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JJNGVAND is fuzzling over a n
f" -probUm-it is : usually puzzl
: ; over some kind of a problem, IP
new
Ung
Why
is Alfred G. Vahderbilt, the American
society and .club man of leisure l and '
millions, to , drive a public coach , on the .
Brighton road -a splendid ' coach,1', to be.
sire, but one upon which any person mayt
ride by paying the faret
- v Mr, " Vanderbilt says he will do it for
sport and for English coaching experience.
Road coaching is the severest test of an
r amateur :four4n-hand whip, and, at the
; same time, a most fascinating recreation.
Then, in its accessories, such as a
" splendid road, rare scenery, quaint old post
' ing inns and the lingering romance of old
'; coaching days, the Brighton route has no
superior, ,
- k- Although he denies any such intention
- at present,- Mr. Vanderbilt will probably
. : not object to clipping a few minutes off the
.'boasted British" coacning records. At any
i rate, he will show the English some A men-
can feats of tooling that are expected , to
open their .eyes. .
1 . Of far greater importance, however,
icill be the test of the American road horse s
; before the eyes of the English. As he be-.
: Tieves the American trotting horse can go
faster and further than those of any other
country, he will arrange a fast schedule for
'his coach faster, indeed, thanJhas ever
been attempted in that country. .
the horn and the coach was gone and rattling over
the etonea of Hmithneld. ..
When the guard had. blown hlmaelf quite out of
breath he put the horn Into a little tunnel of a
basket faatened to the coaehalde for. the purpose,
.and, giving -himself a plentiful shower, of blows on
. the chest and shoulders, observed It was- uncommon
cold; after which he demanded of every person sep
arately whether he was going right through., and
If not, where he was going.
The weather was Intensely and bitterly cold; a
great deal of snow fell from time to time, and the
wind was intolerably keen. Mr. Squeera got down
at almost every stage to stretch his legs, be said
and as he always came back from such excursions
With a very red nose;and composed himself rfo- sleep;
directly, thene Is reason to suppose that he derived
great benefit from the -process.
So the day wore on. The night and ' the
snow. came on together, and dismal enough they
wene. There was no sound to be heard out ' the
howling of the wind, for . the noise of the wheels
and the tread of the horses' feet were rendered in
audible by the thick coating of snow that-covered
the ground. .
The streets of Stamford were desertett as they
passed through. Twenty miles further on
two of the front outside passengers, wisely avail
ing themselves -of their arrival at one of the best
Inns -in England, turned in for the night at the
George, at Grantham. The remainder wrapped
themselves more closely in their coats and cloaks,
Rnd . leaving the light and warmth of the town
behind them, pillowed themselves against the lug
gage and prepared, with many half suppressed '
moans, again to encounter the piercing blast that
swept across the opn -country.
They were little more than a stage out of Gran- .
tham.when Nicholas, who had been asleep-for a
short time, 'was suddenly aroused by a violent Jerk
which nearly threw him from his seat Grasping
- v (.
. ' Tt I If
s
It
' 4
TT THATEVER honors Mr Vanderbilt
" wipflte isn't so muck concerned
f T with' the cash emolument a of the en-
terpriBe will add .to the many his .
" country hai gathered abroad, since the 'outfit
v'i will be entirely American.
" , ' ' New Yortbuilt, the coach Venture, which
Mr. Vanderbilt has used several years for the
- same purpose in thia country, has been sent
. over complete, with liveries, trappings and har
ness made on this side, and with eighty selected
American trotters. The entire outfit was sent
to England early last month.
While the usual stage route from London
to Brighton la fifty-two miles, the route selected
by Air. Vanderbilt is five miles longer. It be
gins at tlie'Victoria-Hotel, in Northumberland
- avenue, London, and ends at the Metropole, in
Brighton."-. J . . '
. In the early days," the Brighton road, dotted
by occasional villages, wag not the artery of .
travel that it now is ,
Today it is crowded from morning to night
with heavy traffic, and sometimes filled with
streams of automobiles. All this, it is thought,
will m&ke trouble for 3Jr Vanderbilt. '
It is not likely that any of his coaching
ruirtifs will encounter , experiences like 'those
froqurntly described by Dickrns, such, for in
'ftance, as the trip Nicholas JTickleby made to :
Iothcboys Hall in company -with Wackf ord
juocrs: ; ' ' " . . J
A ml;ji!(r' bustle, a bangtnr of the coach doors, ' -
a fwaving of the vehicle to one side, as the heavy
( ai iiiiiaa and stilt heavier guard climbed into
1 x -
if
t'tiv'"'W1"" "'t "fa """" in iwumi ll ' Vv -
ii
, th rail, he found that the coach had sunk greatly
on . one side, though it was etlll dragged forward
by the. horses, and, while confused by their plung
ing and the. loud screams of the lady inside, - he
hesitated for an Instant whether to Jump off or not,
the vehicle turned-, easily over and relieved htm of
all further uncertainty by flinging him Into the
road, . . -; .-- , ,
' ."-There is little probability of a similaracci
dent to the Venture. The Brighton road is one
frock coat -with . mother-of-pearl .: buttons,; a
' striped : yellow, waistcoat and a ; flower " in his
moutk" -Mr; -Vanderbilt, .white toolings usually
wears a taix' raincoat s over ; an ordinary, street
. suit,' with a ian driving apron; a gray high hat
with curling rim upon his head anu a hunch of
white and red carnations in his bnttonhole.'f
A gorgeous creature, however, will 'be tha
guardiwearing a. frock: greatcott of ' vmd;recl
; and a silk-plush : hat. , Ooddeh, tKeTgiuiarif . en
gaged ir- an t expert-;at ' blowing tunes on tha
coaching horn. '1 " . ! ,
, 'Another purpose,: "besides enjoyment : and
experience,, animates Mr. Vanderbilt- in his in
vasion of theold countryto 'demonstrate, there,
the superior speed and staminaof the American
harness horse. t;-. -;. V, ' ," ' 1
Last winter ho purchased, especially for tha .
-. work; eighty-Jfast.trotterswhieh he; sent across '
tho sea in one' shipment.- . Lata, in; June,5 when
the ' coaching season has ended, - these" , horses
will be sold at auction at Tattersall's.
- While the record of the Brighton road
seven hours and fifty minutes for the. round trip
has held since 1888,' it, was, not made on ona
of the regular passenger runs.
That record4 was 'mado, by "Jem Selby.-.who,
won $5000 for his, backers on a -wager, that tha .'
round trip could .not be made in eight hours. 1
' 'Still, uniformly, fast time was made .over tba
old road in the 'memorable! coaching days, and
"it is this that Mr. Vanderbilt. purposes' to
eclipse in his regular runs. .
In the. forties, the widely-famed ( coach
Quicksilver-: was scheduled; to do ; the journey '
daily in four hours and forty-five minutestha
fastest time, ever attempted for a -public icoaob
on the route.-", .;'' v;'.'-''-", '
' Mr. .-Vanderbilt has "arranged ra, -much '.faster-'
schedule, -considering, this1 longer 5 route he; has
chosen.- , There1 wilLbe nine relay, stations, and
thirty-six , horses ' will be distributed along the
i road for changes. ' ,
. '., Grays, including two of, the noted champion
' horse-show : four, will f orm : the town team ' in
and out of London. ; Four' lively skewbalds will
be used on . the run into '.Brighton ', and on tha
first stage.of the -return journey." ' : ; - '
. Since he took 'up. the sport, .six, or t seven
years agor.' Vanderbilt has been a prominent'
figure in public coaching, in this country. . Dur
ing racing seasons he has run. the -Venture and
Viking to Morria' Park and Belmont Park, -and
at other times many, persons, - with no acquaint
ance with any members of ie' Four' Hundred,
have - ridden behind him ca coaching, trips out
of New 'York. 1 '- - ' 1-, -..
"Many Americant whipswithout full 'Amer- "
ican outfits, however have driven coaches over
English, roads. Years ' - ago, Y Colonel'. Delancey -
Kane drove for. a' season between London and
ttir'ects;.a cry of "Ail rightr a few ootes fronv".cf the best in England-it has been prominent , This -will 'permit -passengers who "wish to- wrote
in coaching annals for; more I than a - century, return ; to iLondon' the same afternoon to catch
and has been the scene of many fast runs. . ' the 5 o'clock express. ' Tho coach will return the
Theu too, there will be no'night runs. As - rtext day.' -1 ' " ' -
x ji.. it,,.i Tti. :, -11 fn ,'.:(!,. t......i,.i.u i..o ;l.:Aiii.nilinl Yinrinia:. Water.
morning, and after an hour's stop early in the has been engaged,- so that Mr. Vanderbilt wiU ; 'Some twenty years ago Colonel v Willi am
afternoon to allow time- for lunch, will arrive : have only tho driving to. occjapy , his attention.. :;Jy. president of t the Coaching Club- of ,New
in Brighton about 40 o'clock. - , ' . "Of theold-timo coachman, "Xeigh Hunt York, advised all -who aspired to rome expert
Tote : Viiis beau ideal of appearance - is a , - -wov-.-. .fc
1;-