Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-10-28

service. They did not advance with
much swiftness in that direction until
within the last score of years, but the
steps onward that have been taken by
the railroad corporations in that time are
notable indeed. The limited expresses
running between the principal cities of
the country have far surpassed the most
sanguine expectations of the railroad
managers and the railroad passengers of
a quarter of a century ago. America
is now ahead of the rest of the
world in the swiftness of her railroad
trains, and if it were not for the haste
which Americans are so passionately
fond of it is not at all likely that so pow
erful and rapid vessels would have been
required on the transatlantic lines, says
the New York Tribune.
All sorts of records are cut down in
these breathless days. Not only do
ocean steamships move faster than ever
before and express trains dash to and fro
in all parts of the United States with UNI
precedented velocity, but American
horses are accomplishing greater feats
than in former years. The restless
American mind is prolific of inventions
and improvements for devouring space.
That superb mare Nancy Hanks has
shown that it is possible for a trotter to
cover a mile in 2:05t, provided she draws
sulby with pneumatic tires and with
ball bearings for the axles to move
upon. Mr.. Bonner's beautiful mares,
Maud :. and Sunol. never had the adj
vantages of these inventions: their re-
markable records were made in the old
fashioned sukies, which must be regard
ed as some seconds slower to the mile
than the bicycle sulkies now in use for
fast trotters. Brilliant as the fame of
Nancy Hanks is, the reputation of Maud
s., Sunol and Palo Alto will not soon be
forgotten. 1t must be borne in mind in
considering the noteworthy performance
es of the trotters, that not only have the
sulkies been improved to great extent
in their capacity for speed, but the tracks
on which these performances have been
made have also been improved. Kite
shaped tracks enable the trotter to cut
down the mile record considerably below
that which was held on the oval or cir
cular tracks. The tracks are prepared
with more skill and thoroughness for
mountaineering feats than they were in
former years. The surface was put in
the best possible condition both for the
trotter and the sulky. y similar state
of affairs exists on the running courses.
For many a year the running record at a
mile remained at 800, and it was not
until perfectly straight track was used
at Monmouth Park two years ago that
this was cut down extensively. On the
straight track that imperial race horse
Salvador reduced the record to BOD.
Everyone who has paid any attention
to the subject must have observed that
the reduction of records of all sorts has
been made with bewildering rapidity in
the last few years. For many years be-
fore a recent period the old records were
not greatly improved upon. This was
true of almost every form of locOmotlCn.
lngenlOns and resourceful minds have
been devoting themselves with special
energy to the task of ascertaining the
shortest time in which moving bodies of
all sorts may pass between certain points,
and their success is the amaZement of
h., + hnr ,tr
ord which has been broken into on the
most extensive and impressive scale of
late. That is the record for BICYCLES.
Before the days of pneumatic tires on
bicycle wheels, before the ball-bearings
were adopted, and the other improve
ments in the manufacture of bicycles
were taken up, no rider of a bicycle at
tempted to rival in speed fast trotter.
1t was thought for years that it was i'm
possible to approach the time made by a
fast trotter at a mile, but Zimmerman
and others have astonshed all observers
by the almost incredible speed at which
they have sent their bicycles over pre-
pared tracks. The kite-shaped track, of
course, gives the bicycle rider a great
advantage over the oval or circular
tracks, as is the case with trotting and
running horses as we'll. 1t is pity that
the broad and spacious tracks at Mon
mouth Park are not nearer New York
city. If they were within a few miles of
the metropolis they could be put in such
condition thar 1t would be possible TO
have every sort of contest of speed upon
them. On the straight track at
Monmouth the finest opportunity
would be offered to test the posi-
bilities of bicycle riding and the
speed of trotters and runners. 1t is not
unlikely that within a comparatively
short time the record made by Salvador
at Monmouth park may be equaled and
if at Independence or anywhere else in
the country there were straight mile
course so level and in so fine coudition