Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-10
FAST TRACK
AT ARCADIA
SOIL OF NEW COURSE WILL BE
sPRINeY AND POROUS
Work on Santa Anita Park Progress
ing Rapidly Under Supervision Of
Contractor AlIen-Ready
In Time
Training hard. track fast 2


and surprising report which will be sent
out every time Jupiter Pluvius turns the
spray over Baldwin's ranch and its en-
virons next winter, and Santa Anita park
will become one of the most famous
racing courses In the world on account of
its peculiar imperviousness to water, ac-
cording to the predictions Of Contractor
Allen, who is in charge of construction
at the new track out at Arcadia.
Allen is the dean of American race
track builders and is known by his works
among racing men from coast to coast as
the cleverest executive in the business.
That the Los Angeles RAGING associa-
tion was fortunate in securing Aliens
services is shown by the manner. in which
active construction Is being carried on
at Arcadia. Allen is pushing things
swiftly, and the track bids fair, to re-
sound with the thunder of hoofs down
the stretch on Thanksgiving day.
The progress made within the last ten
days has been simply marvellous. Ten
barns, parallel to the back stretch, with
twenty stalls each, are practically, com
pleted, requiring only the finishing
touches. Ten more barns having a ca
pacity of forty stalls each, back of the
first row, already have the foundations
laid, so that not later than the end of
this month there will be actual stabling
room for 600 racers. When all of the
barns are finished there will be stalls
for over 800 horses.
Over fifty double and triple teams are
at work grading the track, so that turns
and general contours are readily discern
ible, and two weeks more of rush work
will make 1t look like a real race course.
1t was at first intended to build a tenn
porary structure for the grandstand, but
that idea has been abandoned and a
superb permanent structure Is being
erected. The work has advanced already
to the laying of the concrete piers,
which in a few days will be completed,
all of them being two-thirds finished at
present.
Santa Anita park presents a scene of
great activity. More than a square mile
of ground has been turned into gigantic
ant hill, and although 300 skilled work.
men are at work Allen cries for more.
Like Army Camp
The grading camp looks Hike an army
encampment, rows of tents running in
regular company streets where the men
bunk. Boarding facilities for the mens
however. have been but temporarily ar
ranged, so suddenly did the scheme Begin
1t is evident that Allen is laying him
self out on the Santa Anita track.
This old campaigner. tall, keen-eyed
quick, kindly, but a hard worker, is one
of the most familiar and most popular
figures among racing people in the United
States. He has behind him a lifetime
of track building, and these are some
of his monuments: Washington park Gar
field park. Hawthorne and Harlem in
Chicago; Ingleside and Tanforan in San
Francisco; East st. Louis Emeryville at
Oakland and Ascot here, besides scores of
minor tracks
Allen has built more tracks at cost
of quarter of million dollars apiece
than any other contractor in the business
And Allen says that he believes Santa
Anita will be the fastest track in the
world Coming from the man who built
Washington park and Harlem, which for
years have been known as the record
courses of the world, this is significant.
Yesterday the veteran builder told
few things about the new track
"In the first place." he said. ''santa
Anita will be the only track in the world
having electric lights in the horses quar-
ters. shall put 16-candle power in
candescents in the stalls and 6-candle
power lamps at the outside awnings.
"It must be remembered that Santa
Anita will be the only track west of New
York a mile and an eighth in length.
Sheepshead bay and Belmont are the
only, two others of the kind in this
country.
There will be this advantage in the
extra eighth, which is quite important,
and is obvious even to the lay mind: At
the three-quarters and seven-eighths the
start will be taken on the straight stretch
instead of on the turn, as is the case on
a mile track
Nature Most Generous
THE stretches and turns will be equal.
are unrivaled by any other track in the
country. The scenery is raviehingly
beautiful, with the long lines of bordering
eucalyptus trees stenciled against the
hazy big mountains in the background.
"The building of this track is easy
because nature has almost made things
ready for us. The bottom is sandy and
will carry away water so fast that the
rain can pour and yet the track will
remain fast. The East St. Louis track
is just about as good from rain point
as the Santa Anita track.
'In construction we are working up
with rough grade in the ordinary dirt
to within a foot of the surface. The
top dressing will be twelve inches thick
and will consist of the finest irrigation
silt and earth from vegetable gardens.
This silt is the best stuff for dressing
in California and We shall use 10000 cubic
yar0S OF 1T. we VIII soak 1t III water
and then roll 1t till the surface is hard.
l believe 1t will make Santa Anita
wonderfully fast track. The silt is loose
enough not to cup under the horses feet,
and yet it will pack hard enough to make
a springy, fast track.
"One of the best features of this silt
is that it is perfectly safe, as it will not
ball or make the horses break down.
Santa Anita is lucky in it's sandy
bottom and we will not even put in
drains under the track to carry off water
from center field. This silt should make
the track as level as a ball room floor,
and this will give good time, as the
horses will not have to run up and down
the gullies as they do on so many other
tracks.
ITO show what difficulties a poor bot
tom gives us it is only necessary to refer
to the Emeryville track. where 1 had to.
put in twelve inches of cinders and stones
to stop the water from coming up. On
other tracks which have an adobe bot
tom it is necessary to put in a strata
of porous stuff t. shed water"
The Los Angeles Racing association an
nounced the dates for stake races at
Arcadia yesterday
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