The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-31
MARRIED BY AN ACCIDENT
CENTURY RIDE OF YESTERDAY
ENDED UNPLEAsANTLY
Minneapolis Rider Was Badly Hurt
by the Breaking of His Wheel as
He Bumped Over the Street Car
Tracks on the West Side-NO
Records Were Broken, Owing to
Bad Reads.

brought to the minds, at least Of the
Celtic among, the centurions, the tradi-
tional throughfare which leads to Dub
lin, not less than seventy five ambitious
cyclists of st. Paul and Minneapolis
yesterday, demonstrated their capabil-
ity of scorching 100 miles within the
c. r. C. limit of thirteen and one-half
hours.
The ST. Paul party consisting of per-
maps twenty-five, left the market house
at z a. m. and followed a prearranged
time schedule almost to the dot In
deed, Archie Matheis and four others
beat the schedule about ten minutes,
and after dining at the Archer house
at Mortified, found their way back
via Rosemount and crossed the Smi h
avenue bridge at 6:15, when the sched-
ule fixed the return to ST. Paul for $50.
The riders then went to Minneapolis
and returning, dispe. sed to their homes.
Mrs. Matheis, the only woman who
dared essay century in the present
condition of the roads, brought with
her second section, SO to speak, Of
mud bespattered and very weary cycl-
lists, and they crossed the high bridge
SO close to the appointed time that they
might well be entrusted SINE time
with the task of setting the clock on
the market.
There were few stragglers who pre-
ferIed to use up their limit of time and
these were to be seen drifting into town
at intervals almost up to the hour of
the limit.
Archie Matheis, who had charge of
the st. Paul party, requests The
q o e to state that those who did
not accompany him the full length of
the century, can file their affldavits and
other papers showing the milage and
or ,foI, In 10. H.
over which it was made, with him at
his home, 268 Nelson avenue.
Figures as to the exact number COM
pleting the century were not obtainable
last night.
Mr.. Matheis said, however, that
there were fifty-fve present in front Of
The Archer house when he took a group
picture of the riders.
These did not, however, by any msans
embrace the full list of those who es-
sayed the century. Perhaps twenty
had gone on the return trip before this
group was photographed, and some of
the slower riders had not then reached
the picturesque community which is
made noted by a co lege and century
terminus.
1t is possible, and more than prob
able, that number of these tardy ones,
and perhaps some of those who reached
Mortified in good season, found it con-
venient to take the train before they
reached Minneapolis or St. Paul on the
return trip.
One of the Minneapolis boys, whose
name Mr.. Matheis did not know, met
with a severe accident at the crossing
of the street car tracks on the West
side. The rough roads had been a se-
we're strain on his wheel, and as he
crossed the tracks near the end of the
Mississippi and West st. Paul street
railway line, his front fork broke, pre-
cipitating him to the roadway. For
tunately a party of friends were close
at his heels and they picked him up,
bleeding from a number of confused
wounds and placed him on a car in
the care of ONE of their number. This
spoiled the century of three, the victim,
the Samaritan, and the third rider, who
trundled the Samaritan's wheel back to
Minneapolis.
It had been intended by some Of the
flyers to break some of the century rec
ords. Mr.. and Mrs. Birney Bird went
out on tandem, but the roads were in
no form to clip minutes off centuries
and they were content with a prosaic
ride we'll within the time limit. Mr..
and Mrs. Matheis, who served as pace
makers for the st. Paul party, content
ed themselves with keeping just within
the time limit, much to the satisfaction
or even he experienced century riders
who accompanied them.
There were few new faces in the
party from this city. Nearly all had
ridden centuries before, and were but
adding to their laurels an extra bar,
but 1t was remarked that the new
ones embraced not only the very young
novitiates, but the old. Some of the
riders who covered the century within
the allotted hours had passed the half
century in years, and these were the
proudest Of all, perhaps, at their
achievement.
The full list Of those who completed
their centuries, in compliance with the
regulations of the Century Road club.
will be published in a few days.
Considering the bad roads the actual
riding time of Allen Underwood and
Charles J. Tyren, the first Minneapol-
itans to finish, must be considered ex-
cellent. They covered it in 10:45, ar
irving at 6:25.