The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-15
SOME CURIOUS CONTESTS.
Events Arranged by sportsmen with
Lively Imaginations.


From Cassell'S Magazine
At the beginning of last year an ac-
count was published in one of the
sporting papers of a foot ball match
on bicycles which took place near VOL
verhampton. The attempt to revolu-
tionze our great winter game COM
pletely failed, owing to it's many in
herent impossiblities. but it was in
teresting as showing a tendency of
certain orders of mind There has al
ways been large number of so-called
sportsmen who are never content with
recognizing forms of sport. They are
perpetually on the lookout for some
bizarre contest. AS a general rule the
more ridiculous the conditions under
which such contests take place the
better they are pleased. Any one who
cares to take the trouble to look
through the files of BELLS Life" can
find ample evidence of this for him
self
"Old Q"--the famous Duke Of
Queensberry-ha an extraordinary
fertile Imagination for weird and novel
contests. Passing a wheelWright'S
shop one day, he noticed one of the
wOrkmen trundling a big wheel into
the yard The man was running at a
good pace. and it Immediately occur
red to "Old G" that here was an top-
pcrtunty for, in the words of the mod
ern penny weekly, an absolutely novel
competition. After some conversation
with the wheelwright he learned that
Il man could probably run faster with
a wheel than without one. the wheel
no doubt acting as q sort of pace
maker Having obtained this valu-
able piece of information. the duke
promptly arranged match between
the wheelwright and a certain fleet
footed barber of oxford street. and
offered a very substantial prize to the
winner. The conditions We're that the
wheelwright should trunGle one OF the
back wheels of the dukes carriage,
while the barber of course, should run
uEircumbered. Just before the match
came off the duke made the unp1eas-
ant discovery that his nominee could
only show his best turn of speed with
a wheel a foot higher than that OF
the dukes carriage. But "Old q"
wasn't to be hailled by an obstacle of
this kind. He had IL sort of platform
or dais 4 foot high erected along the
course where the race was to be run.
BY trundlinG the carriage wheel along
Inc Top Ol lIliS 'lulS NHllt Ilt HllllStll
ran on the ground beside 1t, the wheel
wright was no longer handicapped. and
won the race easily. The winner. by
the way. must have been something
OF an acrobat as we'll as a sprntcr to
have balanced the wheel on narrow
platform while travelling at full speed,
All true golfers must have read with
main an account of the dastardly at |
tempt which was made two years go
to tamper with the sacred game. In a
most reprehensible spirit of levity |
two golfers. in July 1898, arranged a
match of which the conditions We're
that one of them should go around |
the links with the ordinary ball and !
clubs, while the other should go
around with a bow and arrow The |
superior driving powers of the bow
and arrow won the day, AS a putter |
the how proved contemptibly in
effective instrument but 1t amply |
compensated for this inferority by |
the certainty with which it sent the !
arrow soaring over the bunkerS.
AS an inventor of absurd contests, |
the late Sir John Ashley was almost
as distinguished as the Duke OF
Queensberry. His great forte was ar !
ranging races between animals which |
nature had apparently made almost
unsuitable for the purpose. When |
quartered at Windsor he instituted the |
only race that ever took place between !
chickens. This peculiar contest came |
about in the following way: While on !
a visit to friend near Windsor who |
kept hen run. Sir John noticed how
rapidly the chickens used to scurry |
to their mother when food was thrown |
to her. Here was the germ of an idea !
for good sporting match. ard at mess |
a few nights afterward Sir John Asst !
ley expounded to his brother officers !
his plans for the great chicken race.
He had bought from a farmer a hen |
and a brook of chickens. Each officer
was TO choose chicken and mark 1t |
NTH Il ribbon so that he could easily
reCCsnize it, The chickens We're to be
placed about fifty yards away from
their mother and whichever of them
reached her first in answer to her
cachle when food was thrown to her
was to be adjudged the winner. Each !