Evening star., 1901-06-28
MANY RECORDS BROKEN
ROSS DEFEATED BY wALTHOUR IN
FAST TIME.
Twenty-Five Miles Covered in 3S:33 2-5
teresting Event by Police.

That the track at the Coliseum is the
fastest in America, If not the fastest in
the world. was never more clearly demon
strated than last night, when Bobbie Walt
hour, champion Of the south, defeated Ar
thur W. Ross the BrOckton lad. In a
twenty-five-aile motor-paced race, break
ing five worlds records, and Clarence
Miller the speedy local amateur, lowered
the track record. in the presence of nearly
25OO spectators. Walthour covered the
twenty-five miles in the remarkable time
of 1888 70. He rode the last mile of the
race in 1.26 4-5. His time for the twenty
five miles is the fastest time ever made for
this distance on any track. He also estab-
lished new records for the ten, fifteen and
twenty miles on six-lap track, which are
likely to stand untouched for some time.
He covered the five miles in sly, the ten
miles IN 1906 and fifteen miles in 23.3o-
Miller established a new track record for a
mile in competition, riding the distance In
2.05 Is in the mile handicap, riding from
scratch against field of seven riders.
The feat of WaithOur last night is con-
sidered remarkable. while the race itself
was one OF the most sensational ever wit
messed in America The southerner Tapped
Ross five times-in the sixteenth, nine
teenth twentieth, twenty-fourth and twen-
ty-fifth miles.
At the crack Of the pistol Ross was the
first to get off. and after striking the first
turn both riders jumped and took their po-
eitiOnS behind their motors. Ross caught
his machine first and cIung to the pole,
with Wahhour a short distance in the
rear. Ross held the pole for the first two
miles, when WalthOur took the lead. One
of the features of the race was the mag
nifcent spectacle presented when the two
big machines. with the riders trailing be-
hind, passed each other on the turns. Then
again the two teams would be neck and
neck coming down the home stretch, fight
Ing to pass each other when the next turn
was reached. 1t is a sight which is seldom
witnessed IN race Of this kind, and every
time the two teams fought to pass each
other the crowds went wild. Throughout
the entire race the spectators stood up on
the chairs in the grand stand and cheered
the riders on.
Walthour has been the dread of all mid
dIe-distance riders and the fact alone that
these two riders were matched attracted
all the more interest The conditions for
a good race were all that could be desired,
and the lighting Of the track was perfect.
Not hitch occurred throughout the en-
tire race, and the event proved TO be the
most interesting ever presented at the To-
cal track. In the audience were many rep
resentative citizens of Washington, who
occupied boxes along the side of the track
On the fourth mile Ross again took the
lead. and held 1t for the mile. when Walt
hour made a tremendous burst of speed
and held the lead for two miles. In the
seventh mile Ross jumped to the front
again and held the pole for mile. Walt
HOuT tneN Indue MS HTdl TuSn anu look lle
lead in the eighth mile. and from that time
on the southerner rode through the re-
mainder Of the race as he never rode be-
fore. He kept the lead to the finish of the
race. and passed his opponent five times
from that time to the end.
The riding of Ross is also considered re-
markable. and had another rider but Walt
hour been his opponent he would undoubt-
edly have come off victor. The pace set
by Walthour was too hot however, and
the little rider could not prevent him from
tapping him. He put up wonderful race.
and is deserving of unlimited praise.
The following is table of the Walthour-
Ross race.