Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-09-28
THE BLUEHILL HOSE RACE.
Fairy Tales Told at Home by Orono
and Brewer Teams.

and Brewer Teams.
The Orouo and Brewer hose tee me-, " hen
they reached home, told a pretty tale OF
their mistreatment at Buehill. This is
their story, as told by the Orono CORES
pendent of the Bangor Commercial:
The members of the Eagle hose running team
returned from Bluehll Tuesday night very
| much disguised with the way the hose contest at
| the Bluehill fair was managed. There were
three entries including the Orobos and team
from Brewer and Ellsworth. Everything was
| in favor of Ellsworth as the Orono boys tell 1t.
The Judges, timekeeper and starter were all
| Ellsworth men. The Ellsworth team was the
first to run and the time given them was Al sec
| onds while in reality, according to others who
kept the time, 1t should have been 46 seconds.
The run to the cart was in q seconds which was
not fast. Seeing the way things were going,
| the Orono team refused to run, also the Brewer
| team. AS an outcome of the affair, the Orono
team stands ready to put up slo0 that 1t can
beat the Ellsworth team at Bangor, the date and
other arrangements to be made convenient to
| both teams.
The Brewer correspondent Of the Ban
gor Netcs writes similar letter, making
the same charge that 1.-THE judges were all
Ellsworth people,.
| THE AMERICAN is not the organ Of any
hose team or individuals, but In the
cause of honesty, and in justice to the
Ellsworth team, and particularly to the
management OF the BIuehill fair, 1t feels
called upon to reply to the unmanly and
unmsnnerly attack OF the Orono and
Brewer teams.
| No one blames the Orono aid Brewer
teams for clicking, but there is no ex-
cuse for their telling such fairy tales.
| The statement that the judges, timers and
starters were Ellsworth men is ridiculors.
During the horse racing THE AMERICAN
reporter was in the judges stand with the
men who timed the hose race, and knows
that ten minutes prior to the hose race
| they did not know one team from anot her.
| A more impartial set OF officials could
not have been found. The towns of
! Brewer, Orono and Ellsworth were each
represented by one judge, and OF the other
two judges, one was from Castine, the
+, other from Bar Harbor, the latter also act
/ ing as starter.
One Of the timers was Il. F. Grant, of
1
| horse races, and held he watch over many
| horses, but had never timed a hose race.
| The other timer WAS A. {. Swazey, of
! Bucksport, and he also had never timed a
! hose race. No reasonable person will
question the Observation-Disclosures Of these
gentlemen, but the mistake was made in
| having men who knew nothing about hose
! racing hold the watch. This was a mis-
| take on the part of the fair management,
made innoeently enough in the earnest
desire to have the race conducted fairly
and impartially.
| That the time was not correctly taken is
| admitted, but the Senator Hales OF Ellis
worth were in no way to blame for he
decision Of the judges, and doubtless re-
| greet the unfortunate occurrence as much
as any one. Placed in the same position
as the Orono and Brewer team it is safe
first to kick, but they would have run just
| the same, after protesting the time. The
same mistake in timing might have been
made in favor of the other teams.
The offer OF the Orono team to race for
800 has nothing to do with the discussion.
1t looks we'll in print, and may or may
not be authorized. II the Oronos really
wish to arrange a race for that amount,
they doubtless can do SO very quickly by
communicating with the Ellsworth team.