ATHLETIC SPORTS. - San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb 1879

See the bold text below for reporting on possibly the first bicycle race in San Francisco. - MF

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

Winners of the ContestS at Recreation Grounds Yesterday.

The exhibition of athletic sports given yesterday at the Recreation Grounds was fairly attended, about 700 spectators being present. The twenty-two announced events and one or two improvised ones were as excellent. As an abundance of pamphlet programmes had been distributed, in which the rules governing the conduct of each event had been very clearly laid down, there was no room for any misunderstanding, and none occurred. The judges of all the events were Andrew Forman, Sr., and J. Sanderson referee. Joseph O'Connor; starter, A. Prins, and timer, C. R. Brown, and they decided so promptly and each succeeding event was called so regularly that the whole day's sport, without being at all hurried, never dragged for a minute and was concluded by 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The first contest was a hundred yards race, for which there were six entries, and the first prize of an Arab smoking set was very handsomely won by R. B. Jones of the Occident Cricket Club, in 11 2-5 seconds. J. D. Gilmore of the Caledonia Club won the cigar-stand prize in the quoit match. E. Blakely of the San Francisco Cricket Club doing some very accurate pitching and ranking second. In the running high jump, M. P. La Grange of the Olympic Club attained the considerable elevation of 5 feet and a quarter inch, and was awarded the first prize of a fruit stand. Dwight Germain of the same club captured the card-box with a leap of 4 feet 6 inches, and L. J. Kilgour of the Occident Cricket Club measured 4 feet 5 inches. P. McIntyre won the opera-glasses and the quarter mile race in 56 2-5 seconds. Of five entries for the hammer-throwing, four were from the Caledonian Club and the fifth from the Olympic, F. A. McLennan and David Paul, both of the former club, won the first and second prizes respectively, McLennan making the prodigious throw of 67 feet and half an inch, and Paul 63 feet and 3 inches. C. R. Brown of the Olympic made a running long jump of 18 1/2 feet 9 1/2 inches, winning the mitrailleuse, and M. F. La Grange of the same club jumped 18 feet and 9 inches, winning a set of studs. The 100 yards handicap race was easily won by L. J. Kilgour in 10 3-5 seconds. R. S. Haley winning second prize. P. McIntyre won the half-mile race and a thermometer in 2:16 2-5. J. N. H. Irwin of the San Francisco Lacrosse Club threw the ball 99 feet 6 inches, winning a scarf-pin, and H. Elliott of the Maple Leaf Club threw it 95 feet 10 inches, winning a card-tray. The 220 yards handicap race was won by R. S. Haley - "scratch" in 26 4-5 seconds. The bronze dogs were awarded to R. Searle for winning the one-mile bicycle race in the announced time of 4 minutes 51 3/4 seconds. Mr. Searle feeling that the time had been incorrectly announced, repeated in 3:49. W. Hopkins won the baseball throwing match, throwing the ball the splendid distance of 110 yards and 2 feet. The one mile race and, the prize cup were won by P. McIntyre in 4:43 1-5. W. J. O'Connor put the heavy weight (16 pounds) 32 feet 2 inches, but F. A. McLennan put it 34 feet and 10 inches. William Blair won the boys' 100-yard race in 12 2-5 seconds. - Winrow second. The 120-yard hurdle race, with 10 hurdles each 3 feet 6 inches high, was won by R. B. Jones, C. Ford second. The 600-yard handicap race was won by W. H. Wood (60 yards) in 1:17 2-5, with P. McIntyre (scratch) right on his heels. S. H. Sherott threw the cricket ball 86 1/2 feet and L. J. Kilgour 84 feet. D. A. Foreman won the hole-jump, 7 feet 11 inches. The cricketers 150-yard race was won by L. J. Kilgour in 17 2-5 seconds, with C. Ford second. No one entering for the 100-yard race consolation stakes, Judges Sanderson and Foreman and Referee O'Connor ran one, Sanderson winning in 12 1-5 seconds.

Also:

11 - One mile bicycle race: prize, bronze dogs; J. F. Purdy, C. L. Barrett, G. Loring Cunningham and J. Searle.