Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-24
BIKE RIDERS BACK
WITH WAR TALES
Root, Mcnamara, Keefe and
Percy Glad to Return to Good
Old U. S. A.
LOSE VALUABLE CONTRACTS

Eddie Root, the famous six-day
cyclist, and Reggie Mcnamara, Fred
Keefe and Charles Percy, all OF Aus
tralia, arrived in this country yes
terday from the seat of the European
war. Root and Mcnamara came in
on the steamer Chicago, of the
French line, while Keefe and Piercy
landed on the st. Louis, the Ameri-
can line steamer.
All of the returning cycling refu-
gees have thrilling tales to tell Of
their experiences In Paris, where
they were quar.ered, after the order
for general mobilization was given
b. the military authorities. All was
excitement and the treatment accord
ed the Germans in the gay French
city was hardl-- to the liking of the
Teutons.
After the order for mobilization
haS been announced Keefe and
Piercy and Root and Mcnamara de-
cided that the best thing to do was
t, beat 1t from Paris. The former
pair boarded a train from the Care
dr Nord North station) for Calais,
France, where they took passage
aboard a channel steamer for Dover,
and from there to London and Liver
pool. where they caught the st. Louis,
sailing August Is.
Root and Mcnamara and the lat
ter's wife and child later left for
Havre from the st. Lazarre station.
and after arriving In Havre went
aboard the French liner Chicago and
boarded on that ship from August 8
until they sailed on the 14th. While
the riders were tickled to death to get
back to this country they regretted
having to leave, as they had many
lucrative contracts to ill and the
money will be missed,
On the Thursday night before the
order for general mobilization had
been given Mcnamara and Piercy
had competed in a 100 kilometer race
at the Velodrome Buffalo In Paris
and they won the contest. Mcnamara
had many contracts in Belgium,
where he was we'll thought of, and
with Percy was booked to compete
in number of long team races. the
latter form of competition taking we'll
with the fans.
Piercy said yesterday that he had
met Thorwald Ellegaard, the Dane, in
London. the latter being on his way
to Copenhagen to compete in the
worlds championships in the latter
city. The great Danish cyclist
changed his mind after finding that
transportation between England and
Denmark was practically at a stand
still. Instead of going to Copenhagen
Eliegaard decided to return to Paris,
where his wife and child were living.
What luck he had Is problematical.
None of the quartet of riders
who returned yesterday was over
loaded with baggage. Piercy and
Keefe managed to get part of their
cycling equipment through, but Root
and Mcnamara were clean of bicycles
and racing toys. While their bicvc1e
equipment is checked to New York
their chances of ever seeing It again
is remote.
When the big trouble started quite
a COLONY of Australians were located
in Paris. Besides Keefe. Piercv and
MCNAMARA. Don Kirkham and liver
Munro, who had just finished the tour
OF France and made a creditahle
showing in the latter race: Charles
Smell and George Pell were numbered
among the Antipodean riders in the
gay village. The latter quartet sailed
for Australia. but they, as well as
Root and Mcnamara, will probably
lose all their baggage.
Mcnamara said this morning that
Arthur Shepherd, another Australian,
who had been following pace in Flu
rope. was probably German pris-
oner by this time Shepherd had gone
into Germany and had been there fen
DAYS when the war broke ont. His
wife is In Paris and will no doubt
have a tough time of 1t unless Shep-
herd did manage to leave German ter
ritory.
Manager FLOYD Mcfarland. of the
Cycle Racing Association. received a
letter from Victor Brewer the French
cycling promoter, this morning. In
which the latter said that all the
French riders with the exception of
Leon Hourlier. had Joined their regi-
fnents and that the latter was proba-
bly, narooned somewhere in Denmark
or England. Brewer himself was to
have Joined his regiment the day after
his letter was dated. Breyer concludes
his letter by saying:
"The spirit of the country is magni-
ficent. and all Frenchmen realize that
this is a fight TO the finish. impend-
ing the life of the whole country. and
that we must win or die. we snail
win. Good-by. and best wishes to all
on your side"