Morning journal and courier., 1886-05-03

The coaching season was opened yesterday, when the red-bodied coach Tantivy was driven by Frederic Bronson from the Hotel Brunswick to the Country club in Pelham. Prescott Lawrence and party of friends were the only passengers. Besides MT. Law renee there were on the coach when it started up Fifth avenue at eleven o'clock, Mrs. Fred eric Bronson, MT. and Mrs. J. R. Roosevelt, the Misses Bulkley, and Messrs. Louis Ruth erford, Woodbury Kane, Philip Allen, Reg inald Rivers, Hugo Fritsch and Brockholst Cutting. MT. Bronson, who handled the lines over the four bays which started the drag on it's way to Pelham, wore the cus- tomary white topcoat and white hat, but the rest of the party, including the ladies, were in ordinary street costume. The guard with his long horn was resplendent in white hat, green coat, red waistcoat, corduroy brooches and tigers boots. His lungs were powerful and his efforts to rival Levy in snatches from the ''Whlrl wind" polka evoked shouts of admiration from the urchins and smiles from the pedestrians, who had assembled to see the gentleman" coachman try to outdo the ordinary Fifth avenue bus driver in handling the lines and collecting the fares. Leaving the Brunswick promptly at eleven o'clock, the party bowled merrily along through the park and thence through Harlem, Mott Haven, Fox's Corners and Union Port, where a stop was made to change horses Thence on they drove, enjoying a delight full breeze, it's coolness modified by the warm rays of the sun, through West Ches- ter and Middletown and landed at the Country clubs house in Pelham just be- fore one o'clock. There ''jolly" lunch was enjoyed and many toast was drank to fha Of the onacbino will last for about two months.
 At 3:45 the party left the club house for the return trip, which was made without particular incident until the drag had passed through Central Park and started down Fifth avenue. Then the Tantivy's glory departed on his perch mortified. J. R. Roosevelt, who was proudly handling the lines, blushed a little as be heard the shouts of laughter which took the place of the plaudits which should have greeted the party. The ladies laughed lrreverently. So did some of their escorts. Everyone on the avenue joined in the laughter which made the finish of the Tantivy's first trip rather farcical. Edward G. Gilmore, the-manager of Niblo's garden and notorious practical joker, was at the bottom of the scheme which made Fifth avenue roar, and led all the dudes who had gathered at the Brunswick to look upon him as little short of sacrilegious
 1 course down the avenue were four mules mules with extraordinary ears; mules closely clipped and with shining coats; mules meek and lowly, but arrayed in heavily plated harness, and hitched in the most improved four-in-hand fashion to a most thoroughly English break. F'Ned" Gilmore held the lines and fourished most gorgeously deco rated coachman's whip. Two co1ored grooms had seats of honor behind him, and Gilmore had as his only passenger W. H. Ripley, of Chicago, who had picked up the team of mules ont in Pennsylvania for aqueduct con- tractor w. R. Howard, who is to use them as fancy team at his country residence this summer. Gilmore looked proud as he drove and Ripley looked as if he would rather be on the sidewalk. Being a party to such a practical joke didn't appear to be wholly to his taste. But he had to grin and bear it, and Gilmore had to explain to him that it wasn't his fault that the Tantivy should get ahead of him and keep directly in his way until the Brunswick was reached. Ripley is still trife skeptical regarding that explana- tion.
 ''Why don't you get horses, Neda" shouted an 1freverent broker standing in front of the Windsor
 Ten to five you can't pass the swell bus,'' cried another who had not that respect for coaching that every we'll regulated Fifth av- enue frequenter is expected to have.
 Gilmore paid no attention to these rude people, but drove on, modestly accepting the applause bestowed He seemed at home in his triumphal pl procession and perfectly hap py.
 The Tantivy drove up to the Brunswick at precisely 5:30. Two grooms sprang out and ed the horses in front of the main entrance. An instant later four mules halted in the rear with their colored grooms at their heads. The anglo maniacs wondered. The Ameri can continent enjoyed the burlesque i'm nensely. The coaching party sought the se- clusion of the Brunswick parlors as quickly as they could gracefully do so. So did Gil more and his friends, but the parlcr they found had a long bar and free lunch in it"
 The only thing I regret about my first coaching trip this season. explained Gil more, as he wiped his lips, lis that it didn't take place last week. If the season had only opened then I could have had a party of the Black Crook chorus girls as passengers, and then I could have knocked out anything on the avenue for sty1e.'
 The Tantivy will continue it's trips to Pel- ham daily for two months to come. Gill mores coaching season has ended, for MT. Ripley won't let him drive the mules again.