THE DERBY IN A SNOWSTORM 41 



about and seeing two races, I prepared for the event 

 of the day, when, just before the start, an ominous 

 blaclv cloud overshadowed the course, and down 

 came such a snowstorm as I had hardly ever 

 witnessed in the depth of winter. I had obtained 

 an excellent place at the ropes, not far from 

 Tattenham Corner, and saw as much of the race as 

 the snowstorm would permit, when I soon found 

 my light summer clothing was too pervious to 

 the melting snow, and before I could reach any 

 shelter I was completely soaked through. As it 

 happened, the coachman and my companions were 

 mostly in the same wet state, and were glad to 

 return. I arrived in a shivering state at my hostelry, 

 the ' Old Bell,' Holborn, then one of the leading 

 Inns in London, where I was only too glad to get 

 between the blankets prior to enjoying my dinner, 

 and, in dry clothes, a visit to Drury Lane Theatre. 

 After the notorious ' Running Rein ' case, statements 

 were rife as to several other Derby winners, and it 

 was generally believed that Bloomsbury was a 

 four-year-old. He did but little afterwards. 



The year 1840 was noted as the first year that 

 the London and South- Western Railway proposed 

 to carry visitors to the great race. It was announced 

 that the railway would carry passengers to Kingston 

 from Vauxhall or Nine Elms, as the terminal 

 station was then called, where four-horse coaches 

 would be in readiness to convey passengers on to 

 the course. The charge for tickets, issued three 

 days previously, was one guinea, which also was to 



