Daily globe., 1883-10-29
Commodore Kittson and His stock.

Commodore KittsOm and His Stock.
No man in the United States has ever
engaged in the business of raising well
bred horses of both running and trotting
strains, with more iberality, and with less
selfshness, or with more disintarested
views, than has Commodore Kittsen, Of
st. Paul. Finding his financial condition
adequate 10 the most liberal expenditure
of money for good, well bred stock, and
possessed With a wish to become en-
gagged in the interesting business of
breeding, on large scale from the best
horse stock in the country, Commodore
Kittson a few years ago began to secure
such stock as he deemed the most suitable.
HIS STABLES.
About two or three miles out from the
city of st. Paul, between this city and
Minneapolis he selected the grounds, near
the St. Paul and Manitoba road. These
grounds had been used for years for the
state fair and for general trotting pur
poses. The grounds thus pur-
chased soon proved inadequate
for the Coommdore's ideas, and
from time to time he added TO the eproperty
first secured, other tracts, until ne now has
ample room for the purposes he has in
view. Upon these grounds he erected such
stables as he deemed necessary for his
purposes. They have often been described
in these columns and the description need
not be reproduced. They are several
hundred feet in length, and as many more
in width. The Istables themselves are at
least fifty feet in height from the paved
floor to the roof, and are
amply supplied with the appliances that
ingenuity has invented or experience prov
ed valuable and necessary for the COM
pleteness of a stall for the trotter. The
floor of the immense building is of cedas
blocks with tar covering. The stalls are
all box stalls, of ample dimensions, and
each one is supplied with drain which
prevents the accumulation of anything
offensive in the stall. There is
no upper loft but the whole building
is open to the roof, and well
lighted. Each of the stalls is protected
by high wire fence all around the top of
the woodwork. No hay or straw is kept in
the barn, and in all respects the latter is
front Of the stables proper is large arena
with a circular track on which the horses
may be exercised all winter, and kept. in
good working condition, so as to be ready
for the earliest possible work in the
spring. In the front or at the entrance
of the immense stable building are the Of
fees of Mr.. Kittson and the superintend
ent, fitted up in a very sumptuous manner.
CT Of ha ctoh ic nj mil froo ol-
over whose surface have travelled the fly
ing feet of st. Julien, Rarus, Great East
ern, Lucy, and other great and fast horses
whose names have found their way into
the turf history of the world, and whose
record will always keep their memory
green, and which will require the best eff
forts of those who come upon the turf in
the future to surpass. Although the record
of the great Rar Is and no less renowned
st. Julien, has been beaten 1nd the figures
will undoubtedly be reduced somewhat in
the future, the process will be slow, very
slow indeed, that sets the record down
much below that of these two great rep
resentatives of the American trotter.
The Commodore has had the whole
grounds rejuvenated, the fences newly
constructed, and the whole track regrad-
which are under the charge of Mr.. Ben.
Woodmansee, are now in very excellent
condition. There are about $50 head of
horses out there at the present time. These
are all trotters. Of course at Erdenheim,
in Pennsylvania, where the Commodore
keeps his runners there are great many
more animals. At his running stables at
Erdenheim, he has something over three
hTIr1 Irol 4E kI4 = 0f T
ton, Lexington, Bonny Scotland and other
great running strains. 1t takes considera-
BILE time to breed, rear and teach the runner
and trotter so as to enable them to attend
to the business for which they are raised.
1t is row something about three years
since Commodore Kittson started into this
business. Next year he will turn out a
flock of youngsters that there is good
reason to believe will not be surpassed in
the running field, and there is no reason to
think that he will not compete success
fully with the best stables in. the country.
Of course Commodore Kittson himself has
but little to say about his horses while he
is at home. AS soon as he reaches st.
Paul, on his return from an excursion to
the east, either to- his other stable or Erden-
helm or to the races around the circuit,
he hives himself up in
his Office rooms on lower
Third street over the gas Office, and for
days is buried in pile of correspondence
that has accumulated during his absence.
Of course he has but little time to devote
to horse talk. From those, however, who
have seen the remarkably fine string of
runners at Erdenheim it is learned that
they are very promising lot indeed.
PLEASANT CHAT WITH NIB. KITTsoN.
Finding the Commodore back from the
east after the close of the trotting meeting
at Chicago, representative of the GLOBE
called upon him in his Office, not with any
idea of getting up an interview, but with
the intention of having a little friendly
chat with him, for he is one of the
most interesting and perspicuous
takers in the land, and few men have the
power of expressing themselves more Wig
orously and tersely than he does. He was
found, as above stated, in his Office, and
after giving the newspaper man a polite
invitation to be seated the commodore
pushed box of cigars across the table,
saving that Senator Sabin sent it over to
him and recommended its contents very
highly. assssssssssesazsszE==s5-s-