The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-20
BlcYCLIsTs HAD HARD WORK.
MILLER WINS IN THE GREAT CON-
TEST OF ENDURANCE.


Winds of the Men Broke Down and
raIIucinations Haunted Their
Tired Brains-ReasOn Had Desert
oil Them. and Total Collapse Was
,uuinent-Fredericl and Aaron
con Struggled Hard for Second
Place.
ca, Francisco. Feb. 19.-No men ever
,or.. heartily welcomed the approaching
o,,s. If contest than the dozen remain
,,o contestants in the international six
do,.s, bicvcle race at Mechanics Pavilion
when. at o'clock tonight, they entered
mon the last half dozen hours of this re-
narkab,e test OF endurance.
Nothing but the nearness of the finish
and the stimulus of a cheering crowd could
have kept the men at their task. Human
endurance had reached the point where
reason deserts the body and total collapse
was imminent.
Miller deserves his victory and his record
will probably stand for years to come. No
nrevious contest has been so stubbornly
contested from start to, finish, and no sim
liar number of men have shown such Won
derful pluck and endurance.
A noisy. but sympathetic and impartial
crowd urged and encouraged each rider in
turn. There was plenty of enthusiasm,
TOO when Miller at the end of the 127th
hour rode his two thousandth-mile in
9.25 So unpaced. At $50 O'Clock this
morning Miller was fourteen hours and
nineteen minutes ahead of his New York
record.
Used Electric Batteries.
As the day wore on sprinting became
infreauent, except in the cases of Nawn
and Barnaby, who were repeat teddy charg-
cd with energy by an electric battery and
came out to exhaust their charges in
wild sprint
The fight of the last half dozen hours
has been between Fredericks and Aaron
sen for second place. For a time il seem
ed as if Fredericks would succeed in over
hauling the Swedish rider, but with the
assistance of julius pacing, ,Aaronson
made a game ride throughout the after
noon and evening and about 7 o'clock APP
parently had second place to a certainty.
Gimm went down the line to-day drop
ping mile after mile to Aaronson and
Fredercks. Gimm was unable to over
come his physical weakness though he
tried hard TO do so. Hale was in bad
shape mentally all day. He imagined him
self riding to San jose His physical con-
dition was good, however, and he kept
steadily at work.
All Jaded and Worn.
All through Saturday night and Sunday
the poor fellows, jaded and worn, with
drawn faces and staring eyes circled the
track, sometimes to a snail's pace, and
then again, under the inspiring marches
by the band and the urging of friendly
voices the riders would increase the speed
for a few laps and then drop back into
the old rut.
Hanucnations haunted the tired brains
of most of the contestants at frequent in
tervas, and their vagaries presented hu-
mOrous phases.
Miller is a marvel of endurance 1t may
be said Of him, too that he has used his
head as much as his muscle in this su-
preme test of endurance. He has been
systematic throughout the race. His pc
RODS of rest have been short and at fire.
quent intervals. He did not continue at
the steady grind until ne became entirely
exhausted before seeking a rest; but at
stated times would leave the track for his
dressing room, s. are his trainer gave
MIN attention for periods ranging from
fifteen minutes TO half an hour His long
est absence from the track was thirty
eight minutes
Miller's ankles gave him great trouble.
His left ankle was kept tightly bandaged
Tor the last forty-eight hours of the race.
and must have caused the plucky fellow
great agony. His face looks drawn and
turrowed with new lines, but on the whole,
he was in fairly good shape
The Scores at the Close.
AT S;d, the end of the 14Sd hour, the
score was; Miller, 2,19l miles, laps;
Aaronson 21n miles, laps; Fredericks,
2O8S miles, laps, Hale, 2,OS2 miles, laps;
Gmm 2'O6O miles; Nawn, 2,O11 miles, 8
laps Alberts, 1923 miles, ] lap Barnaby,
dsz miles, 8 laps; Piikington, LIPS miles,
laps; Lawson, 1887 mixes, laps; Julius,
laps.
The first six men, at the end Of the 14Sd
hour' were all within Miller's former rec
ora OF 2,OO7 miles. AT this time all the
contestants retired from the track for a
orlet rest and rundown for the finish in
good form at the conclusion of the race,
an hour later.
me slX-day race was ended at 1915
O'Clock tonight, thirty-nine minutes ahead
VI ume. 1t was obvious that the men
GouId not change their relative positions
riding longer, and the management
concluded TO call the race at an end, in
stead OF riding through until 1854.
Inc contestants were all on the track
@Cepl Glmm, who retired at D. M. and
4u not return. The final score was as
follows:
Miller, 2ls2 miles; Aaronson, 2,146; Fred
g Gs' 2,OSO mics, laps Hale 2,Os2 miles;
9 ,,nn' 1850; Nawn, 2012 miles, 2 laps;
z aaoerts' 1928 miles, 2 laps; Balnaby, L.
~ miles, Z laps; Pilkington, 1,729 miles:
lawson. .635 mills 4 -nns MINI ~,