The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-12-31
WINTERS RARE SPORT.
sLEIGHING IN CENTRIL PhRK AND
ON THE BOULEVI
Twenty Miles with n Fast Horse Perfection
Of Enjoyment for n Horscmnn-An Even-
inp's sights on Uptown ThOrOuvbfares.

ing's sights on Uptown Thorou9bfares. |
Good sleghing is not common In New
York city. Usually all the sport OF a winter In |
That line Is compressed into n few days The
last two weeks therefore, have afforded rare |
diversion for those VINO can command horses
and sleighs. DAY and night the thorouRhfares
In and above Central Park have presented scenes
that are strange TO nincty-nine persons out Of
every hundred OF those who live In the city.
II was early on clear, cold evening that
/ took seat in o cutter beside the owner
Of IN excellent horse. and started for the bouo
Yards. Seventh aud Fifth avenues are the routes
most used--one because II IL fashionable. and the
other because II Is not crowded with wagons,
tue wooden pavement being like range OF hills
| when not loveled with snow. The ride to the
| park-wth the runners grating across railroad
| tracks aud clinginR to spots OF dirt, and with
| frequent pull-ups in front of persons who seem
| anxious to get run over-was necessary
process OF arriving at pleasure, rather than
pleasure In itself At the Park gate. however,
| the real diversion began all Of sudden. We
| slipped 30 suddenly out OF the streets and the
| sight OF houses, and into place Of trees,
| bushes and snow, that the sensation OF change
was as though we had In scond been whisked
| from the city hundreds OF miles into the couu-
try. The Park had no familiar look. Not only
was every feature Of ground hidden behind
| \
Though 1t had covered ia mir ana whiskeri 70
make the disguise complete) were wrapped out
| of sight In white. A fun moon, shining from an
| unclOuued sky gave everything the Appearance
OF smootnness and polish tn It are seen In mar
| bic work. There was for the inst mt no living
| thing In the view except ourselves md oar
horse. and the fancy suggested itself that we had
! driven upon an enormous carving OF cold,
! white, glis ening stone. Even the broad, level
| ROADWAY had not been soiled.
suddenly we came upon a sight that banishcd
all thought Of anything 50 inanimtt tie MS marble.
| Thousands Of skaters on the lake looked Down
| at from the higher thOrougninre, ftted,dodgcd,
| and circled. they looked SIN II from the ais
lance. and their forms OF black shar'lv outlined
on the white, made liviog picture IN siihouette
Loneeomencss was banishcd, too by meeting
sleigh riders IN couples aud IN larger tarties a
single horse attached to light cutter, was the
most common; but there was no lack OF diver
sity. Iwo-horse turn.outs, some with the I'M
mlstaKabie indications Of private ownership,
and Others with the equally unmistakabe indi-
cations OF the livery stable, were plentiful. SO
were big and little sleigh loads Of folks who mad
gone out to have good time, regardless OF ap.
pearanccs. Some Of these we're catelessly packed
IN straw ON the bottoms Of rough 9ox-sleishs.
Some were in long, side seated sleighs, drawn
by six horses. Their hill rlty was expressed in
singing. shouting. and horn blowing. One over
packed Load suddenly buleed out at the side,
and spilled fellow into the snow but he
seemed to like it, and the rest shrieked merrtly.
An occ isional policeman WAS passed, 40 he
stood 10y the roidslde seeing whether ANYBODY
drove ster than seven miles an hour; and ne
saw that the majority were doing 1t, but he did
| not GLOW himself to he agitated by that Per-
haps he had become convinced that "A police
man afoot - overwhelmed IN race Win
breaker Of the PARK law drawn hy a last horse.
once ont OF the park on the north side, We
found, instead of the Harlem Lane that once
almost the sole thoroughfarc used for
| pleasure In that neighbOrhOod. chotce OF he
fine boulevaIds that were given to tine city by
| tdc reign OF the Ring. Ihcy stretched away,
with little to influence IN the selection. At other
seasons, the varying substances OF their beds
might make one more desirable than another
but the snow now made all alike Better sleigh
ing never The low temperature mad Kept
the snow from melting the travel had packed H.
aud IL was no worn out at ell. On the stage,
some time. | remember to have seen an elabO-
rated spectacle reprcsen Ing snow, with rows az
lighls at the sides. and hallet-gir sprites dan
chg. II was very pretty. Tor an imitation. mere,
ON ST. Nicholas avenue saw "A reality that FAR
surpassed u. ihe venue. broad ana stralght,
had rows Of lamps at the sides. blending IN tue
distant y respective INTO Two unuroken llues 3i
light that came Gle ser and closer together until
tney almost united. These lights had IA yell "
tinge by comparison with the hner moonlisit
and the snow, ana between them. with more
animation than can De put into stage capers,
we're s-ighs whisked oy swift horses, with a
| din OF bells and merry laughter.
nut after Ill, the minds u the rider. were not
much occuuicd with the heauty Of the scene.
nut rtthcr WIN :" uhpst tlc"l thlnI a. racing
Yea, from the driver of the thoroughbred that
gracefully threw out IT. iorccgs N a thrce-niln-
ute gait or better. to the driver OF the heavy cart
horse that stepped IN way that was more IKE
an ex ig9erated walk than uotting, everybody
desired 10 peat somebody, our mare was
tue kind Of an animal that makes YOU say.
hat morse knows more tiau some men, she
seemed possessed OF the idea that II was her
duty TO oaas everything she overlook. aud the
only tlemisn IN her intelligence WAS that she was
"a proud AFTER heiting Hmplng hh,k morse
a. after hard-won victory over "A good trotter.
She lacked discrimination, but sne never doubt
ed her ability. She could irot mlle IN 2:4Oi and
could 20 further at fast gait and enjoy Il All
the while than one horse III thousand. Ia the
consciousness Of that capacity she forgot that
2)O horses are occasionally ON the road. There
fore she gent confidently into every contest,
prickiug up her ears, ana reaching out with her
furelcgs IN an action" that made horsemen
stare admirngy. Faster horses than she are
| not plenty. ANA we encountered none. sever Il
gave her hard work In bursts Of speed but her
| endurance made her the winner every time | he
, sensation OF sndIng over the snow at sucn rate
4 | horse beating
fellows horse, Il more exhileratlng than o1n
= e,s'ly be imagined by those who have
your eXultation. You had pleasure In the pro-
ianity OF the sportsman whose horse you leave
| behind. You even have no sympathy with the
| young man who has taken his girl out for a ride,
although she looks at HIM reuroacnfully while
his horse cant trot faster. You glance con
temptuously at the loungers who look lougnsly
h | at YOU from taverns. hus did we, until strap
= broke and our rig was disabled.
10 many men the time spent on the road IL
simply regarded as spells between drinks and
to everybody cold gives red noses. uneling ears,
and aching toes aud fingers horses, too, need
rests between their exertions. Consequently, a
p considerable number Of inns thrive ON these up-
town thoroughfares III times 81 good sport. "A
spell! ~ sleighing Is Rodsend TO them. Eacn
T. has ITS set OF patrons, and is no;ed rs the road
, headquarters OF this or that well-known horse
r, man lhey nave ample sheu room, attractive
n barrooms. ana usually pleasant parlors and sup,
= per rooms for women. We stopped AT what
9 once was the mansion Of an old family, standin.
g In what had been retired spot In the midst of
u trees. The trees were there yet; hut otherwise
y everything was changed. Long sheds occupied
. the grounds. A wide balcony modernized The
house. A gorgeous bar was In the Iarlor.
l. large round table, handy for card parties, was IN
! a reception room. Inc dining room was stl
j dining room, and probably dantier food was
u eaten there; nut the eaters id for the hosp
b. talitY, How well they paid was lie rned from the
y proprietor, who sat 1t the cashiers desk. where
! he could both take in the money and watch the
bar. lie looked al though lie mad not slept fol
e Il week.
g "l'll sleep after the seighing Is over" he said
II "it would be TOO expensive now WHY sir,
left eight dollars N the bar drawer one morning
II and when came back there was ouy three
% and good deal of stun had been sold IN the
meantime. SO YOU can guess now much MAJ
,, would cost me at time when am taking II
u money al the rate Of S2 SO In Two days. W,
:, have to aep open every night until nearl,
Il morning aud so don't get mucn time To sleep.
q Ihs prices for refreshments at these places
u are as high rs at the best III this ciy, hut the
u business depends on the condition Of the ROADS
!, ana the weather, and sometimes they do mex
q to nothing for days together. On this nigh
u they were nil thronged, 10 the frequenters ueinl
+ added slelghing parties numbering from ten Il
- forty persons each.
3 Out again, we 20 from avenue 70 boulevard
dash through Clrmansyille, have more races
and notice that the number of pleasure seek
ers increases as II grew la er. The snow creak
NJ beneath the runners, showing that the air Il
IN colder Folks appear in more grotesque We
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