The age-herald., 1898-08-11
THE WHEELMEN
 AT INDIANAPOLIS z-4s ,.s Oyer 5000 LeaSuerS Were Registered
 Fhefs Last Evening. AN ALL NIGHT SMOKER While a Vaudeville Performance Mas
 in Progress.
 ~ 70 SURPRISES. IN EVERY CONTEST Ruled the Races of the First Day of the Meet Two Records Were s . Broken1A Complete
 Turn Around
SURPRISES. IN EVERY CONTEST

1liuldudpollS, Aug IU.-Ine attendance al the 1898 L. A. W. meet is not large, but those here enjoying themselves. Up to 6 o'clock this evening 6,612 league men had registered at headquarters. Tonight a min- strel show was given at -English's opera house for the wheelmen and their ladies and an all-night smoker with vaudeville programme is on at the park. The Pion- eers banquet occupied the Grand hotel tonight.
 Broken records, two in number, and sur- prises in every contest ruled the races of the first day of the national meet of the League of American Wheelmen. As is usual at national meets, the results were complete turn-around of all the fondest predictions, although not quite so that an outsider did not win the championship. The circuit men held their own, but met defeat at the hands of a man who has steadily been among the "aIs2 raIps' on the circuit and who piled up only eight points in the seas2n's championship.
 Owen kimble, "Old Kaintuck," proved to be the two-mile champion of America. and his winning of the great contest was of the cleanest order and beyond the slightest shadow of doubt
 Two pace-makers pulled the men around. and Cooper, Taylor, Kimble and Bald held the pace in the order named. It was just as the second of the single pace-makers dropped that Mertens tried runaway and failed, Bald catching his rear wheel. There he hung, and the others followed in their order. Then Cooper went past at the bell and gained the front. Major Taylor gave Cooper battle, and took the lead, and Kimble started from the back of the bunch. Down the back stretch he gained the side of the punched field, and on the bank cut down to the pole. It was there that the battle really tegan. Taylor held the pole, while Kimble fought just half wheels length to the good Bald was right at the wheel of Kim ble, and Cooper was at the side of Bald and fighting up. Mertens quit when the field slid around him. and the four game riders fought it out all down the stretch. They finished at about the positions named above and in world revord time, 4:O5 for --i''gle-paced work
 Eimble's Win
 k.iHlhndr1ers win took up the points table to tie with Bald and Major Taylor. All three men having now es points, with Coop CT at 65 points and Gardner, the former leader, fifth, with 63.
 The two mile championship and half mile championship for amateurs both went to George. H. Collit,.-of New Haven, Conn.,, who proved the undoubted king in the anna teur class. Kraemer, of Newark, and HauSInan.+3 the sIdIuSIii Iildle ol Soiiilt anu Joseph Rogers, the Philadelphian, carried away the honors, no western amateur be- ing able apparently, to hold his own against these men of the east.
 But the contest in the two mile national championship and the worlds record was overshadowed in interest by the multicycle handicap in which tandem team, two triplets and quad team competed Breck- CT, Mertens, Martin and Nat Butler, the scratch team, started up to the front In ,fol, rlx in, ha contest and the Johnson record holding triplet team, the record, 1:41, gave it a good race. The finish was hair raising, but not close, the interest and excitemnt oc- curing as the teams shifted around for position while going at world record gait. The Johnson, Monroe and Fornwalt trip let team gained second and the Major Taylor triplet team gained third. The time, ,> 3,254, broke the record of 3:52, and extra prize money was awarded to the winning team.
 Record Narrowly Missed
 Another record for, the track was mar rowly missed in the morning, when Major Taylor made a wonderful ride to victory in the mile handicap in 200 Is, the mark of Sims being missed by but one-fifth of a second.
 Taylor.s riding in heats. semi-fnals and finals. was feature, The attendance was about f. 4O00 Summary:
 Half-mile national cnampionSiiip aihateur final heat: G. H. Collit. New Haven, first; G. L. Kraemer, Newark, second; Joe Rog- CTS, Philadelphia, third Time
 One-miIe handicap, professional: J. D. Walsh. Boston. 11o yards, first; Sam Mur- barger, Indianapolis, 125 yards, second; Major Taylor, scratch, third; D. c. Bald, scratch, fourth. Time, 2:06 @-5
 Two rniles4National championship. pro- fessionaI. first semi-hnal. c. sMertens, St. Paul, first; Owen Kimble, Louisville. sec ond: Bald third. Time, 4:33 3-5.
 Final heat--Kimbe, first; Major Taylor, second; Bald, third; Cooper, fourth; Mer- tens fifth. Time, 4:05.
 Worlds record by eight seconds-TwQ mile, amateur national championship, final heat, O. H. Collit, New Haven first; E. c. Hausman. New Haven, second; J. Il. Rogers Philadelphia, third Time, 4:2S:
 Multicyele. handicap, professional Brecker, Martin, Mertens and Nat Butler, scratch, first; Fornwalt. Monroe and John son. .seyenty-ive yards, second; Taylor,
 Eaton and Bowler, twenty-five yards, third; Philips, Newkirk, vanenst and Old field, ten yards, fourth. Time, 3:25 3-5. Worlds competition record.