Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-21
CARRIED BY ONE VOTE.
The Pittsburg Driving Park Gives Up the
GhosI-A Disastrous Set Of Expert.

The Pittsburg Driving Park Gives Up the
GhouI-A Disastrous Set Of Expert.
euces.
At the annual meeting of the stockhold-
ers of the Driving Park Association, held
Tuesday afternoon, the new Board of Di-
rectors was instructed to offer the Home
wood Driving Park for sale. The motion to
sell was carried by only one vote.
The property was bought and made into
a driving course by the Western State Fair
and Agricultural Association, which was
formed .in 1881. Among the men who
took stock in that company were james A.
Chambers, Captain S. S. Brown, Paul
Hacke, Charles J. Clarke and Ira F.
Brainard. These men still hold stock, but
some have not as much as at the begin
ming, The tract contained 81 acres,
all but Is of which are inside of the city
limits. The front is on Frankstown avenue.
The capital stock was fixed at $1OO, 900,
each share being 1000. In making the
race track quicksand was struck, and
second course had to be laid out at great
cost. All the buildings required on race
course were put up and fine road house
was erected. These works cost so much that
$50, 900 worth of bonds were sold. These
bonds we're nearly all taken by the stock
holders. They are still unpaid, and their
interest is in arrears. The old company got
into such deep water that it was dissolved
early in 1884, and in its place the Pittsburg
Driving Park Association was formed, with
about the same membership. The later
company held racing meetings during four
seasons with varying success.
One of the directors says: I'VE held a
running meeting in 1885, on which we lost
over 5000. At the trotting meetings we
made some money. Two years ago pool
selling was stopped at the race tracks and
that cut off good part Of our income. Then
in 1888 the Brooks license law took effect
and we could no longer sell liquor at the
roadhouse. That reduced the revenue Sc
Yerely, not alone taking away the profit
from the bar, but cutting down the attend
ance. Neither horsemen nor the. public
cared to come to the races. The Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company promised to run
switch to the grounds and carry people to
the gate. Had they kept the promise we
would have had large crowds. We had
long fight in the courts trying to keep a
highway from running right across the
course. We were beaten in that.
"Some of our best men have so much pri-
vate business to look after that they have
neglected the associations affairs. At the
annual meeting yesterday only II of the
stockholders were present. Those who op-
posed the sale wished to hang to the prop
erty until pool bill could be passed. Such
a bill failed in the last Legislature by only
a few votes Mr.. Brainard was one of the
men who was for keeping the ground. Yes
terday he said that he was tired and dis
gusted and was ready to sell. To vote to
sell was six to fve So far as we are con-
cerned we expect to sell the land as a whole.
If it is to be cut up into building lots, that
will be the work OF the purchaser. 1t might
be that some other racing association would
buy the place. 1t could at any time have
been sold for that purpose.
"Mr. Chambers tried to get control of the
stock some time ago, but 1t was not certain
that he wanted to keep up the race track.
am pretty sure that $S5, 900 will cover the
debts. There is about $4,000 due on the
purchase, the mortgage for which is held bv
a Philadelphia man, whose name, think,
is Lapsley. The property is valuable, and
is worth at least s., 900 an acre"
The members of the new Board of
Directors are: Ira F. Brainard, Julius
Voetter, Thomas J. Graf, Thomas r. Kerr,
James B. Hyndman, John W. Martin, DR..
Joseph NJ. Stevenson, Thomas H. Phelps
and o. II. Allerton, Jr. All except At
torney Kerr live at the East End. They
will meet tomorrow afternoon to act.
Among other vicissitudes it is matter of
fact that the property got into the Delin-
quent Tax Collectors Office, but it has
always been claimed that this was accounted
for by clerical error