Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-19
KING HAL POINTER.
He Is Now Sovereign of All the PAGERS
on the Race Track.
THE FASTEST NILE In HARNESS
Rolled Off by Rim While No Chorus Of
Voices Fills the Air.
THE RECORD CUT DOWN A FULL SECOND

THE RECORD CUT DOWN A FULL SECOND
CHICAGO, Aug 1S.-The worlds pacing
record went to smash to-day. Old Johnston,
who paced his mile in 2:O6H, October 3,
1884, at the Chicago Westside Driving
Park, has been dethroned and Hal Pointer
reigns in his stead. The game son Of Tom
Hall went around the Washington Park
track to day in 2:O5H, making the fastest
mile ever gone in harness.
As in the case of Nancy Hanks, who
yesterday beat the universe as trotter, to-
days record breaker was hitched to sulky
with low Wheels pneumatic tires and ball
bearings Its weight was the same as used
by Dcble in driving Nancy Hanks-6211
pounds. Pointer was on the programme to
pace at 8 o'clock. But it was 6:20 before he
was given the word. He was sprinted
around the track few times during the
afternoon and given one fast mile. He was
on edge, and ready to make the effort Of his
life. When the bay gelding stepped upon
the track at 6:10 there was scarcely ripple
on the bosom of the lake inside the track.
The Fates were as kind to Hal Pointer as
they had been to Nancy Hanks the day be-
fore, and if he lost . crown there could be
no excuse offered for him.
Started on Like the Wind.
After jogging up and down the track for
five minutes, Geers turned at the distance
| flag and came down for the word. Frank
Starr was waiting behind Abe Lincoln, and
as Pointer rushed by he sent his bay runner
after him, but before the upper turn was
reached, Geers, not liking the way in which
his horse was moving, turned and came
| back to score second time. Fast as q
bullet Pointer came down to the wire,
Geers rubbed his chin on the buttons of his
black jacket, and starter Frank Walker,
rightly constituting the gesture as q desire
for the word, gave it promptly and Hal
Pointer went forth for the effort of his life.
There was not the large crowd at the
track that watched the peerless Nancy
cover herself with glory, but it was COM
posed largely of men interested in the
event, and a thousand watches clicked as
Walker gave the word. The gayly painted
quarter pole was just ahead Of Pointer,
beside him and behind him il the passing
of q breath, and as he swung into the
back stretch going fast and true there was
no doubt in the minds of the majority of
the anxious watchers that another laurel
was about to be gathered for Washington
Park.
No Use for Abe Lincoln.
The half mile pole, 1:02A. he went with
out the faintest suspicion of distress, going
as steadily as though it was his every
day exercise. Going around the turn Geers
drew in the reins simply, and Starr, urging
up Abe Lincoln, who had been stirring up
the dust five lengths behind, drew up along
side. He saw, however, as head to head the
two horses turned into the home stretch,
that there was no need of his services and
he pulled back. Pointer, in TACT, needed no
urging beyond that of his driver, and Geers
was well content with the rate at which the
bay gelding covered the ground.
The little clouds of dust followed the
spat, spat, spat of his flying hoois as rapidly
as the white jets of smoke come from the
barrels of gatling gun. Not sound was
heard and not q person moved In his seat in
the grand stand as steadily the great PAGER
came down to the wire. It was no burst
of the fastest mile ever travelled by any
horse in harness upon any track. He came
from the distance flag as he had started
from the wire, level headed, full of busi-
ness and doing his best to accomplish all
that his driver asked. He came past the
judges stand strong and fresh and to all
appearances able to do as well or better at
some future time.
The crowd gave his wonderful achieve
ment no such enthusiastic welcome as it ac-
corded yesterday to Doble's feet mare. A
few yells went up and round of applause
went through the grand stand as 2:05L was
hung out by the timers and that was all.
There was no ovation given to Ed Geers'
success as greeted Doble, and he climbed
quietly from his sulky and turned the
mighty PAGER toward the paddock. The
official time for the mile is: First quarter,
:317l; half, 1:02Z; three-quarters, 1:54;
mile, 2:O5T.
Nancy Hanks to Trot To-Morrow.
Hal Pointer, who has now eclipsed all |
records made in harness, is bay geld1ng, |
16 hands high, sired by Tom Hall out Of |
Snow Haven. He is owned by Henry
Hamlin, Of Buffalo, N. Y. Tho betting on
the heat in the auction pools was $50 to $50
that 2:06Z would not be beaten, though this
price was lowered, after the wind died
away, to 500 to $50 that 2:06 would not be
beaten.
Budd Doble has reconsidered his de-
termination not to start Nancy Hanks
against her record at the present meeting,
and she will be sent Saturday afternoon to
beat 2:07Z, and Doble Is confident she can
do it with favorable conditions With re-
spect to the discussion relative to the old
style of sulky and the bicycle rig with
which records are being broken, Budd
Doble says:
$50 far as I can observe, the difference in
favor of the bicycle suIky is that it is easier
for the driver. Whether it benefits the
horse can't say. Had not Nancy Hanks
taken sick she would have trotted in 2:07
TO the old style rig last fall Before Mr..
Forbes bought her told him she could go
hat fast. With q good track she'will do It
but for my own benefit will
lse the bicycle. Some day will give her
! mile and repeat, using both styles Of
ulkies to determine the differ
.nce, if any exists. can't take
he chances of Furnishing her in
experiments with sulkies to demonstrate
heir relative capacities for speed, because
he does not belong to me. Wealthy gen.
lemen who own fast trotters and can afford
o make tests should do SO. One thing is
lready demonstrated The trotters and
'acers are going faster than ever before, the
verage of speed shown in the last two
Teeks being astonishing even to me. just
ook at the seven heats in the 2:20 and 2:16 :
lasses at Washington Park to-day-au
etter than 2:15 Either the horses or the
ulkies have improved or the Washington
ark track is the fastest in the world"
Hdrd In sar0l. |