PEDESTRIANISM.

Evening Star, Issue 3660, 14 November 1874, Page 3

PEDESTRIANISM.

riIANK HEWITT v. HOUSE AND PJDEII. 100 YATIDS MATCH. {From the Australasian ) It has long been a moot question whether a man could beat a horse fmft short distance, and the question was discussed on hoard the ship Renown, recently arrived here from England, ■With the result that a wager of Lot) ft-side was made between two of the passengers, in which one undertook to find a man, and the other a horse and rider, to run 100 yards. The money was staked iu the hands of Capt. Wiltlash, who consented to act as starter, and his chief officer as judge. As a matter of course, the hacker of the biped,’on bis arrival, lost no time in ascertaining who was the fastest ped. in the Colony, and equally as a matter of course Frank Hewitt was pointed out to him, and being “ intei viewed ” satisfactorily the match was at once “clinched.” In the meatimo the backer of the quadruped was equally industrious in seeking out a nag combining the qualities of speed in galloping and quickness in getting away. In this pursuit he was eminently successful, for in the stables of Mr Tyrrell, of St. Kilda, he found the gem he desired - a rather tall Arabbred pony, the Telegraph, the winner of many races in the suburbs. The horse was in training at the time, and repeated trials proved that in 100 yards ho could break nine seconds. As the time approached 3 to 1 was offered on the horse, which so staggered the backers of the man that but very little betting took place. And now a word or two about the relalative speed of man,v. horse. According to J. H. Walsh (“Stonehenge”) the time of Sir Tatton Sykes, Blink Bonny, and other horses was at the rate of 13Is per furlong (220 yards), while we know that our fastest peds. have not achieved quite 100 yards in 10s ; it follows, therefore, that to back a man to run 100 yards against a fleet horse, with any chance of success, would seem preposterous. Of previous performances of similar feats, >we remember that at Ararat, Collins—a celebrity in those days—started with a horse, and went the distance ; but the horse never stirred, the report of the pistol having frightened him. Again, at Gollingwood Flat, Mr Whitcoak matched himself to beat a horse in a race of 100 yaids, 50 yards out and return, and though a fast runner, only won by the skin of his teeth. The solution of the problem was now attempted by Hewitt. Hewitt having staled to the pistol-flrer that he would hold no his arm when he was ready, did so and started, but as there was no report, he had to return. A second attempt at starting resulted in the horse getting away at a pace which made Hewitt’s friends look blue. Still there was no report, and the horse had to return to the scratch. The excitement was now great, the spectators being on the tenter hooks of expectation, both biped and quadruped ready to spring, and the starter nervously anxious to give the signal. The horse fidgetty, slightly swerves, and Hewitt, seeing his opportunity, intimates, by holding up his hand, that he is ready, and starts. The pistol is sluggish, and before the report is heard the “ ped ” is off, and at such a pace that he is quite seven yflrks ahead before the horse is in motion. The race was then iu earnest, and at almost railway speed. Hewitt seemed to fly, the horse nevertheless, decreasing the gap at every stride. At 80 yards the horse was gaining so fast that it seemed inevitable that the man must be beaten, Frank, nevertheless, persevered, and with a splendid spurt breasted the line first; five yards more and the horse passed him. The backers of the horse are not yet satisfied that the result of this race is a satisfactory solution of the problem “ the relative speed of man versus horse.”