Daily Yellowstone journal., 1884-07-25
LoNooN'S DERBY DAY.
a visit 20 EPSON Downs..How 20 Gel
There..The sights.

- WIZ ~ hPoOn WV "~.s~sS W ~
There..The sights.
London Cor. San Francisco Chronic.r.l
OF all the great sights to be seen in
and around London 1 must confess I
yield the palm to the Derby Day. This
race 10 annually decided at EPSON,
which is about sixteen miles from Lon.
don, in the last week of May or the
first week in June. Epson Downs. the
scene of the race. il o fine, open,
breezy place, sufficiently undulating to
be picturesque and we'll wooded on the
outskirts. Here on the Derby Day
may be seen gathered together the
largest assembly Of people the eye may
ever hope to rest upon. Standing on
the summit of the grand stand, large,
imposing and well-arranged erection,
the sight, as one looks down upon the
hundreds of thousands of people lining
the course for quarter of mile away
on either hand, the numerous gay
equipages drawn up alongside the rails
and the crowded rings attached to the
stand is simply wonderful.
As for the race itself, not one person
in fifty who G. s to the Derby cares q
iot about that. The day is national
holiday, and for this one day at least
half the people of london give them
selves up TO boisterous fun and iollity,
A large ortion OF the Downs presents
the appearance of country fair. There
are shows. swings, roundabouts, cocoa
nut SHES, weighing machines, and in
fact all the fun OF the lair. The gyp.
sizes assemble here in great force, and
while their blaak-eved wives and
daughters tell fortunes for piece of
silver, the men run the shows and vari-
Gus games by which the Romany de-
lights in depicting the pockets of the
Giaour. Any one, then, who would see
the Englishman shake of his solemnity
of manner, his taciturnitv and reserve,
and realize that the inhabitants of
these islands can 60 in for fun and frolic
when il so pleases them, should by all
means pay visit to Epson on the
Derby day.
There are various ways Of reaching
the place. One can 60 to Waterloo
station, or from Victoria or London
bridge, and from the last-named depot
one can travel direct to the race course.
Numbers of four-horse brakes and
coaches also start from the west end of
London. and seat on one of these
can be secured at almost any West-end
hotel for from about 80 to - for the
round trip. To my mind, however,
and have tried all methods of going
to the Derby, there is no way SO pleas.
ant rs driving there and back in a
hansom-cab. With a pleasant com.
panion and hamper contain
ing q liberal luncheon and a
couple of bottles Of champagne
one can safely start for the Der.
by in O handsoAcab with the assur.
ance that thoio1 ghly enjoyable day
will result from the experiment. The
journey there and back is to my mind
the greatest part Of the fun, for
nearly the whole sixteen miles there
are continuous rows Of carriages,
coaches, brakes, donkey-carts and every
|. kind OF vehicle that has been created
by the ingenuity Of man, and the fun on
the road has long been admitted to be
one Of the leading features Of the days
amusement.
A cab for the whole day can be char.
tered for from % to $40, and once ar
rived on the course, while cabby bats
his horse, the visitors may wander
around and enjoy themselves thor.
oughly amongst the crowds, witness the
great race from the grand stand, to
which an admission fee OF $3.50 is
charged, and after the Derby can start
back again to London without waiting
for the remaining races, if BY this time
they have seen enough of the fun and
turmoil of all London ont for holiday
at the races. II is indeed advisable to
depart early, or at least before the last
race is run, as there is always terrible
lam" Of carriages, blocking the road
OF the Downs Immediately after the
sport has finally concluded. The Derby
is always run on Wednesday and the
Oaks on the following Friday. The
Oaks has from time immemorial been
known as the Ladies day. On Friday
the fun and frolic Of the Derby day is
altogether absent, but the fair sex mus.
ter in great force and the display OF
summer toilets is something to gaze
upon.