New-York tribune., 1906-12-15

The six-day bicycle race in Madison Square
Garden has degenereted into something OF a
farce. Eight teams Were tied for the lead' WIN
little prospect OF the four other teams re-
gaining lost ground The pace was so $40" most
OF tho day that the riders kept dropping fur
and further behind the record. and "hat niue III
terest was left in the race centred In the occa-
sional haif-hearted sprints or Nsi'hour anu
Bedel or Breton and Samuelson.
shortly before l O'Clock this morning the Of
ac,s,s announced that Stol and Vanderstuyft
woul6 ouit the track at . O'Clock. The an
,.ounceraent was great disappointment 10 the
many friends the plucky foreigners have MADE
during the race.
Between 10 and il O'Clock last night there
Was a wild sprint, in which Nanderstuyft ana
6tol and Calvin and Wiley. were Tapped. Van
derstuyft was in bad condition from his fall
early IN the morning, and Stol was unable TO
follow the fast pace without some assistance
from his partner The crowd cheered wildly
while the sprint was on.
The riders became so dissatisfied early in the
Say that they went strike TO all practical
purposes and pedalled around at the base of
the track They objected to c H. Bloencke one
of the referees. who on duty during the
night and made the ruling depriving Walthour,
Rutt and Downey of the lap they claimed TO
have gained Bloencke Is the proprietor of the
vsilsburg track, AT Newark.
When Pat Powers. the promoter of the race
was appealed 20 he made the following state
fnent:
We have competent referees and have every
confidence in them. They We're appointed by
the National Cycling Association and they are
good men. If l We're to go into the reterees
box there would Immediately be shoul llal
Z was fixing things. I have known bloencke
for long time and he is a man OF reputation
This did not satisfy the men. end they left
the track and said that they would not go back
.,nless they were assured that the rule regarding
,sns Iegitirnately gained was 10 be interpreted
fairly. They were off for some time. but hhailE
went back and settled down 10 a slow pace OF
hardly more than ten miles an hour
Late In the evening all Of the riders signed the
following statement;
We the undersigned riders in the siX-day race
in Madison Square Garden, in Justlce 10 our our
selves as representative riders and sportsmen,
owing TO the reports that have been circulated
as TO our honesty and the honesty of the ON
cials and the management OF the race Wlsh 10
state that think the criticisms have been
absolutely unjust and unfair TO all concerned
We ourselves are liable to make mistakes or
err in our judgment just as are the ofncials
and the management, but the honesty of pur-
pose is unquestionable The uniform conditions
and capahilities Of the contestants, coupled with
patches of hard luck, are responsible for the
fact that no laps have been gained. We are
one and all Of us trying and VIII continue TO
try TO the end
In the early hours yesterday morning there
was a spill in which VsnderstUyft and Hopper
were so badly bruised that the stopped
for more than an hour. The weary grind had
hardly begun again. however, when Walthour
and Bedell. smarting under a decision rendered
hour earlier when a spill robbed them Of a
lap that they had nearly won. started out at a
mad pace that kept all the riders bent over
their handlebars 10 do their best and kept the
spectators in a continual roar Of cheers and
excitement. Believing each other ar every few
laps, Walthour and Bedei kept going at their
best pace and forced the other riders TO call
on their partners for help and relief
. Leon Georget and Stol, whose partners had
been hurt In the spill at a. m, the only
r1oers who could not get relief. and they had
no bear the brunt OF the fight for their teams 1t
vas killing work. and they finally Jagged to
such an extent that il thought they had
lost lap. when the sprint. after continuing for
sixteen minutes was suspended. The score
however, when il was hung out O'Clock
Showed change.
Vsnderstuyft and Hopper reappeared on the
Ghck between and Z o'clock. within few
knoments Of each other and trailed the other
riders. They able 10 keep up with the
others. for by O'Clock the race had deveIoped
INTO a procession, due. IL was SAID IN a number
OF the training camps, 20 an agreement of the
Contestants.
Arm in arm. members Of rival teams SLOWLY
pedalled along the level floor at the base of the
"bowl," reading the morning papers and ioking
with each other
In the only sensational sprint Of the afternoon
ehorty after 3 O'Clock. Moran got an ugly fall
eno almost went over the top Of the steep
banked track He clung 10 the railing how
ever, until his trainer ran TO his assistance