DRAWING OXENHAM’S SWEEP.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume V, Issue 256, 20 June 1895, Page 9

DRAWING OXENHAM’S SWEEP.

The following interesting description of the routine adopted in drawing one of Oxenham’s Consultations is given by the Queensland Sportsman The marbles, set in trays containing 300 each, were first displayed to view, each marble having its number engraved on it and so placed that all present could see that there was not one missing, and that the full number was placed in the revolving Globe, which was ready to receive them. The contents of each tray were then emptied one by one into the Globe by one of the public present. When the full number of marbles had been emptied out of the open trays into the Globe, the lid was ’closed, strapped, and locked ; and then the Globe was sent whirling round and round on its axis, the marbles inside rattling and leaping about in a most noisy fashion. The trap-door in the side of the Globe was then opened, and the person chosen to draw the marbles inserted a long steel wand into the Globe. A patent forceps at the end of the rod seized a marble, and the drawer then held his hand out to the receiver, who liberated the marble and called out its number. The marble was again examined and checked by another person and passed up the stable to a tray, where it was deposited, face upwards. This process was repeated in every instance until the whole of the prizes were exhausted, when'the telling clerk called out the winning numbers, and two witnesses scanned the marbles in the tray and called out “ correct” as the numbers were given. When drawing for horses, the names of the horses, neatly pasted upon marbles, were treated in a small barrel, and as the number of each marble was called out from the big barrel, another person at the far end of the room extracted a marble from the small barrel upon which, as already stated, there was the name of the horse: Ear'll horse as called out. was the prize of the holder of the number represented by the marble which was drawn at the same time, .frothing could possibly be more fairly and openly done.”