The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-04
ALL AMONG THE WHEELMEN
Proposed Observation-Disclosures Race
Nay Come OF at Last.
Amount Of Interest-Weight of Rae
ing Machines.

The proposed Saneer-Zimmerman T ace,
which has been promulgated. declared Oft
and declared on again, Is causing no end OF
q row all along the line. 1t was first given
out that the prize to be run for was 8 1900
in hard money. This was denied
by both men. saying that they
did not care to give up their
smateurism for that amount. Then the
arrangement was that they were to COM
pete for a trophy worth thar amount. Now
1t is asserted that the hackers of the "Jer-
sey Skeeter" are demanding q $4,000 side
bet from the hackers of Sanger. Mr.. Troy.
an Eastern 'cyclist, who is Zimmermsn's
hacker, has been in Chicago and has talked
q good deal in the newspapers He said
tn lat if the Sanger people want to race they
can cover his SO. 000 with u like amountand
be will trot his man ont. The Secrom be- Bolte
Company. of Milwaukee. is Sanger's back
er, and the members of Ii say that Troy
and Zimmerman are afraid to race and that
they are talking big money simply that
they may crawl out on q bluff. The Sanger
$500 deposited with the Chicago Tribune
for the Sl.0oO-tr0phy match. and say that
they are but waiting for the other
side TO cover 1t. zimmerman Is at
present in winter quarters In New
Jersey. aud his father writes that
there 10 no chance of amatch being made,
as Zimmerman is far from being we'll. and
probably will not train again until late In
the season of 1893.
Meanwhile those who are interested in
keeping cycle racing an amateur sport are
specializing and wondering as to the out
come. A t~housand-dollar trophy is surely
q rich stake for an amateur TO contest for,
and out of that fact the Sanger peo-
MA ara making cnnGIdarahla caprfai
by intimating that the other contIn-
gent want to break over the traces.
1t looks very much as though the much
heralded match will fall through after all.
and the chance of q good race be spoiled.
The road congress which meets here this
week is the principal topic of discussion
cry county in the State will have a repre-
from out the State who are adopts
the theory of rosd.maklng will be in at.
tendance. The bicycle men are interested
of the L. A. w. Good Roads and also in
q paper written by Colonel Pope. which
will be read. Colonel Pope is at the head
Of ono of the largest bicycle manufactures
in the world. and is one of the foremost
sgitators OF the road question In this coun-
try. -.
A Misunderstanding has gotten out
among some of the participants of the
Thanksgiving turkey run" in regard to
the distribution of the feathered prizes
when the event was over. 1t was an
nounced before the race that o turkey
S SI9'o Of P' a.. s,ss fin is saon That maH 1 ,.. 's sSo nlsi
eight men finish, four would get prizes.
Previous years they were given to
the first five who finished and by some
it was believed to be the case
There were eleven starters and eight fin
lshers, aud four turkeys were distributed.
1t was supposed to have been understood
by all, and nothing unfair was intended.
Clarence Plum, a'cycler of some promi-
hence in Indianapolis several years ago. is
visiting friends in the city. accompanied
by his wife. -
The new clothes have come. They were
all alike when they first arrived. except as
to size. but now their own makers couldn't
tell which was who. They were not
dress suits. Simple, unpretentious can
sss jackets Snsy n ssS T Rsade went knee oss
and had o few practice games with
the Zig-zag football team. and now the
padding in the knees is along mp about the
waist band. the clearly surfaces of the
jackets look like prairie landscape and
Tom Hay has a back that he wishes be-
longed to some one else. But the team is
still anxious to take q fall out of some
thing beside it's suits, and waits for some-
body to dispute its prowess.
There 10 little or no riding going on
among wheelmen these days of alternate
wetness and sun. The Zig-zag Club has
practically gone into Information at it's
clubhouse. A few of the more industri-
Gus members work themselves into o sweat
or q stew on the home trainer, and the rest
are oevotees of billiards and whist.
The weight of racing-machines during
the last season ranged from tw~enty.eiaht
to forty pounds. and they were declared to
be as light as was practicable. Last week. in
Boston. Peter Berlo. the well-known crack.
rode q machine. of his own make, ten miles
over rough country roads, which weighed
but eleven and three.quarters pounds.
Ber!o weighs ITO pounds. and those who
s parent the damage sI,si h say b ssa' done nH a 70
the machine at the end of it.
Berlo has been az work perfecting the ma
chine for some time, and declares that he
1t for racing next season. The following is
q description of it: The frame of the ma
chine Is of twenty-five gauge gun-barrel
steel tubing. built on Berlo's modification
of the Humber pattern. The wheels are
twenty-seven inches in diameter, with
wooden rims fitted with haif-inch pneu-
matte tires and steel spokes. The bearings
and cranks are of the best tube steel, the
ball bearings are o~ne-quarter. three-eightbs
and onc-half inch. and the machine is
geared TO sixty-six inches. No forgings
whatever are used. all joints being hand
made lap, while the wheel base is forty
four inches.
The machine will be exhibited at the
worlds fair.