The San Francisco call., 1897-09-08
Five Seriously Injured
on Seattle'S Cycling
Track.
ZiegIer, Downing, Crawford.
StaVer and Whitman
Go Down.
One Of the UnfortunateS Believed
to Have Sustained Internal
Injuries.

SEATTLE, WASH. Sept. Fifteen
hundred people at the Y. NJ. G. a. Park
tonight witness narrowing accident. 1t
came with the suddenness of flash OF
lightning. From the crowd went up a
shout OF horror, and then on the narrow
homestretch of the bicycle track lay the
bodies of tlve of the fastest racers on the
Pacific Coast, while near them lay FIVE
BICYCLES, twisted into shapeless mass.
Following is complete list OF those in
jured:
John Staver of Portland, struck on the
head and probably sutained concussion Of
the brain. He com planned of his body.
1t is feared he has received internal in
juries. He was taken to hospital.
Otto Ziegler. badly shaken up; the
skin along his nose split open, his mouth
lacerated and bad bruise over his right
eye. He was removed to the Stevens Ho-
tel. His injuries are not dangerous.
Danny Whitman of Los Angeles,
slight bruises on the left elbow and left
knee.
Harry Downing of San Francisco,
slight bruises.
George Crawford of Seattle, plowed
along against the grand stand for ten feet
on his head, but, strange to say, he was
not seriously injured. He was badly
scratched.
Everything seemed cooked and primed
for fine evenings sport when the riders
were called for the final heat in the half
had been run off Yesterday afternoon,
George Sharick, Danny Whitman Hardy
Downing and John Staver to compete in
the final.
Plainly, it was to be iercely contested
race. The first of the contestants to ap-
pear on the track was Ziegler. Others
came up in bunch, and among them was
George Sharick, dressed in red anu black
They were off with a rush, Crawford in
the lead, with Staver close behind him.
Ziegler and Sharick, upon whom all eyes
were turned, lay back and waited for de-
velopments.
The riders swept around the circle and
came down the homestretch we'll up
together.
The bell sounded for the last lap. and
away they went. The sinswy legs of the
six riders worked faster and the crowd
watched eagerly. Like a fash they shot
out from the shadow of the stand and
sped along the backstretch. Halt way
down the stretch a white form was see n
to jump ahead with tremendous speed
and after him came darker figure. They
were 2 egler and Sbarick. They fairly
few past the other riders and had clear
space when they made the upper turn.
They swung into the homestretch and
came tearing down the finish. The crowd
could not stand the ex xcitement and stood
up, leaning eagerly forward 10 catch every
move IN the grand struggle.
Z.egler was close in TO the pole and
Sharick was well out. Downing and Whit
man were wheel and wheel, close up be-
hind Stayer. 1t was grand struggle and
the finish was destined to be the most ex-
citing ever seen on the track.
Suddenly Ziegler's wheel was seen to
wabble and shoot in toward the fence on
the inside Of the track. He saw his dan
ger and sweryed out, but it was too late.
His back wheel struck the narrow gutter
and then went against the fence. There
was crash and Ziegler went head first to
the track, while his wheel slid out into
the track and struck Staver, who went
down on his head. In the meantime
Sharick, being clear, shot across the tape
ana won Inc race.
The moment that Staver struck the
track he lay insensibe. Crawford at
pied to avoid Staver by hugging close
to the outside of the track, but was not
successful and went down head foremost.
plowlng along the ground with his head
bent under him. Whitman and Downing,
being close behind Staver, also went down
in the crash, but were fortunate in not be-
ing com pietely disabled.
A Lo ;,,
and the crowd had hardly recovered from
its first groan when the trainers and friends
of the insensible riders were seen to rush on
ct rack and carry them away. 1t was
thought in the judges stand that Craw-
ford, who lay on the other side of the
track m motionless, had been killed outright.
Zegler came to quickly, but was still in a
daZed condition.
Slayer was carried off .he track insen-
s1ble. He regained consciousness shortly
after being taken to the dressing-room
and complained OF his stomach. He soon
lapsed into unconscious and was not
brought around until an hour and a half
later at Providence Hospital. 1t was re-
ported that he had conclusion Of the
brain, but this was denied at the hospit al
late tonight, where it was said that he
was getting along nicely.
The summaries follow:
Half mile, professional-Final heat: George
Sharick, Tacoma won; Downing, San Jose
second; Danny Whitman. Los Angeles, third
Time, ITO l-5.
Half mile, sma;eur-Wing, San Francisco,
won; Frank Cotter, Tacoma, second; Percy
Mott Oakland, third. Time, 1:21.
One m lie, professional-Final heat: George
Sharlck woa, Allen Jones second, Whitman
third. Time, 2: :21 is.
Two-mile pursuit race-Wing and Mott re-
presenting California, against Shlpp and Cot
ter, representing Northwest-Won easily by
the California pair. Time 4:56 2-5 for win
ners; for losers. 4 so