Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-03
WEATHER FIEND
OF UNCLE SANS
CAUSES A FLUKE
DROPS RAIN AT 2, MAKES SUN
SHINE AT 2::30
MANAGEMENT BELIEVES WEALTH.
ER MAN AND PosTPoNEs
De Roster Offers to Race Eddie
Lineenfeder, Anyhow, but the
Latter's Machine Declared
Out of Fix
BY ID. W. EENTPLE

There was another fiuke at the Coli
scum yesterday. 1t may not be charged
up to the management for the weather
man was probably as much to blame
as any one else in the world, and his
work of the past week locally and in
the surrounding country has been of
the most despicable order, but at
o'clock yesterday afternoon Uncle
Sam's minion of the weather bureau
pulled the string and let down from
the heavily clouded skies few re-
minders of just the miserable kind OF
showers he has been indulging the
country with the past week, until the
management took a peek at the big
raindrops, and with keen knowledge
that racing in the rain was not of the
kind conducive to big gate receipts,
decided that it would be better to post
pone the events scheduled for the day
for another week, in the hope that a
week hence the weather prophet might
have reformed with the new year and
permit some of the glorious and ac-
customed sunshine to pour forth upon
riders and spectators.
The handsomely uniformed members
of the band were there to tickle the
ears of the waiting multitude. The
express wagons had hauled the silent
racing machines to the track. The
ticket sellers were ready to hand out
the pasteboards. The people began
to come in large numbers. But the
rain came, too, and Manager Kramer
announced that the races would be
postponed for another week.
That this was a mistake there can
be no doubt for such has been the ex-
citement worked up over the lOO-mhe
event among the five fastest motor
cycle riders, and especially the con-
tention that exists between JAKE De
Roster and Eddie Lingenfelder, that
the people fifteen minutes after the
announcement of the meets postpone
ment, that the street cars poured forth
their oVercrowded numbers until one
of the largest crowds of the season
was there even with their umbrellas
and rain coats, prepared to see the
daring riding of the men, whether II
poured down rain by the bucket.
Two o'clock was the hour set Tor
the races to begin, and when that
hour had arrived the three grand
stands were more than comfortably
filed. Notwithstanding the crowds ar
riving were turned back at the stop
ping of TIE cars and at the gates
with the announcement that the races
were off for the day. Fifteen minutes
delay upon the part of the manage
ment and the danger of rain would
of the biggest crowds of the season
would have witnessed the races
However, a conversation with JAKE
DE Roster found that plucky, nervy
rider ready to go on with the race
for the stakes in the hands OF the
stakeholder and permit the crowd TO
see the race without the payment OF
the entrance price. This proposition
was submitted to Eddie Lingenfelder,
who already had gone to his dressing
room and it was found that his racing
cars had left the grounds. rms was
true also of De Rosters machines, but
the Frenchman offered to send 1of
his machines and have them broqght
back, which he did, and still ottered TO
go against Lingenfelder at a O'Clock
which would have been about the
hour they would have ridden on the
regular program.
But while these ceremonies were on
it was found that Lingenfelder mad left
the grounds. In the meantime De Ro-
sier's machines had been returned to
the park, and after consultation with
him he donned his racing uniform, his
machines taken inside the grounds,
and when the Frenchman made his
appearance he was received with
rounds of applause. Taking his place
upon the track he stated that he
would give the people an exhibition
practice run of ten or fifteen miles,
and mounting his splendid racing ma
chine was off on his customary speed
and showed to the public what they
might expect in the way of burning
up the miles in a 100-mlle contest.
In a conversation with e. p. Blair,
the motorcycle expert, last night, that
gentleman explained to The Herald
.'that he and his force had worked
all last night on the machine and
had her in the fittest kind of condi
ton, but in transporting the racer to
the Coliseum on the wagons the mag
neto of the machine had been bumped
and injured and still further damaged
when taken inside the grounds by dis
placing the rod, and that he in part
was responsible for the non-appear-
anee of Lingenfelder to go into the
race in the condition in which the car
then was, and had advised Eddie not
to take the chances on the track with
the machine as she was after these
accidents
Later an interview with Lingenfe1-
der was had, and Eddie corroborated
the statements of Mr.. Blair, adding
that as the races had been postponed
by the management the repairs to the
machine had not been made, as they