Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-25
Is a Magnificent Free Eques-
TRAN Circus.
RIVALSIMPERIAL ROME
SPLENDID WEEKLY SPECTACLE
OF PROMINENCE AND WEALTH.
Best Of Racing Under tho Most Per
feet Of Conditions Without
Charge.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Imperial Rome gave its populace bread
and circuses'-New York town. more than
imperial. as yet provides only the circuses.
But 1t Is more than an open question II
Rome ever spent as much upon It's amphi-
theater as New York has put into the
Speedway and it's approaches
Directly. the Speedway Is an outgrowth
! OF panic-the sad days following 90. Indi-
rectly, 1t Is the response to rising demand
The city has bred and tostered a swiftly
growing class of rich reinsmen, either sur
viVors or spiritual descendants OF the old
bloomingdale road brigade. With their
many thousands invested in fast hors flesh
there was general and increasing discomfort
over having to go a Sabbath days Jour-
ney to find any place where the flyers could
step their best-and. incidentally, ou.step
each other.
The first plan that was offered raised
roar OF fndignation. The gentlemen drivers
mad 1t In mind to take a stretch down the
west side Of Central Park. Lively protests
from all sorts and conditions of folk in
ciined them to go further-with the result of
Iailng better. The Speedway an accom-
pIlshed fact interferes with nobody Com
trarlWlse. 1t turns to the excellent us, of
diversion strip Of unsightly waste Incl
oentally, the turning put many dollars into
honest. horny hands that otherwise would
nave been empty. OF filed by CALLING chart
ty. Altogether the course Is well worth its
cost. II FOR no more than an object lesson as
to how the fanciful desires of rich NEE sup
ply the necessities Of poor ones
Manhattan's face is full of choice topo-
graphical surprises Not one OF them can
compare fully with the Speedway site The
course Is easily among the most picturesque
IN the world That. however. is less eruaz-
Ing than Its adaptation to the ends of spec
tacle- Romes Coliseum was less majestic
than the rocks that frown above it all along
one side: no canal in all Venice can show
more warrant charm of waters than spar
kles up from the breast of the Harlem
Now 1t Is all sullen gray. now of a Jealous
green opacity. now limpid as rain-S ashed
morning sky. now fun of softly-iapping
satiny ripples. streaked with oily wakes OF
swiftly passing craft.
The water show. indeed. draws some part
OF the crowd-not so great moiety as the
road show, but still worth reckoning Speed
way builders took account of it-wherefore
the waterside walk Is twice or thrice the
amplitude OF that underneath the rocks, and
beset plentifully throughout with light, cas-
lily movable benches
The driveway proper begins somewhat be-
Tore the beginning at the commencement of
st. Nicholas avenue. on the uppermost
verge of Central Park 1t is something
like two miles from THE park verge to
the head OF the Speedway at 155th street
thus there is parade course about
four miles long. Still ST. Nicholas avenue
IS not the sole. nor even the favorite, route
of Speedway drivers who live roundabout
the park or below 1t. Upper 7th avenue ard
the Viaduct spanning the Harlem valley al
the head Of the Speedway are chosen some
what oftener. Another for those who like
long drives and coming into the middle Of
things Is the new Boulevard Lafayette,
which has been cut in the edge of the Hud-
son river hillside and makes into the course
proper through Dyckman street, which Is
Its upper boundary Then, too, there are
the suburban roads and their contingent
folk from White Plains, Mt. Vernon, Yon-
kers. ever so many places. who have the
chance Of some pretty speeding on their
own account along the parkways that are
spreading all about through the region
where New York town IS still, In large part,
country.
All Roads Lead to Speedway.
All roads. indeed. lead to the Speedway
even Brooklyn and Jersey folk wander In
sometimes. although they have fine drive
ways Of their own. Howsoever gathered,
the show Of horses and horsemen Is we'll
worth seeing. A great many people evident
ly are Of that mind for upon any Sunday
which promises good footing 10000 are
likely to gather and stand and gaze. Spe-
ctal events, match races, matinees the an
nual road drivers parade, bring out from
SooOo to 5000 spectators. The knowing
ones and the sports cluster as thick as bees
about the half-mle post, which Is the
finish mark In the brushes If there Is bet
ting. 1t Is strictly private, or rather in
dlvidual, although. no doubt. good money
often changes hands on the result of the
events. Indeed. tips are given and received
quite as eagerly and solemnly as on the
full-fedged courses. But the mass of those
on the road and the sidewalks are there to
see and to be seen, rather than from sordid
hopes of profit or loss.
The mounted police who enforce the regu-
latlons keep all but the racing division
tfnn
next to the river, coming up next the rocks
Thus the middle stretch is clear The road
way Is wide enough for five or six teams
abreast. Speeding begins whenever there
is fairly dry course at the Dyckman
street end, the speeders driving south This
makes the the first half-mile post the finish.
OF course. there are mile brushes. but the
most part of gentlemen drivers prefer half
miles, or even quarter miles.
pessimistic mounted policeman who
knows horses and likewise human nature.
said said with something of curled lip:
Horses! oh. yes, they love the Speedway:
the soft tracks good to hoofs that have
been poundin' rocks and hard floors. But
the drivers and the riders don't love ridin'
a Whv or ~ ~ MS all show-off with them.
horses and usin en- there are fifty places
within range that would give ,ern mora
pleasure than this. City Island, up In West
the euf FERN IN Jersey en or Long Island
horses and traps and drivers can 90. any
O. them. where's all right. ali right. hit
they can't take the crowd with 'em. so here
they stay Sunday after Sunday. rain and
shine. you see the same men, and ali their
JOY Is to get a new horse or some sort ~
new contraption in rfdn' toeeery or
wagons. or boots or brides, or some such
matter But them that drive do get a few
runs for their money--thing that feazes me
most Ii the folks down the edges. IT'S ali
show with them. and If one of 'em gets her
name In the papers, or his turnout sets the
crowd buzzin'-Lord! they think they're
made! I've been up here pretty much ever
since the show began-you may take INV
word for 1t II 1t wasn't a show. n nobody
came to look on and stare and most iikeIy
envy. in six months the Speedway wo,Iid he
given up to trainers, exercisin' rich .ynsn,s
trotters. and some few of the rich nen
themselves that know enough about horses
and other things to get at the real rood ~
drivtn'."
At It's Best.
Possibly the policeman was soured. Car
tainly the Speedway at its best helps to npt
one IA love with life and things. For in
stance, on fine autumn Sunday morning
when blotches OF red and yellow have
shown themselves lightly through the over
hanging foliage Of Washington Heights
High bridge and Washington bridse
lv,r~ a.