The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-24
MADE TWO RECORDS
COLISEUM TIME NOW WITHIN ONE
SECOND OF WORLDS RECORD.
NELSON DID THE WORK
IN TWO FASTEST RACES EVER RID
DEN ON SAVANNAH TRACK.


BefOre-FinaI Heat, in Which He
Defeated Gus Lawson, Ridden i'm
7:1I-NeIsOn Holder of worlds
Record Made on Philadelphia
Track-LaVvson Handicapped by 81
Slow MOtOr-On the white Ghost"
Though, Lawson Rode Mile That
Was IA CONCENTRATIONS and Law
son Race Tuesday Night.
Joe Nelson, the boy-wonder cyclist,
reached Savannah yesterday morning,
and last night, in the Coliseum, made
good his claim to that title, so far as
Savannahians are concerned, by
smashing the track record in the first
race and clipping the new record by
several seconds in the second race
when he rode five miles in I'll. but one
second slower than the worlds record
for that distance on a coliseum track.
The races were far and away the
best that have ever been put on at the
Coliseum and as, for a wonder, Prince
didn't bring rain with him, there was
an attendance of 1000 or more people.
The great majority of them occupied
the grandstand and expressed their
hearty approval of each event by lus-
tily cheering the winner.
The card consisted of four races,
motor-paced, and a mile exhibition
motor race. The first and the second
race were each five-mile heats, of
which the second men met in the third
heat and the winners in the fourth. In
the first heat the entries were Joe Nell
son, paced by Bennett, and Topsie Tur-
vile, paced by Callahan.
Made Fine Start.
The men made a beautiful start,
crossing the line together, with Tur-
Vile at the pole, but Nelson at once
cut out a pace that the other chap
couldn't follow, passed Turville before
a quarter of a lap had been ridden, and
by the end of the first mile, was half
a lap to the good and gaining every
second. At the second mile Nelson was
a lap to the good at the end of the
third mile, two; passed Turville again
in the second lap the fifth mile and
was still another three quarters to the
good when the finish was made. Mel
sons time was 7:13 lis. SO AS sec
onds better than the former record of
the track.
In the second race the entries were
Gus Lawson, paced by Bennett; Jay
Eaton, paced by Callahan, and Harry
Beckett, paced by Turville. Beckett
got off a little ahead of the other
men and rode we'll, but was outclass-
ed, at least by Lawson, for Gus cut
out a pace that carried him to and
past Beckett by the end of the second
lap. Eaton followed Lawson closely
for the first two miles, but in the third
he lost his machine, apparently to
avoid a collision with Beckett, and by
so doing allowed the little Swede to
get half a lap ahead.
This distance Lawson steadily in
creased until he passed Eaton in the
sixth lap of the fourth mile. Eaton
then lost his pace again and didn't
seem particularly anxious to continue
the race anyhow, for he took his time
around the track, while both Beckett
and Lawson rode around him for lap
after lap, Beckett gaining back several
laps that he had lost to Eaton in the
first three miles. Lawson won the race
easily in 1921 2-5 and Beckett came
in second
Beckett, paced by Callahan. and Tur-
Vile, by Bennett, rode the third race
to settle the ownership of third and
fourth money. Turville won easily,
passing Beckett on the fourth lap of
the very first mile and continuing to
gain until the end of the race, which
was finished in 7:44 20
The Race of the Evening.
Then came the race of the evening,
the final between Nelson and Lawson.
Nelson had his PAGER. Bennett. on the
white Ghost" as his pacing machine
is named, while Lawson was paced by
Turville. Lawson had the good wishes
of the crowd. for his riding since he
came here has made him a decided ia
vorjte, but after Nelson's performance
in the first heat, the opinion was that
Gus would have to ride as he hasn't
ridden here vet if he was TO win.
The white Ghost is well-named.
Though a little noisy for a ghost. it
nevertheless fed around the big ring
like a shadow and Nelson stuck behind
it as though glued there. The pace was
terrific from the very start. vet every
time Bennett said Come on; I'm going
to turn her loose the answer was
Go ahead"
The start was pretty even. but Nell
son at once set out to get to the front
He did it. Also he stayed there COR the
whole of the race with never a time
dangerous. He gained a lap on the
Terrible Swede" in the sixth lap of
the second mile and yet another IN the
sixth lap of the fifth mile. and finished
i'll i'll, within one second of the world s
record for such track. This record.
by the way, Nelson also holds. having
made it recently on the Philadelphia
track.
Though Nelson won handily. it was
not through any poor riding on the
part of Lawson. The trouble lay in the
fact that his motor wasn't as fast as
was the white Ghost" During the en-
tire race Lawson kept steadily behind
his machine and kept calling for more
and more speed. 1t wasn't there 10 be
had. Topsie turned on all the rover
the machine was capable of and there
was then nothing to do but hang on,
''cuss" the motor and follow the pace.
Lawson Went Mile in I;17.
In the finale of the entertainment
Lawson gave the people a taste of the
sort of thing that gave him his name of
Terrible Swede." Mounted on the
white Ghost he cut out pace that
fairly made the spectators hold their
breath and wonder what would happen
if anything should go wrong with
either rider or motor.
Hanging low over the handle bars.
his teeth gritted and his eyes glued to
the track only far enough in front of
him to allow the proper allowance for
the curves. Lawson turned the speed
on and seemed fairly To fly When he
had finished the mile. which he did in
liz, the people gave a gasp Bf relief
Prince announced that there will be
no more races until Tuesday. when the
star attraction viii be contest be-