The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1901-10-04
SOME ODD CONTESTS.
RACES IN WHICH ALL SORTS OF
ANIMALS ARE PARTICIPANTS.

ANIMALS ARE PARTICIPANTS.
The Surprises That the "Luck
Stakes Run at Mhow, In India,
Have In StOre-The Hurry Scurry
Races at the Montreal Regattas.
So much ingenuity has been expend
ed in devising novel and humorous
races that it grows more difficult ev-
cry year to discover new form of
competition.
An amusing if not very eievating
race was witnessed recently in the de-
partment of Lott in the south of
France. The good ladies of a certain
village were invited to compete in a
400 meter race, each wife trundling her
spouse in a wheelbarrow. The spec
tacle was highly exciting and divert
ing. for the competitors who realized
that they had no chance of winning re-
lieved their disappointment by tipping
their respective husbands out of the
barrows and leaving them to rub them
selves and bemoan their misplaced con-
fidence.
There are few prettier and more sur
prising races than the ladies' race, or
Luck Stakes, at Mhow, India. The
fair competitors race to a line of bas-
kets resting on the ground, and each
one, as she reaches her basket, opens
the lid to see what prize awaits her.
From the three winning baskets spring
up tiny recruit boys, who present pret-
ty prizes to the fortunate winners,
while from the remaining baskets there
emerges veritable menagerie. From
one dove scars to the SKY; from an
other a scared cat bolts, and others re-
lease geese, partridges hens, dogs and
hares, which seurry away among the
crowd amid babel of sound.
The hurry scurry race, which is
feature of every Montreal regatta, is
in the highest degree exciting. The
competing canoes are anchored some
distance from the starting point, and
at the crack Of the pistol the competi-
tors dive into the water, swim to their
canoes and paddle away for the turn
ing buoy as if for dear life.
Again the pistol cracks, and each
man throws his paddle overheard and
springs in after it, regaining his seat
as quickly as he can. When the pistol
fires again, each man must not only
tumble overheard, but before re-em-
barking he must upset his canoe and
right it again, a process which a clever
canoeist WI complete within four sec
onds.
Another feature-is to swamp the ca
noe, fill it to the gunwale and then
empty it, minute only being allowed
for the complete process. The man
who, after dozen or SO upsets, reach
es the goal first has amply earned his
prize.
One of the most amusing of races is
very popular in certain departments
in the south of France. The race is
| between boys. each mounted on a more
| or less intractabIe pig. With its well
known perversity, a pig will go in any
direction but the one desired, and the
efforts Of the riders to head the steeds
for the goal. the collisions. the grunts
and squeals, form combination which
is excruciatingly funny.
Almost equally amusing are the No
abs ark races which are SO popular in
military circles in India. In one very
exciting race at Bombay a goat passed
| the tape first and was followed at a
long interval by an elephant, while, to
| the amaZement of the onlookers, a
| horse only just managed to come in
| third
In certain parts of the country barrel
| races are in great favor, number of
| men trundling beer barrels along the
streets. There is usually a special
competition for ladies, who are no whit
| inferior to their male rivals in the skill
| full manipulation of the barrels.
At Nogent-sur- Marne not long ago
there was grand International wooden
| leg carnival, in which each competitor
must have lost one leg. 1t was here
that NJ. Roulin won the zone legged
| championship of the world by cover
| ing a distance of 300 yards in the ex-
cellent time of 80 seconds.
| A most amusing race was held some
| time ago near Bordeaux. Each COM
petitor had dozen bladders attached
to his neck by strings of different
lengths. There was a high wind. and
the course was full of obstacles. The
| flying bladders buffeted the runners in
the face and all over the body, they
wound themselves like so many SER
pents round their legs and arms, and
generally made things SO unpleasant
that before half a mile had been cov--
cred every competitor had been
brought to earth more than once
London Tit-Bits.