The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-01
RAIN SPOILED RACES
nit NOT BEFORE WALTHOUR HAD
BEATEN LAWSON ONE HEAT.
MORE THAN 2,oOO PEOPLE
CHEERED RIDERS As THEY SWEPT
AROUND THE BIG BOWL.

Crowd One of the Largest That Ever
Attended a Pay A1tractiOn-Grand md
stands So Packed That Further
Admission Was Refused - Only
Three Races Ridden Before Rain
stopped the ShOw-Two of the
Three-MiIe Heats Between jay
Eaton and "TOpsie" TurViIIe-Both
Won ny Eaton-WnIthOur and joe
Nelson to Ride Friday Night.
More than two thousand people, one
of the largest crowds that ever at
tended pay attraction in Savannah,
gathered at the Coliseum last night
to see Lawson and Bobby Walthour
ride a 5-mile, motor paced race in three
heats, and Topsie Turville and Jay
Eaton ride three heats of a S-mile
race. They saw one heat of the first
race. two of the second and then
shower came UP and cut short the re-
maihder of the programme.
With the first few drops of rain a
regular stampede occurred in the
grandstands. But few had umbrellas,
so their anxiety to get back to town
was but natural. The many cars in
waiting were packed in a few min
utes, and began the trip to the city,
bur long before town was reached, the
rain began coming in torrents, so that
but few of the passengers on the open
cars escaped without a wetting.
was the feature at the Coliseum.
Prince, who had expected a good at
tendance, prepared for it by building
ad additional grandstand, but he hadn't
counted on so large an attendance as
he really had, for both grandstands
were packed. and there were still hum
dreds in the arena. many of them be-
cause they couldn't get in the grand
stands.
All of the cars leaving the city be-
tween and o'clock were packed,
ladies' standing between the seats and
the running boards lined with men.
There being room for no more to even
hang on. the cars simply wouldn't stop,
though groups of would-be passengers
waited on almost every corner. Some
people even took the cars going in the
opposite direction in order to have seats
when they should finally turn and start
for the Coliseum.
The races were good, what there was
of them, but not so good as the ones
Tuesday night, for though Walthour
and Lawson rode well, the heavy,
damp air affected the motors so that
the best time Walthour could negotiate
the five miles in was 1886. He beat
Lawson a fraction over sixteenth of
a mile.
Lawson was paced by Bennett on the
fol
lowed Turville on the "Red Devil" The
men were started from opposite sides
of the track, in order. as Prince eX-
planned, to avoid danger. This took
away something of the excitement of
the race. Nevertheless, there was a
plenty of enthusiasm, and each man
was cheered and urged to init 1t up"
as he passed the grandstands. The
men were cheered equally, too, after
they had finished
Two heats of the Ia ton-Turville race
of miles were ridden Eaton being
paced by Bennett on the Ghost" and
Turville by Callahan on Red Devil"
Eaton rode better than he has ridden
in his former races. for he stuck close
to the machine and though every once
in a while Bennett would ask ANY
more the drawled answer was always
'ya-as." lie didn't lose his pace, either,
the good of Turville.
That was in the first of the heats,
which he won in 4:41 2-5. In the second
heat Eaton gained gradually on TUT
vile until the fifth lap of the third
mile, when he caught and passed him.
In the next lap Turville lost his pace,
and so finished away behind. This heat
was ridden in Abs.
1t was Immediately after this heat
fhaf he ,rafra hot
looked to be the best programme that
has yet been prepared for the Coliseum.
for Walthour, and Lawson were to ride
the second heat of their race, and even
a third, if it became necessary, while
Little Joe Nelson was slated to ride
an exhibition race of three miles.
Lawson changed his purple shirt to
an orange barred one for the second
heat of his race and was on the track
and circling it in good time warming
up When Walthour came out and saw
the scattering drops Bobby quickly told
Prince that ho didn't intend to risk
a broken neck by riding on wet track.
That settled it, for the crowd had al
ready begun to move, and so Prince
let 'em so without even making a
farewell spiel"
What promises to be the best race
of the season will be ridden Friday
fight out the right to hold several
worlds championships. It's going to
,be the race of the season, and Wal
-thour will have to sprint considerably
faster than he did last night, not 10
win, but even to come in a decent Sec
ond, for Nelson's race with Lawson
Tuesday night was won in time % sec
.onds faster than that made by Wal
thour last night
There are five other races slated for
this programme also, and among them
is the postponed heat between WalthouI
and Lawson, which win be ridden be-
fore the Georgia boy goes against Mel
son.
BY the time these races are pdlle1
off, Prince will have made a number
of improvements at the Coliseum, the
chief of which will be the addition OF
an entrance and exit at each end OF
the grandstands At present there is
but one to each grandstand. but the
crowd last night showed that others
are imperatively needed and so they