The San Francisco call., 1896-08-29
GREAT BICYCLE
RELAY EVENT,
A Collision of Armed
CourierS Barely
Avoided.
OGDEN AND SALT LAKE.
Cloudburst in the Desert Set
tied the Matter of Local
Rivalry.
DENVER OUT CT THE coURsF.
The Schedule Calls for Arrival at
Ogden, Utah, Early This
Morning.

The riders of the San Francisco Ex-
aminer and New York Journal bicycle
relay across the continent are now in
Utah ascending the western spurs of the
Rocky Mountains. All along the route
the greatest enthusiasm is manifested.
Public interest IN the event is increasin g
as the riders wheel Eastward.
Reports were flashed over the wire yes
terday that rival couriers representing
Salt Lake and Ogden would fight for pos
session of the packet at point near Ter
race, where it was proposed to diverge
from the railroad track and make cut
off via Salt Lake, leaving Ogden, so to
speak, in the shade.
A mass-meeting was called at Ogden
and a committee was directed to wire Mr..
Hearst in New York that the agent ap-
pointed to e2tanlish and define the course
OF the relays through that region of the
country was prejudiced III favor of Salt
Lake, and in order to carry out his plan to
place Salt Lake on the line had increased
the distance to be traversed. It was set
forth in the dispatch to Mr.. Hearst that
the Ogden people had been earnest and
active supporters of the great wheeling
event long before the residents OF Salt
Feeling reached that pitch that there was
talk of sending out armed couriers TO
seize the packet and bring it through
Ogden.
While negotiations to adjust the differ
ences were in progress over the wire the
elements intervened and settled the dis
pute in favor of Ogden. A cloud burs 7
occurred on the desert, which rendered
the cutoff route from Terrace to Salt
Lake impossible. Later on good feeling
was restored by an arrangement TO double
up relays and run from Ogden down to
Salt Lake and back again to the Union
Pacific line.
According to the schedule the riders
should reach Ogden at o'clock this morn
ing, but as time was lost on the desert
Thursday night and only partly retrieved
yesterday the wheelmen of the relay will
be four or five houas late on arriving at
| Ogden.
When the couriers left Beowawe, New,
at 6: :35 Thursday evening they were two
hours and thirty minutes late. At Hal
leck, which was reached at 5:25 o'clock
yesterday, friday morning, two hours
more had been lost. Passing through
Halleck, Toano. Tecoma and Terrace, the
riders reached Kelton at 9:10 o'clock last
night. The schedule called for arrival
there at P. N. yesterday. 1t is not prob
able that any lost time will be made up on
the run through Promontory, Blue Creek,
Corinne ana Bingham to Ogden, as the
country is mountainous.
Ogden, however, should be reached at s
o'clock this evening. The divergence
from the main line TO embrace Salt Lake
in the course may render the arrival at
Evanston late. The wheelmen are due at
Evanston at 10 A. NJ. to-day.
Among riders who wired arrival on their
respective relays TO the Examiner yester-
day were: Sibley, Reise, Barnes, Gill,
Hallstrom, Petty, Harris, Magee and Rus
sell.
So far the weather on the course has
been highly favorable. Flurries of snow
may be encountered on the summit OF the
Rocky Mountains, but there is no danger
that travel will be impeded by the flakes
After crossing over the Wahsatch Range
of the great continental divide the relay
riders will have a smooth course on the
Laramie Plains for long distance before
beginning ascent of the main range of the
Rockies.
Denver is 100 miles south OF the adopted
course. There is great anxiety in that city
for the riders to 60 that way, but the di-
version would greatly increase the running
time to the Missouri River.
From Sherman, the summit OF the main
range of the Rockies, it is down grade all
the way to Omaha, following chiefly the
waterconrse of the North Platte and
Platte.
At Ogden one hours time, by reason of
travelling east, will be gained. At Omaha
another hour will be gained