Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-16

what will the horse
record become. and what is the probable
limit of speed of either for the mile? These
are questions which are now being actively
discussed in the sporting world. After
years of struggling, the wheel has at last
beaten the horse. Salvatore record which
has stood for seven years as the best speed
Tor mile ever made, except by locomo-
tive. 1.3511, has just been lowered in Eng
land by the Englishman, ]. W. Stocks, who
is one Of the phenomenal short-distance
riders Of the world. Stocks clipped 1-5 Of
second off Salvatore mile, and in conse-
qrence cyclists everywhere are predicting
that the horse is behind the age
Horsemen rather unwillingly acknowi-
edge that the machinery of the bicycle may
prove too much for their favorites. The
racing wheel is physical strength plus
mechanism, they say, while with the horse
there Is the animal alone and nothing arti-
hcial 10 help him along, that is, In a run
ming race.
However, hardly a man can be found
VINO thinks that the horse has reached his
unit There are still seconds to be clip
PED on, they contend and the reason Sal
Vator,s record has been untouched for so
ions mas peen that racing men and breed
efs nave not given their attention recently
10 running against time. What thew are
STRIVING for Is to have their horses win in
competitions, regardless of moments and
seconds, and since Salvador made his great
run down at Monmouth Park in 1880 on a
stralghtaway track, especially preusred
TOT him. there has been absolutely no ar
tempt to lower this time.
Can Bring 1t Lower.
mat the horse can do it, conditions being
favorable. there is little doubt. 1t is worth
iio'ihs' IN thls connection, that though the
record mas not been beaten, the speed of
running horses, as well as trotters and
PAGERS. has steadily increased. When Sal
Vator made his famous mile, Ia. over an
ordinary course (ovaD, it was great time
l. Is exceedingly ordinary time nowadays.
ara any number of selling platers'' Uo 1se
turf term, meaning ordinary average
eeeo racers can beat it. Time and again
morse that has no reputation at all and
never Will Rave, does mile on a circular
track in 1.39 and a fraction and there ar
many timers in the 13S class
rms Is as well as bicycle can do on q
ri III cu,dr Track even when properly paced
me nonors, therefore. betwixt the bicycle
ana the horse seem very nearly even Tbc
great point that needs to be considered Is
the way the bicycle has for several vears
past been pulling down it's own record
now 1t does it, and what the chances are
or still further drop.
The gain In bicycle racing sneed b.s ba,n
a!tosether phenomenal. 1t has steadily
dropped since 1890. Early in that year w
e. Jones pulled the mile in 22O 3-5. from
standing start, the custom of those davs
nat followed statistics best can tell. At
the close of 1891 the record was reduced
10 21estill with standing start. In
1917 the ny1ng start came in and 2O2 3-5
became the figure. At the end of 1S,2 the
two-minute mark had been lowered, and
John >. johnson, paced by running
horse, had cleared the mile in 156 81
During 1894 johnson made a record of nine
seconds better, and in 1895 Berlo cut the
Ia % ne oil
mer 1t looked as if the limit had been
reached, w. w. Hamilton making the time
OF LIB ID: This year, however, his record
was aSsailed. E. A. McDuffee lowered IT
exactly one second. and later J. Platt-
Belts, famous rider of England, made
the mile in 1877 3-5 This stood until Stocks
the other day passed the winning post in
1.35 2-5.
No cyclers in America have better
knowledge of the capabilities of the bicycle
than A. G. Batchelder and "Eddie4 Bald
Batchelder is the official Handicapped of
the l.. A W., cycling writer and a man
VINO sees every contest and knows every
racer Eddie" Balds record does not
need comment, nor does he himself need
Introduction.
A. G. Batchelder's Opinion.
The end of cycling records" says
Batcheider. lis not reached yet, nor is
it in sight. What will be done later 1t is
impossible to say but am confident
Stocks time will be beaten. 1t looks as
II the horses limit was practically reach
ed. but not so the bicycle. The machine
itself Is now all 1t ever can be; there is no
chance for improvement. there, the rider
can hardly be trained better. but the speed
OF racing has been increased and will con-
tinue to be because of the new racing ma
chimes. the multicycles. The use Of these
muiticycles for pacing a man has rapidly
developed The greatest improvement in
-Dti hn ct
the building of these machines They are
fighly developed pieces of mechanism, and
the modern racer mas three o. four of them
with crews carefully trained. Sextets
and quads make up the racers pacing out
fit. 1t has been found that q sextet Is
about the limit for speed, as n larger ma
chine would find 1t difficult to get around
the turns. In these pacing machines lies
fast time the main thing is well-drilled
pacing crews.
'The mile record is curious thing to
talk about Stocks mile is a greater
achievement than Salvatore, for the rea-
son that the horse made his mile on
straightaway track, and the man ran on
track three laps to the mile, having to
make twelve different turns. AS a matter
OF fact, a. fair comparison between the
speed OF horse and man has never been
made on regular track with regular Off
Gals. In September, 1885, or thereabouts
it is said Git is not part of the official rec
ords) Johnny Johnson did a mile straight
away on the Tonnawanda boulevard in
1.35 2-5. few days later E. F. Leonest
rode over the same course In 1.35 There
aye bushel of other stories of even faster
times made on straight track since, but
none of them are official, and they are re-
garded as fshy tales. This much is known
however, that Mary Anderson, on
stretch of the Southern Pacific railroad, on
a straightaway track. constructed for the
OCCASION alongside the rails made a mile
behind locomotive in 1903. As a record
this is not taken, for rule of the l.. A. W.
only permits man pacing. In France cleo
trio pacing machines are used, but these
are not regarded as fair tests here"
VIII Come Down to 1.31.
Bald, like other cyclists of reputation
agrees with Handicapped Batchelder as to
the lowering of records. Certainly,
think that Stocks time can be beaten" he
says, land the horse will be left out of
sight: 1.30 or 1.31 1 regard as quite pos
sible time, considering the perfection to
which the multicycles are being brought
There is limit to the horse, 1t seems to
me. but I don't see why there should be to
the cycler. Remember how much the rec
ord has been brought down in three or four
years. That was without the aid Of pacing
machines. Now there Is a new opportunity
to lower records.