The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-08
RACERS ARE ALL HERE
ALL THE CRACKS NOW WORKING
OUT FAST TIME AT THE TRACK.
Johnny johnson Goes a Phenomenal
Eighth MiIe-Fresh News of
the Big Meet.

Indianapolis is most fortunate in securing
all the racing men in their best possible
| shape at this season of the year. And no
racing men ever displayed better form or
form as good as is being shown daily by
the great army of riders gathered for the
national meet. The speed possibilities are
being exhausted daily in the sprints at the
track, and world record time is lowered reg
ularly by half dozen of the leaders. Mai"
Taylor took the lead with his eighth mile
in 10 but Johnnie Johnson went out yes
terday, and in an eighth mile go did IL 4-5,
and took the wind from the sails of the col
ored boy and the wind from every one Of
the great riders at the track. Johnson's
time was so wonderful that some refused
to credit it until they found that five
watches in the hands of good timers were
held upon it, and all caught the same time
Johnson, in the language of the racing men,
burned up the track as he flew round the
turn and into the back stretch. The sprint
ing was done on the first half of the last
quarter. Johnson was following a tandem
when he jumped out. and Eaton was on the
rear wheel of Johnson. Eaton found the
track very much to his liking, owing to the
steep banks and short turns He sailed
along after johnson, and entering the bank
came out to his side and hung there to the
finish, crawling gradually up on the old
timers side and finally reaching the pedal
before the finish. In the afternoon Johnson
did ~ and IL is, but was expected to do
no better, as no man may do such sprints
regularly as that Of the morning trial.
There were many more arrivals at the
track yesterday, among others Earl Kiser,
the half-mile national champion, and Haus-
man and Colett, the famous tandem team
of New Haven, Conn. The arrival of racing
men is about all the interest at the meet
to-day, other than the gossip of the Bald
Cooper match, for which both men are now
signed beyond recall. Speculation among
their fellows gives both men ample support
on the surface, as about one-half fancy one
and one-half the other. In their work yes
terday neither man beat 10 1-5 for the
eighth-mile sprint. and both tried hard.
Cooper was pulled up by Aker
once, and Bald was pulled up ty
the same rider the first time and
by Walsh and Mayo the second time.
Bald is working hard-very hard-and is de-
termined to do well at this meet. The cham
pion of three past seasons has always failed
to show to advantage at the national meets,
gaining little or nothing at Denver, in "a,
and nothing at Asbury Park, in '95, Louis
vile, in SO, or Philadelphia, in 81. He is
now in the pink of condition and firmly be-
lieves this meet will witness the greatest
victory of his career. He is training as he
never trained before and is taking the very
best care of himself ali the time.
Major Taylor did not work out at the
track yesterday, and it was found upon in
quiry that the Major has never worked
on Sunday and does not intend to do So
l.;
Slago, where he is stopping. Outside the
work of Johnson, spirits by Stevens, with
Mcfarland and Mertens following, and by
Freeman, both being started back of tan
dem, We're noteworthy. These great sprint
ers did. IL fiat in their attempts. Bald did
IL 10, the twelfth-mile in OS, and Cooper
did ~ Is and 10 2-5 in two trials. Stevens
did the twelfth In .07 As, starting his :12
eighth. His time for the twelfth is as fast
as any made here, and only one-fifth sec
ond slower than the best time known for the
distance.
Mcfarland followed Mayo and Walsh, the
tandem pacemakers going a quarter in "a
AS, the first eighth in ~ rs. The Butler
brothers, Tom and Nat, changed about in
pulling each other to the tape, and both did
:12 2-5.
Fornwaldt and Monroe, the tandemons,
did the twelfth in :OS and the eighth in ~
1-5. after having done lot of pacing.
Among the amateur riders there was
some sprnting of great merit Hausman
| and Collett made one eighth of-a-mile sprint
in IL 2-5, finishing nicely together. Robbins,
| the Ohio champion, was pulled to the tape
and did the distance in ~ 4-5. Pease, the
local amateur, started after a mile mark
| back of a professional quad. He hung well
for a half mile in :49 2-5, three-fifths of a
second better than the amateur world rec
ord for the distance and then dropped the
pace He failed on second trial. His pace
was not of the best, being green Gibson.
the Cincinnati amateur, another Michael in
size and weight did a quarter mile, paced
in :25 3-5 and the half mile in 80, as fast
as his pace could travel Bald, Mcfarland
and Stevens went three miles, pace and
pace about and did 2:O4 2:02 2-5 and POI,
the finishing sprint being strongly made.
To-day the rest of the racing men are
expected to arrive, when there will be at
least one hundred men working out at the
track. From the East "Plugger Bill" Mar
tin will come with his pacing outfit, and
the amateurs. Ertz and Babcock, of New
York, and Kraemer, of Newark, N. j., to-
gether with Llewellyn, of Philadelphia will
come. Peabody, of Chicago, is also to ar
rive tomorrow, and Gardiner, of Chicago
will join the professional ranks.
Among the professionals there is much ir-
terest in the multcycle handicap race and
triplet teams were formed yesterday by
Gardiner. Bowler and Taylor, who will ride
together; Mcfarland, Stevens and Free
man, another team; Aker Walsh and Mayo,
another, and it is probable the three Butler
brothers, of Boston, will be seen up to-
gether when the time comes If not, Tom
and Nat Butler and Mertens will form the
team. the Butler brothers entering in the
handicap tandem race together. No larger
than triplet teams have been formed as
yet. John S. Johnson Fornwaldt and Mon
roe, the triplet team holding the unpaced
mile triplet record of 1:40 will be the most
prominent team entered in this contest, and
may go for the record at this meet.
HIGH-GRADE WHEELS