The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-16
IT WAS A CLOSE SHAVE
The Canadian Team But a Wheel q
Length Behind.
THE FRENCH RIDERS IN THE THIRD PLACE
Twenty Thousand People Witnessed the Des-
perate Struggle al the Finish. Elkes and
Mcfarland Get $500 in Cash
and Worlds Championship.
lBy the Associated Prcss.l

New York, Dec. 15.-Nearly twenty
thousand people damned into every
available corner of the great Madison
Square Garden saw Harry Elkes, Of Clens
Falls, N. Y. and Floyd Mcfarland, of
San Jose, Cal, the American team, win
by wheels length from Burns Pierce,
Of Boston, and Archie McEachern, of To-
ronto, the Canadian team. Caesar Simar,
of Paris, and Jean Gougoltz, of Monte
Carlo the French team, were third of
a lap away. The distance covered by
the winners was 2,62S miles and laps,
this being 104 miles and laps behind
the record of Miller and Waller made last
year Karl Kaser and Fritz Ryser, of Ber-
lin, the German team, were given fourth
place with 2.586 miles and laps to their
credit, they having retired from the track
about two hours before the close of the
race, being satisfied that they could not
possibly cover the AZ miles and three laps
that lay between them and the leading
team. Michael Frederick, of Paris, and
Jean Fischer, of Paris, took fifth place
with 1882 miles. They drew out at
It
and W. c. Stinson, of Boston, gave up
just before three o'clock this morning,
content with sixth position and their g.,
30S miles and one lap. O. V. Babcock of
New York, and Louis Gimm of Pittsburg,
who after the accidents to their part
ners, rode on for an individual score,
were requested by the management to
withdraw from the track this afternoon.
Babcock was then at 1850 miles and one
lap, six miles ahead of Gimm.
From fourteen starters the race had
narrowed down to three contestants for
the final squirt at the close
There were but four teams on the track
when the crowds began to pack the ga
den tonight BY s o'clock the main floor
seats and first balcony were black with
people, massed there and along the rail-
ing of the ring in the centre Nearly
twenty thousand people were packed in
side the great building. In the vast crowd
the riders had hosts of friends.
The foreigners received lots of en-
couragement 1t was American, French,
Canadian and German, one against the
other. Every jump of a rider brought the
great crowd of people to their feet, shout
ing and cheering themselves hoarse in
the excitement.
The men were chasing one another
around the boards, seemingly as fresh
|~as on the day they started the race, none
daring to try to squirt for fear of firing
himself for the final lap.
Three minutes before the hour of the
close of the race the pistol announced
time for the final effort. The three couples
were riding closely punched. Gougoltz
was first to shoot out ahead. He set
terrific pace. Mcfarland was but
wheel behind the Frenchman, and almost
scraping his rear wheel was Pierce In
this position the three kept hurricane
pace for the last mile. When the gong
sounded the end of the eighth lap, Pierce
made desperate effort to squirt ahead of
Mcfarland. He was unsuccessful. al
though he closed up the gap slightly.
Gougoltz was gradually being overhauled
inch by inch On the last lap Mcfarland
crept ahead with Pierce after him. and
the two of them passed over the tape in
thatmorder the Frenchman but fraction
OF second behind in the spring, but a
lap behind in the race. There was no
holding the great crowd and the people
howled themselves hoarse during the
final spirited sprint jumping to their feet,
waving hats, coats-anything the men
could get their hands on. while the women
franticallv waved their handkerchiefs
The three men continued riding around the
ring amidst the greatest excitement.
Elkes and Mcfarland get $1,000 in cash
and the worlds championship; Pierce
and McEachern get $1,000; Simar and
Gougultz $500; Kaser and Ryser, $500;
Fisher and Frederick, $500; Waller and
Stinson. $3.50; Babcock and Aaronson,
$3.50, in all s450O. In addition to this
considerable sum will be distributed as