Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-06-23
THIS CITY ON HIS JOURNEY
From New York TO Chicago, Distance of One
Thousand Miles, Which He Proposes to
Cover in Ten Days

"If it don't rain tomorrow, L Will
make it, said Hard Hillary Wylie, the
gentleman tramp" and erstwhile
dead broke blcyclist, to REGISTER re-
porter, at the Hotel vankeuren last
night.
Mr.. Wylie is accompanied by L. A.
Howell, representative of the Stokes
Manufacturing Company. Both are
members of the Lincoln Cycling Club,
the crack organization OF Chicago
heelmen. Mr.. Wylie won fame last
year by touring from New York to the
Worlds Fair City with but fifteen cents
in his pocket. The story of his present
expedition, as told by himself, is inter-
esting. The trip last year was made
without any trouble in twenty days,
and Mr.. Wyie thought be could
have made 1t in five days
less, with little effort. The matter OF
establishing a record between the two
cities was a subject of frequent discus
sion in the club. One evening, after
close figuring beforehand, Mr.. Wylie
boosted that he could cover the distance
in 10 days The best previous record
was IA days hours, made by Nelson,
of Illinois. so as matter of course there
was an argument among the wheelmen,
which ended in the making OF several
wagers.
Mr.. Wylie undertook the task, and
started from the City Hall, in New
York, at 9 o'clock Saturday morning.
The first twenty-three miles were COW
cred for a record, which Mr.. Wylie
accomplished. He reached Philadel-
phia on the first day, York, Pa, on the
second, Hage:stown on the third, Cum
berland on the fourth, Alleghenies on
the fifth, and Wheeling on the sixth.
Mr.. Wylie reached here last night about
$50 o'clock. He was much fatigued,
and covered with mud from head To
foot.
After taking q bath, he was seen by
REGISTER reporter, and talked enter
tainingly Of his trip. He covered 45S
miles In five days and twelve hours, and
will have to make much better speed
to run the remaining $40 miles In less
than half the time. The intense heat
caused change in his programme,
and he rode on night schedule for two
days.
This is the hardest day / have struck
yet," said Mr.. Wylie. II made So
miles, but the last % miles took 6%
hours. The pike was IN terrible con-
dition from the rains, and at some
places the mud reached my feet. How
do like the JOB have undertakenP
Not at all. am thoroughly disguised
with it, but am going to make an eff
fort to accomplish the task, and l feel
confident OF success, provided the
weather is favorable. l have passed
the hardest part of the journey, and
will be able to make better time after
leaving here, as the roads are much
better"
Mr.. Wylie met with an amusing ex-
perience just after leaving Cumberland,
Nd. He rode over the towpath along
the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, in dis
obedience of the order for bidding cyclers
to use the road. After making twelve
miles be was "fired" off at Clear Springs,
Md. BE then took the Hancock pike
over the mountains, but failing TO make
time, came back 10 the toWpath, and by
means eff an ingenious eXpedient was
permitted to follow it for ninety miles.
He was several times stopped by the
illiterate mule drivers, but produced
what purported to be passport, and in
each case was permitted to pass un-
molested.
Near West Alexander an amusing In
cident occurred yesterday. Wylie was
riding over the high trestle at that
point, because of the almost impossible
condition of the road. a good woman
who witnessed this feat became wildly
excited and fell on her knees, praying
for his safety. She breathed sigh OF
relief when he again reached terra
firma.
Mr.. Wylie will depart at three o'clock
this morning Cor Columbus, which point
he expects to reach tonight, leaving
but three days TO get to his destination.
He will ride from three o'clock this
morning until nine o'clock this even
ing. The machine which he uses is
30-pound Sterling, with the Morgan &
Wright racing tires. Mr.. Wylie ex
poets to demonstrate the superiority of
the Cumberland road over all other
routes between the East and West. He
was in better form last night than any
day of the trip, and went to bed conf
frrN