The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-01-18
GREAT SPORT ON THE ICE.
Hundreds of Teams With Il Large Number
Of Spectators Enjoy the Mid-Winter Ex-
citement--A Notable Ice Race Over the
Same spot Ten Years ago-Jsck spratt's
Master Effort.

Same spot Ten Years ago-Jack Spratts
Master Effort.
Not since the last winter carnival that
took place on Back Bay ice many years
ago has such crowd of teams and spec
tators been assembled there as yesterday
afternoon to drive on the new track and
enjoy the fun of the constant success
ion of races between the flyers.
The new three-fourths of mile
straight away course is in a splendid
condition there being just enough snow
on the solid ice to make it ideal sleighing
and first-class footing for the horses, far
preferable to the naked ice. The horse
men pronounce it a hundred per cent
better than Portland street and that long
established winter racing ground was
well nigh deserted.
The double track, one for speeding
southerly towards Portland, and the 9TH
er for jogging back northerly in the oil
rection of Deering, renders accident
well nigh impossible. In the present
run of tides the ice during the afternoon
rests upon the flats, so that there is alb
solutely no danger of breaking through.
But the ice is so thick that it is consid-
cred entirely safe with the water beneath
it. which is so shallow along the course
that even at high tide it is only from
four to five feet deep. Teams of all
descriptions were crossing and going
throughout the afternoon and the low
est estimate of the number that passed
in from the shell road over the now well
trodden way to the ice, just beyond the
ball grounds was six hundred. A large
number of people went out on foot,
street car and various conveyances, so
that there were some hundreds of spec
tators Drawing the almost Arctic weather
to see the sport An unusually large
number of ladies were noticeable in the
sleighs
At one time there were at least a hun
bred and fifty horses speeding on the
course and more room would have been
desirable. Among the new flyers was
clark one.'' gray gelding, driven by
Mr.. Geo. Woodbury., of the Union Sta
ton restaurant, and this animal appeared
to be liking of ice' for this occasion at
least. Mr.. John Murray, of the Murray
Bros stable, was there with his gray
PAGER that is said to be phenomenon to
Ia sleigh but as Mr.. Murray was accom-
panied by his wife, but little of his fast
gray's speed was exhibited. The same
was true of P. Nickerson's gray Patchen
PAGER, he having his good lady along.
Mr.. Geo. M. Stanwood, of the firm of
Randall, McAllister & Co., had the fast
trotter Kitty V, about her first appear
ance, and she did finely. Mr.. John S.
Head, of the Maine Central, was speed
ing his fast chestnut gelding and beau
tiful moving and game trotter he is.
Dr. Huntington was driving Mr..
George Milliken's fast trotter,
Moseley. MI F. G. Loveitt had his
hands me brown mare. Mr.. Ira P.
w gave LID IeoO ivy ttil ulAAAif5
and then returned with the speedy To-
paz. Dot NJ. was doing very much bet
ter work for Charley Marston than she
could on the loose footing of Portland
street, and the same was true of Mr.. II
wing Rowe's new PAGER and Mr.. Fred
Maxwell's Oakdale Dot
Deering was well represented by Mr..
A. L. Hawkins, Mr.. John F. Barrett,
with PAGER, Mr.. Albert Cobb and Mr..
Chass Cobb-all driving handsome and
fast animals.
Mr. srofford's ''Pete'' was doing some
very fast work, and SO were many other
well-known Portland trotters heretofore
mentioned by the PRESS.
A Notable Ice Race.