The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-09-08
RACING BY ELECTRICITY.
How 1t Is Done at St. Louis in the
Night.
Il Striking Picture-Bewildered Effect
OF Incandescent Lights-Power-
full Search-Lfshts.

st. Louis sports cannot get too much of
good thing, it seems, for horse racing
by night as we'll as by day is all the rage
in the Mound City. At various times the
American public has dallied with ath-
letlc games by electric light, lacrosse by
electric light, football by electric light,
baseball by electric light, but these splut-
tered fitfully from the beginning and
finally went out. Horse racing by cleo
trio light seems to have come to stay,
however, for the st. Louis venture is an
nounced to be big success, both from a
sporting and financial point of view,
That the idea is bound to be adopted in
other places seems certain. In fact,
Wheeling, w. Va, has advertised night
trotting, pacing and running meeting for
September.
The plan is not exactly new, having
been tried last fall at several county fairs.
In the oil regions racing was attempted
Dy the light of natural gas, but the flick
ering shadows cast by the huge Jets made
it failure. The management Of South
Side Park, st. Louis, surmounted this
difficulty by placing electric lights inge-
niOusly, and the races are now run. with
limited fields, of course, as easily as in
IIlG DIiS IlGSb SUNSHINE. Inc night races
are, indeed, better patroniZed than those
in the afternoon. The St. Louis Post
Dispatch gives this interesting descrip-
ton Of racing at night:
South Side Park is situated at the cor
ner of Russell and Missouri avenues. and
is located on the summit of Compton
Hill, the highest point in the citv limits
From the rear of the grand stand one can
look ont over the whole city and see
down in the east the white line of the
Mississippi dividing the Missouri and
Illinois shore. The result is that every
breath Of air stirring finds it's way into
the stand and makes it after nightfall one
OF the coolest spots in the city limits.
The course by night presents a Strik-
ing picture. Everything is dazzling
WITHSTAND, fences, post, in fact. every-
thing around the place that will stand a
coat of paint or whtewash has been
treated to bright coating of white. I'm
der the steady glow of the incandescent
lights the effect is beWildering. Around
the track, at the hight of twenty feet
runs wire strung like the trolley of an
electric railroad. Along this, at a dis
lance of twenty five feet, are strung Gins
ters Of incandescent lamps, the space he
tween them being SO short that a man
walking under them would cast no shad-
ow on the ground.
There are four lights in each cluster
and the current put in them is up to its
fullest capacity. They have four times
the intensity of the incandescent burner
In addition to this circular constellation
giant search-lights are placed to illume
the turns. These powerful lamps throw
a very penetrating ray, making the gaudv
colors OF the jockeys clothing as distin
guishable as in broad daylight. SO pow
erful are the rays of these lamps that q
peculiar arrangement is made use of to
muzzle the rays in order to prevent
shadows.
sin addition to this the grand stand is
one blaze of light, making the home
stretch as bright as day. The effect from
the grand stand is really beautiful. The
broad track encircling the Enclosure lies
sharply defined under circle of light
beating down on it with such fierce in
tensity that the most minute depression
is defined. Within this ring Of bright
ness is a dark Enclosure across which the
horses and riders fit to and fro like spir-
it's of darkness.
Racing at night is carried on Just as
day racing, only there is considerable diff
ference in the effect produced on the
spectators From spectacular standpoint