Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-01
GENUINE LOVERS OF COACH ING DON'T MIND THE RAIN

six miles and return-was the lower
stretches of the Albany post road. For in
stance, soon after leaving the tall, gray
hotel on 18th avenue from which the start
made, the driver guided his four
horses through part of Central Park;
little later the route bears to the left till
it reaches the Riverside drive, and follows
that superb road to its present northern
terminus. After that with the exception
of mile or two, Broadway and its north
ern extension, the old Post road. are fol-
lowed till the entrance of the Ardsley Cluo
grounds is reached.
In the nearly thirty years since the estab-
lishment of the clubs public coach Its
drivers have included the best-known and
most accomplished whips in the country.
rhis year two of the men selected by the
club to handle the ribbons, Mr. Reginald
Rves and Mr.. Alfred Vanderbilt. were
veterans of some years standing. Mr.. III
Louis Bossevain, the third, although an
enthusiastic and painstaking driver is
newer to the sport than the others. yet he
made a very clean record. For some time
Mr.. Rives has been held the best whip In
the club but Mr.. Vanderbilt is now fairly
entitled to a place In the Rives class lie
certainly handles his horses with exactly
the skill you would look for in the de-
scendant of the famous old commodore,
whose Craftsmanship was unexcelled in his
own day Furthermore-and this is clear
the moment the young man gathers up his
reins-he drives because he loves horses,
and they respond to his touch as they
never do to one who has no sympathy Tor
them.
Beautiful Coaching Road.
When the weather Is fine--real coaching
folk never mind stormy weather, though
some of the rest of us might-the road be-
tween New York and Ardsley is one of the
most beautiful drives in the world. To
the right, on Riverside drive as the gayly
painted Pioneer rolls smoothly along to the
steady rhythm of the trotting horses-un-
like the coaching horses of England. those
that pull the Pioneer are not allowed to
break-there is a three-mile row of state
ly houses To the left lies the Hudson,
sometimes blue, sometimes green, some
times gray. sometimes brown. but always
beautiful always impressive.
Near Grants tomb on most slightly
spot the first change of horses is made;
thence the coach passes over the graceful
steel viaduct that spans the Manhattan val
lev and frCm there follows UPPER Broad
way and the Lafayette boulevard, some
times as bare of traffic as Il back country
turnpike till the Dyckman street relay
stion is reached.
This station is opposite the quaint old
Fort Washington Presbyterian Church, an
ancient wooden structure. such as you
might expect to see in little country VII
lage but never within the limits of the new
| worlds METROPOLIS. Rocky hills, shrub-cov-
| cred and green at this time OF the year, rise
| on either side, while the street improve
ments which have left the buildings sew
| a curious but by no means disagreeable,
msft air to the entire neighborhood.
| From here the coach proceeds along
! somewhat winding though ever northward
| way under spreading trees, over swelling
| ridges and through and across picturesque
| little valleys, halving the city of 1onkers
when it is reached, past Dobbs FERRY; Ia,
! NOUS for the rich Subufpanites VINO owen
! there and on to the smooth-shaven. We'll
shaded picturesque grounds of the Ardsley
| Club
| puls up before the club house at $3.50 to
| The dot Twenty-Five horses have been
| pressed into service, the extra one being
| known as the cock horse. He Is hitched
| ON In front of the leaders TO nelp pun the
coach up the long hill leading out of
| at each station an nterested-and in
| teresting-group of spectators has gathered
| to watch the change: at the secluded Hast
| ings station between Yonkers and Ards
| ley the group is made up mostly OF emil
dren every mothers son ana daughter OF
| them having a bunch or mowers OF one sort
| or another to sell to the coaching folk.
| Lunch is eaten at the club house gen
orally its privileges being extended TO all
coach passengers. on Mr.. VandeTplit uIys
| he sometimes took his own lunch at Ards
| lev Towers, the red-roofed house built not
| far away on a hill commanding the entire
| adjacent country for himself by Barber
the asphalt millionaire. but which Mr.. Van
derbilt rs occupying this summer The re-
turn trip began daily at 3:2a throughout
| the season. pm. being the hour OF ar
| rival in New York.
Though twenty-five horses only were used
| on each round trip, forty-one were kept
| in the clubs stables, 1t being necessary to
/ have that many to insure the making OF
/ the schedule time every day, regardless of
1 weather conditions. These horses came
| from the west--Indiana and Michigan most
| ly-and they were all of better than aver
| age trotting stock Both this year and last
| they were under the personal supervision
/ of Frank T. Mitchell. an English coach