The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-09-13

O'Clock there was crowd big enough to
make good afternoon attendance. The
forenoon train from Portland brought
six heavily loaded cars and at that time
the Gorham people were arriving on foot
and in barges. There was large group
around the enclosure where the pulling
oxen were playing leap frog; the grand
stand was three quarters filled and the
midway was doing thriving business.
The crowd in the afternoon was large
one, although may were kept away by
the threatening weather.
THE WOMEN'S CONTEST.
Did YOU ever see a woman harness a
horse in less than a minute? Probably
you never saw man do it, unless 1t
was in the house of fire engine company
Yet at the county fair yesterday, wom-
an harnessed "a horse to buggy In just
81 1-2 seconds. 1t was-in the ladies' har-
Messing and driving contest which took
place at noon ON the track in front OF the
grand stand. There wsre five contestants,
Mrs. q. II. Hawkes. of Windham Centre.
Miss Annie Gilman of Scarboro, Miss
Kate Lamb of North Windham, Mrs. T..
NJ. Douglass of Newhall and Mrs. G. W.
Hasty of Windham.
They came along two at time, except
Miss Gilman, who had the track all to
herself. Miss Hawkes. drove gray
horse attached to buggy and Miss Lamb
held the reins over brown horse har-
messed in light road wagon.
The ladies unharness the horses and
carefully arrange the harnesses on two
men who obligingly act as pegs. Then
each woman puts, her hands on the har-
ness of her horse and waits. The horses
stand by the wagons with man at the
head of each to keep him in place. Are
YOU ready asks MIR. Pompilly, and
"clang' goes thesbell. Miss Lamb takes
her horses harness someway in her
hands, and waves her right arm around
like pitcher throwing ball, dropping
the breeching and girths finto place. Two
or three quick movements and head stall
and breast plate are on. Then Miss
Lamb picks up the shafts, her fingers
f1v as she fastens traces and breeching
and buckle girths. Tn ere is dash for
the carriage; she is in and off in 81 1-2
seconds. Mrs Hawkes. has been doing
the same thing in about the same way,
but is not quite as!fast about it and goes
away many lengths behind Miss Lamb.
But Mrs. Hawkes. is driving grey
PAGER and cuts down her rivals lead
steadily. Miss Lamb finishes her half
mile drive around the track in two
minuteszan 40 seconds There is burst
of applause from theSstand as she finish
es with something wrong.aboutl the har-
ness, for the shafts are up over the horse S
back. That does not affect the result,
however. Miss Lamb jumps out OF the
carriage and does not get down with the
aid of the step either. The harness is
off and hung on the.men again in jiffy
and the time is just 25S. Mrs Hawkes.,
despite the PAGER, is not quite so fast, the
time being 3.21.
pretty black horse in a natural wood
buggy, and Mrs. Douglass, driving a
brown horse. They do the trick in 8. % 1-2
and 8. o. 1-2 respectively. Miss Gilman,
the last to try, finishes in 8. 50 1-2, but
she gives them all point in unharness-
ing. as girths, breast plate. and bride,
after the straps have been unbuckled,
deftly swept over the horses head togeth-
er Miss Lamb gets first prize, Mrs.
Douglass second, Mrs. Hawkes. third
and Miss..Hasty fourth.
At about noon came the time when
the prize-winning animals made the
round of the track, and these wearers of
the blue and red ribbons seemed to feel
the distinction which thoy had earned.
The horses made it lively for the grooms,
dragging them along in time with the
music of the band Behind the band
Charles Fairfield drove his big blackboard
and in it rode President Vinton and a
party of officials and friends Then came
the long line of horses and cattle, con-
spicuous among them. being the stallion,
Westland, Emma Westland and six or sew
en- others of the descendants of Vest
land. all in the Barrett string and wear
ing prize ribbons
THE RACES.
The days sport on the track began
ealy in the day, for there was that fight
ing race, thes2.2S trot, to be finished. and
yesterdays installments were as exciting
as those of "Wednesday. An interested
spectator was Mr.. Geo. W. Bishop, the
New York horse buyer, in the judges
stand Four of them came dancingldown
the track when Mr.. Pompilly rang the
chapel bell. Slide, the Auburn gelding
and Winthrop Pilot were drawn. AS
Pembroke had won the lastsh eat of the
day before, he was at the pole, with
China Boy in second place, Fearnaught
Prince next and Gertie B on the outside.
At the start Pembroke forged ahead
like a steam engine and led the process
sion around the turn, but it was not for
long as the other three speedily closed
the gap. AS they passed the wiresa at