THE AXEMEN'S CARNIVAL. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2612, 6 April 1904, Page 55

THE AXEMEN'S CARNIVAL. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

INVERCARGILL, April 2. The axemen's carnival, instiiuted three years ago, is now one of the most popular, if not altogether the most popular, sports fixture held in Southland. The prizes, which in the first year aggregated £150, this year total £250, and the list of events has so increased that it has been found necessary this year to spread the carnival over two days. The entries this year total 376, of which 114 are for chopping and 90 for sawing. All this morning there was a steady stream of country people into town by the trains, many proclaiming themselves bushmen by the board-encased saws and sheathed axes carried over their shoulders. The weather, which was rather forbidding during the early morning, improved as the day wore on, and the attendance was very good, considering that all the retail business places in town were open. The events were got ofE well up to time, and everything passed off without a hitch or accident. The following are the results: —

Maiden Sawing (18in. red pine logs). Prizes, £2 10s, £1 10s, and 10s.— W. Morrison and R. Campbell 1, J. J. Dixon and J. Blackman 2, R. Bates and C. Flint 3. Time, 18 1-Ssec. One-mile Cycle Race. Prizes, £3, £2, and £1 . —First heat: A. P. Fleming (scratch) 1, T. Dowling (90vds) 2. Second heat : J. W. Shanks (10yds) 1, C. M'Kenzie (120 yds) 2. Third heat : A. Brighton (90yds) 1, Jas. Dowling (20yds) 2. Final: A. P. Fleming 1, J. W. Shanks 2, T. T'owling 3. Time, 2min 20sec. Maiden Chop (ISm red pine logs). Prizes, £2 10s, £1 10s, and 10s.— First heat : E. Coote (Forest Hill) |L R. Nelson (Limehills) 2, H. Buckingham (Tasmania) 3. Second heat: W. Mitchell (Tasmania) 1, D. Chisholm (Hedgehope) 2, J. Anderson (Greenhills) 3. Third heat: A. Chisholm (Heclgehope) 1, M. Ryan (Oteramika) 2, W. J. M'Naught (Longbush) 3.

Union Handicap, 120 yds. Prizes, £5, £2, and £I.— First heat: G. M'JLetterick 1, W. Mann % Second heat: E. Cook 1, Lionel Broad 2. Third heat : T. Kane 1, T. Menzies 2. Semifinal: First heat— G. M'Ketterick 1, T. Menzies 2. Second heat : Lionel Broad 1, E. Cook 2. Final: L. Broad 1, E. Cook 2, G. M'Ketterick 3. Time, 12sec. Sleeper Squaring. Prizes, £3, £2, and £I.— R. Bain (Woodend) 1, Geo. R. Laurie (Orawi) 2, Thos. Waugh (West Coast) 3. Time, llmin 9sec.

New Zealand Championship Sawing (2ft red pine logs). Prizes. £i and two gold medals, £2, and £I.— M. and T. Hogan 1, S. Fisher and J. Hudson 2, W. Carson and J. M'lntosh 3. Time, .33sec. Novice Chop. Trophies. — R. Hassel 1, W. O'Connor 2, D. Burgess 3. Time, lmin 25 3-ssec.

Team Sawing (one pair from eacli mill). Prizes, £i, £2, and £1. — W. Carson and J. M'lntosh 1, A. and D. Chisholm 2, M. and T. Hogan 3. Time, 23 4-ssec. Three-mile Cycle Race. Prize 3, £3, £2, and £I.— First heat: T. Dowiing (270 yds) 1, F. Cassidy (360 yds) 2. Second heat : M. Summers (60yds) 1, C. MTvenzie (360 yds) 2. Third heat: J. Dowling (60yds) 1, A. Brighton (270 yds) 2. Final: J. Dowling 1, F. Cassidy 2, M. Sumnieis 3. No time taken. Handicap Standing Block Chop (18in red pine logs). Prizes, £6 and gold medal, £3, £2, and £I.— H. Mitchell (scratch) 1, G. Hewlett (50sec) 2, J. "Willey (lOsec) 3. Second heat : W. Poff (50sec) 1, A. Millwood (lOsee) 2, E. Coote (45sec) 3. Final postponed till Monday. Handicap Sawing Down (18in red pine logs). Prizes, £4, £2, and £1. — First heat : H. Mitchell and H. Beckingham (scratch) 1, Kilkeely Bros. (2sec) 2, G-. Fisher and J. Hudson (scratch) and D. M. and It. O'Connor (ssec) tied for third. Second heat: W. Carson and J. M'lntosh (scratch) 1, A. and D. Chisholm (scratch) 2, M. Thomson and H. Dawson (2sec) and T. and J. Wuugh (ssec) tied for third. Final postponed till Monday. Half-mile Handicap. Prizes, £3. £2, and £1. — X Thomson (40yds) 1, A. Conling (scratch) 2, J. Peters (40yds) 3. April 4. The Axemen's Carnival was continued to-day under unfavourable coud'itions Rain began to fall at 5 o'clock this morning, and continued intermittently all day, the showers being pretty heavy in the late afternoon. The attendance on Saturday was about 3000, and the takings arcewnted 1o £120; a.nd to-day the attendance was about 4000, and the takings £146. A novelty was introduced to-day in the shape of a young ladies' bicycle race, which was got off in pouring rain. The big chopping event of the day, with a first prize of £25, fell to a young axeman named A. Chisholm. The veteran Mitchell looked! a certain winner, and hed only a few strokes to get through when his axe stuck, and Ohisholm won a most popular victory by a few seconds. Mitchell secured the standing block chop, the handicap single-handed sawing, and the handicap und-erhand chop. Carson and M'lntosh pulled off the Handicap Sawing Down and the World's Champion Sawing contest, a,nd Lionel Broad won the 440 yard© w^h conspicuous ea=e. Tins year's carnival will ba memorable among axemen for the fact that two world's records have been set rip. The Drevious woild's record of 31 3-ssec for

sawing, which was established at the Southland Carnival of 1902, was lowered by one second 1 to-day by Carson and M'lntosh in the ChanipioijshTp Ma.tch, and their time of 20 l-ssec in the 18-inch lo.* contest was also a record. This fixture has been extremely successful in every respect, a foct due to the cordial co-opeiation of a most assiduous set of office-bearers, but especially to the energy and forethought of tha secretary (Mr A. A. Paape). The following are the results: —

Handicap Standing Blook Chop. Prizes:' £6 and gold medal, £3, £2, <and £I.— Final : H. Mitchell 1, R. Millwood 2, J. M'Ann"3, G« Hewlett 4. Time, 2min 26sec.

Handicap Sawing Down 18m Red! Pine Logs, Prizes: £4, £2, and £1. — Final: Carson and M'lntosh 1, Fisher and Hudson 2, Keliher Bros. 3. Time, 20 l-ssec, the fastest on record.

Maiden Chop, 18in Red Pine Logs. Prizes : £2 10s, JEI Is, and 10s. — Final : H. Buckingham 1, S. Cooper 2, M. Ryan 3. Time, 3niin. 3~2-ssec.

Two-mile Harrier R-\ce. Piizes: Silver cups, valued at £3 3s, £2 2s, and £1 Is — A. Melville (scratch) 1, J. A. Sloan (130ycLs) 2, E. H. Clancy (110 yds) 3. Time, lOroin 34 4-ssec.

Handicap Single-handed Sawing. Prizes: £2, £1, and 10s.— H. Mitchell (scratch) 1, J. M'lntosh (scratch) 2, J. Hudson (scratch) 3. Time, lmin 17sec.

One-mile Handicap. Prizes : £3, £2, and £1. —A. Couling (scratch) 1, J. Peters (100 yds) 2, R. Thomson (70yds) 3. Time, 4min 31 2-ssec.

Great World's Champion Sawing Contest. Prizes : £15 and two gold medals, and £5. — Carson and M'lntosh 1. M. and T. Hogan end Chisholm Bios, divided second and third, H. Mitchell and H. Buckingham 4. Time, 31 3-Ssec — a world's record.

One-mile Harriers Relay Race. Prizes: Four gold medals to winning team. — Y. S. Jacobs 1, A. Melville 2. Time, 3min 49sec.

Two-mile Cycle Rc-ce, for Sawmill Workers. Prizes: £2 2s, £1 Is, and 10s. — M. Bowling (4yds) 1, T. E. Dowling (140 yds) 2, A. Currie (200 yds) 3. K"o time taken. New Zealand Champion Chop, 2ft Red Pine Logs ; underhand ; all off the mark. Prizes : £5 anc> champion gold medal, £2. and £1. — H. Mitohell (Tasmania) 1. A. Millwood (Tasmania) 2, S. Fisher (Southland) 3. Times, smtn 11 4--ssec.

Boys Championship, tOOyds. Prizes: Silver watch and chain, £1 is, and 10s. — Placed in heais: L. Cavanagh 1, W. D. Shislds 2, T. White 3.

Handicap Sawing, 22m Rei Pine Log 3. Prizes : £6. £3, and £I.— First heat : W. Carson end A. M'lntosh (scratch) 1, S. Fisher and JHudson (2sec) 2, C. Flint and R. Bates (6sec) 3. Second Heat : W. Mora-ison and R. Campbell (63ec) 1, M. and T. Hogan (scratch) 2, W. Thomson and' J. Thomson (3sec) 3. Final: Morrison and Campbell 1, Chisholm Bros. 2, Cooker and Poff 3. Time, 28sec.

410 Yards Handicap. Prizes: £3 <£2, and £1. —Lionel Broad (6yds) 1. R. Thomson (16yds) 2, A. Couling (6yds) 3. No time taken. ,•€so Handicap Chop, 22in Red Pine Logs. Prises: £25. £10. £4, £3, £2, and £I.— First; heat: M. Ryan (60sec) 1, S. Fisher (losec) 2, C. Flint (GOsec) 3. Serond heat: 'H. Buckingham (15sec) 1, H. Mitchell (scratch) 2. J. Thomson (aOsec) 3. Third heat: J. R. S. Lawrie (30seo) 1, A. Chisholm (35sec) 2. U. Thomson, (losec) 3. Final : A. Chisholm 1, H- Mitchell 2. S. Fisher 3. M. Thomson 4, M. Ryan 5, JV Thomson -6. Time. 4rnin Bsec. Ladies' Cycle Race. Half a mile. Prizes: . Tro-Dhies value £2, £1, andi 10s.— Miss Adamson 1, Miss F. Folley 2, Miss Shearer 3. Thess. ■were the only starters.