The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1899-01-19
TuMBLlNe CYCLE RECORDS.
1881 AS is the Mark and the Poor Hors,
Is Badly Left.


the horse was monarch in New York
its silent steel frame contemporary
the wheel, was monarch in Philadel
phia, and succeeded in establishing
some records for time which throw all
past performances of trotters and run
ners into total eclipse. Indeed. the
surprising exhibitions of Major"
Taylor, crack colored bicyclist. n,
the Wooodside track in Philadelphia
have opened the eyes Of wheelmep
as well as of horsemen. Taylor lower
ed the paced records for quarter of q
mile, one-third of mile, half mile
three quarters of mile and one mile
respectively, and some Of his feats
were accomplished under circumstan
ces which probably would have dis.
couraged many other riders with a
reputation for high speed.
Taylor, paced by quintuplet ma
chimes, clipped three-fifths of second
from the one-mile paced record of
Taylore, Frenchman, making the
new record 1882. On the same dav
the best time for half mile, 4S sec
onds, made some time ago by Windle.
was reduced by Taylor to As As sec.
onds, and later to 45 3-5. Taylor
brought down the record for one.
third of mile from 30 1-5 seconds to
~ 40 seconds, the slower time having
been made by Windel three years ago
ON the day following, Taylor sur
ter-mile, one-third mile, half-mile,
tlrpn- a 1.tarc nd
passed all previous trials for the quar-.
In his first attempt he reached the
half-mile mark in As 2-5 seconds, one
fifth of a second under the best for.
mer time; and the record for three
quarters, which he had previously
been unable to lower, he reduced Is
seconds, making the new time Los AS.
The mile was finished in 1:32. exactly
the same time for that distance as
the same rider had made three davs
before. On the second trial that day
Taylor covered the first quarter one
fifth of second under the record: at
one third he maintained the same adj
vantage; at one-half he was tied with
his former record of 40 % seconds at
ond under his own record, and at
three-quarters he had occupied min.
ute and 8 3-5 seconds, or one-fifth of
second under the record.
But Taylor's remarkable perform.
ances eQualled his effort when. com
PEELED to exert himself to the utmost
because Of faulty pacing, he smashed
hic r,i1a - . .I,a
ening the time for that distance by
one-ffth of n second and thus estab.
fishing as his new time 1 81 As. Soon
after his new one-mile victory he
sought to lower the figures for three.
quarters of a mile and was able to
clip one-fifth Of a second from his OWL
fast time of the day before, making
the new figures los 2-5. In the same
trial the half-mile stretch was covered
in As 1-5 seconds, one-fifth of sec.
ond ahead of his best previous time.
and 2 As seconds ahead of the record
held by Windle.
1t Is worthy of notice that Taylor's
achievements were made in almost
continuous riding, very little time hav.
ing been devoted to rest. In that re.
spect, as in respect to the number of
excellent records established, hts per.
fOrmance will arouse the admiration
Of the racing men all over the world.
What will doubtless startle the cycl-
ing fraternity, however, more than
anything else is the fact that four
fifths of a second has been struck
from the old record for one mile, and
further evidence has been given that
ere long 80 will be easily within
the wheels possibilities. 1t can
scarcely be expected that the one
mile figures will show so great a drop
correspOndingly as has been shown
since September, 1897. In that month
]. w. Stocks rode a mile at the Crvs-
tai Palace, London, in l minute 35 %
seconds. 1t was that performance
which exhibited the wheel as speedier
by one-tenth of second than the
horse.
When, two or three years ago, w.
w. Hamilton rode mile at Coronado,
Cal, in 1:39 1-5, it was thought that
the bicycle had attained an astonish-
IlIS SDttu. ~ ltlic oNtT IL year utter
ward Hamilton's record was lowered
almost a second by McDuffee, and in
about n week after the latters ride
]. Platt Belts, an English scorcher,
made the time 1: :37 2-5. 1t was thought
by some when Stocks knocked two
seconds from the best previous time
that the one-mile paced bicycle cham
pionship might remain for some time
on the other side of the water. For.
tune decreed otherwise, however, and
now our English flyers will have to
bestir themselves if they hope to re.
gain past honors.
A little more than a year ago 80
was the mark for ambitious cyclists,
Now it is 1.30. In the race against
time the poor horse appears to be
further behind than ever.
Longest Hair in the World.
The woman who possesses the long
est head of hair in the world is said