The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-08-14
A DARING FEAT OF BICY-
CLISTS.
From the Boston Globe.

From the Boston Globe.
Last Thursday G. F. A. Beckers. !.
S. Rogers and Arthur Young. three
expert bicyclistS of st. Louis. per.
formed the hazardous feat of descend
ing Mount Washington on their Col
umbia machines. They reached the
summit on Tuesday night. The
brakes on each machine were furnish.
ed with two levers, one on either side
of the head and working independent
of the other, so that in case one should
brea the rider would be able TO con-
troll the machine with the other lever.
1t rained hard all night, and the next
morning, although the weather was
fair, the wind blew such a hurricane
that twenty feet from where they
started they were blown off their
wheels. A second attempt met with
no better success, so the wheelmen
wisely concluded to defer another
trial to the next day. 1t rained stead
lily during the afternoon and night.
but cleared away the next morning.
AT about o'clock they jumped on
their wheels, and encouraged by as
surances from the people who wit
messed their ST - that they would
never reach the bottom alive, started
on their perilous ride. The roads.
from the previous heavy rains, were
very soft and wet. Less than hun
dred yards from the start they struck
an unusually soft place, resulting in
grand header for all three. They soon,
however, regained their saddles by
taking the pedal mount" The pedal
mount, and at the same time throw
ing one leg over the handle bars, is
the only safe way to mount machine
on steep down grade. They quickly
got both legs over the handle bars,
and, leaning far back, "let her CO."
The double brake levers were found
to be a great service in resting the
hands, for, being applied together, but
little power was required to keep the
brake pressed close to the tire.
The first mile they kept well togeth-
er, but then BeckerS began to gain on
the other, and in another mile was en-
tirely lost sight of. A number of
headers had by this time been taken
by each of the riders, but none proved
OF consequence, except a fall received
by Rogers while trying to coast foot
deep waShout across the road, when
the wheel struck him on the head.
The wheel also received some dam
age, so that qnite long stop was
necessary to repair it. Young and
Rogers did lot mind this much, how
ever, for they felt confident
that Beckers would take good
care of the record. Soon after they
started again they began to find
strewn along the road, novels, comb
and brushes. ties, scarf-pins, mountain
souvenirs, ETC., and on the curve al
the halfway house flew by the an. I
P" bag belonging on Beckers' mach
inc. They were, OF course, very much
frightened at this, for they thought
that perhaps he had jumped off the
cliff. 1t was found out afterwards
however, that Beckers' bag had be
come open without his knowledge ant
finally dropped down into the bicycle
wheel, but with nomore serious result
than a header for the rider.
After leaving the hallway house
! the rest of the distance was accom-
plished with ease, as compared will
the road they had to ride over for tn,
first five or six miles. In many of tn,
steepest places the road was very mar
row, not more than eight feet il
width; with yawning chasm O.
ravine on one side to heighten tn
, pleasure OF the ride.
! They, however, finally arrived safe
> ly at the Glen House, where the,
, found gathered alarge crowd anxious
. ly waiting for them. Betting ha,
: been heavy that they would not com
: down alive. Beckers made the de
: scent in exactly forty-nine minutes t
the base and ffty-one minutes to tn
], Glen House. The others did no
! hurry and came down in one hour an
fourteen minutes. The feat is Ger
;. tainly one of the most remarkabl
! ever accomplished on the bicycle an
: it is not likely there will be man
! imitators. A count of the header
taken shows that Beckers receives
|, seven, Young ten and Rogers fourteen