BICYCLISTS RACE FOR THEIR VERY LIVES - Crack Riders at Mechanics' Pavilion. - San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Feb 1895

BICYCLISTS RACE FOR THEIR VERY LIVES - Crack Riders at Mechanics' Pavilion.BICYCLISTS RACE FOR THEIR VERY LIVES - Crack Riders at Mechanics' Pavilion. 19 Feb 1895, Tue San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California) Newspapers.com

BICYCLISTS RACE FOR THEIR VERY LIVES.

Crack Riders at Mechanics' Pavilion.

Osen, Decker and Byrne Are Winners.

Ziegler Got a Fall and Edwards' Friends Take Him From the Track.

Three thousand people and one bulldog saw any number of athletic young men do fancy things with their wheels at the Mechanics' Pavilion last night. The people were about the same as they always are at such exhibitions, but it was different with the bulldog. That animal was grossly misrepresented, and knew it. It was supposed to be the mascot of the Bay City Wheelmen, and was clad in a red and old gold blanket bearing a Maltese cross and the legend "Mike." Despite this masculine tagging, the festive creature has every reason to believe that she is the mother of several canines, who are very Corbetts in the annals of dog fighting. That was what hurt "Mike" and kept her from being as frolicsome as might be, but when things became exciting she barked just as loudly as if she had not been misrepresented at all.

The 3000 people were there to see the opening races of the first annual meet a of the Bicycle Tournament Association of the Pacific Coast, and they saw some beauties. They also saw some very narrow escapes from broken arms and heads and necks, the result of tumbles which were spectacular if not fatal.

Stationed in the center of the arena, around which circled the nine-lap track, tilted at both ends till it resembled a canoe, Casassa's Band welcomed the friends of the out-of-town racers with "Huckleberry Do,” in which occurs that charming invitation, "Do your neighbors - good," And they did before the night was over, and would have "done" them browner bad they been able. A big


FRANK A. BYRNE OF THE IMPERIAL CYCLING
CLUB, WINNER OF THE $200 LOVING CUP.

contingent of rooters for the Garden City Cyclers and for the San Jose Road Club stationed itself early in the game in section K north, and they made Rome howl on the slightest possible provocation. They had their voices and their canes, their feet, their horns and their enthusiasm with them, and they turned them loose all together.

But they did not have things their own way very long - not by a long shot. Solidly seated in section G at the other end of the Pavilion some 200 enthusiastic supporters of the Olympic Club's chances in the meeting developed a lung and cane and foot power that was simply remarkable.

Say, gee whiz! 
Wah, hoo, wah! 
Here we are 
Olympic wheelmen -
Ha, hoo, hah! 

That was the slogan of the believers in the speed of the wearers of the flying "O," and their belief was very powerful when it approached their clamor in strength. They had a sort of supplemental yell, used derisively against the opponents. It was based on that inquiry as to what was the matter with George Washington and the answer that "he's all right!" invariably was accompanied by a rhythmical stamping of feet that shook the building, if not the confidence of the opposition.

Taking the entire crowd of people it was a jolly one, and certainly out to enjoy the evening's sport. There were all ages and conditions. and they showed up

RACERS ON THE HIGH BANK CURVE.

dressily in the brightness of the electric light. A goodly number of society people were out, despite the inducements offered at the theaters. Henry J. Crocker, who was president of the first horse show, has becoming attached to the Pavilion, where he made such a success, and occupied a prominent seat near the tape. His eyes bulged out as he saw the riders cut the banks inclined, at angles of 90 degrees, and he concluded before it was over that, for real spirit and dash, burdle jumping is not in it with bicycling. He saw wiry young men in pink pajamas and greed sweaters take headers from their shining wheels that beat anything Talbot Clifton ever did at tbe the horse show. He was an eyewitness to the fact that more riders lost more skin off their noses by sudden contact with the track than Lieutenant Smedberg did when he plowed that memorable furrow in the tan bark. But Mr. Crocker evidently liked it, as did the rest of the crowd, for he stayed it out and applauded just as enthusiastically and as often as anybody.

There were somewhat less than a million starters, timers, umpires, referees and other officials to obstruct the view of the spectators, and a number of them had neglected to regulate their wheels at the beginning. They got them going in unison finally and then the bicyclers got a chance with their wheels. Five or six hairy-legged young men in highly colored sweaters could be seen through the crowd of officials around the tape along about 8:30 o'clock, and a small man with a large pistol could be seen in the rear of the bunch all ready to pull the trigger. Some of the crowd stopped its ears, there was a parting of the official group, a flash and a report and the first heat of the one-mile novice race was on.

There were five heats and sixteen starters, the winners in each to go in the final, and in each of the five they raced for dear life, collided on their turns, took tumbles and scraped the track with their shins and noses. Martin Joost, unattached, losing more cuticle than any one else. Decker won in the final, after a most exciting race, in a beautiful finish.

The second race, the one-mile invitation, brought out the cracks. There were Wilbur J. Edwards of the Garden Citys, the holder of the mile paced record; Harbottle of the Reliance, Wells of the Bay Citys, who has underpinnings like a Hercules; Coulter of the Olympics; Ziegler, the San Jose wonder, and half a dozen others. For four heats they fought, bled and almost died. Ziegler was knocked out of it by his inability to avoid Foster on the banks. Several others dropped out of it with broken wheels, and Osen came in a victor amid the cheers of the Garden Citys.

The ten mile, the last race, was a gem, the riding of Frank Byrne of the Imperial Cycle Club, M. F. Rose of the Acmes and Ed Chapman of the Olympics, who remained in to the last, was not only brilliant but remarkable. They fairly set the crowd wild with their spurts, and when the race was ended and Byrne declared the winner, the big audience went fairly wild.

The first race was for one mile for novices and the prizes were three medals, valued respectively at $25. $15 and $10 each. The first in each heat qualified for the final, and there were five heats. The entries in the first heat were Frank Fuller, O. C. W.; Peter Metcalf, I. C. C., and Edmond Langer, unattached. At the sound of the pistol they dashed away, with Fuller in the lead, but he was speedily overtaken by Metcalf, who won easily in 2:37 2-5, while Langer was distanced. After the joyous cries of the Imperial men had subsided it was ascertained to their regret that Metcalf had been disqualified for doing as Bellamy did - "looking backward" - hence, the heat was given to Fuller.

The entries in the second heat were George Fuller, O. C. W.; Edward Mauls, P. V. W., and Ernest C. Barley, I. C. C. Mauls took the lead at first, but was closely followed by young Fuller, a lad of 14 years, who made a sprint in the sixth lap and forged ahead, keeping his advantage to the end, with a record of  2:33 3-5. Mauls was beaten by at least ten lengths.

A slight change was made in the entries in the third heat, the contestants being A. J. Buzard, C. R. C.; Adam Guenther, unattached, and F. L. Day, B. C. W. Buzard forced the race at first, but Day
finally passed him like a streak of greased lightning and won in 2:36 3-5. Buzard's time was 2:38 and Guenther wasn't in it.

In the fourth heat the entries were Charles W. Conger. I. C. C.; Charles Mayer. C. C. C., and E. W. Decker, A. C. W. Decker was ahead from the start and kept the lead to the finish, winning in 2:40. Conger was second and Mayer was distanced.

In the fifth and last beat the only contestants were V. A. Benson. S. J. R. C., and Martin Joost, unattached. Benson took the lead, with Joost close behind, but at the high bank curve in the first lap the latter fell from his bicycle and sprained his sweater. Hence he was disqualified, but he had to finish his lap, which he did in 3:26.

'The next feature of the tournament was the one mile class B, invitation, in four heats, for three prizes which were an unset diamond, valued at $125; a Columbia bicycle, valued at $105, and a $40 suit of clothes.

The ențries in the first heat were Wilbur J. Edwards, G. C. C.; C. C. Harbottle, R. C. W.; W. H. Haley, O. C. W., and Tony Delmas, G. C. C. Edwards, who made a record of 1:34 1-5 last seek at Livermore, took the lead. On the fifth lap they spurted and Harbottle fell at the turn, which disqualified him, and also Delmas, who was behind him and could not go around him. Edwards won in 2:34, with Haley a very close second.

In the second best the entries were C. R. Coulter, O. C. W.; C. L. Davis, G. C. C.; C. S. Wells, B. C. W.; and Russell Cushing, G. C. C. Wells led with Coulter close at first and Davis ran off the track on the first lap. Coulter got the lead in the fifth lap, then Wells ran into his wheel. They recovered, however, but in the next lap Wells fell and Cushing ran over him with no serious injury. Coulter won in 2:37. Davis was fouled by Wells and consequently he was allowed to run in the final without being obliged to finish.

The entries in the third heat were Walter F. Foster, O. C. W., Emil Ulbricht, B. C. W., Henry Smith, G. C. C., and W. A. Terrill, B. C. W. Ulbricht and Foster made a dead heat in 2:28, so both men were entitled to ride in the final.

The entries in the fourth heat were Otto Ziegler Jr., S. J. R. C., Fritz G. Lacey, L. A. A. C., and Oscar Osen. The latter made a sneak at first and got ahead, with Lacey and Ziegler following. In the third lap Lacey ran into the upper fence, leaving the two others to fight it out  Osen kept setting the pace, but Ziegler took the lead in the seventh lap and easily distanced Osen. The "Little Demon" won in 2:24 3-5. There were loud cries of foul at the close of the heat, as it was claimed that Ziegler touched Osen, but the claim was not allowed.

SOME OF THE SCENES AT THE BICYCLE TOURNAMENT.

Next came the final of the one-mile novice race, in which the contestants were Frank Fuller, George Fuller. F. L. Day, E. W. Decker, and V. A. Benson. Benson fell in the third lap and Frank Fuller gave up in the fifth, while Decker crossed the line far ahead, with Day a quarter of a lap behind and George Fuller distanced. Decker's time was 2:30 1-5. 

Then came the big event of the evening, the ten-mile club race for a $200 cup. The first prize as a $50 diamond scarf-pin and the second a pair of $20 diamond cuff buttons. The cup is to be the property of the winning club.

The entries were G. A. Nissen, B. C. W.; A. N. Jones, G. C. C.; Emil Malgren, P. V. W.; Frank M. Byrne, I. C. C. ; Edward Chapman, O. C. W.: M. F. Rose, A. C. W., and S. Thieson. C. C. C. After a false start Nissen led the way and it looked like a hot fight between him, Jones and Chapman. They were in this rotation at the end of the first mile. Nissen and Jones fell in the last lap of the eighth mile, but the latter remounted after losing a lap. He fell again, however, soon afterward and retired. Malgren also retired, leaving only four in the race. Byrne cut Rose out at the turn in the last of the seventh and held the lead, doing some hot pacing. The excitement was intense and the finish was an excellent one. Byrne won in 27:33 1-5, which is 1:33 in excess of the world's record.

In the final heat of the one-mile invitation race there was considerable dissatisfaction, as the contestants wished to run the mile in two heats at an interval of forty-five minutes, and then run off the last final. Happily this was not allowed, so the race commenced.

The starters were Coulter, Foster, Ulbricht, Davis and Ziegler. Foster led the way, but was caught by Ziegler, who, however, soon fell out of the in race. Then the wheels of Ulbricht and Coulter were broken, which took them out of the race. Osen won in 2:26, with Foster second. In this race it may be mentioned that Edwards was not allowed to enter by his friends, as he is to run against a world's record next week. The affair in was satisfactory in all respects.

[I'm omitting the result summary, because it's already in this article: FLYING WHEELS AROUND CURVES. - OPENING NIGHT OF THE TOURNAMENT AT THE MECHANICS PAVILION - The San Francisco Call, 19 Feb 1895, and also because the text in this newspaper article is tiny and faint, and the automatic transcription is more errors than not. - MF]

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