The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-22
FIVE WOMEN IN A RACE
A BIG AUDIENCE SEES THE START
OF THE BICYCLE CONTEST.
Pace Too Hot for Two of Them-GIayv
Was the Winner of
the Evening.

me rain last night dfd not prevent a
packed house witnessing the start of the
six-day bicycle race among women at Tom
linson Hall. 1t was expected that the doors
would open at 7:9O clock and that the race
would start at $50 o'clock but at o'clock
when Manager Stackpole arrived at the
hall, he found crowd of two hundred or
more out in the rain waiting for a chance to
get in. He ordered the doors opened and
from that time until after o'clock there
was constant stream of people entering
the hall. The management had counted on
accommodating about two hundred people
in the open space in the middle of the track
and seats were arranged around the place,
against the track. BY 1880 o'clock five hun
dred people were damned into this space
and there was no thought of seating them
The special seats built up along the sides
of the track were taken early and the bal
cony seats were all occupied by o'clock
About two hundred were seated on the
stage and the gallery was crowded.
Billy Madden acted as referee and
starter. When the riders appeared he intro
duced them and read the rules which are
to govern the race. 1t is required of the
riders that they cover not less than two
hundred miles during the ten riding hours
in order to get inside the prize money
which is divided as follows: First place.
$175; second place, $125; third, 500; fourth
$75, and fifth, SIS, making a total of $500 to
be divided. The toss gave the riders the
following order in the start: Anderson,
CLAW, Peterson, Feiring and Wagner. At
the crack of the pistol Anderson took the
lead for short time and gave way to
Wagner, who took the pace making posi-
ton by hard squirt. She leld 1t through
the first mile and then Anderson passed
her and held the pace for half mile
Claw then showed her mettle, passing the
leaders and getting the place in 'front.'
which she held for about forty laps against
the strenuous efforts of Anderson and Feir-
ing. Peterson tried hard after this to pass
to the lead. She sprinted for six laps, but
only succeeded in starting a pace in which
she was the first to show signs of weaken
ing. Wagner passed the bunch and from
fourth place went to the front The riders
had just passed the fourth mile when she
began setting the pace. AT six miles Feir-
ing made hard sprint and received the
hearty applause of the spectators as she
passed the others and went to the front
After that it was a fight between CLAW
Anderson and Wagner for the lead, the
three exchanging places frequently during
the evening.
Miss Peterson seemed to be i'll and once
she dropped out of the race She began
riding with apparently little control of her
wheel and the others began riding circles
about her, leaving her several laps to the
bad. She was taken off the track by her
trainer and sat in a chair with her head
bowed for several minutes, during which
time she lost over two miles-enough prob
ably to settle her for last place in the race.
She rallied, however, and mounted her
wheel again She was cheered as she rode
around and caught the other riders. She
dropped out after riding tWenty-four miles
and six laps and started again after the
others had gone twenty-six miles and ten
laps.
Feiring also showed some weakness. She
fell behind with Peterson the first lap and
then again in the final four-lap sprint lost
another, making her score two laps less
than the leaders at the finish The record
for the evening was good, the leaders max
ing thirty-two miles and two laps. The
first five miles were made in thirteen min
utes, fifteen seconds and the ten miles were
done in N:16. CLAW won the race for the
night by the. length of a wheel from An
derson, who was four lengths ahead of
Wagner Feiring was two laps in the rear
and Peterson was two miles and fourteen
laps away. The score was as fOllOWS Claw
Anderson and Wagner, 80 miles 2 laps;
Feiring, 81 miles; Peterson, 20 miles, z laps.
1t is believed that the five riders are as
equally matched as any five women riders
that ever met on a track. Peterson's ill
ness is thought to be only temporary and
her trainer says she will probably be able
to do some killing pacing tonight. Feiring
and Anderson both lack training, but the
work of last night has put them in good
form. Wagner also lacks training. CLAW
seems to be in the best condition of the
five. The race will be resumed at S:15 to-
night and will run for one hour and a half.