THE YORKSHIRE MEETINGS 129 



The Doncaster Corporation became aware of the danger, 

 and wisely made a new road from the back of the stands 

 to the town ; and now when the vehicles have discharged 

 their loads they are obliged to return by the new route, 

 and thus the collisions are much discounted. Reckless 

 driving is still the order of the day, however. The driver 

 of Doncaster is a very Jehu inasmuch as he "driveth 

 furiously." Still, at Doncaster nine-tenths of the visitors 

 walk from the station to the course, and quietly return after 

 the racing is over. 



Some who have backed winners, or have eaten too much 

 butter-scotch, may linger for hours in the neighbourhood of 

 the beershops, but, considering its vast size, the Doncaster 

 crowd is a sober one, and the visitors on the St. Leger day 

 leave the station between 5.30 and 7.30 p.m. at the rate of 

 about eight thousand an hour. The Great Northern Railway 

 Company deal with the traffic in an absolutely wonderful 

 manner. There seems to be little bustling, and com- 

 paratively very little crowding. The trains steam up to 

 the various platforms special and ordinaries with their 

 distinctions shown in large black and white placards ; they 

 are instantly filled, and, moving away, make room for others. 

 The excursionists depart from other platforms, away from 

 the station proper, and here it may be mentioned that a 

 large majority of the better sort of visitors take up their 

 quarters for the week some distance away from the town. 

 Every country house within thirty miles of the course (and 

 even further) is filled for the occasion, and dozens of parties 

 are made up who sojourn temporarily at the hotels of York, 

 Harrogate, Leeds, Retford, and other places which are within 

 an hour or so of Doncaster. Some even travel from London, 

 and go back to town each night. No one now stays in 

 Doncaster itself if he can find handy quarters elsewhere. 

 At one time the Doncaster townsfolk reaped a rich harvest 

 in the race week. Hundreds of houses were let at high 

 rates, and all the hotel and lodging accommodation was 

 eagerly secured. Nowadays a very different state of affairs 

 prevails, and though a great many of the visitors are obliged 

 to stay in the town for example, those who have blood stock 



