The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-01
NEWLY OVAL DESCRIBED
1T is ONE OF THE FINEST BICYCLE
TRACKS IN THE COUNTRY.
Track Being Tested by Professional
Riders-The Lighting Facilities
for Night Racing.

be run off during the National L. A W.
meet in August, is almost completed. The
track has been constructed and is now be-
ing put to the test by the fastest profess
sional and amateur racing men in this Sec
ton of the country, who are there in train
ing for the races of the state meet next
Monday. The grand stand and pavilions are
also about ready for use and the only work
to be done to make the place complete is
on the bleachers and in building fences and
identifying the grounds. All this takes time,
but will be accomplished in time for the
big national event, in Augusta For the state
meet, next Monday, there will be ample ac-
commodation and convenience The track
and park is the property of the Indianapolis
Track Company, and cost something more
than $40 900.
Newly Oval is located on Central avenue,
above Thirtieth street. Immediately north
of the Business Mems Driving Park. The
track is four laps to the mile, built under
the supervision Of Charles W. Ashinger, of
New York, from designs furnished by Her
bert W. Foltz, the company's architect.
The home stretch is thirty feet wide, the
back stretch and turns twenty-five feet, the
latter banked ten feet and built on the
''whaleback' plan. This means that a Sec
ton through the turn shows a curved line
at the surface, the banking starting from
the curves at the ratio of four feet in height
for ten feet at the base and gradually curry
ing outward until it reaches plane almost
horizontal at the extreme outside. This is
done primarily to form starting and stop
ping places for the multiplet pacing ma
chimes in paced races In addition this
makes the track much safer on the turns
preventing those riders who swing wide
from striking their right pedals against the
track and permitting those desiring to drop
out of a race to do so without chances of
injury to themselves or other contestants.
PINE BLOCK SURFACE.
The surface is made of matched and
dressed, selected white pine, two inches
thick, laid with the rough side up. This was
done to keep the wheels from slipping, the
spiinters being removed by going over the
surface after completion with wire brushes
both with and against the grain of the wood
This has left an ideal surface. which the
riders cannot fail to appreciate. Another
innovation was the dipping of each piece
of flooring in tank of wood preservative
before mailing it in place. In addition to
frightening the life of the track. this pro-
cess has left the track a dead brown color
riders and the spectators. Particular at
tention has been paid to the connection of
the turns with the stretches, which has al
ways been the greatest problem in track
construction.
The stretches extend due east and west,
the grand stand being located on the south
side of the track, with a north frontage,
thus avoiding as much as possible the glare
of the afternoon sun. The grand stand is
$50 feet long by ffty-two feet wide. with a
seating capacity of two thousand people.
In front are twenty boxes. containing ten
chairs each These boxes are five feet from
the track and elevated ten feet above grade,
to permit of press boxes and paddocks for
riders and trainers below. The seat banks
in the grand stand are thirty-two inches
wide, with sixteen-inch risers. making the
rear ROY of seats thirty-two feet above the
ground. The grand stand and boxes are
equipped with numbered chairs.
The roof is of iron, supported on eleven
steel trusses. Below and II front of the
boxes and opposite the tape, sheltered by
awnings, are the two hundred press seats
and telegraph offices. These press seats are
arranged in three tiers, each tier being ele-
waited above the one in front so that every
press representative will have clear and
unobstructed view Of every point of the
track. This arrangement, it is thought. will
meet with the approval of every newspaper
man. and was adopted at a considerable
expense to the track company, as ii necessi-
tated raising the grand stand much higher
than would otherwise have been necessary.
To the west of the press seats and separat-
ing them from the riders and trainers pad
dock is the double tunnel under the track,
this being the only means of reaching the
track from the training quarters. The space
reserved for riders and trainers to view the
races is under the boxes at the west end Of
the grand stand and has an inclined floor
giving an equal vantage point to all. To the
rear of this space and separated from it by
a twelve-foot corridor, Is the wheel room,
fifty-four by twenty-Seven feet To the west
of the wheel room is the refreshment stand,
to the east the private office of the track
company The east half of the ground floor
space under the grand stand is occupied by
training quarters These are equipped with
eighty-fiVe rubbing boards and private lock-
ers, and fifteen private rooms. Adjoining the
training quarters are the bath rooms. con-
tanning five shower baths, with hot and cold
water, lavatOries, etc. This room has cement
floors and has been equipped with the most
modern fixtures Above the training quar-
tiers and below the seat banks are the re-
firing rooms for men and women. The grand
stand has three entrances, the main en-
trance being at the center and twelve feet
wide, and those at either end eight feet
wide.
TRACK PROTECTED FROM WIND.
Thanking the grand stand on either end
are two covered amphitheaters, each 22S
feet long by forty feet wide, containing four
teen rows OF seat banks and twenty boxes