The Omaha
Bee
A Paper tor the Horn
THE OMAHA DEC
Best & West
PART III.
UN DAY
IIALF-TOIIE SECTIOn
PAGES 1 TO 4.
VOL. XXXVII NO. 38.
Df ATTA, SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 8, 1908.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
i CHARLES THORPE ONE OF NEBRASKA'S TRUE SPORTSMEN
Short But Interesting Story of a Boy Who Saved His Money While Riding Racers and Who Can Now Face "Overweight" With the Satisfaction of a Man Who Is Well Fixed.
1 HARLE3 THORPE Is one sportsman who knew enough to
t Bare his money, and as a consequence Is able to spend his
I declining years on a Nebraska farm In peace, contentment
w and plenty. For twenty-four years Charles Thorpe was
' one of the central figures of the turf In Europe and Amer
ica and during that time be had foresight enough to keep looking
ahead and laying by a sufficiency to last him when he should for
ever quit the excitement of the turf and lead the life of a retired
farmer Instead of still keeping up with the sporting world. With a
large farm, which yearly produces enough to supply the wants of a
man who Is used to having everything he wants, Mr. Thorpe lives
In a large home In town, at Geneva, Neb., where he Is surrounded
by tho "trophies of many a hard battle on the turf, and 'where he has
a large library for his spare moments and where he has everything
his heart desires.
Putting corn tnto his cattle and hogs and seeing them turn Into
money Is now more to the liking of this farmer-Jockey who has
ridden on nearly all of the principal tracks of America and on many
of toe foreign tracks, who has ridden the winner in the French
Derby and piloted many horses of the titled race horse owners of
England, France and Germany. At the age of 48 Charles Thorpe has
seen enough of the world to satisfy most travelers and Is living a
contented life near his farm, making an occasional trip to a trap
shoot, that he may meei with the "boya" who have been his friends
for so many years.
Thorpe was born on the West Side in Chicago, and until he was
t yeara old lived In that portion of the city, doing all his riding on a
rocking horse. When 9 years of age he moved with his parents to
Whiting, Monona county, Iowa, where they lived on a farm. Every
farmer's boy at that time had a pony and Thorpe was no exception,
and boys' races, steeplechaslng and jumping ditches were his hobby.
He became recognized as the champion boy rider of the county. He
started his long career as a Jockey by riding at a county fair In Iowa.
It was not a caee of riding "Sweet Molasses" to save the mortgage
on the farm, bnt simply a case of a race horse owner wanting some
boy who had nerve enough to ride a fractious mare he had entered
in the race. The stock of professional riders on hand was small, and
when the owner asked Thorpe If he had nerve enough to ride the
mare, he found a taker for hie banter and won the race. This was
a great start for the little fellow and fired him with a desire to ride
some more, and ride he did. The number of his mounts since that
time has been legion. From January 1 to September 30 of one
season he rode 60S. of whom he piloted 178 into first place, 120
Into second place, 108 Into third place and 207 unplaced.
First Ride at Geneva
Following a few county fairs, he found himself In 1887 at
Geneva, Neb., his present home, where he rode Belle K. to victory.
Thorpe rode at the first state fair held in Omaha and the first state
fair held at Lincoln. When he started his career as a Jockey he
weighed 86 pounds, but now weighs about 132. Farming 260 acres
of Fllmore county land aoes not tend to cut down his welgnt, neither
does the keeping up of his $15,000 home in Geneva.
February 6, 1893, he was married at Geneva to Miss Alice Bas
sett and until her death last November Mrs., Thorpe was his constant
companion. When he went abroad MrsThorpe was with him, and
to his wife more than to any other agency, he gives credit for saving
the money he secured for his services on the track. When he re
ceived $500 extra for winning a race, as he often did on the Euro
pepu tracks, he did not immediately set out to squander the money
as do so many other youths wtien they come suddenly upon some un
expected windfall, but he immediately turned over the money to his
wife, well knowing that It would be In safe hands.
During his career as a Jockey, Thorpe did not hare to rely trpoa
windfall for his reward tor riding winners, as he was expected to
put the horses to the front. For several years he rode in America
for Burns Waterhouse and during that time his salary from the
firm was 112,000 a year, and besides that he was allowed to ride
outside mounts In any race In which his employers did not have a
horse entered. Thus his earnings ranged most of the time around
the $20,000 a year mark.
Speaking of windfalls, Thorpe has reason to remember one la
particular. While riding the horses of Count de Harcourt In Paris
for the salary of $10,000 a year, he was one day approached by Count
de Portalllea, who had a horse entered In the French Derby. As
Thorpe's employer did not have a horse entered In this event, Thorpe
wns privileged to ride for an outsider, so he took the mount, little ex-.
pectin to win. When ha pushed that 100 to 1 shot In a winner none
were v ore surprised than Thorpe and the owner of the horse. Thorpe
waa even more surprised when the owner handed him a package of
bank notes containing $5,000. The race was worth $65,000 to the
winner. Thorpe's one ambition while on the American turf was to
ride a winner In the American Derby, but this he was never permitted
to do. He has won the Tennessee Derby, the Arkansas Derby and
numerous other derbys, but never the American.
I . v. f -i Mi.
CHARLES THORPE.
hardest kind of an effort that he was able to keep within weight. On
returning from a camping trip In the mountains, one spring he found
that he weighed 120 pounds and that it was necessary to cut his
weight fifteen pounds before he could ride. He had a Chinese cook
named Dick Lo Lee, who was in the Thorpe family for years and who
knew just what to prepare for the little Jockey when he was trying
to get within the weight limit. While on these summer outings
Thorpe always ate to the limit of his appetite and then when the
time for training came he had to pay up for It all by denying himself
all the good things which others around him were permitted to eat.
Thorpe tells of a moat thrilling experience he had in Paris in an
automobile before those machines were as common as they are in the
days of the New York to Paris race. He and Lester Relff, Harry
Vernon and Eddie Spencer, four American Jockeys racing on the Eng
lish tracks, decided to spend Sunday in Paris. "We took the night
"boat to spend Sunday in Paris," said Thorpe, "and Vernon claimed
he knew all about running automobiles. So we took a racing ma
chine to go to Longchamps. Well, I think I have ridden as fast as
most people, but that ride seemed to me to be the fastest I ever took.
I made up my mind then never to get Into an automobile again, not
even if the man who made them was to run them. We ran on the
sidewalks, over ditches and through fences, and after trying for what
seemed a month to stop the cussed thing we ran right in the Arc de
Triompe, boosting all of us poor jockles higher than we were ever
thrown from horses. Gendarmes surrounded us and we were about
to go to the bastile, when along came W. K. Vanderbilt, and I don't
know how he did It, but he squared the whole mlxup. Mr. Vander
bilt offered to take us In his machine, but we were all scared and
beat It to the nearest cab."
On his return from his first trip to the foreign tracks Mr. Thorpe
gave an Interview to The Bee in which he expressed a preference for
the English style of racing, saying it was fairer and cleaner than the
American style. He said that while a crack could command $12,000
a year in either America or Europe, riding In England was more
profitable because the English noblemen for whom he rode were more
generous with their tips after a ride on a winning mount. As a proof
of his assertion he had a roll of $18,000 which had been his savings
for the year, and in addition his wife had numerous large diamonds
which would be the envy of wealthy aristocrats It they should see
them. .
Terror to Bookmakers
While In California Thorpe was the bugbear to the bookmakers.
While he was riding the Burns & Waterhouse horses It seemed as
though Thorpe and the stable was a hard combination to beat An
old-timer tells of a race he saw there when Bee Bee, a horse no one
thought had a chance, was sent to the poBt with Thorpe In the saddle.
Someone started the hunch that Bee Bee was to win and all the pik
ers around the ring commenced to lay on Bee Bee. Finally the price
was forced to the bottom and one bookmaker was heard to Bay, "I
can't see anything to that Bee Bee except that Thorpe Is going to
ride." The race was on and as Bee Bee came home four lengths to
the good one bookmaker was heard to say, "If there's a piker in this
lot that 1b not on Bee Bee I would like to see him."
An Idea of some of the ovations Cliarles Thorpe received while
riding In this country is given by this report of a win he made at
Oakley, one of the old tracks at Cincinnati:
Perhaps no Jockey on any track was ever made the recipient of
such a demonstration as was accorded Charlie Thorpe at Oakley yes
terday. How the ears of those who have maligned this Jockey must
have tingled when they heard the tumult that greeted Thorpe's v V
tory on Captain Drane In the third race. Yesterday Thorpe sported
silk for the first time since he lost caste with his former trainer for
an alleged bad ride on Tobin. He finished second with Sir Dilke .n
the first race, and there was a ripple of applause. When he lauded
Captain Drane first under the wire In the third race the crowd fairly
lifted him from his seat In the saddle In its eagerness ta pay tribute.
There was a great volley of shouts and hand-clapping when he ctj
mounted. This was continued until he lifted his cap. After he l.t'.d
weighed out and returned to the open air the crowd asain greeted
him. He was cheered all the way up the. track until ho disappeared
In the paddock. Thorpe has been sick, and he was nearly exhausted
at the end of his ride. He was short of wind, but between gasps he
banaged to say: "That greeting was more to me than a thousand
dollars cash In hand. It shows that the people believe In me. I
have always tried to do the right thing, and I am glad that my
straightforward course is appreciated. It demonstrates that the
public never took any stock in the story that I rodo dishonestly. This
is a great hour for me."
Charlie Thorpe has reason to feel proud of that reception. It
was simply a tribute to an honest boy. Money couldn't buy what
was accorded him. Few statesmen and political chiefs rarely ever
receive suc"h an ovation. It came from the hearts of the people, who
were anxious to show that they believed in him. It was the first
time the public had an opportunity to Indorse Thorpe and rebuke his
managers, and they did not let the opportunity pass by unaccepted.
Riding Yo Tambien.
All followers of the turf remember the name of Yo Tambien.
Thorpe made that Alley famous and one of the best known on the
American turf. Many a win he made with her, and those who have
seen her race remember how she would make a side glance at the
grandstand as though she understood the applause which was being
showered upon her and her Jockey. Thorpe would talk to the Alley
and she would respond In a way that left no doubt as to her sagacity.
'Tis said that when he won a great race at Washington park one day .
on Yo Tambien, Thorpe simply sat upright for the Arst mile and
chewed gum, but when two contestors began to press him he swal
lowed the gum and drew his whip, but not to use it unless it came to
a brushing finish. He Blmply leaned over and whispered to the won
derful Alley, "Steady now, Yoey, steady," and in a twinkling almost
the race was won. Mrs. Smith, wife of the owner, handed Thorpe
$500 and Thorpe with tears in his eyes said, "Thank you, Mrs. Smith,
I did not have to urge her, she is as good as gold."
'Twas a common saying amongst the railblrds that the Old Man
earned his money easily and that It looked like falling off a log for
Thorpe. If the talent had seen the Old Man before a big race trying
to cut off four or five pounds they would have thought he had to
work hard for his money. "It was pretty hard work for me to cut
down from 111 pounds one day to 105 the next, but that is what I
have had to do several times," said Mr. Thorpe the other day. Ber
gen had the reputation of being the waiting jockey and James Rowe
the accompllahed finisher, as was also Snapper Garrison, while Dog
get had no style in riding, but relied upon main strength and awk
wardness. It was hard for Llttlefleld to whip and ride at the same
time, and Hamilton was noticeable for the Bhort stirrup with which
he rode. Taral was always laughing, while MIdgley never smiled,
but had a Judicial look at all times. Brit ton was long on "rushes,"
but Charles Thorpe was said to have been the most clever at all
branches of the game than any of the others.
Thorpe is a thorough sportsman and is doing what he can In the
way of promoting legitimate sport In Nebraska, his principle line
being at the trap. He has presented a costly trophy which is being
shot for by the shooters of the state and the winner will have some
thing pretty fine to place in his trophy room.
Nerve His Great Asset
One of the great assets of any Jockey la his nerve, and Thorpe
was not lacking in that qualification. He had it in abundance. Nor
was the fact that he has had nearly every bone in his body broken at
some time in his career sufficient to stop him from engaging In the
dangerous occupation which be bad chosen. He has had both legs
broken, one of them several times, his fingers broken, his ribs shat
tered, and been in bed on numerous occasions packed with ice bags
to head off concussion of the brain, but none of these have been
sufficient to stop his efforts to push his horse through any opening
in the bunch which might present itself. And after it is all over,
Charles Thorpe shows few effects from the numerous dumps he has
received on many tracks. When earning $15,000 a year as a jockey,
Thorpe was still a men. boy, both in age and stature. In his prime
as a rider he weighed from 95 to 98 pounds, but nature was trying to
raise the ante on him, and It was a continual fight to keep down the
weight. To hold the desired place as premier jockey, he had to keep
. below the five-stone mark, and to do this had to forego such food as
tenda to make a traveling man sleek and well-fed.
Charley was called "lucky," and for years he carried In his
pocket his own obituary notice, written and published In three St.
Louis papers. The report which was sent out from that city many
years ago that he had fallen in front of the grandstand aad had the
life crushed out of him is still fresh In the minds of many followers
f?vt the turf. Charley himself tells that, as he was run Into and he
,'was lifted skyward, his only recollection is that of women screaming
In the stands and wondering what the result would be when he
reached the ground and was run over by the horses following behind.
For the next twenty-four hours the world is a blank to him except as
the hospital nurses toM it to him afterward. To many It seems
strange that such experiences did not drive him from the turf, but,
like the true soldier who has smelt the powder and heard the whls of
the bullets, he seemed to enter the, contest with more sest than ever
,when he was again able to ride. It Is said of a rider that he, like a
poet. Is born, not made, and no accident, no matter how severe, can
quench his desire to again enter the lists as soon as the doctors say
he is able.
Looked Like His Last
Another serious accident to Thorpe is recorded from St Paul,
where, after winning a race and the admiration of the assembled
thousands, his borne fell and carried Its rider down with him, to be
trampled under the feet of the other horses following close behind'
the winner. He lifted his head from the dust, only to be knocked back
again by another horse, and then It waa he thought his end had come
and that he had rode his last race, for the blood was streaming from
his wounds. He says that the thought entered his head that his last
race had been won. A couple of weeks of careful nursing again sent
him back to the track.
In the late yeara of Thorpe's career as a jockey it was by the
National Prejudice Checks Steel Industry of China
ANYONE with the usual Occidental concep
tion of the Chinese may have a little
difficulty in believing that they make
steel in China, using their own ore,
their own coal and coke and Chinese
labor exclusively. All this sounds as If the Chi
nese were really up to date and realized, like
other folks, that the present is an age of steel.
But, on the other hand, there Is today, practically
only one steel plant in the great Chinese empire.
This solitary steel plant has been in operation
since 1894, but its output has been increased so
little in the fourteen years since that today about
the most it can do Is to turn out 50.000 tons of
steel yearly. When tnis Is compared with the
23,000,000 tons produced In a year in this coun
try some idea may be gained of how far the Chi
nese really are behind the present age in steel
making as In other things.
In this matter of making steel the Chinese
Lave shown, more than in any other field perhaps,
that antipathy to foreigners which has been fatal
to Chinese development, for steel-making requires
methods distinctly foreign to China. Efforts of
foreigners to get the government to allow them
to develop the eteel industry of the empire have
been thwarted repeatedly, and today the curious
spectacle is presented of the Chinese selling their
best ore to the Japanese instead of making it Into
steel themselves.
At the present time the very company that
owns the steel plant is under contract to furnish
the Japanese government steel works at Waka
matsa, Japan, with 100,000 tons of the best mag
netic ore every year, the Japanese paying $1.50
a ton for the ore at the point of shipping. This
contract waa made in 1900 and is to last for thirty
years.
Beside the enormous steel works at Pittsburg
the only steel plant in China, which is situated
near the city of Hankow, looks like a pygmy. The
Hangyang Iron and Steel Works is the name
of It
Situated on the Yangtse river, which is one of
the great commercial highways of China, and only
eighteen miles from deposits of ore estimated to
amount to over 100,000,000 ton, tneae steal
works in the opinion of foreign experts possess
opportunities for development rivaling any in the
world. In fact, Hankow could easily become an
other Pittsburg were It not for Chinese
prejudices.
It was Chang Chi Tung, a Chinaman with
western Ideas and governor of the province of
Hupeh, who started these steel works in 1891.
He had engineers brought from England to erect
a plant for him. which for a time was his own
personal property.
A few years later he leased the plant, such as
It was. to a Chinese company. At the present
time the plant Is owned principally by Sheng
Kung Pao, who Is a director of Chinese railways.
He has shown more push than his predecessors,
but the great obstacle that stands in the way of
the development of the Industry is the law in
China under which no foreign capital can be In
vested directly In mining.
Under this law foreigners are allowed to be
come stockholders In Chinese mining companies,
but that is all. It is said to be Impossible to in
fuse modern methods into the management of
these Chinese companies as long as they are con
trolled by the Chinese, and the lot of a foreigner
Investing in a Chinese company is not a happy
one. Strangely enough, this law, which seems to
stand so much in the way of the development of
what might be one of China's leading industries,
was enacted only a year ago, at a time when
China wassaid to be opening up to western in
fluences. Although the Chinese steel works at Hankow
may look pretty large now to the Chinese, meas
ured by western ideas' of steel plants, they are
absurdly small and Inadequate. The English en
gineers whom Governor Chang Chi Tung employed
back In 1891 to build his plant erected two blast
furnaces, two Bessemer converters, one twelve
ton open hearth furnace, two rolling mills and a
foundry. 1
The plant made some steel rails for the rail
road built from Hankow to Peking, but at times
the Chinese governor shut tt down entirely, and
under him Its outpat net-ex exceeded in a year
$0,000 tons. Than, Cbaa Chi Tung concluded
that he had had enough of steel-making and
leased It to a Chinese company.
About the first thing the company did was to
make the agreement with the Japanese to sell
them the only ore w.hich the Bessemer plant
erected by the English engineers could use in
making steel. That part of the plant thereafter
was useless. That Japan has been making a good
thing out of this contract there is no doubt.
The mountains where this ore occurs have
been connected with the Yangtse river by a
fifteen-mile railroad, and from April to October
the biggest ocean steamers of the Japanese can
Bail up the river and load directly from this rail
road. The Chinese coolies who put the ore on
board get 60 cents a day for their work.
Sheng Kung Pao, the present owner. Is now
trying to repair the damage done by his predeces
sors. One of the first things he did, after he
found that the Japanese had contracted for the
best ore, was to send experts to study the plants
In this country, Germany and England, and see
what could be done toward remodeling the plant,
so that he could use some of the ore that the
Japanese did not have the right to take away.
Since the visit of these experts Sheng Kung
Pao has built practically a new steel plant. The
Bessemer plant has been discarded and now all
Chinese steel Is made by the open hearth process,
for that is the process that the experts reported
to Sheng Kung Pao it would be wise to adopt
This new plant of the Hanyang Iron and Steel
Works started up recently. It has three blast
furnaces, five open hearth furnaces and three
large rolling mills. Next year it is expected that
it will be able to turn out 100,000 tons of steel.
The plant Is now run by electricity, an electric
power plant able to generate 800 kilowatts hav
ing been Installed. In fact the plant today re
sembles any other steel works, and with Its tall
chimneys and its furnaces lighting up the sky at
night, it has impressed the Chinese greatly and
has delighted Its owner, Sheng Kung Pao, who Is
really entitled to be called the Chinese Carnegie.
Not only is the plant manned y Chinese, but
the present general manager of the works is a
Chinaman who before reaching his present posi
tion spent many years In Japan and England gain
ing, knowledge of the steel-making Industry. To
be sure, Sheng Kung Pao employs engineers who
are not Chinese. The engineering staff has on It
representatives of nearly all the steel-making
countries.
While coolie labor Is cheap In China, it must
not be understood that all labor is cheap there,
but it la a good deal cheaper than here. For in
stance, foremen in the Chinese steel works get
from $10 to $47.50 a month and good machinists
from $4 to $2 5 a month.
There are times in the year when steel-making
in China is accomplished under great difficulties.
Even the Chinese themselves are unable to stand
the heat in the months of July and August, when
the thermometer in that part of China keeps
above 90 degrees for weeks at a time and fre
quently rises over 100. Even with the venti
lating system, which is one of the improvements
Installed by the present management, the plant
frequently has to shut down on account of the
heat In summer.
While these Chinese steel works are fortunate
in having the ore almost at their very door, as
compared with the distances over which ore must
be hauled in this country, they are not so fortu
nate with regard to tUeir coke supply, almost
equally essential. The nearest coal and coke that
can be obtained Is at Ping Hslang, 300 miles away.
The oeke Is transported sixty miles over a railway
and the rest of the distance en the river. '
That China might become a great steel-producing
country with a change In Its laws and in
the mental attitude of its people there is no reason
to doubt Besides the mountains of ore from
which the supply is at present being taken rich
Iron ore deposits have been found in many prov
inces of China. Recently an engineer expressed
the opinion that there was fully as much Iron ore
available for steel and Iron production In China
as in the United States.
It la said to b the ambition of Sheng Kung
Pao to keep on enlarging his steel works until
China shall produce all the steel necessary for the
extension of Its railways at least. And perhaps
In time China mar have skyscrapers.