The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-18
ANACONDA news.
RODE IN 4 DUST STORM
The Bicycle Races Were Not a
Brilliant Success.
ONLY A FEW EVENTS RUN
Owing to the Bad Weather the Turnout
Was small-It Is Evident That IN
der Favorable Conditions a Meet
Would Be Successful.

The bicycle races at Athletic field yes
terday afternoon were not a brilliant
success. This was not the fault of those
in charge of the meet, but can be cred
tied to the weather. 1t blew a gale all
day and few people expected that any
attempt would be made to pull the races
off. 1t takes more than unfavorable
weather, however, to dampen the ardor
of some of the bicyclst enthusiasts of
this city. The meeting showed plainly
that If the weather had only been ia
vorable there would nave been lots of
interest taken in the meet. AS il was,
about $50 spectators paid % cents apiece
to sit in the dust and watch a number
of people trying to race in a wind blow
ing about As miles an hour. Owing to
the unfavorable conditions only "a few
of the races were started and in these
vents the starters were few in num-
Der.
There was no betting on the result of
any of the races. This was not because
the spectators did not have any dust.
They did not put up dust, but had to
put up with that article. 1t is said that
the average person has to eat a peck of
dust before he dies. Those who were
at Athletic field yesterday afternoon
are ready to die as far as having eaten
their share of that commodity. dust
thou art to dust returnest was not
spoken of the SOUL has sung the poet.
No one will disagree with the gentle
man who wrote these lines, but while
II is admitted dust has nothing to do
with the immortal soul, the first portion
of that sentence aptly describes the
weather yesterday.
OF the races run il is impossible to
give the exact time. There was no stop
watch on the grounds. Nearly everyone
present had a timepiece, but they were
all running and not stopped ones. A
fraction of a second counts a good deal
in a bicycle race. Still a person could
have obtained a very fair and accurate
knowledge of the time made if he had
been possessed of an eight-day clock.
Tempus fugit-time fies-is a maxim
that is generally taken without dispute.
The principal difference between time
and the Anaconda bicyclists yesterday
was hat time flies, still this should not
be taken to indicate that there were no
flies on some of the wheelmen. The
bicyclists yesterday could not in JUS
tice to themselves be called very fly.
In the few events that were run F. b.
Wright was Judge and DR. Mcdonald
acted as starter. The doctor was armed
with a six-inch howitzer of which he
stood in considerable awe: though he
was nOI any IlOIt dlIdlu Oh II lndn me
spectators were who sat within the zone
of fire. Admiral Mcdonald shot in all
three times and by that time the spec
tators either had retired or showed
signs of hosting the white flag in pref
erence to being bombarded any further.
Judge Wright was generally en-
dorsed as an honorable judge, also as
an upright one, when he was not re-
clining at full length on the bench in
front of the grand stand waiting for
the riders to complete a lap. There
were no race differences yesterday.
White and colored riders competed. not
side by side, but in a procession. Neither
was there any difference in races yes
terday. They were all born and created
equally poor. Still there was enough
interest shown to make it evident that
under good conditions a first-class BIZ
cycle race meeting would prove a sue
cess in Aracr nda.
The Hrst event was a one mile novice
race. and the starters were j. A. Kiderlin
of Philipsburg. l.. F. Verberkmoes. c.
Hendricks (%colored champion light
weight RIDER, and c. j. Lapoint. YER
berkmoes led round the first turn, when
the lead was taken from him by Kider-
lin. who was never headed. and finished
a third of a lap in front of Verberkmoes,
who. in turn, led Hendricks eight
lengths. Lapoint also ran. Time, about
O.lo, HOt tnitt IlouIS dIu 10 HllilulCSp
but three minutes and Is econds.
The second event was a two-third
mile amateur race and brought out j.
A. Kiderlin, DIR. Harold Vaughn of
Philipsburg, Harry Catlin. L. j. Nc
McGivern and C. f. Wright. The race
was between the two Philipsburg men.
Most of the others quit after the first
lap. DR.. Vaughn won the length of the
homestretch ahead of Kiderlin; Wright
was third when he got in across the line
Time, by city hall clock, 1:50.
The third event was q one mile
matched race between A. b. Dudley and
c. Hendricks. The men were not very
well matched in color or anything else.
Dudley o part of the way with his
hands off his handlebars and beat Hen
bricks a third of a lap. Time, taken by
sun observations, $40.
This ended the programme. although
there were several spurts of speed given
by other riders. There were. though.
no more races, except a general one at
catch weights to catch the street car.