The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-11-19
WILL ride NO MORE.
Eddie M CD u IF e e
Knows MajorTaylor
is His Superior.
QUITS THE TRACK FOREVER.
By Way of Parthian Shot
Lays Claim to Worlds
Championship.
QUITS THE TRACK FOREVER.

Major Taylors claim to the sprint
records remain undisputed. Eddie Nc
Duffee, who spent several weeks try
ing to lower the marks which the Wor-
cester flyer put up, has given up the
task and will ride no more. He an
nounces that he has retired from the
bicycle track.
Taylor's supremacy was unquestioned
regardless of McDuffee's retirement,
for the Worcester cyclone proved be-
yond the shadow of doubt that he can
push wheel faster than McDuffee.
The latter had every opportunity
rider could have to beat Taylor's time
or set a mark which the latter could
not reach, but he was not able.
Everything was in his favor, while
the Worcester boy was under handi
cap. McDuffee had the faster motor
cycle, and he had it provided with win
shields. The speed of his machine was
shown by it's trial of I'm. II 2-5s., which
time Taylor's machine never reached.
Had it gone in that time, Taylor would
have been in ahead of it, as he was
when the machine turned the mile in
I'm. 19s.
Taylor's machine was a tickle piece
of mechanism which acted like a way
ward child. 1t seemed human in its
perversity. Taylor had to wait its
pleasure. He did so. He followed the
machine when it wasn't working well,
in the hopes that it would run along
smoothly and give him fast pace. His
manager, ]. H. Sager, tinkered with
the motor cycle as much as he could
to bring it into shape, and was finally
rewarded.
The Worcester whirlwind got all rec
ords up to the mile at Garfield park
track last week. The track is a half
mile in circumference and made of
asphalt.
Taylor has been there for several
weeks waiting the greater part of the
time for his machine to work properly.
He intended to try for the records at
Indianapolis, but hearing McDuffee
was at Garfield park track, he deter
mined to beat the Boston man before
his very eyes.
McDuffees bump of conceit under
went a remarkable swelling when -
reached the Chicago track, and saw
that it was good one for bicycle rid
ing. He wrote to Boston, saying that
it was no wonder Taylor could go fast
on that track. McDuffee might add
postscript to his letter now particular
izing the speed at which Taylor can
go.
Taylor first went after the records
without wind shields and made the
quarter mile mark of 20 seconds with
out them. He made a mark of 4 sec
onnds for a half mile without any pro-
lection from shields, but McDuffee
went him 3-5 seconds better by using
shields. McDuffee has announced sew
eral days before that he would hence
forth ride without wind shields, but his
trials showed that he never could touch
Taylor, and he went back to their use.
AS Taylor never got any credit for his
marks without shields, when McDuffee,
with shields, went a fraction of a Sec
ond faster, Taylor determined to ride
under the same conditions as McDuf-
fee, and he put on the wind shields. He
went so fast that McDuffee threw up
his task in disgust, McDuffee had a
quarrel with his pacemakers Tech"
Hammond and Billy Saunders, the
reason for which has not developed.
Major Taylor got the mile record of
I'M 1885,, Wednesday afternoon. The
successful trial showed his pluck and
his confidence. He had made two un-
successful trials for the mark earlier
in the day His riding has attracted
great attention in Chicago, and despite
the repeated failures of his motor
cycle to work properly, about 200 peo-
pie witnessed the successful trial. The
mot$, was manned by Louis Gebaud
stee@ng, and c. H. Cheney as en>
gineer.
The first trial was made early in the
afternoon, and the mile was done in
I'm. 30s., Taylor hanging to the machine
easily and calling for more pace. But
the machine could not be sent faster,
and the slow time resulted. A little
later he tried again, and the machine
showed considerable improvement. The
figures were I'm. 26 2-5s., the last half
being in Al 2-5s.
Manager Sager was assured that the
machine could be sent along as fast
as I'm. 20c., and Taylor determined to
ride. He was given vigorous rub
down. and came out to make new
worlds record. With the motorcy-
Gle working nicely, Taylor went around
the track once to test the machine. The