Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-04-03
RACING ON SHOW. SHOES.
GALA DAYS AMONG rHE MINERS IN
PLUMAs COUNTY.
Annual Competition Between Four Sierra
Towns-Graphic Description of
the Races.

A Sacramento commercial traveller writ
ing from townsville, Plumas county, gives
the following account of snow.shoe racing
up at Gibsonville:
During my stay at La Porte, Plumas
county, had occasion to witness the snow.
shoe races, and I think it worth while to
write about it.
The four mining towns, La Porte, Glib
sonville, Rowland Flat and Portwine, hold
every year series of snow shoe races, and
there is just as much excitement and bet
ting there as at horse race below.
1t is held to be great honor for town
If one of its runners comes out victorious
in one of the races, and the lucky winner
is the object of considerable praise and ad-
miration. Each town furnishes more or
less contestants and the races always last
two days and are for purses from $75 to
$3.50.
The snowshoes used for running differ
from the common travelling shoe in length
and finish. The bottom of the race-shoe
is of the finest workmanship, and is very
smooth and hard finished. The race
shoes length is twelve to fifteen feet, its
width three and half to four inches. One
end is turned up from four to six inches,
and the foot stands in a strap four inches
wide, which just fits over the foot in the
middle of the shoe. To make the shoe 20
fast it is necessary to put preparation
called dope on the bottom. Dope is
composed of different chemicals and drugs,
sperm oil being the most ostimportant. There
is dope for dry, dope for wet, for hard and
soft snow. Each town, as general thing,
is the owner of good recipe for making
good race-dope, and guards it carefully
against outsiders. A good recipe for dope,
or kind of dope which won previous
races, is worth its weight in gold, and
some men up here spend considerable time
and money making dope. The dope is
rubbed on the bottom of the shoe and
makes it as slick as ice. The place where
the races at La Porte came off is steep hill,
and the course measures 40 feet. The
grade is an angle of forty degrees, and is
the best and fastest track in the circuit.
All race-tracks are on hill; the runners
go down-hill and the longer and sleeper
the hill the faster the speed. Four men
start together, twelve feet apart. They
compose squad, and tie winners of each
squad forms a new squad till finally the
two remaining run the "saw-off' or the
finish race. At the sound of the drum the
runners start; the one crossing the line
at the bottom of the hill first is the winner.
Several judges, time-keePer, and starters
look after the proper run of things, while q
referee is appointed to decide in case of any
difficulty
At the opening days race there were
twenty five starters. 1t was for purse of
$100. Tom Costello, of Gibsonville, a fine
build young fellow, won it. Time was %
seconds for !, 1,470 feet. His opponent came
III one-half second behind him. The race
tor the entrance purse was captured by w.
Roster. of Gibsonville, and thus Gibson
vile dope" was king for the first day.
The second days races where a little
faster, and there was more betting and ex-
element than on the first. Ten started for
the purse, w. Ryan, of Gibsonville coming
out ahead: Time, q seconds. w. Hill
man, of La Porte, won the entrance money.
Time, 81 seconds. 1t seems that Gibson
vile is ahead in making dope, as every
race her boys are in she wins one or more
purses.
Men have no idea how fast these runners
go, unless they see them. 1t is more like
flying, and the Lord helped the runner who
gets nervous and falls for it will kill him.
When the sign for the start is given, the
runners use pole-a stick about four feet
long, to push themselves for about forty
feet, then they bend or sit down, drawn in
their shoulders and head so as to give the
air as little resistance as possible, hold
their breath and, like bullet, they whiz
down the hill. After crossing the line they
sit or ride their poles, bearing heavily on
them so as to check their speed Two
races are run each day, race for purse
and the race for the entrance money, as
each runner pays 81 entrance money. The
races commence at l P. NJ. and last till
and 6 P. NJ. People for twenty-five miles
around came and witness the races. The
miners Jay off for the occasion and every.
body enjoys holiday. All come on snow
shoes, and just as many ladies and chill
dren as men are on the ground Some
times there is also a ladies' and children's
race. Each town has some good runners,
and it is not the runner on whom the bet
ting and in whose honor the cheering is
done. 1t is the town he represents or whose
dope he uses. OF course, you can also find
a man behind a rough pine-board bar with
a few bottles and cigars on, where you can
take drink and discuss the merits of the
dope. A good many drinks are taken and
a good many dollars are spent on these
days. The hotels are crowded, gambling is
going on in the saloons, and you can hear
the rattle of money on the green tables all
night. Scores of Woodworking miners
come from their diggings in the backwoods
with their pockets full of money, get rid of
it at the green table and return home
broke, to return to next years races and do
it over again. There is also a social dance
in the evening, and the winners of the
races are the heroes of the day. The purses
are gotten up by the saloon and sporting
men of the town, and they can afford to
put up purse, as they reap golden harv-
est on the evening of the races The race
season is during March, and each town
holds its races on Friday and Saturda,;
one week one town, next week the other,
and so on, but all take part in every race.
[ am told that the races are no more
what they used to be in the good old times.
when races for purses from 81 600 to S. 600
were common thing. The fastest time on
record was made in 1881, when, at the
Gibsonville Iace.track, l. 800 feet lor g
was made in IA seconds, which is almos,
sixty-fve miles an hour. Accidents are
very rare, as the runners are all expert
enced snowshoers and practice for weeks