The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-21
FROM OFFICE TO TRACK
BERTHA WAGNER, A STENoGRA-
PIER, TO RIDE In WOMEN's RACE.
An Athletic Girl from Cleveland,
Who Takes a vacation to Enter
the indianapolis Event.


in the six-day bicycle race at Tomllnson
Hall beginning tonight one is Swede, one
a Norwegian. one French and two German.
The last to reach the field was Miss Bertha
Wagner. of Cleveland She is the only one
of the five who might correctly be termed
an amateur-professional. She has been
professional for only year and then only
in the sense that she has competed with
professionals and for money. She has not
followed the business as a profession by
anv means. When she closed the deal to
come here it was only after she had made
ARRANGEMENTS with the manager OF the
Cleveland branch of a surety company OF
New York for a leave of absence. she is
employed as stenographer and bookkeeper
in the Cleveland office.
Miss Wagner is a large athletic-looking
woman about twenty-five years old and or
unmistakable German ancestry. she IS
bright talker. For three years and half'
she said yesterday afternoon, Il was con-
nected with one of the Cleveland papers
as a special writer and staff correspondent.
In this business became acquainted with
some of the ways of the world. as you may
imagine My bicycling career has been
short. 1 began riding a wheel about the
streets of Cleveland in the spring OF 1888
and soon became a good rider. was al
WAYS of an athletic turn. can row, can
swim, l can fence bit and box DIT, anu
I can wrestle, and in fact take a hand at
almost any of the athletic sports. 1t was
natural then for me to become an en-
thusiastic wheelwoman, and l soon became
one of the hardest road riders about Cleve-
as a century rider With my strength anu
endurance it was an easy step from tne
century work to the track: But uU nv nv
limit of endurance and ride to It's iullesI
extent, but do not go beyond it. 90 not
care how large the prize or now woe tHe
reputation to be gained 1 will not. strain
myself and burn up my vitality III any
race. If find the pace is too not VIII 70
along in my own way and trust 10 my en-
DURANGO to give me the lost distance PACK;
If the opportunity does not come Will
lose the race without TegT 6e Ivh ENJOY AID
who are now almost living skeletons. Iney
wasted and destroyed their vitality trylIng
to follow the pace of women whose muscles
were like iron and who had no nerves:
With me riding has been beneficial l
weighed AS pounds when began ana i. now
l tip the scales at nearly lGO IN my Fldlng
costume / still keep up my other athletlc
work and bicycle riding either on the roao
on in competition on the tPaf hns Il omiy o is
only a side line with me-.
HER PROFESSIONAL CAREER.
Miss Wagner began her professional
career just year ago in six-day race
at Louisville, Ky. She was up against
Farnsworth Baldwin, Elmer, Rlchards ana
Mack She fell the first night and lost the
entire nights work, but she rode the other
five nights and made a better showing for
the time than some of the old riders. Fol
lowing this she rode in races at Youngs-
town, Grand Rapids, Cleveland, Sandusky
Columbus, Pittsburg and Wheeling and al
ways managed to keep within the prize
money though she did not win race
during her first season. In the champion
ship race at Cleveland she finished ahead
of Claw. She rode in two races at CIeve-
land two at Grand Rapids and two at
Youngstown. She has only started in two
races this spring and won both or them.
They were at Louisville: The first was Vas an =
and running over the next Sunday, with
matinees on each of the Sunday afternoons.
In the race were Annie Elmer, Lucy Perry,
Grace Patton, May Stanley and Zoe LIE
Claire. The second Louisville race was an
easy victory, notwithstanding the fact that
Lizzie CLAW was one OF the contesldI Is
Miss Wagner won it by miles over all the
field.
After that race she went back to her
work in the office of the Surety Company,
at Cleveland, and gave the track little
thought until she received a message from
Manager Stackpole urging her to enter
this race She made the arrangements with
her employers and reached this city yes
terday morning. She has good chance or
winning the race this week. MISS wagner
is a wonder at long-distance riding and
would like to get a match with any woman
in the world in a race of ten or twelve
hours consecutive riding.
The track at Tomlinson Hall was COM
pleted early yesterday morning and during
the day the place was visited by many
people. Those who saw the track last year
were almost as much surprised at the APP
pearance of this track as were those who
never saw an indoor track before The
track last year was banked high and won
der was expressed that the riders could
stay on 1t at all. The track in Tomllnson
Hail now is sleeper than that used last
year. A good idea of it can be formed
from the comparison with the height of the
stage. Seats are being placed on the stage
and in order that the track can be seen 1t
is necessary to raise the floor holding the
seats nearly three feet above the stage.
This brings it on a line with the outside
edge of the track The inside of the track
is the main floor of Tomlinson Hall. When
it is known that the track is less than
twelve feet wide, measured up the surface,
some idea of the angle at which the women
ride can be gained. 1t Is almost 10 degrees.
During the morning and afternoon the rid
ers who are to participate in the race
worked out" a little on the track. in order
to accustom themselves to it, They found 1t
They expressed the belief that 1T would
prove very fast. The track is the joint pro-
duction of Manager A. j. Stackpole. Fred
Stobbard, Ed Sjoberg and George Bunting
ir The latter superintendent the work of the
carpenters following the plans made by the
others. 1t took Just eleven hours for TWEEN
ty carpenters and ten laborers to put the
track In