The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-04


poets to Lower Nancy Hanks Rec
ord-A 5-Year-Old That Shows 2:o4
Clip.
CCopWi9htJ
NEW YORK, Dec. 3-"While do not in
any way wish to disparage the performance
OF Nancy Hanks in obtaining her unparal-
leled record Of 2:O4,n said Robert Bonner at
his home, No. s West Fifty-sixth street, to
me last evening, 81 believe Maud s., TO
bicycle sulky, upon the modern kite-shaped
track, would be the fastest trotter the world
has ever seen, and in order TO test this
have determined to put Maud S. in training
and see if she cannot lower the record Of
Nancy Hanks.
"A year ago, as you remember" con-
tnued Mr.. Bonner, II made an offer of
5000 to the owner Of a horse who trotted
mile in 2.05 within two years on any of the
grand circuit tracks from Cleveland 10
Hartford. That offer was included in
letter which | wrote to Gen. B. F. Tracy
just year ago. l further said" reading
from the letter, lone gentleman has stated
that will undoubtedly have to pay it, to
which replied, L do not believe Gen. Tracy
himself thinks So
I'm his reply" said Mr. Bonner, "Gen.
Tracy says: I have long believed that
horse would yet appear that would trot q
mile in two minutes, but have never set
any time within which thought that per
formRnce would be made. 1t is not likely
that you or ! will live to see 1t, though
hope We may The interviewer said YOU
thought an ultimate speed at the trotting
gait was 2.0G or POS, l have forgotten
which, and replied that l believed that
would be beaten il five years. have never
Gaid 1t would be beaten in two years. and
notwithstanding Arions great performance,
/ doubt whether he can reach that figure.
while am obliged to admit that he may
do not believe that he will trot 205 in the
next two years.
''When l made the offer of 5000 I did
not intend it an inducement to an i'm
provement in mechanical devices / in
tended it simply as an incentive to produce
finer stock. / do not believe that Nancy
Hanks ever saw the day that on grand
circuit track before regulation sulky, like
that used to July last, she could trot in 2:09.
/ may be mistaken, but that is my belief. l
believe now that We are much more likely
TO see two minutes on a kite-shape track.
before bicycle-sulky, than we were at the
time made my offer 10 see 2:05 before the
snlky used, as l said, to July last.
''The bicycle sulky IS acknowledged to be |
at least four seconds faster than the old |
regulation sulky, aud the kite-shaps track |
is Snown 20 be from IS to seconds faster |
than the regulation or grand circuit tracks. |
Look at the number OF horses that have |
trotted below 2:20 this year. 1t is unpars. !
Rlleled In the history of the turf. Even |
second-class horses, when put before a BIZ |
cycle snlky, have been able to knock off |
from three to eight seconds from their |
record. The track at Terre Haute, on |
which Nancy Hanks made her time of 1904,
owing to the elasticity of the prairie SOIL is
at least second to second and half |
faster than tbs grand circuit tracks TAX
ing Nancy Hanks time of BOA and adding
minimum of five seconds, which is an al
lowance for the bicycle sulky and the Terre
Haute tracks, you have 200 fiat.
1T is true" said Mr.. Bonner, "that
Maud s. is Is years old, but, as you know,
she has had the very best of care, and l
believe, has strength and stamina to stand
training. l have driven her to a Miller
pneumatic cart on my track up at the
farm, The dry weather had made the
track so hard that on the last, or home
quarter. | had carted a lot OF decayed
leaves that gave the mare a soft footing.
The rain has somewhat disturbed this but |
1t will be in first-class condition soon. |
have had shoes put on Maud SIS forefeet,
while she is barefoot behihd wish to en-
able her to stand the jogging aud resume
the perfect use OF her muscles | intend 20 |
condition her myself as far as possible"
Who will drive her, Mr.. Bonnerp
Ihat cannot say" replied Mr.. Bonner |
1t is matter to be determined after l see
she is fit to go against time,
"Mr. Elliott. who made the first pneu-
matte tire sulky, was in to see me the other
day. He told me that he believed the
smaller the wheel and the larger the tire the
faster the horse could haul the sulky.
Twenty-eight inches is the diameter of the
wheel he Is at present making. He says
thar he pumps the tire as full of cir as pos
sible, in order to have it perfectly tight,
and there Is less side motion to the sulky.
Mr.. Elliott says that he intends decreasing
the size of his wheel to twenty -four inches
MIR. Bidwell has suggested sulky to me
that has to be constructed entirely Of tubu-
lar steel. The thllls are to be lighter than
the present wooden ones, and will possess
Ear greater strength. The wheels of the
cart will have tall bearings, pneumatic
tires and all the improvements found in the
most perfect bicycle The seat is to be ad-
Unstable, like that in the single
scull, sliding backward and forward
as desired, and is controlled by
iaver which passes up between the
drivers legs and is operated by his knee
The object OF this is obvious; when the
animal needs steadylng the weight may be
applied, but when he is going full end free,
reaching out for a record, the driver may
so balance his weight, that the horse will
feel almost as Tree as II he was hauling no
weight at all. You know that a horse
when he has a load behind him reaches
forward in order to pull it along. This gets
the horse to hitcning. When l bought
Dexter years ago. l was asked by an old
trainer to please not speed him before a
road wagon, as he would surely get to
bitching. A horse once having acquired
the habit of hitching isalmost always after
ward unsteady on bis feet. The new STYLE
OF sulky will in time do away altogether
with any necessity for weights, which we
use now in order to counterAct the tendency
of an unnatural gait. 1t is a developer Of
speed.
Maud s. is to-day as free from b emf III
as if she had done absolutely no wori,n
continued Mr.. Bonner. "Her legs and feet
are clean and steady, in spite Of the won-
derful bursts of speed that she has made.
She ls one of the finest animals, 80 far as
temper and intelligence are concerned that
have ever known. Here is what Mr..
Vanderbilt wrote me- when he acknowl.
edged my check for 5000 Il must con-
graduate you upon being the owner of the
BEST and finest horse in the world. | am
sure you will find her simply perfection it
sell In every particular. She is always
ready to do anything you would have her,
always expecting kind treatment and of