Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-27
Fixes Again Tried to Break the Hour
Cycling Record.
SFBEPLECRASER KILLED AT BENNING
Princeton's Sensational Defeat Of
Yale.
CURRENT SPORTING NEWS

Harry D. Elkes of Glens Falls, N. Y, the
champion middle-distance bicycle rider of
the country, made another attempt yester-
day afternoon on the third-of-a mile track
of the International Athletic Park on the
Conduit road. and though there was every
prospect that the record could be broken,
the attempt failed at the end of the nine
teenth mile, owing to a chain breaking on
the big double-motor pacing tripiet. The
weather was ideal for the ride. The at
tempt was witnessed by, gathering of
several hundred local cyclists, all of whom
took a great interest in the proceedings.
Elkes was riding in great form, keeping
up a steady average. and though for the
distance covered he did not break any of
his records, the steady rate of his speed
was almost practical guarantee of the
breaking of the record, barring accidents
of any sort.
Two attempts were really made, and both
failed on account of accidents to the pacing
machine The machine was steered by the
veteran rider, Austin Crooks with Four
nier. the Frenchman and inventor, working
the machinery, and Moshier holding up The
rear. The first attempt was started few
minutes after 3 o'clock, and after five
miles of steady riding the gear of the trip
let became disarranged.
The second attempt was made about half
an hour later. The pacing machine worked
ceedingly we'll AT no time was his wheel
more than six inches from the rear tire of
the big machine IN front The nineteenth
mile was passed and the rider was just one
fifth of a second over half a minute behind
his record. though riding easily, when on the
first lap of the twentieth mile, there was
a loud snap. followed by creaking, grind
ing noise, the chain on the triplet broke,
and simultaneously ElkeS' wheel darted
from behind The men on the big machine
were not thrown. managing to keep the
thing upright, while the power in the mo-
tors was being turned off as rapidly as
could be under the circumstances. The
tripet completed a lap after the accident
before 1t could be stopped.
F. keS ives taken into the dressing room
and attended to and the pacing machine
was led around the track to the quarters
1t too late in the day to make another
attempt, and many expressions of regret
over the accident were heard
An admirable system of timing and scor-
ing was arranged. The timers were Messrs
jose, Foley. Duffy and Byrnes, while
Messrs. Fitzgerald, Murray, Herman and
Johnson acted scorers. The time for
each third of a milo was taken in books
prepared for the purpose. The time for each
mile was figured Outyas soon as three cir
cults Were completed, and the result was
given to the pacing team, the time being
painted on big pasteboard cards in large
figures. In this mannerNan equal rate of
speed was maintained during the entire
tiE:.e.
The average rate per mile made by Elkes
was 1.37. The ride was|managed by his
father, w A. Fixes, and if the schedu e
had been carried out on the same lines the
record would have been broken. The Amer
lean record for the hour is 36 miles T4I
yards, while the world record is &c miles
LIN yards. The former is held by Fixes
and was made October 10 at Berkeley Oval
N Y, while the world record is held by
Edouard Taylore, the French rider who
perfoTmedzthe feat the past summer in
France.
The schedule under which EIkes rode
called for an even rate of speed for two
thirds of the time between 137 and l3S
for the mile. After fifty minutes he was to
have been pushed harder. AT an average
rate Of LBS mile the rider could have
covered thrty-six and two-thirds miles in
the hour. AT an average of l.3T for each
mile the distance for the hour would be
thirty-seven and One-nnth miles. Elkes
seems to feel confident that he can make
thirty-seven or thirty -eight miles on the
local track, with a possibility of doing bet
ter
His ride> yesterday was conducted quite
differently from his ride at Berkeley Oval
when he established the new American rec
ord. In that ride he went after the rec
ora from the start, covering the first miles
In loo while toward the end the time went
10 ! and,