The Washington times., 1901-09-23
THE REPAIRS AT BENNING
The Racetrack Remade and a New
Grandstand Erected.
Preparations for the Fall Meeting
Indicate Greater Success Than
Ever Before-AdditiOnal Convent
ences for Patrons and Owners.

ences for Patrons and Owners.
| When the gates are thrown open for the
| fall meeting of the Washington Jockey
| Club such a surprise awaits the thou
sands of Benning patrons that many of
| them will imagine it is not the Benning
! of old, but some entirely new place that
has been thrown open for their entertain
ment. But it is the same old Benning, so
rebuilt and remodeled as to have lost its
old identity save in the track feature
! itself.
| The great surprise is the new grand
stand, costing $4,000, and of sucii pro-
! portions that the public cannot fail to
appreciate the efforts of the jockey club
in making it possible for them to sit
through an afternoon of good racing with
cut any of the discomforts of jostliag or
1 crowding heretofore unavoidable, espe-
cially on holidays The increased attend
ance at all the meetings in the past two
seasons has made the erection of a larger
! and more modern grandstand necessity,
and recognizing this the jockey club has
| gone to an enormous expease to make the
new one the equal of any in the country
The new grandstaud is $50 feet long and
VIII seat comfortably 1900 persons. 1t is
substantially built of steel and concrete.
with corrugated iron sizes and roof, a
wooden balcony extending slightly beyond
the front. This is the only frame portion
of the stand. Five aisles three feet
eight inches wide will give easy access
through the tiers of seats, and five iron
double stairways will lead from the quar-
ter-stretch lawn to the aisles. An iron
stairway ten feet in width will lead from
the auditorium to the lower floor inside
the stand The latter will extend over a
portion of the former roadway. In con-
sequence of this arrangement patrons VINO
reach the track from the city by means
of the electric cars will be brought direct
to the track enclosure and landed directly
under the stand.
The track extensions with the Wash
ington Traction Company have already
been made This will be a great conven-
ience to the patrons of the track anu VIII
be highly appreciated.
The chairs on the grandstand will be
portable and in their arrangement VIII
be somewhat different from heretofore
They will be placed on tiers rising twelve
inches or four inches higher than on the
old stand. This viii be an advantage, as
TAR better view can be obtained by
those occupying rear seats. Ladies toiiet
rooms, parlors, and cafe are located
on the mezzanine floor of the building,
and everything about them is cozy and
comfortable.
The plans were prepared by George S.
Cooper who visited adj the tracks IN the
Jockey Club circuit TO obtain the very
latest and best ideas IN grafdstand pullo-
ing and his efforts in this case have pro-
duced a substantial and artistic structure,
and one OF which the Washington Jockey
Club may feel Justly proud In aoditon
to the new grandstand there is also a
new paddock and a new pavilion for the
especial use of the bookmakers. The pad
dock is more than twice as large as the
old one has twenty stalls. and is a con-
siderable distance from the pavilion 1his
removes in some measure dlsagreeapie
feature of being IN too close proximity TO
the pencilers. a nine-room cottage mas
been erected on the site of the old pad
dock which Will be the home of the su-
perintendent, James Lee.
Four new, modern stables have also
been erected, each containing thirty stalls
thus affording accommodations for l2u
horses more than heretofore. This will
be agreeable news to owners and train
ers many of whom in the past meetings
had to seek stall room outside the
grounds The public and horsemen alike
will now find Benning one of the best
equipped racetracks on the circuit, and
certainly the best south of New York.
The Washington Jockey Club has spent
money lavishly in making those improve
ments but in doing so they only show the |
Benning patrons that their desire is to |
give them the best that can be had The |
club is on a sound financial basis, and !
their last meetings have been successful |
and profitable.
The increased attendance has made it |
so. but the fact of their being willing to !
spend every dollar of their earnings in !
improvements for their patrons, shows !
conclusively to the public that the club (
is not promoting racing merely fer what !
profit there is in it, but to please them /
by giving high class, clean sport, which /
can be witnessed with comfort and pleas /
ure The erection Of the new grandstand /
the new stables. but their erection was in |
line with other OF the clubs progressive /
ideas and was thought of long before in /
creased patronage made them a necessity. |
To promote legitimate, honest sport. and |
invite and encourage to come to the track /
people who can appreciate and enjoy such |
sport is the idea of S. S. Rowland. Presi- |
dent of the Washington Jockey Club. |
Even " hen II was not dividend paying [
institution. and when the outlook for sue
&C ssfUl racing was not the brightest. he
always maintained that Benning was the
racing centre of the South. and that high
class racing would be supported and sus-
tanned II is to his courage, perseve rance
and faith in the possibilities OF BennlnS
that the public is indebted for as nne
a racetrack as can be found anywhere.
The Executive Committee of the club
are gentlemen Of the highest standing,
whose connection with racing is through
genuine love Of the sport. To this as
much as anything is due the success of
Benning. The racing officials whom they