The record-union., 1896-02-20
WITH THE FLYING WHEEL.
McCrea and Wells Breaking Records in
the South.
Challenge Issued for a Race at Coro-
nado Between Two Sextet
Teams.

/ Especial Correspondence of Record-Union.)
| CORONADO, Feb. 16.-At last the
| long weeks of training and workouts
/ are beginning to bring forth results,
and records are falling as thickly as
| the leaves in autumn. Manager Shafer s
rheumatism has disappeared, and he
walks around with a happy 'I-told-
| you-so' smile. His joy is shared by the
| people of this section of the country,
who look upon the boys as their own,
and point with pride to McCrea, the
! former Sacramentan, but now the idol
| of Southern California, whose name is
on everyone's lips to-day.
| Big Charlie Wells, also a former Sac
ramentan, is coming in for his share of
| praise, and the two Californians are
ION velvet The fast miles that have
! been ridden of late have called general
attention to the work of the team, and
notwithstanding the cloudy skies, the
| largest crowd that has been seen at
the track assembled Friday morning to
| witness McCrea's trial for the worlds
record for one mile, standing start, held
! by J. S. Johnson. His splendid ride of
the day before, tieing the record, raised
great hopes in the breasts of the wheel
men, and bets were offered, with no
takers, that he would cut under the
record.
Taylor, Aldridge, Schmidt and
Vaughn, on the quad were the first out,
and McCrea soon followed to take
warming up for mile. AS they came
to the tape McCrea stopped, and with
Shafer to push him off, stood waiting
for the pistol shot. At the report of
| the gun he jumps for the quad and
tacks on, going to the first quarter in
81 seconds, the half in 0:56 2-5, and to
the ree-quarter pole {h 122 2-5.
! Here an accident occurred, the front
chain on the quad breaking, and the
last quarter was made with the
| chain hanging and striking the
legs Of the riders, who gamely
fought out the last quarter. The steers
man, Stone, was utterly helpless, and
Terrill, Washburne and Swanbrough
rode it out, making the last quarter in
y seconds, and the mile in ] 49 2-5,
cutting 40 of a second off the worlds
record.
Shafer is very much pleased with the
sextet and quintuplet, and confidently
expects Hamilton to cut the flying mile
as low as / 36. There is a constant
stream of visitors to the track, and the
machines come in for a great deal of
interest and admiration
As a sort of experiment, Shafer de-
cided to send Wells out behind the sex
| tet for the three-quarter mile record
OF LII, considered the star record, and
although this was the first record trial
of the big Six-seater, the boys deter
mined to see how fast they could push
Wells was looking fine, and told the
pacemakers to do their worst, and to
shake him if they could. In former
trials the pacing has been done with
| two machines, but to-day the sextet
went the whole distance, virtually a
mile and quarter. as they do not COM
mence to get up speed until a quarter
of mile from the tape.
They shot by the timers, and were off.
The first quarter was cut in 0:25 %,
the half in 0:51, and the three-quarter
mile in 1:15 2-5, breaking all worlds
records for the distance by almost two
seconds.
After receiving a rundown the boys
again went out and carried Wells the
mile in 1:41 20, breaking the coast
record of l:46, and coming within / 2-5
seconds of Berlo's record The finish
was very exciting, and the spectators
shouted themselves hoarse
These record trials were held under
the sanction of the L. A. W. and judged,
timed and started by officials approved
by that body. The gentlemen officiat-
ing at the trials were: Referee, G. w.
Currier; L. A. w. Representative, B. S.
McElhinny; timers, G. S. Barbour, J. e.
Linneman and J. J. Monte; Judges,
Isaac Hosier, Fred c. Chanter and J.
II. Calender.
Shafer has issued a challenge to race
Hamilton against any man in the
Stearns team, or to race the Syracuse
sextet against the Stearns sextet. This
would be the first sextet race in the his
tory of cycling, and pending the accept
| ance or rejection of the challenge.
Shafer is merrily cracking away at the
RECORDS. I. G. NJ