The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-04-17
A TRIO o. PAGERS

not close to the best mark. Breeding
has done good deal for the lowering
of the record, and of course has also
had much to do with the phenomenal
increase in the number of speedy ami
mails, but, as L have said, quite as
much has come BY reason of the i'm
provement in methods. harness, sulllies
and tracks.
For the general improvement of the
horse, perhaps the breeding OF the last
few years has been too fine It has
made horses that can go single miles at
speed that even Robert Bonner
thought impossible only few years
ago, but none OF these record horses
probably could do what the 'fve-mile
and repeat horses of Hiram and Isaac
Woodr::ffs' time used TO do, and so the
grade of the gentleman's road horses
has not improved in any degree ap-
preaching the improvement that has
been made by the track trotter.
There has been one great change
within the last few years that has
greatly impressed me, and that is the
alteration that has taken place in the
1t Is not 50 many years ago that side
wheelerS' were sneered at, so TO speak,
both on the track and on the road.
Even SO late as when Maud S. was clip
ping a quarter of a second from the
record every once in awhile. and the
announcement that either she or any
other OF the crack trotters would show
themselves would draw out immense
crowds, fairly emptying all the sur
rounding towns and villages, PAGERS who
could make better time than any OF the
trotters did not receive much atten-
ton. 1t did not annoy a man with a
fast trotter to be passed on the road by
man with fast PAGER, and the prices
of PAGERS were away below those OF
trotters. It's different now. PAGERS
were first popular in the middle west.
but they've got to be popular every
where. Even around New York they're
to be seen almost as frequently on the
road as trotters. In Boston, too, PAGERS
are to-day held in great esteem
in the vicinity Of New York, in
some parts OF Kentucky, at Saratoga,
and IN some other sections of the coun-
try, running races are more popular
than harness contests, but there is no
doubt Whatever that the trotter and
PAGER interests are immensely larger
than the running interests | have no.
the slightest idea how many trotting
tracks OF all sorts there are IN existence,
but oss. or nearly a thousand, are In
dexed in the Year book as being the
scenes OF matches OF sufficient i'm
portance for record A. the very low
est calculation these ought 70 be
counted worth en- average Of 900
spiece. for, while some OF them are
worth much less. some are worth many
times as much. including the real
estate occupied AID the buildings and
all That way Of figuring II world make
the total investment in tracks alone
not much less than So. 000. Go. and the
sum total invested in horses bred and
trained for trottinE and pacing. n
suikies and harness, IN breeding farms
exercising tracks. etc. must amount 20
an enormous SUN. though inst how
much ! wouldn't dare 70 Try 70 estl-
mate
The number OF persons who are sup
ported By the trctting horse, including
those who breed. drive. care for. sell
furnish supplies and all. must also be
exceedingly large It's a pure gress.
bat should say that half a million
wouldn't be FAR out Of the way, and
That would be oaA n eye<E Lei AZ ia