Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-10-07
THE GREAT GOOSE RACE.

THE GREAT GOOSE RACE: ---
Ton rhoasaNd Spectaa0rs-COnEcmi Mai
Sporting for Chtcagsans.
:. FROM the Chicago Tribune.
| lined the basin bank Thursday Aiternoon
may be taksn as q criterion, then he goose
raca which took place then and there must
be conceded to be tho great sporting event
OF the season. It was funny, and, better
still, it WAS free. Consequently q crowd
numbering at least ten thousand people
were on hand to witness tho novel affair.
| For two or three blocks along the east side
of Michigan avenuefrom Putney to Mort
like, aS 1t were-Men, women, boys and
girls wero densely packed, with a plentiful
sprinkling of carriages further back; while
the breakwater opposite served the purpose
Of Hnmmersmith Bridge. and afforded An
eligible outlook for ut least Thousand
more 1t was particularly respectable
gathering. too. No inconsi.ler.bls element
Of the crowd was made up Of merchants
and business mon, while nearly hundred
stylish etuipages were halted in order that
the tNir occupants might see tho fun.
| PARLIAMENTARY ARhANOkMENTAs
Tho race WAS originally mado between
those famous disciples OF minstrelsy. Billy
| Emerson and Bob Hart-the latter having
been engaged in great many similar NJ
fairs. Then George Morris, the we'll
billiartlist, took hand in, and, after purse
| Of 5000 or thereabouts had boon made up,
On the day previous eighteen fall-gr0wn
1 lAou HtnH0 NJ nm 1aHV Of ha
Stock Yards, who required deposit or 50
each AZ collateral, and Q similar amount for
! tine service of the whole number. They
had no training whatever, further than that
conferred by nature stick together and
90 straight ahead. True to their proverbial
unreliability, some of them wont back on
this, even. The terms of the match re-
quired each OF the drivers to sit in an ortli-
nary wash tub, and be drawn by three pairs
OF geese. Let no one infer from this that
ones self in n wash tub in tho water, ones
equilibrium. are easily rendered compatible.
It is not the case. Aman's weight will not
sink the tub, to be sure, but let him vary 90
much a. tho thousandth part Of an inch
from the absolutely perfect perpendicular.
ity, and he gets spilled to certainty. To
! obviate this difficulty the goose drivers re-
sorted to an ingenious contrivancs. which
consisted OF q platform of inch pine boards,
about three and half feet wide and five feet
long. in, which was made circular hole
large enough to slip through tub. 10 this
:aost wa attached pole with cross bars At
the extreme end, from which were stretch
| Cd laterally two stout cords on either side,
between which the geese were tied by the
wings, aud ~ firmly secured az horse
between the shafts of . wagon. When
ready to start the driver got in the tub
(which was then tightly wedged In the
the float, and there was no tipping over,
the float sinking few inches below the
surface and out Of sight. Considerable de-
lay ensued in properly Harvesting the
geese and arranging tho tubs. Bob Hart
was the first to get His six-in-hand hitched
Up, aud 80, while the other two George
Norris and Jim Mas, Of the Winter Garden,
who took kmezson's place, was getting ready
he turned out to exercise the team. He
got along first-rate, barring good deal of
dutter and Topping It Ard, and W6uld have
1 showed Of 10 excellent adNl6tage but for
! he embarrassment 0ep1pea BY the sew
sral hundred boats whioh bid been hired
by spectators, and which literally covered
tie surface ofthe bssin. u lodging about
among them Bobs tub vusked loose from
its float, and heswas; obliged to swim back
l
did in short order, and soon after three
O'clock everything was In readiness for the
race.
Each Of the drivoaewa in light costume
:. hat. shirt, pants and stockin9a ready to
swim, if necessary. Their iorethought was
amply justified anon. "A long carriage
whip, with which to urge on or alter the
course Of the geese, and paddle to steer
the craft, comprised their accoutrements.
Morris drew the pole, Mas the middle,
and Hart the outside. An entirely even
send-off was effected at once, and away
/ thew started, accompanied by the boat OF
1.-THE umpires, referee and reporters, who
we're sufficiently close to enforce fair play.
| Morris and Mas ut once pushed for the
front. and their uroipQ resulted in 4 series
of bad breaks. Mas off-wheel goose lost
his feet wholly, turning q summersault and
coming up facing the driver. She couldn't
be brhaRht to work again, but swan back
wards Tor a long distance, to the serious
impeachment of the rest of the sextette. Bob.
like an experienced jockey, took the matter
cody, simply administering an occasional
punch to q refractory goose, and
soony had gained q strong lead over
both the othefs. But Morris was
not idle. His team, had weakness tor the
! 8uOE0, Auu ulb hboAuUOU0 OnOAtS AVA WIZ
paddle, necessary to keep them in the
water, helped him to that extent that he
was enabled tooverhaul Bob, aud 60 to the
front. Bob saw his disadvantage. and de
clared the excessive padding to be ''foul.
but by no means ''fowl." "George is no
GOOSE" said Bob, land bar his paddle. "
But there was no choice; George must
either paddle or be ANONYMOUSLY towed
ashore arainst his will. and so Bobs pro.
test was nnavailino. Mas. whose peryert.
J-H:oi -.ae 80 Ia ,,eoed hin, I,~ 1iv in the
?" wIoo1 Eot 20 u"u P."oeu .u:o ~ - ~
| rear, having somehow contAveu ~ cuauBt
| ends with the recalcitrant bird, now showed
| an extraordinary hnrst If sDeed. and was
| ros% nIo.;nc, %ho oor Had tho rarae;n;Do
last cioslne tho gap 4A"s' sIo io'n"'l'Aue
distance been greater, he wOuld have serl'
| Ou6ly endangered the success OF the OthofS.
| Az X ,vaa Tia contast rasta6 hafween Mr.
~" -. ~ cs - s1:.l..
hro1s ~ ~, 800 s4fort nd - was mi anSoIv
as 80 ~ oA~ -. : ,.:.t, .,,h;aS
.vsU'ct'' " soo e"o co. .st1s''o1 Pr. IVY ".oI'
liz ..."or tnr,s Tirst tha n,;ia,a ,a;,
y,,a ,,;noro,,s1., Ill, .hs;r .,oi, faot ~ J
m ; psrh"ms: ths S tSa ,eeSar so, wo"L1
-, ~ ao": 1to" ~ 10 T., t,,s,, ..,,",IoS,
u'B ~ 'o' Yea. I"0' ~ 20 =" ~ "p'1 ~