Smyrna times., 1893-01-18
The Sleighing Carnival.
A SEASON OF RARE SPORT.

IL has been four weeks TODAY since
the snow fell that inaugurated solid
winter - four weeks that have not
been parallelled in consecu,ive INV
temperature since the winter of so.
aud better and longer period of
sleighlng than we have had in town
tor some twelve years. Some of our
ola slelghers say they have never
known 1t better than it has been the
past week IA solidly packed bed. on
which the five or six inches which fell
a week ago, rested in Just . proper
depth for good sleighing II would
have been equally good in the country
but the high, west winds that followed
Doth the snow OF last Thursday and
the previous Monday drove much of il
from the fields and deposited it in the
roads, completely blocking them up in
some places.
Friday and Saturday of the previous
week were highly enjoyed, being the
hrat snow fit for sleighng, though
there had been several slight snow falls
before, but Friday and Saturday of
last week gave keeuer and more ex.
cited pleasure--in fact. it amounted to
carnival. The afternoons were the
exciting time. Everybody who had a
sleigh was out on Main street.-The or
dinance in regard to fast driving being
suspended by common consent-and
the cutters with the most mettlesome
steeds and dashing drivers were the
favOrites with the spectators.
The ladies who were not themselves
participating in the exhilarating sport.
watched the racing from the windows
of comfortably heated rooms, while
men and boys gathered in knots along
the street and watched the movements
of the contestants with the interest
they would trial of speed on the
Fair track.
The many who were out simply for
a ride, sometimes a sleigh full, more
often only the driver aud a fair occu-
pant, taking the other streets and out
skirts, but getting ''in the SWIM" so
to speak, on turning into Main street
which it seemed hard to keep out of
it was the place of lite and attraction,
The racers, s,--thOse who had fast horses,
or thought they were fast, did not
seem to go anywhere else.
From Railroad avenue to tho mill
pond, wheel and turn, for one, two and
three hours, sometimes only two, in
the language of the turf nip and
tuck" while behind would follow a
half dozen or so that would appear now
aud then to be all jumbled together,
but with that mastery in handling the
reins that always avoided collision
at least no accident was reported.
The sleighing has been uninterrupted
for two weeks but the better sleighiug,
viz the chosen time in pleasure
way, seemed to be the two last days of
each week. The man to get the most
out of it all the way through seem, to
have been VIM. NJ. Lewis, the first day
carrying off the laurels with all the
case wanted. This called out ]. G..
Armstrong, who "cOmbed down"
everything on the track. Perhaps
John +. Wilson, living mile or two
mp the State road heard of it, or per.
haps he didn't, but at any rate he was
on hand Friday last, aud the way
he slipped by the others caused some of
them to pull out and go under cover.
Ned Hart was down from Townsend
the next day and took considerable
pleasure in passing some of the boys un.
til he had two or three bouts with VII
son. At the end OfOne of these the lat
ter asked him if be had enough, aud he
acknowledged he had, by drawing Off
N. +, Wilds had out Cue trOtter for a |
short time on each of the sporting days |
but he seemed to be out for a ride |
more than race, aud hence the ''boys"
did not get him Tor straight pull |
only when they could catQh him on |
the ly.. Fred Lang's black horse was
q dasher, and after being out an hour
or two seemed to retire as fresh as it
came out. To see A. Lee Cummins on
The track brought back TO memory a
similar sleighing carnival OF ten or
Twelve years ago, when Smyrna had
80 many fast horses. John G. Colds
borough's Happy Thought" is good on
, squirt, but coming out sometime
before the racers did, would get tired
and retire before the other animals had
heir blood up.
w. q. Pierce. having sold his slaigb
4 year or two ago. and NOT heinz sbia
10 get one for love or monev > -
rot on the track until the lnsf of tha
week. He however nassed WILL
Iardine and others, aud thinks V;lso',
have gotten away win ~
t his horse hadn't broken up "'
Among the horses that kent 10 tho
rack and We're really good goers
we're those OF a, ~ Jardine, Ii. ID {
Boyer, b. v. Weldon, David Stewart
W. d. Hudson, j. Henry Jeffersonl !
los. @. Goldsborough, Geo. T. Thomn!l