The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-15
POLICE EYE on BIKE RACE.
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER THERE
TO SIZE 1T ar.
pain Clothes Wen Busy and Crooks and
Graft Games Arc Less. ActiVe-Bis
Crowd Despite Noisome Surroundings
Riders Deny There Is Any COIIusiOn.
TIE scoRs AT 1 O'CLOCK.

Downey and Moran. coincidence. 1900 y
Macdonald ana COfey :. .....s....... 1000 0
Melting and Logan. .,............ 1900 y
Hopper and Dow ming, ..,....s.. o.. 1890 y
Rutt and mcfarland D.. zee. .......... 1907 .
PNe and Clark ....,,..,s..., .. .lDBh .
oeofget ana Georget,., ..: '.'...'.'' p6o v
WalthOur and bedel .".'. ........... AGl \
Breton ana Samuelson.. ..,.,.....,. 1900 :
Calvin and Wiley. ..,... ......... .t..... 1850 S
Nanderstuyft and Stol. ...............l 1883 5
The six day bicycle race which started
in Madison Square Garden last Monday morn
ing will end tonight. During the week
twenty-four TO thirty riders have been plod-
ding around a track ten laps to the mile.
and thousands OF spectators have cheered
or hooted them az their performance merited.
The law Of the State will not allow a rider
20 race more than twelve hours a day. 40
racers are made up In teams Of two. and
each member OF a team IL supposed TO ride
only twelve hours. There Is no check on the
number of hours each man ridee. and IL IL a
fact that one member of a team will ride for
sixteen or eighteen hours each day and the
other member be reserved for the sprinting.
There ia little in a race OF this kind to APP
peal to the true sportsman, The one time
six day races when Howell and Littlewood
used to go as you please" and Charles Miller
could ride went y-four hours out OF the
twentv-four were tests of endurance. but now
the rules are such that the contest Is farcical.
The riders are only a means to draw a crowd,
and trading on the Successes of for m years
they have proved a good attraction and the
dollars have poured into the Golfers of the
managers. The Garden from the floor to
the gallery has been crowded each evening.
Crooks have gathered and piled their trade,
Yesterday afternoon. because Of the many
complaints that have been made about the
race, Deputy Commissioner Of Police Mathot.
at the request OF Commissioners Bingham,
visited the Garden and for half an hour
watched the riders. He declined to say
what he thought of il as a sport. but in the
evening several plain clothes men circulated
among the crowd and things were a little
more orderly than they had been. The
crap players and three card monte men
stopped their games and the members of the
light fingered brigade were kept out of tn
building as far Ar possible.
Manager Pat Powers IL Indignant over the
stories that have been circulated about the
race. The race is being run under the rules
Of the National cycling Association. he
says. and the chief referee here. II. r. KEEL
sey, is chairman Of the racing board, and
don't know Of a man better fitted TO referee
a race Of this kind.
There have been charges made that the
management is tayorinR some riders and dis-
eliminating against others. Such a charge
is a broad one. We have no interest in any
rider. Certain prizes have been on Tered and
will go to those who win them. and We say
may the best man win.
The rules of the National Cy cling Asso-
citation stop the race when q rider falls and il
a rider falls purposely to prevent anot ner
gaining a lap then that rider will be disquali-
fed ana such disqualification goes all over
the world. In "A race like this there are
always sorehsads who il they cannot win
kick at the rules, the management and every
thing else.
The race is a remarkable one At the
end Of the NTH day nine men are tied for
first place and II looks as If the result would
be in doubt until the last lap There is not
y rider in the race who does not know the
rules. and the referees have a hard task in
seeing that they are properly Interpreted.
1T is very difficult 70 say when a rider de-
liberately falls. rhev can fine a rider 500 If
the fall is through carelessness.
As far as the stOrleR Of crooks are CON
cerned, | know nothing Of them. In a crowd
like that which has been gathering in the
Garden il is impossible to keep them ont.
with the last twenty-fOur hours Of the race
begun eight out 81 me Twelve teams are tied
and another is three laps behind the leaders.
Last evening several If the riders tried to gain
a lap and win the $3.50 offered for the first
rider TO break the tie. Asa rider would dart
out TO the front the crowd would stand w
and howl and then give vent 10 grOans Of dis
appointment WufH nf Npllu ldil DICK IN inc
Waiihour and BedolI are the iavorites
and they are constantly ,Checred, II is not
thought, though, they will be able TO make
up their disadvantage, hut If they do il will
bn early this morning. Fogler is the most
unpopular rider because he was Unfortunate
enough to fall and spoil one of Walthour's
sprints. II il gets doNn to the final mile the
most favored are Root and Rutt.
The riders denv vehPmently that there is
any collision, and last night each man made
a statement that tho only kick was about ne
rules. Each man declared he intended to do
his utmost to win right .up TO the finish. The
distance made by the riders is far behind the
record. At 0 O'Clock last n tight. at the end
of the NTH hour. 1909 miles had been made
by tho leaders.
The record for that time is 1921 miles. made
in 1899. II is pointed OUT by those in charge
Of the race that this year much time has been
taken out each afternoon and evening for
sprint races. which, II properly accounted for.
would show that this years performance is
close 10 the record,
Inspector Mclaughlin was in the Garden
last night in charge of the detectives. He
said he intended to keep all crooks out of the
Garden and 10 stop the games OF chance.
shortly after lBo'clock Root and McFar-
land shot ont in front In another effort TO steal
q lap. Walthour was soon after them. and
for some minutas they went round the track
NJ top speed. Several changes were made
in the teams md when they stopped ridinr
Calvin and Wiley he'd lost another Ian and
were four laps behind the leaders. and the tie
Of nine for ttrst place had been broken, Stol
and Nanderstuvft having been tapped. This
left EIGHT tied for first pla GO. -
Walthour was paid 5000 10 ride in the race,
win or lose, That was his price, md he is TO
keep sprinting in an effort TO regain his LOST
lap in order TO attract the crowd. This is on
the authority Of a man prominent in the
management of the race. Tonight 81 will
he charged to witness the finish. and il IL
expected Walthour's attempted efforts will
prove a big drawing card.
Stol and Vanderstuyft at - 30 A.. VI. took
advantage Of the four hour rule and retired.
Both are badly used mp. lf at the end of four
hours they canno; go on'they will be out of
the race for good,
All dav Yesterday the riders toiled around
the ten Ian track. Occasionally they enliv-
ened things bv short spirits and then settled
down again to the slow monOtonous pace
that has attended so much Of this alleged
race, Three or four times during the day
a rider tried to gain a lap. and just when he
apparently had succeeded down would 90 one
Of the men who had been beaten and the
Efforts of the spTinter were of no avail. The
crowd would howl and shout fraud and the
look disRusted. Walthour was the sufferer
again, but WalthOur il only getting a dose Of
what he has given Others in previous races.
The first sprint and spill OF the day oc-
CURED shortly after ? O'Clock in the morning.
Johnnie BedPll started the fun by snrinting
lust AS Walthour, his partner. appeared on
the track 10 relieve him Bedell went out in
front and the Others followed In hot chase,
but Bedell gained. and II looked for a time
ns II he would he successful and make up the
lap his team has been behind since Monday.
FOgler was just behind Bedell, with Root
next. and then came NandeTstuyft. The
him 10 crash into an upright. Several riders
want HOUp in "a baan This aionnpd tho ra,a