NEW YORK SIX DAYS' RACE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 60

NEW YORK SIX DAYS' RACE.

The annual six days' race', held in the Madison Square Gardens, New York, was won by Walter Rutt, who had as a teammate a fellow-countryman named Stol. This fixture is the most popular one in the States, and is to Americaji cycling and cyclists what the Austral meeting is, or rather, was, to Australian wheelmen — a reunion of all the old identities in the sport. The public interest in the long event this season was fully sustained, the attendancesbeing enormous. The Fogler — Moran (American) combination was Rutt beating Fogler in the sprint borne.' The distance covered in the 142 hours was 2312 miles 5 laps. Georget and Dupre (French) and Downing and Downey (American) were third and fourth respectively, their mileage being one lap less^ than the winner's. E. Root,, last season's winner, did- not start* on account -of differences with the manage i ment, while Jacquelin, the French crack, withdrew on the third day, and left for France, for which he was fined lOttdol. Iver Lawson was -.a starter, but did not finish.

! In these races a rule permits a fresh team > being made up toy any two riders each >of whom formed. ,one of an original pair, which combination happened to be broken up by the failure of ,a member of it to continue. - Several new teams were- thus composed in the New York race, notwithstanding the penalty attaching — the loss of a lap. At a little more 'than half-time — at the eighty-seventh hour — Rutt and Stol, the ultimate winners-, and Fogler and Moran, had gained & lap, which was held to the - finish^r-142 hours. Stol, it appears, was riding so well that he took the major part of the work, in order that Rutt might be the fresher for the struggle in the last lap. - - \

Writing of the great six days' race in New York last December, an English paper says that on the opening night so great was the crowd at the gates that the management was compelled to send for a reinforcement of 200 police to keep order. Sixteen teams were entered and started, one man of each team only being on the track at a time. Walthour, whb was the hope of, America, was, at the tenth hour, compelled to desist, owing to injuries received in a bad fall in -Germany. Darragon, the Frenchman, was said to have caused a lot of falls by the juse of, a brake applied suddenly, when danger 'threatened nim, and the other riders protesting, he was ordered to remove the offending brake. I

MOTOR BOATS AT WAIHOLA.

Motor launches at Waihola are becoming a popular pastime. There are now six launches in commission, end Mr Adams is finishing a very smart hull from American plans. Mr Ramsay, from Milton, is the latest addition to the fleet.. He purchased Mr J. F. M. Fraser's 3 h.p. Clifton engine, which he put -into a tiuli bought - in, the south. ~ Mr Fr/iser has now put in & 6 h.p. Clifton twin-cylinder, which has given him every satisfaction, and which he runs aimself, s whenever he can find anyone to turn the wheel over. With a five miles drift down stream on a river running from three to four miles an hour, it does not do to have an engine which is otherwise "than foolproof. The bar at Waihola is negotiable except at low water, and at the worst it is only a case of supplementing horsepower by leg-power, and once over there is about 25 miles of water available for cruising.