San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-11-21
LADY TRICYCLERS.
HOW WASHINGTON WOMEN RIDE
THE WHEELED STEEDS.

Shapes and Sizes.
Washington is the finest wheeling city In
the world. Its streets are of black asphalt,
as smooth as a floor, and there are miles
upon miles of them. They are the widest
streets, taking them as a whole, of any city in
the United States, and one can ride here 90
miles through these streets and not go outside
of the city or over the same ground twice.
This is further than from Washington to New
York. The result is, Washington has more
wheelmen, perhaps, than any other city Of
its size In the United States. There are
about 1000 riders of machines of one kind or
another here, and 5000 men own bicycles.
Putting the average price Of these bicycles at
800 apiece, there are s300, 900 invested in
bicycles here, and the beauty Of Washington
IS that the riding goes ON winter and summer,
year in and year out A snow lasts in WASH
ington never more than two or three days
The black asphalt draws the rays Of the sun,
and it may rain this morning and the streets
will be as dry as bone this evening. There
is no mud, and man may ride his wheel in
his Sunday clothes.
As TO the street AREA of Washington, II Is
larger In proportion 10 its size than that of
any other city In the world. Forty-one per
cent. Of the whole of Washington is made
up of streets, while New York has only IS
per cent, Berlin 20 per cent, and Paris and
London have each about Is per cent. Of
streets In addition TO this the suburbs Of
Washington are of macadamized roads, and
there are a hundred historic points to visit
A turn Of three miles will take you to the
presidents country home Five miles of
wheeling VIII allow you to wander over the
bloody ground where the Bladensburg duels
were fought. Another short turn will take
you to Edgewood, where Mrs. Kate Chase
Sprague lives 1t is only seven miles over a
good road to Alexandria, and II you wish to
carry your tour further you can wheel on
down to Mount Vernon over the same road
that George Washington daily Travelled on
horseback. In the city every block has its
historic house and every circle Ms statue.
The streets are lined with borders Of green
yards, and the hundred thousand shade trees
of the capital make your smooth ride pull
through perpetual park
Belva Lockwood was the first tricycle. rider
In Washington. Now 800 women here own
tricycles, and tricycle. parties % out every
night These parties are made up Of both
ladies and gentlemen, and one can rent
a tricycle. here Just as he would horse at a
livery stable II he Is a young hover he can
take a tandem and put hts lady on the front,
or sociable, and they can wheel away side
by 3D. The tandem viii cost 70 cents for
the first hour and 90 cents for each hour
thereafter, and If the lover takes his ride at
night, when the moon has softened with It's
rays the statues Of Washington, he cannot
but feel sentimental as he passes the old me-
dieval Smithsonian institution, takes turn
by the ghostly White House shining out
through the great trees, or wheels about the
green plateau of our magnificent Capitol on
on the hill 1t Is quite the thing now to take
your lady friends out ON wheels, and there
are number of little private clubs of ladies
and gentlemen here who ride several times q
week, and on Sunday evening the streets
have more bicycles and tricycles than car
riages.
Speaking of bicycle clubs, one of the finest
club houses of the city belongs TO the BIZ
cyclers, and the Capital Bicycle club has a
membership of 100 young men. 1t has fine
library, gymnasium and parlors, and its
handsome club house is within a stones
throw of the White House, just below the
Treasury. 1t is three story brick structure,
and the main entrance is a Roman arch. On
cycles, and these stalls are Sits in the vain
scoting, into which the bicycler runs his
wheel to hold it in an upright position
There is a tool room here, and the club has
all the surroundings of a social organization.
It has a good cook and good larder, and its
walls are hung with photographs and
sketches Of bicycle groups. In addition to
this there is Washington Cycle club, which
81, ! 81,
of small organizations throughout the city.
Bicycle clubs are growing all over the coun-
try, and there are now moro than 10000
wheelmen in the United States, and the
League of American Wheelmen has 1000
members. 1t is interesting to see club of
riders go on tour about Washington.
Their leader takes the toughest roads and the
club is expected to follow him. He will go
up on a curbstone and ride through cut up
vacant lots, and behind him in single file
come hundred men in knee breaches and
fancy coats OH wheels
The various safety machines are fast driv-
ing the other machines out of the market
Some Of these are made in England and some
here. In them the two wheels are of about
even size. They are much lower than the
other wheels and there is less danger in rid
ing them. AS to tricycles those used here
are of all shapes and sizes, and boys, men and
women have each their style. Most of them
are of such a shape that they can be used by
either male or female, and the business tri-
cycle is becoming quite an institution in
Washington. Nearly all the stores which
have much delivering of small packages to
do use them for their messengers, and drug
stores, notion stores, laundries and boot and
shoe stores send out their goods by trScycles.
Many of them have the signs of the stores