The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-26
WALES WONDER ON A WHEEL
JIMMY MICHAEL EAsILY oUTRIDEs
ARTHUR CHASE.

Their Contest Thirty-NiIe Spin
over Tcn-Iap Track in Madison
Square Garden-The Little Rare
bit Commences Running Away
From His Rival soon After the
start and Is Never Hcaded-Chase
Forced to Give Up on Account of n
Fall.
New York, Dec 25.-Jimmy Michael OF
Wales, the recognized middle distance BIZ
cycle champion of this country, met Ar
thur A. Chase, the middle distance cham
pion of England, tonight at Madison
Square Garden, in a 90-mile race, over The
sen-lap track, and won so easily, despite
a bad spill. that the bicycle experts are
guessing just how good the little 'rare-
Bit -.
Z Pluck, endurance, stamina and every
other quality that goes to establish 1he
possession of grit seems to be embodied
in every inch Of the We,shman. Nothing
seems to tire him.
The building was thronged TO It's utmost
capacity wlAen Michael, the midget and
Chase, the Leviathan, jumped upon their
respective wheels for a few preliminary
spins around the track, which measured one
foot over the necessary distance to make il
ten laps to the mile. At the turns the board
track was banked" as high as ten feet
from the level of the boarded floor Of the
garden.
1t was announced that the winner would
get % per cent. of the gross receipts and
the losers end would pc l5 per cent.
The managers of the show guaranteed
that the winner would get $500 and the
hrrr los ~ 3
condition of the house the amount of
money which the cracks" got was far
in excess of the guarantee
Both got on their marks at 10:15 and
before they mounted their respective
wheels they shook hands, 1t was annoHnc-
ed that in case either man fell during the
first four laps the riders would be recalled
and this precaution took effect in the first
lap. Chase got tangled up with his lead
ers after the race was started at l0l6
o'clock and a. the end of the lap the
men were ordered back to the scratch.
Chase won the toss and took the pole.
He started out at a rapid gait, but the it,
lie Weshman soon overlook him, and
at the end of the second mile was over
a lap ahead.
Michael gained another lap in the fourth
mile, and the spectators cheered the little
wonder vociferously. Michael was sim,
ply invincible, and at the finish of the
fifth mile he gained another lap on his
countryman.
Both men picked up their tandems very
ceverly Michael kept up heart-hreaking
pace, and at the finish of the seventh mile
was five laps to the good. At the finish
of the eleventh mile Michael spurted and
gained another lap which put him six
laps ahead In the fourteenth mile two
Of MichaePs PAGERS went over the bank,
but were not seriously injured. In the
next mile on the fourth lap Michael ran
high upon the Madison avenue turn and
both men fell in heap, their PAGERS also
taking a "cropper" Michael remounted
his wheel and got another lap to the good.
AT the end of the sixteenth mile Michael
was six laps ahead.
In the twenty-sxth mile Chase fell
heavily at the Fourth avenue turn, and
was unable to go on with the race. He
ran into two tandem teams and was badly
cut up. In the smash up Chase's bicycle
was broken He borrowed Taylore's
wheel but had to leave the track.
Had Chase been able TO continue, how
ever, he probably would have been beat
en- by two miles, as Michael was almost
that distance ahead of him when the ac-
cident occurred and was rapidly gaining
Summary: