The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-06
RIDERS PUNCHED AT FINISH
TEN coNTEsTANTsoNLY INCHES
APART.
Fournier's "InfernaT" Tandem Does
a Third of Mile at a 1898 As
Clip-Exciting Events at
San Jose.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SAN JOSE, March 5.-John Lawson
of Chicago, known as the Terrible
Swede," won the great long distance
race here this afternoon by a narrow
margin, and thousands of threats
cheered him and thousands of eyes saw
him to it. Not only did he win 1t. but
in so doing he established a new
worlds record for 100 miles of hours
"a minutes and 80 seconds, the best pre-
vious mark being 4:40.
The cycle meet. which commenced
here yesterday, was continued tod w
befo~n an immense audience. remind
ing one Of the halcyon days of cycling
in 1867, when the Garden City Club
had to enlarge it's grandstands after
every meet to accommodate the IN
creasing crowds. 1t augers we'll for
the season of 1899, and the club here
is quite pleased in consequence.
The principal event on to-day's pro-
gramme was the 100-mile race between
all the long distance cracks who have
recently been competing in San Fran
csico. Added interest was given the
race because Charley" Wells, the big
Bay City rider, started, and considering
that this was his first long distance
race he did phenomenally we'll. A spe-
cial prize had been offered by the man
agement for the man leading the most
number of laps, and Wells won it, head
ing the bunch eighty-seven times,
against Barnaby's seventy and Fred
ericks' forty-seven. Wells finished the
race in sixth position. At one time, on
the forty-fourth mile, it looked as il
he would gain a lap and thereby win,
as no one could hope to regain 1t on
him. An amateur sprint race was on,
and as the men flew by the hundred
milers on the last lap, Wells, who was
leading the long distance men, tackled
on behind the sprinters and by follow
ing them gained half a lap on his OPP
ponentS. The sprint race ended then,
however, and as he had no one to pace
him further the bunch soon caught UP
again and he was back in his old posi-
ton.
The starters in the big race were
Nawn, Stevens, Goodman, Chapman,
Glen Turville, Charles Turville, Barna-
by, Wells, John Lawson, liver Lawson,
Pilkington, F'redericks, Ashinger, Aron-
son and Julius, fifteen in all. They
were sent away at 1:20 p. m. Ashinger
and Aronson dropped out at eleven
miles on account of the killing pace,
and Pilkington lost lap on the nine
teenth mile from the same cause. Glen
Turville lost two laps on the thirty
fifth and then quit, and spent the re-
mainder of the afternoon on the front
seat of Fourniers internal machine.
liver Lawson and Fredericks gave it up
at siXty-tive miles, and the remaining
ten finished the race.
The finish was wildly exciting, the
ten men all being punched on the last
lap Barnaby and Chapman were in
front and started the sprint. Barnaby
rode wide to let his team mate, Chap
man, through to win, but it also let
Lawson through, and the sturdy Swede
beat out the Georgian by less than a
foot right at the tape. The order at the
finish was: Lawson, Chapman, Good
man, Stevens, Charles Turville, Wells,
julius, Barnaby, Nawn and Pilkington
and they all finished within inches Of
each other.
The following table shows the leaders
at the intermediate miles and the time
made: