Bloomsburg democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1867-1869, 1868-09-09
A Remarkable Race,

TWO HUNDRED MILES IN EIGHT HOURS.
The San Francisco correspondent of the
Chicago TiJme gives the following account
OF Il remarkable race against time, which
took place near San Francisco OH the ID
ult:
About month since a party of horse
men were discussing the question of the
comparative merits Of imported blooded
stock and the common California mustangs,
and the different styles Of riding, when Ed
warG Whipplc offered to bet 81, 500 against
$4,000 that no man could be found to ride
three hundred miles on fifteen consecutive
horses. lie was at once taken up by Louis
Burns and John Cahill who named n. III.
Mowcry as the man to ride. The match
was all agreed upon on the spot, and since
then there has been constant betting going
on as to the result. You will sec that he
must average mile every three minutes
for fifteen consecutive hours, allowing moth
ing for loss Of time in changing horses at
every second, third, or fourth mile, acci-
dents or unaccoun,ahlc delays. The gen
era feeling was that he could never succeed.
and in the betting the odds were decidedly
against him. Yesterday Sunday, August
=, was fixed for this race against time.
The race took place at Bay View Park, u
few miles north Of the city, over mile
track. The animals thirty in number, Sc
lectcd by Mr.. Mowcry, were the common
California mustangs and half breeds, none
of them full sized, but all formed of the
pluck and life which belongs to
the descendants Of the galan. stceds which
We're ridden into Spain by the fiery followers
of Musa and Taric, when at the bidding of
the Commander of the Faithful the con-
quorcrs Of Africa poured into Europe there
to spread the knowledge Of the true God
and the law Of the Koran.
Nh Mowery is an old Californian, appa-
rcntly of about middle age, weighs one hun
drcI and sixty pounds, and rode with a
heavy Mexican California saddle, Spanish
bit and free rein.
At twenty minutes to five in the morning
he sprang into the saddle, and rode the first
horse four times round the track-that is to
say, four miles at a dead run. Attendants
stood ready at the stand to saddle and bring
out the fresh horses as he beckoned for them
in coming around and he changed animals
rapidly, riding none IF them three miles
after the first and few of them more than
two. The Mexican dodge of rushing"
was constantly resorted to. An attendant
would ride one fourth or one third Of the
way down the track to meet him as he came
in, wheeling his horse, ride just behind him
yelling, 'camos! ramos! Uhoop alb, ramos'
swinging his hat, as if frantic. This would
start the haging animal into redoubled cx-
ertions, and he would come in fairly flying.
A single sharp pull on the Spanish bit
would stop the animal in second, and in
two or three more the rider would be OH
fresh animal and off again.
Sometimes the mile or two miles would
be ridden one way round the track, some.
times the other in order to relieve the rider
by change as far us practicable. Early in
the morning the race track was crowded
with people, and before p, NJ. the jam was
immense. Up to 12 NJ. the rider refused all
assistance in mounting and rcmountng, but
after that his attendants would occasionally
give him u lift, apparently not so much be-
cause he required it, as for fear that he
might do SO before the race was over. At