Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02

~ the world famous Calcutta
Derby sweepstake had grown too
big for any one person to win, millions OF hopes
of collecting around 81 500 600 from an original
investment of 81 were severely curbed.
It is more or less assured henceforward that
when the sweep closes three or four or even
more numbers will be drawn in Calcutta against
each of the Derby runners, so that there VIII be
as many tickets for the winning horse, and the
enormous prizes of the past-last year the VIM
Ming ticket was worth nearly 81 300 OO0-in the
future will be but a memory over which gam
blers may lick dry lips.
However $500, 900 or so is not to be sneezed
at especially when the chances OF winning the
same are doubled even tripled; and excite
ment is not likely to be much diminished III
consequence when, next Wednesday afternoon,
a bunch of uuadrupeds bestridden by miniature
bipeds set of to see which can put its nose first
mast the white post at the end OF the long
shaven grass race track on EPSON Downs IN
the fair county of Surrey, England.
A few minutes after the latter event occurs.
the world will know the name OF the morse
which has won the blue riband OF the English
turf In the greatest classic race OF its young fe;
and the holders Of the winning numbers in the
worlds biggest sweep will also be made aware
that the gods of luck have beamed broadly upon
them!
The Calcutta sweep Is almost as old as the
famous British Derby itself inaugurated by an
ancestor of the millionaire race horse-owning
earl of that name; and If there are old English
families impoverished today because reckless
forebear risked the family shirt on "a certainty"
In the Derby and lost there are also new tami-
lies living In afnuence because one OF tner
members casually bought q Calcutta sweep
ticket or O share therein and pulled on the big
gest gamble horse racing offers anywhere on
earth.
ORIGINALLY organized by the club-from
~ whose members alone tickets in the first
instance may be purchased-for the beneht OF
the little British colony in the great center OF
Anglo-Indian trade, the growth and quickening
of communications has caused the sweep TO
mushroom nightly, until today the 81 shares
are blown by the winds of chance into every
corner of the globe. Every member OF the CAL
cutta Turf Club today is the hub of an informal
worldwide circle of sweep share buyers.
There is no rake-off. The only incentive to
sell-apart from any tickle mans vanity gets
from sitting in at the winning Of Calcutta
sweep prize-is the long chance of handling
a winning ticket, which means that the seller
is entitled to 10 per cent of whatever the ticket
wins.
There are two separate and distinct high
temperature periods in connection with the
sweep the draw and the race. The draw takes
place in the Turf Club in Calcutta the week
end before race day.
In one large glass barrel all the tickets bear
ing the numbers taken Ito stop trickery and
forgery and also to keep on the right side OF
the anti-gambling law of 1922 you get number
instead of a ticket these days. are placed. The
sweep is pronounced closed. The barrel IS pad
locked and sealed in the presence OF the club
stewards, who take charge Of the key. The
names of all the horses entered for the Derby
go into the second barrel.
Cranks revolve the barrel. Before each num-
Der and each horse is drawn the cranks are
turned so that all the tickets of hoaSeS and
numbers are well mixed. AS each number and
each horse is drawn the number and the name
of the horse or blank is noted by the tellers.
So few horses, so many numbers! In lOO.-
600 offices and 200, 900 homes in clubhouses on
the edge of all the seaways from Capetown to
Frisco and from Singapore to Shanghai around
telegraph posts in desert and jungle stations,
aboard every ship equipped with radio, millions
tensely wait to hear the result OF the big draw.
Have their 81 gone up the spout? Or are
they going to produce one-in-forty or fifty
chance of picking fortune out of the blue sky?
THE club itself is VIGOROUSLY luckless. Its
members seldom draw horse much less
pick a winner. Indeed, this is one of those
rare occasions when fate seems to take an
impish delight in giving the lucky rich man a
miss and picking out the poor or obscure per-