The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-01-04
HOPPER WRITES
FROM AUSTRALIA
Salt Lake Bicycle Rider Now in
the Antipodes.
HAS ENTERED BIG EVENTS
GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF TRIP
ACROSS OCEAN.

n. c. Hopper. the popular favorite at
the saucer track for the past two sum
mers, writes a letter to the sporting
editor Of The Herald from far away
Australia, where he, in company with
four other American riders, went In
search Of wealth and glory after the
close of the racing season in America
this fall Hopper wished TO be re-
membered to all his Salt Lake friends
and asked TO know what the outlook
for the sport was in this city next sea
son and who would handle the track
He says that if the right parties set
behind the sport here this coming sea
son. he will be able TO bring along
string of Australian riders after the
season closes in the antipodes. Hop
per writes a very interesting account
OF his trip which makes good reading
and is given below;
I have put off writing 70 you until
I have made q win and as took a cou-
pie Of heats last night I think it is
about time TO let you know that I am
alive and well. I met Palmer, Beach
EN- and Plugger Bill Martin on the boat
coming over and. taking everything IN
ID consideration. I think we had a
pleasant trip We stopped a day IN
Honolulu. l think il is a grand place
and does our government great honor
10 own such a place. both for its beauty
and commercial interests When we
left the Hawaiian islands I thought we
had passed outside Of the domain or
Uncle Sam and imagine my surprise
when, ten days later. we reached a
place called Paga Paga about ten de-
greeS south of the equator, and l saw
an American flag proudly floating over
the principal building, and the Amerl-
can gunboat Winslow in the haroor.
Palmer, Beachem and Martin told me
that when we crossed the equator the
ship gave a terrible lurch as IL hit the
line J. like a monkey, believed them
and remained awake all night 10 see
the equator and feel that lurch, and in
the morning when I asked the captain
about it he looked at me and grinned-
Another funny thing happened that 1
could not understand for a long time
When we left Frisco, my watch kept
gaining about fifteen 10 twenty minutes
every day according to the ships clock
This bothered me considerably and L
thought my watch had gone back on
me. 1 tried 10 regulate ii so it would
not 90 so fast. when one day / caught
one of the fellows on board setting the
clock back fifteen minutes at y o'clock
I asked him what he did that for and he
L
sun" / thought he was bughOuse and
did not learn until after ! got here the
true reason. It took us tWen{y-One or
twenty-five days to come across. L
don't know which. According 10 my
/ reckoning, it was twenty-One, but L
was a day behind when we reached
{ Australia The miX-up happened when
( We reached the IS0th meridian L went
( 10 sleep at Saturday night and woke
up Monday morning. The boys said
/ I had slept all day Sunday. but the cap
/ tain said we just jumped a day Any
/ how We had to count that extra day IN
order to get right with the calendars
4 IN Australia.
/ The races here are quite different
/ from those given at Salt Lake City. All
/ the tracks are large and perfectly fiat
1 The races are nearly all handicap at
! fairs and have a large field of starters
1 get eighty yards in two miles and It
makes me dig to get into the pounds,
( Shillings and pence. There are two
I big handicap races coming off here in
{ January, one for a prize of $50 pounds
and the other for 1000 pounds. I am
I going TO start in both of them and
/ yet I hope TO break into the pot by
helping some of the other men out.
/ I viii let you know how I come out
1 in these events. Well, good-by for
/ this time With kind regards TO ali
my Salt Lake friends, I am yours
NORMAN Q. HOPPER
I P S--There is no place half as good
as America