The record-union., 1896-02-27
CYCLE TOPICS.
The Recent Accident to Record Breakers
at Coronado.
Interesting Account by a Record
Union" Correspondent-Some
General Wheel Notes.

Especial Correspondence of Record-Union)
CORONADO, Feb. 20.-The first ac-
cident that has happend in the camp
of the Sycamores occurred last Monday
morning, and for a little while the camp
took on the appearance of hospital.
The air was filed with the pungent
aroma Of iodiform, and the erstwhile
record breakers are hobbling around
with the aid Of canes.
Monday morning Wells made his
second attempt to break the mile rec
ord of l 40 2-5. He succeeded last week
in covering the distance in 1:41 40.
This was his last chance for the rec
ord, as he was to leave the next day
for San Francisco. He was paced by
the sextuplet, with Stone, Terrill,
Washburne Schmidt, Vaughan and
Swanbrough up. 1t was a flying start,
and the big six-seater fairly hummed
as it flashed across the tape.
The run to the first quarter was made
in % seconds, and to the half-mile in
AZ seconds. Wells was calling to the
pacemakers for more pace, and they
were nearing the three-quarter pole
at a forty-mile an hour clip, when the
big machine was seen to swerve and
then go down as though the earth had
opened and swallowed it up, leaving
only a cloud of dust to mark the place.
Wells was following within twelve
inches of the rear wheel, and was un-
able to avoid the collision. He went up
in the air and seemed to turn COM
plete somersault over the sextuplet.
There were a number of spectators,
and the women in the crowd shrieked
with horror and the hearts Of the men
stood still, as they sat helplessly and
watched the record breakers go down
to almost sure death. Only for a mo-
ment did they stand, and then, with
Shafer in the lead, ran down the track
to the scene of the accident.
Swanbrough, the rear man of the
sextuplet, was UP, and, leaning on a
friends shoulder, walked to the dress
ing-room, leaving a trail of blood from
a wound in his ankle. Stone, Terrill,
Schmidt and Vaughan were standing
Up, their injuries consisting of cuts and
bruises on their lower limbs. Wash
burne lay a short distance from the
sextuplet, his knees cut and his right
side injured, Wells having ridden COM
pletely over him. The San Francisco
giant leaned against the fence, his only
injuries consisting of slight bruises and
the effects of the shock. His version
OF the affair was as follows:
''As we neared the three-quarter
pole and prepared to squirt down the
stretch 1 heard a report like that of a
pistol The sextuplet swerved toward
the fence, and, as Stone pulled her over,
fell away from the fence. I knew that
I would fall, but in the, instant of time
that intervened a thousand thoughts
flashed though my mind, and I tried
to steer out. I was following the pace
too closely, however, SO I gripped the
handle-bars tightly and rode COM
pletely over a couple of the men. Then
one Of my pedals struck something and
I turned a half-somersault, landing on
the other side of the bunch of men and
wheels, escaping with few bruises.
/ have investigated the cause of the
accident, and find it to be entirely the
fault of the tire, which exploded and
jammed in the frame
Manager Shafer, in answer to a ques-
ton, said: THE accident was caused by
the Vim tire exploding. The tire was
blown completely off the rim and jam
med in between the wheel and the rear
forks. The men are crippled up con-
siderably, but Swanbrough, Captain Of
the sextuplet, is the only one confined
to his bed. The machines are not in
jured in the least, and as soon as the
men are in condition to ride and new
tires arrive I will make another trial
for one mile racers of 40 2-5. From
the form in which the boys were riding
before the accident, and the speed they
have shown, I am confident we will
make a material reduction in the pres
ent figures. I am awaiting the arrival
Of the sextuplet tires, and on their re-
ceipt will make the record trials"
The press of Southern California is
taking great interest in the proposed
sextuplet race and there is no doubt
that If it could be arranged it would
draw a larger crowd than any race
event ever held in California
The boys are slowly coming round,
and to take the stiffness out of their
muscles Shafer worked them out at a
2:40 clip on Wednesday and Thursday
mornings. Billy Hamilton, who is to
make the record trials, has had but one
weeks training since his return from
Denver, but is reeling off the miles un-
der two minutes in practice. Yesterday
he worked four miles behind the quad
and tandem in 2:04, POL, / 56 and 1 80.
He will also take another crack at the
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