The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-03
AMERICAN JOCKEY CLUB.
Racin g at Jerome
+ ark.
FIRST DAY OF THE AUTUMN MEETING.
Beauty and Fashion at the
Course.
Five Exciting Races-Scenes Inside and
Outside Of the Course.
Matte A., Aristides, Patience, PiccOlo and
Josie B. the Winners.


upon the printed intimaon that there would be loca
OF ran.n Even the unrelentng weather prophet
could not find it in his heart to spoil the suspicious
gay We had sunshine and fresh breezes and gray,
cooling skies. 1t was day when all nature seemed
20 invite mankind 10 and rejoice in its funess
and its beauty. The I'd Of October is almost too early
for the return of those OF people Who from year TO
year have grown into the habit OF lingering in the
country during the autumn weather This is one reason
why the gathering was not so representative III its
character as the spring meetings and shall
fnd them later in the We have had much
life and sunshine the past few days that we can well
understand why people prefer the seaside
and and watering places to the hard
ditions OF city life But there many Of the old
faces and many faces, which made the terraced
sward around the club house picnic scene-the greet
ings and merriment, the renewal of suspended inter-
course, the summing of the summer VACATION dowa
ger rectng to dowager the victories Of Saratoga and
beau discussing with beau the achievements in Paris
and at the German springs This is social aspect of the
autumn meeting which makes the occasion Of more
than usual interest The long Denizens of
the metropolis who have been careering and
continent, climbing the Alps or ascending the Yosom-
ite mounting guard the parlors Of Saratoga or
saunering the idle hours away the boulevards all
assemble, as 1t were for hearty greeting before be-
ginning the metropolitan winter There
BROWNIES of feature, freshness of counenance and
heightened color on the cheek and activity in the
movement and conversation sense Of health and
vvacity, which showed in pleasant contrast with the
ennu and the paor and the WEAKNESS overspreading
such company at spring concourse, the winter
and the enervatng days hand the weary tasks done
and all anxious for respite by the forest
sea
The ride from New York to Jerome Park is noble in
W.
city, which not the imbecity OF set OF rulers
the corruption Of another destroy The boule-
wards that sweep out from Central Park studded
with quickly driven equipagcs and the grounds around
the race course outside the gates contained larger
crowd than that within. The company within the
gates decorous and composed and under restraint
without those outdoor which form pleasant
feature of the the Continent There rocky
cliff formed by the excavation TO make the boulevard
which overlooks the track. Here, massed
during the whole afternoon, a multitude
The pie drove busy trade the
present oysterman indusriousy proclaiming
his desire to feed the hungry and ambitious caterer
established chowder boiler, from which he dispensed,
from time to time dishes OF unsavory food. There
all of vehicles, from the splendid drag of
the city millionaire to the PLAIN farmers wagon
stained with fruit and grain AS if to make the strong
est contrast to the eagerness and buoyancy and excite
ment of this multitude, there hearse which had
returned from Woodlawn Cemetery having performed
its sad duty whose driver could not pass beyond the
cnhcing track. There the gamblers, playing
Spanish monte surrounded by exctable groups,
mainly of laborers, black and white, who threw
down their small fragments of fractional cur
rcncy in the hope to win the petty stake What
we noticed mainly about the meeting was the
repose which overspread the assembly Why does
per on the philosophy of crowds ?" crowd has its
representative features much q Tho
character Of people is well in the
behavior of its mobs If this had an English
sembly there would have been hustling, bureting
rough horse play and occasional boxing match.
If it had been French crowd there would have been
eager buzzng ripple of conversation and gaantry,
full OF movement and sprghtliness, caring
for everything but the race But the
American crowd is sober than any on the Con-
tinent It this sobriety, this camness, which
always see in American muttudes, when under
high stress Of excitement that led keen observer
s Thomas Hughes to say that the Americans were
''sad people, that they looked tired and overworked"
Something Of this criticism might have occurred TO the
observer at Jerome Park yesterday but the manly in
in the great sport and the pride which we natu
rally feel in the dextcrity the swifness the courage
preston cheer after cheer when the crisis of each
race was at hand.
There are some improvements which might be made
In the approaches to the Jerome Park. In tho first
place the railroad accommodations are imperfect If
Commodore Vanderbilt to switch from Ford
ham or Spuyten Duyvil station, so as TO touch the
boundary OF Jerome Park IL would add largely to the
these festival days and be great benefit
TO the people, Special trains might be run from Forty
second street depot Jerome Park in half hour,
and If 1t understood that on great days
these trains would intervals of quarter Of
hour or twenty minutes, in time might encourage
our people attend in large numbers as at Long
Champs or the Derby Then the roaas to Central Park
might be improved. The ride from Macomb's Dam to
Jerome Park is hard tho horses day like ycster-
day The roadway soft and while it is easy enough
for equestrans and those who have troers before light
wagons il is impossible for the drivers of heavy teams
or drags or carriages TO make any comfortable
sneed Now If the bouleyards arranged
like the avenue OF the Champs Elysees, for instance
with macadamized road in the centre and the ordi-
nary track either side, IL would accommodate all
classes and make the driving easier in every way.
What we perfect tho approach TO jerome Park
and to make the upper part Of our island convenient
not only racing days but ordinary occasions Is TO
make a rnacadanzed road from Washington Square to
Central Park and 10 continue u through the mid
die Of the Boulevard from there TO jerome Park.
This would give drive unequalled by any
other in the world. While We crtcising
this subject II might be well also to refer TO
the habit OF sweeping Fifth avenue and the streets be-
yond the Park This done in the best spirit, but the
result that the mornings OF the accsas was the
yesterday for nsancethcso streets arc as bright
pin and clean a courtyard, smooth slippery
shiny and the horses have footing, nothing which
their hoofs can grasp Consequently driving Is dan
gcrous Now, appreciate the diligence which leads
70 ths cleaning Of the Streets but at the same
time think II would be well TO leave some dirt on
the surface Of the enable horsemen to drive
along without fearing every minute that their horses
lloi,.a a