The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-07
WHIR OF THE WHEELS.
SAVANNAH THz HONE OF boy
CLING IN GEORGIA.

Daily over the asphalt and Out the
Shell Roads - Cycling the Popular
Thing in Savannah Now-The League
Meet TO Be Held Here in the Spring.
Some of the Things That Bicycling is
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Roads for the
Entire Country One OF Them.
Savannah leads the state in bicycling. A
close estimate puts the number of bicycles
ridden In Savannah daily at between us
and 2OO
The Savannah Wheelmen, the cyclists
club, has membership Of thirtY-nins. uni
formed In the league uniform, and the
League Of American Wheelmen itself has a
membership of twenty-five out of a total of
thirty-one in the entire state.
More attention Is paid to bicycling in Sa-
vaunRh than in any other city in the coast
states south Of Richmond. There are few
wheelmen 10 North Carolina, South Caro-
| ma or Florida, and no organization IN either
state Alabama aud Tennessee, however,
both have large divisions OF the league
THIRTY NILES OF ROADS.
There are, including the shell roads, in the
nelghbOrhood of thirty miles of ridesble
roadways in and around Savannah, with
nearly three miles of asphalt pavement,
which is the bicyclists' paradise. A year ago
not dozen bicycles were ridden in Savan-
nah. Now Bull and Liberty streets are alive
with them. The completion of the Bull
street pavement to the park will give
smooth ride from the bay to Henry street,
and leading to the White Bluff road. The
principal cross town rides now are Congress.
Broughton, Liberty, CASTOR, Hall and
Henry streets. The Smelling OF Jones street
Will give another popular ride.
THIRTEEN RIDEABLE STREETS.
There are in all thirteen what NAV be
called rideable streets in the city on which
| bicycling is comfortable. Else where it is
about as comfortable as carriage riding is
The time OF an average rider from the
city exchange to the park is now about 8
minutes, which will bo reduced when the
| Bull street pavement is finished. The aver
age time from the De Soto, which is the
meeting point of the wheelmen, to Thunder
bolt Is ~ minutes, although the distance has
been made IN % minutes. The ride from the
De Soto to White Bluff is As minutes
Besides the paved streets aud the shell
roads, there are many unexplored roads 10
proximity to the city which afford expert
riders ample opportunity for excursions. A
party recently crossed the river at Screven's
Ferry and rode to Ridgeland, on the Charles
ton and Savannah railroad, a distance of
thirty miles over good road the entire
distance.
YET IN ITS INFANCY.
As yet cycling in Savannah is confined
chiefly to the male sex. although there are
a few lady riders. A year or two MORE
however, will probably see as many
lady as gentlemen riders. At first
only young men rode, but grad
ually the older and more dignifed citizens
are taking to the wheel. In all there are
probably close to 100 adult riders in Savan-
nah, and in another ear this number will
| be doubled. The coming state meet Of the
league, which will be in Savannah some
time in the spring, will give an impetns to
wheeling. The standing OF the bicycling
organizations in Savannah, the Wheelmen
and the League of American w heelmen.
has had much to do with the elevation of
bicycle riding.
THE wHEELMEN's LEAGUE.
The League of American Wheelmen,
which Is represented here by consul. Mr..
Samuel ID. Whitesides. has a membership
OF over 2o,0OO; It was organized at New
port, K. l., In 1880. Its members are scat
tered all over the United States. The
league Is divided into divisions, sub
divisi ons and consulates, the latter being
the smallest division. Georgia is only a
consulate. with but 81 members divided as
follows: Savannah 25. Columbus 2, Bruins
wick l, Augusta and Atlanta l.
1 IL.
northern states are full-fedged divisions,
each with membership of ccnsiderabl
| over lOO, the requisite number for theestab-
| lishment of division.
I. l.. Ingraham of Columbus was the
first chief consul Of the league in Georgia,
and MIR. Whiteside of Savannah is the
present incumbent.
TO SECURE BETTER ROADS.
l.. The principal object Of the league
is to agitase the subject OF good
roads throughout the country and
influence legislation, municipal, state
and national, i'll that direction Its method
of work in this line is The circulation of lit
erature on roads, domestic and foreign.
gotten up in pamphlet form and illustrated
with cuts Of all kinds showing the condition
OF roads. This work Is done by the com
mlttee on Improvements of highways Of
which Isaac B. Potter of New
written considerably on the subject
Of roads, but his masterpiece is 65-
page pamphlet, entitled 1.-THE Gospsl of
Good Roads" 1t is "a letter to the Amer
lean farmer" the class most sought to in
fuence, for they are the ones most deeply
interested IN the subject.
Every member of the league receives
weekly the bicycling World and L. A. w.
Bulletin, which is, as its name implies. the
organ Of the league. 1t is a 24-page Jour
nal devoted TO bicycling, and keeps the
members fully posted On all the social and
business features of cycling. The subscrip-
ton price to nearly all Of the cycling Jour
nails is 81, and TO some of them SO, but this
paper, as good as the best of them. is
sent free to every member, while the whole
cost OF belonging to the league is but 50 the
first year, and 81 per year afIerward.
THE RACING RECORD.
The league racing rules govern all ANA
teur contests on the bicycle in this country
and no records are allowed unless passed
upon favorably by the racing board of the
league in the United States, This is done
to prevent any rider who has ever done" A
mile in less than ten minutes, who would
be so inclined, from proclaimiDg himself
champion"
The record for one mile in this country
on the safety is minutes and Is seconds.
made by Willie Windle This il also the
world record for that distance. WindIa
also holds the world record on the ordinary
minutes and 25 seconds The next fastest
time is that Of F. J. Osmond, an English,
man, on the safety in minutes and l6 sec
onds, and on the ordinary in 2 minutes and
80 seconds.
THE SAVANNAH CLUB.
The Savannah Wheelman has done q
great deal as an organization toward the
promotion Of bicycling. Chief Consul
Whltesides of the league was the first presi