The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-18

Judging from the attendance at the
Salt Palace races last night public in
terest in the sport is still at white heat.
Four thousand people crowded into the
big amphitheatre and although packed
like figs in a crate they sat through
the entire programme and seemed to
enjoy it jus. as much as on the open
ing night when 1t was all new to them.
But there is no doubt about it, there
was a great falling off in the quality of
the sport last night. There were only
two exciting finishes in the whole even
ing: the time in almost every event
was dreadfully slow, and more than all
there was no band in attendance.
Nobody quite realized how much
Johnny Held and his fellow musicians
added 10 the pleasure of the races until
last evening. when they weren't there
A vast, lonesome silence hung over the
arena between heats, with nothing 10
enliVen matters. Not even Josh Davis
and his wheel could work the specta-
tors up TO the hilarious humor that has
possessed them at previous meets. They
needed something more inSpirited than
Jcsh's antics; they wanted that OPP
pressive silence dispelled. 1t was not at
all the jovial, shouting crowd of a week
ago, ready TO laugh at anything and to
roar over the IllSn OF every race.
Team Work of Amateurs.
a little bit of team work by Meakin
and Eddie Smith, too, was an unpleas-
ant feature. So easily are these two
the best of the amateur class that they
can pick the prizes in the list which
they wish to win and ride fast or slow
enough to get jusC those prizes and no
others. This they did in the two anna
teur races of the evening. and did 1t
with such disgusting ease that the
whole interest of the two races was
lost. Meakin did not even try to make
a ride at the finish of the mile handi-
cap, but finished at Smiths rear wheel,
where he had chung after passing the
bunch. In the two-mile open the two
made 4 hippodrome of it, having the
grace at the end to brighten it up with
pretty finish, but not such a one that
there was any doubt of the result
Guthrie Takes Novice.
The mile novice WIS a good race for
six laps. J. w. Guthrie, r. Russell, P.
E PapWorth and ]. Munson were the
entries. Russell paced for a couple of
laps and then Guthrie had a turn.
Papworth showed uD in front for two
laps, and at the beginning of the sew
enth they all hOated up 10 the top of
[ the track and let Munson slip in on
the pole He had not a bit of sprint |
I.
fifty feet Guthrie had shot around him
and made a runaway OF it. Munson was
a bad second, with Russell third. Time
-2:2l.
The mile invitation handicap, profess !
sional was run over a protest filed by |
Tod Game. The invitation events here I
tofore have been confined to Utah rid |
ers. but as but four local men entered |
the outside riders We're permitted TO |
. compete. Turville and Chapman, from I
scratch. hauled down the bunch in the /
first three laps, all save Edmunds. The |
youngster, starting from the 120-yard |
mark. passed Brazier $50 yards) in the !
first two laps, and when the sprint came |
on the sixth lap he had a line position /
to the fore. Chapman, as usual. sprint /
ed out and took the race, Edmunds TAX !
ing second by a half wheel over Caine. /
who nearly caught him at the finish |
line. Julius made very poor showing,
being passed by nearly every man in
the race. Turville was boxed when the
sprint began. and could not get out.
Time-2:02 %, the fastest of the even
ing.
How Meakin and Smith Worked Il.
j. was in the mile amateur handicap
that Meakin and Eddie Smith got in
heir first bit of team work. They were
on scratch. and on the first lap they
passed \. W. Smith (45 YARDS and T.
r. l. -
ews (55 YARDS and J. Munson Goo
YARDS were hauled down in the next
lap and then Meakin and Smith got in
behind Munson and took his pace to the 4
seventh lap. Eddie Smith started the
sprint on the seventh and after him
came Meakin. Papworth and Matthews
came up with "A rush behind. but Pap
worth Rugged Neakin's wheel too close
on the turn into the last lap and got
fall into the ditch. taking Matthews
with him. Then Eddie Smith Gnd Mea-
kin warmed il up for a few yards to
shake off y. W. Smith, and finished rs
they pleased. Meallin making no at
tempt to sprint over the tape. Time
PIG. +
The professional lap race was the
nearest thing 10 a complete fake that
the track has seen. Chapman started
toe high and caught his pedal on The
turn, smashing his rear wheel in the
fall but coming out unscathed. He
took Emery down with him. but En-
cry mounted and went after the others
Meanwhile Tod Game had started
beautiful sprint, and he won the first
four laps easily. Having thereby earned
500 he was satisfied. and sat up, letting
Turville take the next four and the
race. TmVille's time was 2:06 3-5. Jul
ius dropped out after the second lap
Papworth's Game Race.
9aDNotln met the same misfortune d,
that Chapman had, in the two-mile
open amateur. He caught his pedal on
the first turn, but gamely mounted and !
went after the bunch. He nearly
caught them. but lost his wind and quit
on the mile. The race was easy for I
Meakin and Smith. They let H c.
Matthews tow them for most of the
distance and then on the final lap nit :
it up a bit and made a sensational ;
finish of it-a finish that was only !
spoiled because it was so palpably ar I
ranged for effect The two sprinted l
all the last lap, Meakin half wheel 2
ahead OF Smith. They maintained that
position scarcely varying asfoot all the
way around, and crossed the line as |
they had begun the sprint Matthews :
was many lengths behind. Time
/ 81 Is. +
Tandem Race Fast. Y
The tFree-mile tandem handicap was
a good fast race, where everybody rode b
hard all the time. Turvilie and Chap
man were on scratch, Game and Julius Z
at % yards. Emery and Brazier at $50
yards The scratch men could not do
much with the others on the first few