Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-13
Of THE EVENING srAn


OF THE EVENING STAR
LwERrooI, ESoLANp, September g.
From London to this seaport by the most
direct old coaching road is about 200 miles.
but couple Of tripling detours, one to include
made my total distance about ten
miles farther. There can be no more charming
run than the old North road at this season Of
the year, If you can miss the rain and the wind
is not in the north. In the latter case a quon-
dam cyclist whom met on the road said: Tho
best part of cycling lie the fact that there is
always train handy" And, indeed, a station
10 never far away in this country.
No one seems to mind q tour like this. and
was trihe piqued to find the announcement of
my destination elected no surprise. Fifty and
sixty miles day is nothing unusual for or
binary riders, and spent an evening with
gentleman and his wife who had made nearly
so miles that day on a tandem tricycle., appear
ing still fresh.
eErrrso OUT oY LONDON
is the hardest part Of the whole journey. II is
nearly 10 miles before one gets beyond the
paved streets, not to mention tina. il is nearly
all uphill. The city pavements are sprinkled.
the result being greasy paste that requires
the utmost care to prevent clipping amid the
traffic. But once fairly on the macadam the
mile posts slip away behind one with marvel
Gus CELEBRITY.
Leaving the city at noon, the frs. night I
slept at Redbourn, some distance beyond 81,
miles out-just an easy
afternoon run for an unaccustomed rider
Rolling along the road there arose before me a
typical roadside hostelry, THE Chequers."
with very pretty girl on the oaken settee by
the door. Without q moments hesita ton i
dismounted, saying mentally: This must be the
place" Can get lodging, miss" brought the
landlady to the door, and the result Of brief
negotiation saw me eseonced in as CHEEKY and
tidy a bed room as one can find in many a long
Journey. Chops and tea were set out on an
immaculate white cloth in the best room the
floor besprinkled with white sand in tie fash
Ion our New England grandmothers practiced.
while the tall clock in the corner ticKed q grave
monotone. The windows opened like doors,
with faded lozenge panes no bigger than tbe
palm OF my hand, and two cases of stuffed
birds monopolized the opposite sides of the
room. But the solitude was too much
to endure, the night was cold, and /
found warm corner by the side OF
the fireplace in the combined kitchen and tap
room. The hot-water kettle swung from its
crane, great high-backed benches shut in the
reflected heat, worn smooth by generations OF
country loafers on winter evenings, and mugs
Of ale and stout went round from mouth 60
mouth a. the cronies OF the neighborhood
dropped in 'for o drap o. summat." The
children went to bed at 8, though it was not yet
dark? and came around to bid each guest good
night-to Tommy and Johnny and the rest
and then looked up shyly in my face-'Good-
night. MIR. Gentleman"
And then l went upstairs, too, humping nv
head on the low rafters. but finally dropping
away to q dreamless sleep beneath the low
matched roof. After breakfast demanded my
reckoning, and the meek-faced woman who
looked as If the struggle for home and children
Was weary one, asked did think two shillings
would be too much. No, certainly did not
ON A PNEUMATIc TIRE.
A little way up the road met man on
pneumatic tire. Now, had seen several ref
erences to them in the papers and had won
dered what they could be- Along the Queens
highway there came q machine. to all intents
and purposes the same az any ordinary safety,
but the tires had grown enormously-in fact
swelled out to four times their usual dimen-
sions--giving . most comical appearance. 1t
looked as il il must weigh q hundred pounds
but really was lighter than my own. Briefly,
without attempting any technical description,
a pneumatic tire il one Of hollow rubber two
or more inches in diameter, the material itself
being one-eighth OF an inch thick. This
circular rubber bag Is then inflated with air,
that 10 to say, blown mp like a bladder or foot
ball, till IL feels as hard to the touch as il il
were solid One cannot help laughing at
first sight OF these enormous and awkward
looking contrivances on a dwarf safety, but
their performances are certainly extraordinary
Perhaps no one thing did more to make the
bicycler, and tricycler, too, really practical
and commercial success than the adoption of
the rubber tire. So, also, feel warranted in
saying. in view Of the results it has accom-
plished, IL is the general opinion Of all cyclists
here that the pneumatic ia the most important
addition since made TO these machines.
PERFORMANCES ON THE PNEUMATIC
What has it done2 At Rugby last Monday
-hara <ba l., A.,
mile, and rather rough grass, in handicap
race there was imposed q penalty of 100 yards
in the one-mile and $50 yards in the two-mile
races, respectively, on pneumatic-tired ma
chimes, and SO and 80 yards on those fitted
with cushion tires. In spite Of these imposi-
tions NJ. +. Rowe Of Peterboro, who was rid
ing what Mrs. Darlington called "a rheumatic"
won both events pretty comfortably.
l00-mile road race was held by the Bath
Club on Saturday week last, open to ALL
There were IL safeties, 4 tricycles and
ord,naries started out of IS entries, showing a
lively interest in the result. Rain delayed the
start for an hour, aud then the different classes
we're dispatched at fve-minute intervals. The
pneumatic and cushion-tired safeties SOON left
the solid tires on the muddy road, and a
twenty nile-an-hour gait was maintained for
the first four miles. Il ia said that Danger
geared IS, weighing 80 pounds, though
going q bit rocky toward the end.
finished strongly in the grand time of Oh. 3sna
64s., being twsnty-nine minutes ahead OF the
nearest safety. The ordinary division started
ct q good pace and caught the tricyclists in less
than 10 miles, and Nesbit, on an ordinary,
made the second fastest time in Ia. Inn. 6s
The wind was most changeabie, aud blew
against the riders both ways, and the roads
we're. according to the reporter, "vsry queer
It " reported that man named Jones. on q
pneumatic-tired Referee, ON the 18th uitimo