The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-06-01
DECORATION DAY RACES
GEO. SODEN OF NEWARK WINS OYER
 IRVINGTON-M -MTLBURN COURSE.

Alexander of Hartford and Shepard of
 Meriden on the Seratch-A Rider Fifty
 one Years old Wins the Chicago Race
 Connecticut Races Postponed on Ac-
 count of Weather.
 Hilton, N. J., May 31.-The fastest of amateur wheelmen met this morn ing in the mud and wet on the course of the Irvington- -Milburn road. It was a question for some time before the race started whether it would be held, and long before it was over there were those who thought that the mud had the better of the misunderstanding The riders looked as if they had been given a plunge bath and pulled up through a mud pond, while their wheels appeared like relics of the sandstone age, so cov- cred with the rich red Jersey mud were the wheels.
 It had rained all night and the five miles of up and down hill over which the great cycle event has been held for years which yesterday was as smooth and gray as bit of alumin- um, was inches deep with mud, which varied from the rich vermillion, so characteristic of New Jersey to the grayest of steely macadam. The mead- ows and woods through which the course passes were weeping with drops of rain and drizzle The grand stand was a bath to all who sat in it. The draperies, flags, tin and board signs which proclaimed the merits of cycle goods too wept at the condition of af- fairs The vendors along the course were disconsolate.
 The man who erected the grand stand at the start of the race was heart broken. Instead of the thousands there had been hundreds. He induced some of the Rochester men to get up peti- tion before the race asking the race committee to postpone the race, and secured forty signers, but the race com mittee was obdurate and decided the race must go on. The time limit was raised.
 These men were announced as scratched R. M. Alexander, Hartford Wheel club, Hartford, Conn.,; A M. Shepard, Meriden Cycle club, Meriden, Conn; I. G. Perry. Columbian Cycle cub, Chicopee. Mass; R. W. Rochester, New York
 The remainder of the 123 entries had handicaps ranging from thirty seconds to seven minutes. The men next to the scratch men were Charles D. Camp, Triangle, w Rochester. New York; James MacTaggart, unattached, Roch- ester, N. Y; William F. J. Kirk Twin City Wheelmen. Stamford. Conn. All of whom had thirty seconds handicap.
 H. R. Glentworth White Star A. C., Newark, N. J.; Nathaniel Edwards. Chatham Whee1men, Chatham, N l.; William Rakowsky, Triumph Wheel men, New York. and w w Parsons. White Flyer club, Newark N J., all had the extreme handicap, seven min- utes.
 The exact time of the start was 11:So a. n1., and at the end of the first five miles J. w. Hollis of New York was In the lead, his time being 17:5S.
 C. A. Soden of Newark F. R. War ren of Kearney, N. J., and J. w. Hollis of New York led at the end of ten miles in the order named Time 32:52 On account of the bad condition of the road the committee decided to extend the time limit for the race from 1 hour and IS minutes to 1 hours and 20 minutes
 At the end of fifteen miles Warren, Soden and Hollis led in the order nam ed Time, 49:30.
 The winner was George A. soden of Newark Time. hour 20 minutes Is second r. R. Warren Kearney, N. J., was second; W. R. Goodwin Logan Wheelmen, Brooklyn, was third.