The times., 1898-09-11

others in the matter of pursuit races, all
the important races of the year having
been run there during the past season.
1t was here that Titus has so firmly es-
tablished himself as record rider and
here, also, that Coulter. Starbuck, Yer
nier, Church, Elkes and the rest of the
men have done so much good work and
given such great races. There is an ele-
ment of interest in a pursuit race that
does not enter into any other. 1t is GER
tainly the best test of the ability of a man
TO ride fast, and ride on his nerve with
out outside assistance. In pursuit races
the men contesting have to rely only on
themselves for victory defeat, and the
public is beginning to understand this
A championship series of races of this
kind would prove exceedingly interesting
to the public. and would do much To es-
tablish an unpaced champion, just as we
| now have a paced champion. Fred Titus
has so far won a majority of his races,
and broken the records more frequently
than any unpaced rider now in the coun-
try. Titus; however, has seldom ridden
more than miles, and until the race
| progresses to the 10 or l5-mile limit they
| are not interesting. For one man to over
/ take his opponent at 5 miles shows con-
/ clusively that the men are not evenly
matched. Perhaps the greatest unpaced
race of the year was run at Woodside
Park when Coulter defeated Starbuck.
This race lasted for II miles, and the
! quiet Quakers jumped to their feet and
gave vent to excessive excitement. Such
races as these are far more interesting
The EEctism of England.
England is pleased to jolly herself into
the belief that only worlds records in
athletics of any kind can be made in
that country. If an American rides
! thirty-four miles in the hour and an Eng
! lishman makes it thirty-three, its pounds
/ TO pence that the thirty-three miles will
| be generally accepted by the English pa
! pers. officials. gentlemen" and public as
the best record. If Hamilton. an Ameri-
he has done, and A. A. Chase, who came
1 TO America, and then went back again.
none the wiser or richer, rides the same
! style of mile in 2:02 Is. Mr. Chase is i'm
mediately hailed as the holder of the
/ worlds record for that distance. When
/ Hamilton rode a mile in 1:39 2-5, the
worlds record at that time, the best Eng
! lish record was 1:42 and the 1:39 record
was denounced as a delusion and a fake
IF an English rider cannot ride a mile
IN such fast time, they argued, 'how is
1 1t possible for a beastly American to do
/ it?" To their complete satisfaction they
answered the question themselves How
ever, America now holds every record in
competition, from one-quarter to fifty
miles, and one hour five hours. and
thereafter to 142 hours The American
competition records are several seconds
faster than the best against time" rec
ords of England. and yet it is painful to
notice the English papers who persistent
/ ly blind themselves when an American
record is made. and use as comparisons
! their own previous best" which in every
case is decidedly slower than the best
/ American. II is about time that an inter-
national committee was appointed to
1 classify and recognize worlds records
Z England will never do it, and as goes
England so goes all European countries
save France, who shows laudable de-
! sire to do the right thing.
Novelty in Europe
Europe has just witnessed a seventy
! two hour race. the first ever given on the
( other side of the water, and they have
unanimously declared against tn m.
How humane America" says one of the
leading French dailies in discussing this
race. 'can submit to witness a weeks
I
| twelve hours, is more than the mind can
grasp. II is not sport. it is damnation
Miller. the American, Won it, and he
showed little effects of the great strug-
! gle against nature, but Fredericks, who
was second gave us a sample of what
had previously been witnessed in America
/ in the six-day race of last year. He was
| held on his wheel by attendants and
forced to continue. although time and
| time again he fell exhausted from his
| wheel, several times almost foaming at
the mouth. It is safe to predict that no
more races of a longer duration than
twentyfour hours will be permitted to
pass muster in Europe. America, with
her charitable and humane claim, should
be heartily ashamed of herself for the ex-
ample she has set the rest of the world
in this prostitution of the grand sport of
| cycle racing. The English papers are
even stronger in denouncing the race, and
| all, with one accord, ,cpuZZie themselves 10
ind out how America could serenely sub
init to such slaughter of strength and
energy to say nothing of human life, in
the six-day races that have been given in
the past and will try to be given in the
| future. The League of American Wheel
men performed one sane act when it dis
| ccuntenanced road racing and another
when it denounced the siX-day races
| They belong TO an uncivilized age. not to
the nineteenth century
Clubs as Promoters.
Not the least encouraging sign for the
coming seasons racing is the fact that
the clubs who have in the past posed as
principal promoters will again enter the
field and serve their friends with the
| sport. dished up in an honest If less brill
liant style than has been done this year
by the professional promoters The
most noted clubs in the East have de-
clined to enter the promoting field this