The Portland daily press., 1892-07-23
AT THE OVAL.
Seth Griffin is at Last on Hand and the
Track is Going Ahead.

n VlSlU TO the Sue Oh the reg uldIlol
| track at Cape Elizabeth shows about 100
men and numerous teams hard at work
| under personal direction of the veteran
| fast track builder, Mr.. Seth Griffin. This
gentleman, by the way, is quiet deter
mined and intelligent looking man, APP
parently in the neighborhood of sixty
years.
He is the inventor and patentee of turf
tracks, and the best equalizing track
planning machine ever devised. The
turf tracks were invented for localities
where the matured soil needed the as
sistance of art to give an elastic cushion
which is all essential for a fast track.
| There is no occasion in a turf track on
on the site secured by the Maine Mile
Track Association. On a hard sandy
bottom that pebbles and particles of
shells indicate that 1T was once an ocean
beach, rests remarkably tenacious,
furious deposit that the bitches which
encircle the track show to be of a
uniform thickness of from two and a
half to three feet.
Mr. Griffin is as earnest as ever in the
belief that he has found the spot to
build the fastest track in the world upon,
and he makes no exception as to the
kite shape.
"Just look at these turns" said Mr..
Griffin, pointing to the long easy curve
and gentle slope inward while he was
directing the work, s'why horse can
trot there as fast as he can the stretches.
There can be no appreciate friction to
the sulky.
The site has been so thoroughly drained
under the plans of Engineer Jordan that
the surface is as dry as carpeted floor,
and yet the bitches that encirle the track
are well-filled with water and the hard
bottom holds it. Water Mr.. Griffin con-
siders all important for fast track, and
says the greater majority of tracks do
not get one tenth as much water.
One peculiar advantage that the Maine
Mile Track Association have in the con-
struction of their regulation track is that
everything is right at hand even to the
top soil for finishing and copious spring
of cool, pure water. The grand stand is
to be on the westerly side OF the
track. so that spectators for afternoon
sport will never have the sun in their
eyes. BY recommendation of Mr.. Crit
fin it will be located $50 yards up the
starting stretch. He says that a number
of the tracks built by him have tried it
and are we'll pleased. He says that
where the stands are located two near
the turn the public do not fare as we'll.
as more or less horses in field are LA
bic to break on the first turn before
they get fairly settled to their work.
Mr.. Ansel G.. Sawyer, who takes a
warm interest in the track, has left q
specimen brick of the elastic soil upon
which the track is building, at the PRESS
office.
In the evening the PRESS representa-
tive on horse matters called upon MI.
Griffin and his wife at the Preble House
and had an interesting interview with
the still hardy and vigorous veteran
track builder. He is a very interesting
man to talk with and entirely devoid of
the exaggeration of common horse
TALK He has been engaged in track
building all his life and enjoys the close
personal friendship of Robert Bonner, j.
Malcomb Forbes and all the prominent
horsemen of the country.
He has two tracks ON his hands at the
West at the present time in addition to
the Maine Association s-both are
kites-one at Selma and the other at
Dcs Moines.
Still Mr.. Griffin is strong for the regu-
lation track and thinks the Maine Asso-
citation never did wiser thing than
when they shook the kite idea and adopt
ed the regulation. ut is the public that
race track builders want to please to
make it of any account to build track. =
Mr.. Griffin has built many tracks in
this coun4ry, more or less famous ac-
cording to conditions. He was the con-
Providence, R. l., where j. [. c. made
Driving DR. ~ Clubs sby d track 'a at
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, another of the
Griffin tracks. It was here that John
ston, the PAGER, made mile in 2.07, and
went quarter in public-no private
trials-in the cool of the evening. in the
presence of few friends, when Nelson's
record was beaten, in 70 seconds, and a
half mile in 1.02, or at a 2.04 clip. Mr.
Griffin was also the builder of the Bel
mont track at Philadelphia, where a
four-year- in 1890 made 2.11, and
double team trotted in 2.12t. His turf
tracks are located in the West and South.
They are quite expensive to build because
the sods are laid in edgeways to get an
elastic foundation of two or three feet.
One of the fastest of Mr.. Griffin's turf
tracks is the Cumberland at Nashville,
Tenn. 1t was here that Hal Pointer and
Director beat the worlds record in pac-
ing. The Minnesota track near the great
flour city of Minneapolis, is another of
his turf tracks which he was obliged to
construct at some disadvantage owing to
the narrowness of the site, SO that he had
to make one of the turns shorter than
desirable. But it was here
that Axtel, driven by Will
liams, made the three-year-old record
of 2.15a. Mr.. Griffin says: cat the
time Williams drove this mile, such good
authority as Budd Doble and Splan pro-
nounced it q seconds slow at least by
bad weather, and the story was current
that Williams did not intend to drive a
fast mile until a rain drop struck him in
the face on the back stretch. He then
started the colt for all he was worth, for
he was in prime condition, and Williams
felt that it was now or never.
Mr.. Griffin says II have been
feeling bad ever since that the rain
drop did not strike him when he went
-. H., ~, ,,r;,o fo,, tho 1uorJ fo, vuo