New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-25
THE BREAKING OF RECORDS.

This is an age OF extreme rapldlty, anu inc
passion for speed in every form of movement
appears TO grow more intense with every year.
The demand for the saving of every minute that
can possibly be saved in crossing the ocean Is
so strong that the steamship lines have felt
compelled to build bigger and swifter steamers
one after another, although the outlay involved
has been something prodigious. so marked
progress has already been made In cutting
down the time required in crossing the Atlantic,
and so many vessels have already been built
or ordered. that in few years the transatlantic
feet. for the number of huge ships employed,
for the marvellous celebrity OF their passages
for the splendor of their appointments, for the
luxury of travel by water, will exemplify the
marvellous development Of the nineteenth CEN
turv in way that must nightly impress the
whole civilized world. But 1t is not only on
the water that people wish to move with the
greatest rapidity that is consistent With satety.
The anxiety to get from one place to another
with the least possible delay is characteristicaily
American, and the American railways are con-
stantly improving their service. They dld 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 notaoie
indeed The limited expresses running be-
tween the principal cities OF the country nave
far surpassed tho most sanguine expectations
of the railroad managers and the railroad
passenger Of quarter Of century ago, America
is now ahead of tho rest of the world In the
sviftness of her railroad trains, and IT 1t were
not for the haste which Americans are so
nassonately fond of in travelling, it is not at
all likely that so powerful and rapid vessels
would have been required on the transatlantic
lines.
All sorts of records arc 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 unprecedented velocity, but American
horses are accomplishing greater fests than In
former wears. The restless American mind Is
nroliic of inventions and improvements for de-
vonrine space. That superb mare, Nancy
Hanks. has shown that il is possible Tor
trottcr to cover mile in :O5 Ia, providea
she draws a sulky with pneumatic tires ana with
hall bearings for the aXlcs 70 move upon. MI
Bonners beautiful mares, Maud ). and Sunoi
never had the advantages OF these inventions
their remarkable records were made in the old
fashioned sukies, which must be regarded as
some seconds slower TO the mile than tho bicycle
sull,ies now in use for the fast trotters. Brill-
liant as the fame of Nancy Hanks is the reputa-
tion Of Maud S. Sunol and Palo Alto will not
soon be forgotten. IL must be borne IN mind' III
considering the noteworthy performances OF
the trotters. that not only have the sulkies been
improved TO great extent in their capacity ioi
snced but the tracks on which these perform
anccs have been made have also boon improved
Kite-shaped tracks enable trotter to cut down
tho mile record considerably below that which
was held on the oval or circular tracks. The
tracks are prepared with more skill ana thor'
ouphness for record breaking feats than they
were in former years The surface is put IN
the best possible condition both for the trotter
and the sulky. A similar state OF affairs exists
on tho running courses. For many year the
running record at a mile remained at l :39 "a,
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 racehorse, Salvador reduced
the record to :35 1-2
Every one who has paid any attention to the
subiect must have observed that the reduction
OF records OF al SOTlS nus bccii iiiss"o '''"
vIdering rapidity in the last few. years. For
many years before a recent period the OLD
records were not greatly improved upon. This
was true of almost every form of locomotion-
Ingenious and resourccful minds have. been de-
voting themselves with especial 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 amaze
ment of the world. There is another sort OF
record which has been broken into on the most
extensive and impressive scale OF late. That
is tho record for bicycles. Before the days OF
rheumatic tires on bicycle wheels, before the
hall bearings were adopted. and the other i'm
movements in the manufacture OF bicycles were
taken up, no rider OF. q bicycle attempted to
rival in speed fast trotter 1t was thought
for wears that it was impossible to approach tho
time made by fast trotter at mile but Zinl-
norman and others have aStonished all OBJ
servers by the almost incredible speed with
which they have sent their bicycles over pro-
pared tracks The kitc-shaped track, Of course,
gives tho bicycle-rider great advantage over
the oval or circular track as is the case with
trotting and running horses as well. 1t Is
pity that the broad and spacious courses at
Monmouth Park are not nearer New York City.
If they were within few miles Of the metropo-
lis they could be put in such condition that it
would be possible to have every sort of contest
of speed upon them. On the straight mile at
Monmouth the finest opportunity would be
offered to test the possibilities of bicycle riding
and tho speed of trotters and runners II is not
unlikely that within a comparatively short time
the record made by Salvador at Monmouth Park
may be equalled; and if at Independence, or
anywhere else in the country, there were
straight mile course so level and in so fine con-
dition as that at Monmouth every record break
err whether in bicycle riding or in trotting OF