, as
though the darkness was torn away like
a veil by the hand of the Almighty, the
whole course, the surrounding county to
the minutcst and most distant thing would
be revealed. The spires OF the churches
and houses of Newark, eight miles of, we
could see more plainly than in broad day.
light, and we noticed that, as the horses
faced the howling elements, their ears lay
back fiat upon their nccks Between
these fishes Of piercing, all-peryadins
light and the succeeding claps Of thunder,
the suspense and strain upon the mini
was terrible. We knew that it was
coming 50 as TO shake the very pillars of
the earth we role on, and until it hal
ratilei over our heads we were silent
Then in the blank darkness, as we went
on side by side, we would exchange eau
tlOns. Neither could see the other, nor
hear the wheels nor the stride of the
horses by reason Of the wind and rain.
''Look out, Hiram. Spicer would say,
or we shall be into each other
y few strides further on, AMI I woull
sing ont; Take care George you must
lie close 10 me"
Now the noise Of the wheels anl the
tramp Of the horses could not be heard in
the roar of the wind and the pattcr of the
rain, and yet our voices could be and
were for a mile AMI half, in the very
crater, as it were, Of this volcanic war of
the skyey elements, we went side by side.
Then Dutchman lost ground
The track was clayey, AMI he having
on Hat shoes began 10 slip AMI slide at
every stride. Americus gradually drew
away fom him, and when | reached
the stand at the end of the second mil,,
i'sioppel. ! have seen great many
summer storms in my life and have been
uut in n1ta few OF them, bu, Of all thar
! remember, none cqualed in terrific fury
and awful grandeur that which burst
oAer the beacon Course jast as we began
hat heat Spicer says the same.