A REMARKABLE RIDE.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 450, 9 January 1869, Page 3

A REMARKABLE RIDE.

An Australian at San Erancisco sends Lthe following report of a three hundred Kniles ride accomplished in fourteen rhours eleven minutes : —He says, "I Bran vouch for the truth of it; the bet f was bonajule, and the distance was ac- •. tually ridden on the race-track, about [ six miles from the city. Is there anyMbue capable of performing the same I feat either in Victoria or Sydney ? if F. bo, I should like to know. One of the [ most remarkable rides ever performed ! was accomplished at Bay View Park, I on Sunday, August the 2nd, by JN'.H. f Mowry, a young California!!, who rode f three hundred miles in fourteen hours i and eleven minutes. A month ago a [' number of persons were at San Jose j when the conversation turned upon | the subject of riding. One of the i party said that young Mowry could \ ride further and faster than any man f living, and finally offered a wager that , he could ride three hundred miles in j" fifteen hours. The offer was declined, {* because the amount offered was too | Bmall. Finally, however, Louis Burns I and John Cahi'll put up 2,000 dols, agr ainst 2,500 dols, by Edward Whipple, I the latter wagering Mowry could and I would accomplish the feat. At first I it was proposed that the ride should | take place over the race-track, San |||Jose, but afterwards Bay View raceBrack was selected, and Sunday, the f 2nd of August, was fixed upon as the I day. For several days before the f advent of the 2nd Mr Mowry had been | training for his ride. He.had thirty I horses taken to the Park stables, and [ rode each one the track once or twice, the purpose of familiarizing it with Mhe ground. And on the Sunday jl-moraine at twelve ■K„-fu„ f > |; five o'clock, he began his ride on his I own horses, which he rode four times I round the track. The rider weighed Labout 169 lbs. He carried a canteen | .filled with water, and a small pouch a few sandwiches, which he Calculated to eat during his journey. the signal was given, the hardy mounted his horse, and, raising

his hat above his head, gave rein and was off. The horse broke into the gallop so common to Californianhorses, and continued it until it had gone around the track four times, when the rider changed it for a second. Some of the horses were ridden only once around the track, but nearly all of them were pushed round the track three times. During the first six hours Mr Mowry would dismount and mount the horses without aid, but during the after part of the day he was assisted by persons retained for the purpose. At the end of 2CO miles a placard was displayed from the judges' stand, stating that the distance had been accomplished in eight hours two minutes and fortyeight seconds —a shorten time than it had ever before been accomplished in. Those who had wagered their money against Mowry felt convinced that he could not hold out, for, although he had accomplished 200 miles, and had yet nearly seven hours to spare, they argued that every hour he remained in the saddle was more fatiguing to him now than two hours at the beginning! They imagined that they saw marks of fatigue, and werejubilant, but not enough to be demonstrative. xne nder was Withdrawn to a convenient place and given a bath, which greatly refreshed him ; afterwards he mounted his horse, aud rode away as gaily as if he was just beginning. This enlivened his friends, who, however, never for a moment doubted his ability to accomplish the task. Finally, at eleven minutes before seven o'clock, the ride was completed, the 300 miles had been ridden, and that, too, in fourteen hours and eleven minutes—a fraction more than twentyone miles an hour." I