The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-08-23
rnE $1,000 possIRLk 7Rer.

1
New York sun How ss-t will the
fastest possible trotfer gos Whist is
the highest speed tina, car be affirmed
by the American trntting horse for
distance OF one nileY
These are questions which two we'll
known scientific men, Prof William H
Brewer of Connecticut and Mr Francis
Z. Nipher of Missouri, have lately en-
deavored TO answer in three papers con
tribuied TO the American Journal OF
science The first OF these articles by
Prof. Brewer appeared n April. Tie
contributions of Mr.. Nipher are pub
lished IN the numbers f,r July and
August.
Prot. Brewer publishes a tabs show
ing the number OF troIiing horses which
have attained or surpassed various ratcs
of speed ranging iron $50 10 2:11 for
a series of years extending from 1913 TO
1882 From this table Ii appears that
In 1913 there was only one horse-that
had trotted a mile in 2 80 OF better; in
1853 the number had increased 10 ID;
in 1853 TO SO; In 1878 10 $40; In 1882 to
1.G64 The table also shows that up 70
1882. 495 horses had trotted a mile in
rs or better; 275 il % or better; 1856
10 :21 or better; go ]. 2:19 or better. IS
n 2 III or better, and in 2:iJ or better
al leave it TO mathemaiicians," SAID
Prof Brewer in reference to this table,
''to plot the curves which Immediately
suggest themselves 70 determine how
fast horses viii ultimately trot aud
when this maximum will be Ieached"
Mr.. NIpher has undertaken the task
thus suggested. His first conclusion, as
stated in the July number of the Ameri-
can Journal of Science, was that the
maximum speed to which the American
trottlng horse VIII constantly approx
mate, but never reach, is one mile in 81
seconds, or / :32. He also concludes
that the time OF the trottiug horse will
be reduced to within one second of this
figure in 800 years after the Yelr 1860;
that is to say, In the year of our Lord
2220. Mr.. Nipher does not claim abso-
lutte precision tor his results, and says
that the maximum speed may
possibly be as great 100. sec
onds. In the course of ten years, how
eyer, he thinks the limit can be fixed
with accuracy, and he is quite sure
that eventually the maximum speed Of
trotting and running horses will differ
only by few seconds.
In his last article MIR. Nipher states
/ 4.oN 10 ID a pFrl hU
mathematical instead of graphical
methods, and has thus obtained 81 sec
onds, instead of 90 seconds, as the most
probable figures for the minimum time
of trotting mile. The probable error
of this value, he says, is not over four
seconds, and it is not likely that
the running horse will cut his record
down by five seconds, so that 1t is prob
able the trotter will finally surpass the
running horse.
If this prediction is verified, the in
habitanta of the United Ststes in the
twenty-third century will haYe horses
that can get over the ground by means
of'an artificial gait faster than by ma
tural gate. We believe all writers agree
that running is natural to horses while
fast trottIng is not. Mr. Nipher states,
however, as well-known fact that some
herds of wild horses on the plains were
natural PAGERS, so fast and steady that
they nearly preserved their pacing gait
even when pursued by the best running
horses. He speaks of one large white
Texan PAGER that could never be caught.