The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-21

The Helena wheelmen, who have club
rooms in The INDEPENDENT block, at the
last meeting appointed n committee to &C.
cure the the Athletic grounds for the pur-
pose of building a track, for which they
are ready to spend $1,000 for improve
menta. Some good racing will be had.
Two Of the pneumatic tire wheels have
been receive ed here and will be seen in the
proposed tournament.
This Is d class Of sport that is fast be
coming popular, not noticably IN this
western country az yet. but judging from
the enthusiasm already exhibited it will
make a mark this season. Records are
being broken daily in the eastern states.
whore this kind Of sport is now in full
vogue. While the Americans were not the
first to take to the wheels they are now
loading it, holding oil the worlds records
from a half mile to 100 miles. The first
bicycle made in this country was built by
Pierre Lallemont in 1865 at Ansonia, Conn.
Modern bicycling dates from the summer
Of 1877 when Col, Pope. OF Boston. and John
Harrington England, made and rode the
first American bicycle. II weighed about
extremely cumbersome. The Safety, the
low wheel, was first adopted in England in
1885 and soon superseded the high wheel.
Tie high wheel. however. is still used to a
limited extent, but chiefly for racing pur-
POSES. @G@
The manufacture of the bicycle has be
come one OF the great industries in all Eng
lish speaking countries and require the
most skilled artisans available in their CON
atrnction, AS we'll as the finest material.
The weight of the average safety for ordi :
nary country roads ranges from forty to
fifty pounds. For racing purposes the
weight is usually reduced to about eighteen
pounds and is capable Of sustaining 200
pounds. The art Of riding is easily &C
quired and is not necessarily dangerous.
The League OF American Whselmen, an
organization protecting the rights and pro
noting the interests Of the wheelmen IN
general, is composed Of one class Of mem
teur, according to the =. A. w. rule, is one
who has not engaged in nor assisted in no
taught cycling or any other recognized
athletic exercise for money or other re-
Enumeration, nor knowingly competed with
or against a professional for a prize of any
description, or one who, after having for
feited the amateur status. has had the same
restored by a competent authority, having
jurisdiction over the sport. From the fore.
going rule. it will be seen that racing fol
money the oyoler is declared a professional
and racing for prizes only L. A.. w. mem
Defs can enteT giving GuoHl budL AuVdutdRo
The league has set aside $4,000 annually
for the publication of II book called Good
Roads, These booka are distributed
among the farmers and Transfers, giving
illustt ations between good and bad roads.
The first Il we come to is a French
country road, taken one day after a heavy
rain with tall shade trees on both sides. a
single horse pulling with ease q load that
would stall four horses OF an ordinary dirt
road. The next represents four horses try
ing to pull nm empty wagon over a di,t
road, which was taken in Iowa. The FOL
lowing extract from ono of the Burlington,
Iowa, papers last December, illustrates the
damage done by bad roads:
BURLINGTON, Ia, Dec. 25.-For two weeks
or more the mud has been SO deep in Iowa,
Illinois and north Missouri, that it has
been %weli-nigh impossible to travel about
with teams. The result has been disastrous
financially to business men depending on
farmers trade. 1t is estimated that M
average of $4,000 a day has been lost in
the falling off in holiday trade alone,
The only relief possible would be a hare
freeze, followed by a snow.