The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-23
THOSE, 1T IS TRUE, MAY ERR,
MANY LAPS EACH HAD
MADE.
PROTESTS AS TO THE "pRors,
VIII Also Add to the Delay Expert
enced In Making the Prize
Awards.

until we get the pictures taken of the
groups as they finished we cannot
tell definitely who won the race"
That is the excuse given by the
judges and scorers of the Como road
race held Saturday for their failure to
announce the result. They have fig
ured out who the first ten place men
were-at least they have agreed upon
these ten-but they will not make
known their decision until the evidence
is supported by the unquestionable
proofs of the mysterious camera.
Those who have never seen a road
race, and a road race upon a circular
track especially, have no idea of the
difficulty in recording the winners as
they fash by the judges stand. There
were nearly eighty starters, set off
in groups of half-minute or a minute
apart, according to their respective
handicaps. They were obliged to make
nine circuits of the track, and to tally
them were ten markers, each having
eight numbers to look after Each
rider had a large cloth sign fastened
on his back, bearing number, and
the marker" on the judges stand
called out the number as the rider
WhiZzed by-that is if he could catch
it in time-and the tallyman recorded
it on his card. Sometimes the number
would get loose in such a way that
it would be impossible to decipher it,
and then again a bunch Of twenty or
thirty riders would speed by together
at rate that no person living, not
+;
all, so of course some of the riders
would fail to secure due credit Even
if the marker called off all the num-
bers, there was no way to tell def
nitely which Of them came in first:
there were as many timekeepers as
tallyers, and the records would fail
to show just which one of the bunch
finished first, and which one brought up
the rear.
Hence, it is a difficult job to figure
out the result. and it is no wonder
that the judges want the photographs
to show which riders came across the
tape first, although of course this will
not show how many times they made
the circuit of the track; a veriscops
would come in handy for this purpose.
One of the riders expressed the belief
yesterday that he rode around the
track ten times, and that may be so.
for he did not finish until most of the
crowd had gone home; it is barely
possible that others may still be
scorching down the stretch-but the
tally books will not show it.
In road race there are two plans.
mix
standing and time of every rider NAV
pc Kept accurately and without fear of
dispute. One is to have straightaway
course, and the other is to have a
Judge for each rider. The first would
snow concluSively which finished riding
first, and the other plan would be
equally unerring in giving each his
proper standing. On a circular track.
and with the arrangement as made
saturday, there is sure to be DELAY
and doubt; the same occurrence ham
pened at the Harriet road race last
year. when after the decision had
been given out the judges wera
oDIlged to change it after seeing tha
photographs of the finish.
There is one good feature which is
sure to prove balm to any rider who
may feel aggrieved at the final hu-
nouncement and think he Vas beer,
, unhairly treateo-there are enough
prizes to go around; they will all get
trophy as reward for finishing
the race. With this consideration in
view, there will probably be no pro
tests made.
The committee has written to Chair
man Mott, of the racing committees
OF the League of American Wheelmen
asking for instructions in reference to-
the twelve men who rode under pro-
test. the charge against them being
that they participated in the Faribauit
race, which would make them profess
SIGNALS.