The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-01
BICYCLE RIDERS
BEAT THE TRAIN
Stearns Sextuplet Races with the Empire
State Express.
COURSE WAS HALF A MILE LONG
Sextuplet Was Four Lengths Ahead ut
the Finish. Riders Had Been Care.
fully Trained for Their Effort. .Sev.
eral Photographs Taken of the
Novel Event.

Concerning the wonderful perform
ance of the six Stearns bicycle riders
who on Tuesday We're pitted against
the Empire state express, the Syracuse
Post Of Wednesday says
The Stearns sextuplet was pitted
against the Empire state express Satur-
! day last without any previous an
| nounceinent that the race was to take
place. Owing to an accident. however.
the trial was not q success. Also with
out previous announcement another
race was held yesterday.
The place selected for the novel con-
test was about a mile west of the West
Genesee street crossing of the Central.
At that place there is over a mile of
smooth cinder track between tracks
Nos. and 8. All the morning yesterday
q section gang worked on this stretch
of cycle track, and before noon 1t was
in good shape for riding, although not
quite as wide as desirable for the best
results.
CAREFULLY TRAINED RIDERS.
The men who manned the seXtuplet
have been in careful training for months.
Nearly every afternoon has seen them
working away on the pedals at Kirk
Park, and early in the morning the Cic-
ero plank road course has been taken.
In this manner the men obtained full
control of their machine. W. II. BeX.
the we'll known local racer. was steers
man. He has become 50 proficient that
he Is able to steer over any road that Is
passable.
Quietly and without any particular
noise the men have been in training ever
since the spring weather opened. The
secret leaked out, however. and before .
o'clock yesterday afternoon the course
was lined with people. The Delaware.
Lackawanna and Western and Central
Hudson officials took great interest In
the experiment. Thus it was arranged
that the Delaware. Lackawanna and
Western train which nearly caused
some funerals in Syracuse last Saturday
went out little ahead OF the Empire
state express. Before the latter train
left the station the engineer and con-
ductor We're notified of the trial and
word was passed along among the pas
sengers.
The Empire State express left the
station on time and steamed out toward
Geddes, all the time gaining headway.
At the curve just west Of the West
Genesee street crossing several men
with white flags were stationed. As
soon as they saw the Empire State eX-
press coming across the bridge over the
canal they gave the signal. The SEX
tuplct began To get under motion and
soon went faster and faster. When the
engine was abreast of the machine the
six srapping young athletes hit 1t up
I'm good shape. Faster and faster went
the train and faster and faster went
the SeXtuplet, the machine gradually
crawling ahead of its opponent. The
high speed was continued for half u
mile. when the "seX' was nearly four
lengths ahead Of the train. At the cul
vert through which the SOlvay refuse
is carried away the men were obliged
to slow down. They dismounted right on
the brink Of the culvert.
PASSENGERS EXCITED.
The passengers on the train seemed to
be- very much Interested in the race.
poked out regardless of cinders or
smoke.
or course the Empire State express
was not going at its fastest speed when
the race took place, as it was too near
the station for the train to attain its
greatest speed. The pace, however,
was nearly forty-five miles an hour, as
estimated by experts who We're on the
scene.
Aside from the mere experiment of
seeing at what rate of speed the sex"
could go, one Of the objects of the trial
was to get a photograph of the race.
Arthur Yates. the official photographer
OF the New York Central, was on hand
with four cameras. He was unable to
get picture. as the sextuplet was so
far ahead of the train that both were
not in the fields of the cameras at the
same time.
Another attempt at picture was
made when the east bound Empire
State express came in. The same
methods were used, only the men on the
sextuplet were careful not to get ahead
of the train. Four excellent negatives
were obtained.