Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-12-27
THR COOKING MAIN.

- tn0 kDGR 19lo04 w1E0o were
Sadly wersted.-TAe Desssss q the
Contest.
The Dubuque Telegraph Of Yesterday
morning contains the particulars OF the
cooking main In that city on C6nstmss
morning as stated ia last evenings ARGUS
The Telegraph says:
A cooking main between Rock Island
and Dubuque birds was pulled or early
this morning In room of Peter Winkels
saloon beyond the shooting park. Twelve
Rock Island sports arrived here Christmas
with the best talent to be found In their
town and Davenport. Their birds had
been carefully trained. They had Tough,
decoy cocks at the ends OF broomsticsk.
they had spared with heels the points OF
which were sheathed with cork. and they
had been chased about q room to better
their wind and TO get their muscles into
condition. The mob of bird fapciers
began to assemble al Winkel's - early as
2 O'Clock but the dead swell sports. Who
had been given q straight tip delayed their
arrival until midnight. In order 10 get
the crowd il was necessary 10 open the
doors early. but the convenience Of the
upper strata OF gamesters demanded the
fun should not begin untilmorning The
Rock Island contingent had brought
straight heels while Dubuque insisted on
the deep socket. We fear the early edu-
cation Of our readers in this matter has
been sadly neglected. So we will explain
that straight heel is steel spur an inch
and half In length which extends from the
chickens leg at right angles while the gaff
Of deep socket curves upwards from q
point below the birds natural spur. The
Rock Island people finally consented to
the deep socket. but insisted on choice
between the two sets OF spurs offered by
Dubuque. This was allowed At
IL O'Clock the crowd, numbering
seventy five, was again seated on benches
about the pit. the floor of which was COW
cred with ssw-dust to prevent the birds
from slipping. The main was at an end
three hours later. II was for 500 aside,
best five battles out of nine with side bets
of IS to $50 on each battle. The birds
were chiefly black and brown breasted
reds and their weights ran from three TO
six and half pounds. Dubuque won
the first five battles and the main. Rock
Island had the better birds, they Topped
twice while their local competitors were
making one blow but their heeler didn't
understand his business and bis birds
could do no execution. Ga the other
hand the Dubuque cocks with every clat-
ter imposed upon the Rock Island man
the disagreesble duty Of taking their
steels out OF his birds eye or neck or
throat. A cock when struck hes down
and his heller pulls out the gaff. Were
the heller Of the other bid allowed to do
IL he might accidently rip the fallen bri's
throat open or eye out in the operation.
When one cock becomes so weak that he
Ines down in the pit and allows the other
TO stand on top of him the battle is lost.
As rule. however, the battles are not
reduced to q test Of endurance. one cock
being rendered hors du combat by blow
the throat, or eyes or brain.
The first battle was q chopping match
in which the Dubuque bird did all the
execution. The Rock Island cock made
q game fight, but was utterly exhausted
by the heavy blows of his adversary be-
fore the fight was five minutes old.
The second battle was the best of the
main from the sportman's standpoint,
whatever Henry Berg might have thought
of it, The Rock Island bird took his
punishment like major and died game.
The next two battles were awarded Du-
buque in twinkling. the Rock Island
flying the pit. The fifth battle
was q stubborn contest and ended Ike the
second. Rock Islands nomination being
cut to pieces. After the main came two
scratch" battles each for $25 side.
The Dubuque bird had one eve knocked
out the first flap and the blood from il
ran into and blinded the other eye. He
was then at the mercy OF his opponent
but he was game all through and it took
half an hour to finish him. He jumped
aimlessly about the pit. striking the side
Of it or his opponent as chance directed.
In the next battle the Rock Island bird
was fought to a stsndstill This ended
the ''fun." and al a. m. the dead swell
sports who had gone out at midnight left
for the city in carriages while the chumps
who had reported at the scene of the
fight al 2 a. m. walked home, reaching
the city 10 time to get breakfast and go
TO work in q machine shop or boiler room
The original calculation was that the
main would be over at 1890 o'clock. and
Allen & Swiney ran their cars until that
hour.
OF the seven cocks Rock Island placed
IN the pit but one escaped to tell the tale
to his bsrnysrd followers al home. One
died in the pit. three so badly used IN
that they were afterwards killed and two
we're behesded for cowardice, making six
IN all whose spirits were transported to