Smyrna times., 1874-09-09
Achievements for Wagers.

Some of the achievements depending on the
incentive OF WagerS were IN past times very odd,
and journalists always looked out Tor such mar
ratiVcs in times when society had not yet begun
to move on, literally and tiguratively, at rail
road speed, In the early part OF the reign Of
George Ill. two gentlemen made an eccentric
wager at IA coffee house near Temple Bar. One
OF them undertook to jump into water seven
feet deep, with all his usual clothing on, and
undresS himself completely. lie did it, And,
five picture to ourselves the twisting and wrg
CLING involved in such an operation, floating
the whole OF the time, we must admit II to be
difficult an affair as it was ludicrOus. A
butcher, on calm summers evening, under
took, for wager, to cross the Thames in his
wooden tray. In this exploit using his hands
as paddles, he made the passage safely from
Somerset Stairs to the Surrey side-provding
himself with cork jacket in case Of accident.
The chrOnclerS took care to record that ''sev-
enty boat loads of spectators were present, and
bets to the aggregate amount of more than one
thousand guneas depended on the event.
Richard Jenkins, merchant of York, wagered
Il large sum that he would pave one hundred
square yards with stone in nine hours. lie
accomplished it. But we are left in the dark as
to what kind of paving it was, and in what way
the work was performed. A gentleman under
took, for wager, that he would stand for a
whole day on London Bridge, with tray full
of good sterling sovereigns, and would fail to
find customers for Them at penny apiece
The report is that he won the wager. all the
passers-by believing that he was merely trying
to cheat them with brass Imitation. During a
visit paid by one of the royal dukes to a vlcto-
riouS ship-o war at Spithead, sailor got upon
the very top of the manmast, (the truck, y and
stood there upon his head, waving his hat round
and round on one foot 1t is to be hoped that
this display OF antipodean loyalty was duly ap-
preciated. Heidegger, Master of the Revels to
George H., was considered to be the ugliest
man in England A wager was laid that a
competitor for this doubtful honor could be
found. An old woman from St. Giles was
brought forward, and the umpire, with 1eldeg.
gers own approval, was about to award the
palm to her; but Heidegger, in response to a
suggestion, put on the old wOman's bonnet tO
render the conditions more equal. The addi
tional u9liness was so indeScrlbable that the
victory was awarded to him Long before the
days of steamboats, gentleman wagered
thousand guineas that he would make boa
move twenty-five miles an hour. lie accom-
plished it in very singular way, and at q con
siderable outlay III money and ingenuity. liz
caused circular canal to be dug, one hundred
feet IN diameter and nine feet wide, and flleC
with water. A horizontal pole, equal in length
; to the radius of the circle, was pivoted at ont
end to strong post in the middle, and fastenel
at the other end to boat A horse trotted il
a smaller circle, at point nearer to the pos
, than to the boat, dragging the pole around
The leverage thus singularly obtained suf
feed to give a velocity of twenty FIVE mile
an hour to the outer end of the pole, and con
sequenty, to the boat A baronet and cler
gyman laid wager as to the time when tn
first Emperor Napoleon would die. But
court OF law set aside this bet as illegal, on tn
ground that it gave one of the parties a
interest in the speedy death of man muc
9 exposed to hazard We have only space lett t
notice, finally, the wager concerning Sir job
ThrOckmorton's suit of cloths, on whish
t thousand guineas depended. At five o cloc
on June morning, in 1911, two Southdow
y sheep were shorn; the wool was washed
Il carded, slubbed, roved, spun, and woven ; th
cloth was secured, fulled, tented, raiseC
o sheared, dyed and dressed; and at hal
e past six o'clock the same evening the wot
;, which had clad the sheep in the morning Wa
;, worn as dress. s.suit by Sir John at his ow
l. dinner table