Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-08-20


3|6 Miles in 6 Days and 3 Hours
FROM PITTSBURG TO STAUNTCN
ON 4 BICYCLE-102 MIL ELS
a DAY.!
A NEW BICYCLE RoUTE-EXPERIENCE
| OF THE RIDER-A BREAK DOWN NEAR
| THE TERMINUs-AsTONIsH OF
THE INHABITANTS ALONG THE ROUTE.
sc. &C., &C.
Mr.. Thomas B. Lee. nineteen years of
age, Assistant Engineer of the Philadel-
phia Natural Gas Co., and son of Mr.. A,
Y. Lee, formerly well-known architect of
Stanton, arrived here from Pittsburg,
Pa, Thursday afternoon, having made the
trip-316 miles in six days and three hours.
His making Staunton the terminus Of
his route, serves to recall the fact that
Christmas, six years ago, when thir-
teen years old and resident here, he
bought the irst bicycle ever brought here
and used it in delivering the Richmond
papers to his subs cribers, he being then
their agent here. He has been residing in
Pittsburg four years and is member of
the League of American Wheelmen. The
route which he Travelled will doubtless
have many wheelmen over it next year
perhaps as early as this fall-after it's
good features have been communi-
Gated to the other wheelmen as they
will be. Notwithstanding the daily runs
and the labor of mountain climbing, the
rider, who weighed before leaving, gained
two pounds in flesh on the health giving
ride. While here Mr.. Lee was guest of
DR.. j. ST.. Gibson. We give sketch Of
each days trip through this newly discov-
cred bicycle route, and some of the anus
ing incidents which attended the rapid
run Of the bicYclist.
FIRST DAY OUT.
The rider left Pittsburg on his ssPony
Star" wheel, one of those wheels which
have the steering wheel in front instead
of rear, at 4 A. M, on Thursday, August
9Th. He ran up the Monongahela Valley
to Brownsville,s arriving there at LILO P.
M, for dlnner-a distance of ffty-eight
miles, and the fastest riding made or the
trip. That evening he joined a company
nf Whnninopn ond rndo Affnon las 70 n
Negro camp meeting in the neighborhood,
and returned that night making record
Of SO miles for the day.
SEEING A BICYCLE FOR THE FIRST
TIME.
The next day, Friday. at A. M, he re-
sumed his journey to Staunton, cross
ed the West Virginia State line at 2:45 P.
M, and at 4:30 P. M, ran into Morgan
town. On Saturday at 4 AM, he started
to climb the Laurel Hill mountain. In
this region bicycle was evidently looked
upon with superstitious awe. Looking
back as he rode up the mountain that
morning. he frequently saw man who
was apparently following him with great
caution, and halting whenever he looked
back. Finding him once quite near, he
laid down his wheel and walked back to.
wards the stranger. The man turned sud-
denly, took to his heels and fled down the
mountain side. Though quite an old man
he ran like boy Of sixteen. After reach
Ing the summit and commencing the de-
scent, he again looked back and the man
was standing on the summit watching
with an awe-stricken look which he kept
up as long as the bicycle was in sight
That day the rider stopped at Evansville
! for dinner. at P. M, crossed the b. & O.
R.R. and took supper at Webster at P. M.
1t was lovely moonlight night. and at
z. M. he started out to put in some night
riding on his journey. Coming down
descent with great rapidity he saw an OBJ :
| ject ahead Of him and shouted "clear the
road" 1t was man, who seemed appalled,
at the novel sight Of the wheelman flying
towards him. and who, instead Of clearing
| the road, promptly fell at full length in the
middle of it. AS the wheelman whizzed
past him, he heard the exclamation of
mingled fright and piety, 'Good L-o-o-rd!'
The rider looked back after getting short
distance past him, and the man was still
lying there. At 10 P. M. he entered the
town of Phillippi. The next day being
Sunday be spent it there rest ing.
| MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS, ACCOMPANIED
| BY PLUNGE BATH.
| By7 A. M. Monday morning he was
again on the road and again crossed the
Laurel Hill Mountains. The temperature
at that elevation was bracing enough and
the thermometer was we'll down in the
Sixties. AT Beverley e. 81. he took din
ner but could not start right away, be-
cause of the opportunities of the inhabi-
tants to see some exhibition of bicycle
riding. Some time was lost there in graf
flying their desire, time which was paid
for by the expressions of wonder and de-
light with which something entirely new
to them was received. After leaving Bey-
erley he came to Tygart's Valley River.
This stream was SO clear that it didn It
ook eighteen inches deep, SO he unhesi-
tatingly rode in. To his surprise he found
it was over the hub of his wheel, and
about the middle, the wheel struck boul-
der and the rider with all his clothes on
was precipitated into the water. That
evening by moonlight he again crossed Ty-
CARTS Valley River above Huttons.
!, ville At each of the fords stood the piers
of the old bridges that had been burnt
during the civil war and which had not
been rebuilt in the twenty years which
had elapsed. Between Beverley and Hut.
louisville the wheel created the greatest
excitement among people who had new