The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-08-31
FRIDAYS RACES.
Bird Lowers the Track Record
to 2:I5 3-5===A Fast Tile
rIade With Rolling
Start and Pace
Makers.

The bicycle races Friday after
noon were a success in every way.
There were fully 500 people on the
grounds, a larger crowd than was
ever before present at bicycle races in
Mankato. The track was in good
condition, and, as was predicted,
some fast time was made. Bird made
thefastest mile ever made in this city,
almost equalling the state record,
and only ten seconds above the world s
record. 1t was wonderful mile and
will stand as the local track record
until beaten.
The Mankato Scorchers are to be
congratulated on the outcome of the
race meet. They worked hard for its
success, and with the aid of judicious
advertising made the meet success
financially as well as every other
way A large number of people from
out of the city and from surrounding
towns came especially to see the
races. There was no hitch nor any
unpleasantness to mar the occasion.
The track officials were:
Judges, Geo. NJ. Palmer, DR..
Andrews and e. f. Soaring.
Handicapped, A. G.. Matter.
Referee, DR.. Webster.
Clerk of course, Rev. L. w. Beattie.
Starter, Alfred Buck.
Timers, G. H. Saulpaugh, G. A.
Lewis.
The first race was half mile novice,
won by Howard Drake, Geo. j.
Grimes, of Window, second, E. Bor-
land, of Madelia, Third. Time LII
3-5. The other contestants were
Robert Carlson, Geo. Wildes, Chas.
Mayer, Chas. Weldon, Carl e. Hienze.
The one-half mile open was won by
Birney B. Bird, of St. Paul, A. j..
Sweet second, Wilbur Taylor third,
time ia 3d. w. c. Ewing and Ed.
Brett were the other contestants.
The entries for the one mile handi-
cap, with their handicaps, were as
follows: Geo. J. Grimes ITO yds., c..
E. Heinze 200 yds., B. B. Bird scratch,
J. r. Wysong ITO yds. Wilbur Taylor
40 yds., Fred Walker 100 yds., Ed.
Brett IS yds. This was won by Bird,
in 2:26 3-5, Walker second, Grimes
third.
The half mile boys handicap race
was contested by Charley Spaulding
so yds., Dudley Warner scratch,
Edgar Owen 30 yds., Nyquist 80 yds.,
Richard Jones 80 yds., Jones won
easily, Nyquist second, Warner Third,
time LIS. This would have been a
better race had all started from the
scratch.
Bird, Taylor, Sweet and Ewing en-
tered for the one mile open, but
loafed around the track the first lap
so slowly that the referee called the
race off. Some objection was made
by Bird that this could not be done,
as no time limit had been placed on
the race, but the referee produced
the rules and read the one he was
acting under. The referee held that
whether there was time limit or not,
he had a right to call a race off when
he was convinced that the contes-
tents were not racing. The race was
allowed TO come off later, when G.. A..
Lewis acted as pacemaker on the first
lap, and Bird came in first, Taylor
second and Sweet third, time 2:32 1-5.
There were the following compet-
itors in the one-half mile handicap:
Bird scratch, Grimes IS yds, Heinze
90 yds., Mayer IS yds., Wysong 20 yds.,
Taylor % yds., Sweet 30 yds., Brett
80 yds., Warner 115 yds., Jorgensen
100 yds., Owen 10 yds., Borland so
yds., G. R. Weldon, Madelia, so yds.
This race was won by Grimes, Sweet
second, Borland third, time los 3-5.
The one mile, three minute class,
was won by Walker, Grimes second,
Drake third, Jorgenson fourth, time
$50 3-5.
The last race was the two mile
mile handicap, with the following en-
tries: Bird scratch, Wysong 25O yds,
Ewing 115 yds., Taylor 80 yds., Wal
ker 200 yds., Sweet 115 yds., Bird won
this very neatly in 5:05!, Taylor sec
ond, Sweet third.
Birney Bird consented to ride an
exhibition mile with pace makers,
to establish a record tor the track. A
year ago he broke the state record in
Mankato, making a mile in 2:35.
Sweet was pace maker for the first
third of mile, Taylor the second and
Ewing the third, and the mile was
made in 2:15 3-5. Bird took a rolling
start and flew around the track.