The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-28
GREAT AMATEUR ROAD DRIVE,
JAMES N. HYDE TAKES THE LAKE,
WOOD COACH FOR FIRST TRIP.

The Most Important Venture In Fourth.
Hand Work Yet Attempted Here
Fifty Horses for the seventy-nine-
Mile Run-lncidents OF the Journey,
Undoubtedly the sportiest venture In
road coaching yet attempted In this coun-
tfy-unique from the distance covered and
that but one whip has put on the coach
and Is 10 do the driving-was shown to be
both practicable and a very pleasant trip
yesterday on a trial run. The venture
is Mr.. James II. Hyde's Liberty coach, to
run between this city and Lakewood, on
alternate days, beginning on next Tuesday
and keeping on the road until the middle
Of May. Mr.. Hyde followed the regular
route and used the Liberty horses yester-
day, but he had a borrowed coach, as the
brown and maroon trap Is still In the paint
shop being lettered in due style. Morris
+. Hewlett, the professional whip who
selected the teams, was also along, as
was Jack" Allen. who il TO be the guard
on the regular runs. In brief. II was a
full-dress rehearsal OF the initial run
scheduled for Tuesday. coach load Of
invited guests made up the passengers.
The run by the route chosen is OF seventy
nine miles. with a running time Of nine
hours and twenty minutes. of which an
hour will be devoted to luncheon at New
Brunswick, and ten-minute stops at Lin
den and Freehold for snaps" in the way
of tea or bouillon. The schedule time will
be $50 A. NJ. from the Holland House, and
the arrival at the Laurel-in- the Pines,
Lakewood. will be at 8lO. Ten teams are
used on each run, and, as there is an extra
horse with which to change each team,
this means an outfit Of fifty high steppers.
The coach is to be public one, ut Sl2 fare,
or 500 for the coach, but it is a PROPOSE
ton run for fun and not for q profit On
schedule time. leaving the Holland House
at $50 O'Clock in the morning and reaching
Lakewood at $40 o'clock There was a
short wait for the ol0 boat, which brought
the road party to Jersey City by S:23.
Some short turns, taken with care.
and the coach was soon on the Newark
road, the team swim ing along at a spank
ing pace over the bridges and to the first
change, in Ferry street.
There was no rumble from the wheels
on the asphalt OF Lafayette avenue. and q
little tot in blue. who stood in the middle
OF the avenue suddenly began to back
into the path Of the horses. In the crowd
around II seemed that the little tot was the
coach. The babe had nearly backed into
the near leader when Hewlett swung the
pair to the far gutter, and. as the child
stood in amazement, he brought horses
and coach past without hitting the infant,
which sank in heap on the road Just as the
mother rushed to the rescue. There was
. cheer from the crowd as the coach dashed
by.
Out OF Newark by way of Frelinghuysen
avenue and North Broad street, the coach
was soon rafting over the stones OF Eliza
beth, and thence by Railway avenue to
the change at Linden Thereafter il was
ideal country through Metuohen and Iseln,
where there was another change, and over
the Raritan bridge into New Brunswick,
the trip being by the Colonia road, passing
the golf links, and St. Georges road.
At the Mansion House, New Brunswick,
there was a hearty luncheon in room
decked out with coaching prints and tap
es.ry sent on by Mr.. Hyde.
He had the reins on the start, delightful
stage through the suburbs Of the old colonial
town and past the track of the Middlesex
Driving Club into Old Bridge. Here
brown and hay team was hooked up and
Howlett sent Il along at a fast clip into
Matawan and changing at Mount Pleasant.
This was south Jersey, the beginning OF the
peach orchards and the pines. There was
rnother change at Marlboro and after a stop
at Freehold for tea. the next change was at
the crossroads hamlet OF Turkey Blue.
Then the che~tnuts and dun were forced
along to Farmingdale, the last change
being made just beyond, at the village Of
Squankum. where Mr.. Hyde took command
for the fastest bit Of the journey. thirty |
five minutes for just under seven miles. |
The time table and distances follow: