The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-26


Circuits cd the Lake Were Made
before the Rain Drove the Riders
Back to Their Tents-Wll Be
Run Next Week.
few minutes of sharp driving
| rain. spoiled several hours of fine sport
for 5000 people at Lake Como yester-
day afternoon.
The annual road race of the Laurel
Cycle club was interrupted at the close
of the third lap by a shower That is,
the technical name for one of those
ephemeral demonstrations by Jupiter
Pluvlus. AS a matter OF fact this par
tlcular shower poSSs Ssed the character
1stics of Dakota blizzard Modified by
a long passage through a summer sun.
1t was binding and it was soaking.
1t beset the bicyclists from above and
from below and when the shower reach
ed its climax, it did not take the Off
Gals more than a few seconds to de-
eide to call the race off until next
Saturday.
Then having won his point, with the
annoying impudence that characterizes
the Spaniard and other enemies of the
true patriot, the rain pulled its mask
OF and let the sun shine on the dis
cCnsolate cyclists and an intricate sys-
tenn of muddy roads.
The crowd that had huddled into the
pavilion when the clouds came up de-
parted and Como was deserted, it's
green grass freshened by the heavenly
doWnpour, its hidden resources Of ice
cream and soft drinks depleted by the
onslaught of a multitude
Inc conditions were hardly ideal for
race, anyway. Tinctured with the acid
OF sour grapes as this assertion might
seem, it is still capable of convincing
demonstrations.
In the first place a strong wind from
the west was prevalent, even before TIE
overhanglng clouds precipitated their
hostile demonstration. While the riders
were protected by the overhanging
trees on part of their course, they
still had many miles to make in the
full force of this midsummer gale.
which dashed the usually smiling sur
lace OF the lake into perfect fury CT
spiteful muddiness
The race was scheduled for $3.50, but
about five minutes previous to the ap-
pointed time the western sky opened
up few Saturday afternoon bargains
in small rain, which were driven
strongly against a declining market.
The shower, however, was of short dur
alton and the only real efficacy 1t had
vas to give the officials an excuse for
the delay their own lack of concise
ness had rendered necessary anyway.
Finally at o'clock all the riders were
marshailed under a rustic bridge over
looking a pretty little lake about a
quarter of a mile northwest of Superin-
tendent Fitzgerald's workhouse, and
somewhat to the west of the usually
frequented portions of President Whee-
locks pride and joy.
tries, and they were finally lined UP
as follows
Scratch-George Sudheimer, F. w. Smith
Paul Mayer, G., S. Keller. -
One Minute-Jcs- phi Deering, West Superior
L. S. Johnson.
| Two Minutes-M. A. Herring Fred. Perkins
j. F. Lindstrom.
Three Minutes-E J. Moreland Ed sudhei-
mgr, M. D; Nicholson. F. l.. Keller.
Three and a Half Minutes-R. J. O'Rourke
D. E. Scott and ]. v. Bowman
Four Minutes-C. H. Hallow. j. A. Neu-
bauer srsa A. vogesi j. L. Borland. Madelia B
Four and Half Minutes-W. P. Stillman
l. Niederhofer. Minneapolis. A. C. Nelson
George Becker, Earl Hamilton. :
! Five Minutes-O. l.. Miller, Frank Perkins
NJ D. Ladwig - 80 >
Five and Half Minutes-William Rotha u
sen. Arthur Perkins. O. M. Faucher Lake
r. Campbell.
On MinoteS-E. y. Nelson. j. l.. Roy, E.
| Six and Half Minutes-H. M. Armstsd.
Seven Minutes-Andrew Miller, Rudolph
| Peters, Joe Wagner.
Eight MinuteS-G. A. Rogers.
1t was just 4 o'clock when young
Rogers, diminutiye youngster who
looked scarcely able to realize the mag
nitude of twenty-five miles, much less
cover it on bicycle in racing time
started at the report Of Jim Written
sohn's pistol for lonely journey. The
sun was smiling then, but before halt
the bunch had gone old Sol had ducked
behind cloud, and, when Fred Per-
klns and the others of the tWo-minute
bunch dashed away with the powders
puff, it was sprinkling. The one-min-
ute handicaps found the path heavy
and the scratch men started in a driv-
! ing rain, which turned to steam the
puff Of smoke that rose from Written
| sohn's blanks.
But 1t was scarcely worse a shower
than the first, and, when the riders
came around to- the tape in front of
the pavilion for the first lap, the road
while heavy, was not slippery
and the sun was drying it fast. A
rainbow Of golden promise hung be-
tween the sanguine riders and the foes
of the Orient, and the superstitious
said it was good omen. There would
De no more rain.
The handicap bunchers were not bad
ly scattered on the first lap, except
that Smith dropped behind the scratch
men, loss that he had not made UP
when the finish was reached. Sudhei-
mer led, with Mayer second and Keller
third, when the scratch men came
around the first time.
The eight-minute handicap was just
enough, as it turned out, to keep the
riders from commingling before the
circuit was finished, for little Joe
Wagner, with his brick red suit, flash
ed across the vision Of the judges with
in ten seconds of the time the scratch
! racers had gone down to the road
When the scratch men came around
the second time, Mayer led and Sud-
heilner was trailing the pair.
Little Joe Wagner was still in front,
the half minute that he had at the
start over Armstad never having been
made up. George Becker, with, four
and a half minutes, was second, Med
erhofer, of Minneapolis, trailing him
! close. Arthur Perkins, who started with
minute more than these two, was
fourth, and F. R. Campbell and Rot
hansen had him racing for all he was
worth. L. S. Johnson, of the one-minute
men, had pushed UP ahead of A. C. Mel
son at Az, and Frank Perkins, at five
minutes respectively
1t was raining before the scratch men
crossed the tape this time with Sud-
heimer. Kelly and Mayer punched in the
| order given, not more than two lengths
separating the front wheel of the first
from the rear wheel Of the third. They
had been on the track twenty-one
minutes. Young Wagner with the high
handicap had had twentv-eipht