Omaha daily bee., 1889-02-10
END OF THE GREAT RACE
Prince More Than Regains the Long
Lost Lap
AND SPINS TO FAMOUS VICTORY
a Vast Throng Greets with Thunder
GUS Applause the Close of
Notable Contest on
Wheels.
The Home stretch.

The crowd that assembled at the Col0s
scum last night 10 witness the close of the
great thrce-hour six-day bicycle race was one
OF the very largest ever seen at any sort of a
sporting event in this western country, Com.
petent judges variously estimated the attend
ance from FIVE TO seven thousand people.
Every seat in the vast structure was occu-
pied, and all the promenadcs were filed with
a jostling, excited throng. Before the signal
TO start was given last night the judged held
q consultation and unanimously agreed that
the distance TO be run TO determine who was
the winner should be fifty miles for all ex-
cepting Prince, who was informed that he
would have to traverse fifty miles and one
lap, TO make up the grounc he had lost by
reason of an accident to his new
wheel Thursday night. This course was
adopted in order that the riders might finish
on the scratch, which arrangement was
freely acquiesced in by the riders, as they
saw II was as fair for one as the other, and
obviated the possibility of jange or dis.
pute. IL was evident from the start last
night that tho great crowd was out for some
fun and bound to have 1T at any cost. The
people cheercd ana stamped and yelled and
clapped their hands at any burst of speed
from the riders and kept it up until the ca
pacious ampitheater fairly resounded with
the deafening noise. Prince seemed to be
the favorite of the audience, and they were
continually calling on him TO go ahead and
try to recover his lost ground. But he
whirled on as if oblivious OF the pres
ence of another soul but himself. His
flashing eyes, and Impressed lips, however,
told that he was in for some great work. He
started out, ,scutting good pace for his com
petitors, and made no effort to cut down
their lead until late in the evening.
Morgan, Knapp and the soldier made num-
berless attempts to cut in on the rcdoubtable
Jack and increased their advantage, but he
watched them like an eagle, and on every oc-
casion when spurt was made he bent to his
work and quickly regalned his position in the
lead. About fifteen minutes after he made
an attempt to recover the lost lap, and
as he shot ahead of the other racers like
bird upon the wing, the thundrous cheers
that arose from the excited multitude made
both earth and atmosphere quiver, He was
not equal to the task, however, the
dogging tactics adopted by the
other riders, who had evidently pooled
against him in the determination to beat him
at all hazards. Their motto was, anybody to
beat Prince, and his first trial to get back his
lost ground resulted in miserable failure.
Still the thousands of anxious spectators
never grew discouraged, and kept up their
inspiring cries until it sounded as if paude-
monium had broken loose. The ladies' too,
and there were several thousand of them
present all seemed to be enlisted in Princes
cause, and their handkerchiefs We're kept
waving almost unremttngly throughout the
long and stubborn struggle.
The booksellers were kept busy making
books on Knapp and Morgan, and long odds
on the soldier, but 1t was only infrequently
that any one was venturesome enough to Law
n dollar on the man behind. There were a
few, however, who banked on their faith III
Jacks powers, and in the face of the most
discouraging outlook bet their money on him.
All three of the leaders, Morgan, Knapp and
Reading as eXasperating rs it was to the
crowd, were riding faster ana smoother than
on any previous evening and by o'clock
everybody had abandoned all hope of seeing
the local favorite come in anything better
than last
So much for human calculations. When
the twenty eight mile post was reached
Prince let himself out, and oh N.Y. oh me,
the way he did ride! night hawk after a
gnat, a canvas back duck, a carrier pigeon
was no where. 1t was at once evident to
the vast throng that he had started in dead
earnest to retrieve his losses, and the yell
that went up from the thousands of throats
feet, handkerchiefs. waved and hats and
umbrellas went sailing aloft, as stead
lily, surely, swiftly the gallant rider |
increased the interval between himself and |
foes. Inch by inch they contested the way,
but it was no use. Jack was going at a |
superhuman gait and after squirt of four
miles he was at the heels of the other com
petitors and the lost lap was regained. What |
an uproar then swelled throughout the great |
structure! 1t must surely have been heard |
throughout the length and breadth of the |
city 1t was an exciting event and no mis-
take, and all who missed it lost one of the |
most eXhlllratlng moments OF lifetime.
While the dripping riders were thus strug-
Cling as II for their very lives, the Julius |
Meyer Musical band discoursed its liveliest |
mrs, and this with the thunderous cries of |
the great throng made combination of |
sound but seldom heard by mortal ears. The |
Musical Union band has made rapid advance |
ment, and all the week the programme rem |
dered was one Of unusual excellence.
The final spurt for victory was also a |
momentous event. and after tremendous |
closing struggle the invincible Prince crossed |
the winning chalk line half wheels length |
in front Of Morgan, with Knapp third aud |
the soldier last. The total score for the six |
days was 304 miles and laps. Besides the
sweepstakes $500, Prince receives 80 per
cent of the gate receipts, amounting to $3.50; |
Morgan, 25 per cent, S220; Knapp, Is per |
cent, and Reading 10 per cent,