The morning news., 1894-09-09
WHIMSICAL GREAT MEN.
Zimmerman Wouldn't Ride Without
His Old Shoes.
From the Chicago Record.

London, Aug. IA French paper,
! speaking in a semi-sarcastic tone, said
| that Zimmerman travelled like an ambas-
sador and refused to be interviewed.
There is perhaps good reason for the
champion cyclist of the world following
both the customs referred to, assuming
that he really does travell like an ambas-
sador, and keep aloof from reporters.
First, ne can well afford to travel first
class, and drop shilling tips into the ex-
tended palms, which to the American
tourist develop into one vast night
mare of hands and horny fingers, and sec
ond, he cannot be blamed for avoiding
French reporters who murder the En-
gIish language as bad as he murders
! French.
Who is this group of distinguished-act-
| ing foreigners OCCUPYING the parlor com
partments on the Midland en- route for
London? Why, don't you know that's
/ Zimmerman and suite-Zimmerman the
American professional cyclist who got
| $4,000 for turning from amateurism, who
gets $4,000 a year for riding certain
make of machine, $4,000 more for riding
| a certain make of pneumatic tire from
$500 to 81 600 every time he appears at a
race meet, besides the purses for first
place at the finish nearly every time.
| Surely he can afford to travel first-class
and lodge at good hotels. And who con-
stitutes the zimmerman troupe, and what
do they carryl
PECULIARITIEs OF THE FAMOUS RIDER.
When the Zimmerman troupe, consist
ing of the king rider himself, Harry G..
| Wheeler, Manager Troy Trainer Rue and
| the Record correspondent, landed in the
old and thrifty town of Newcastle-on-
Tyne in the north of England last Friday
morning there was also landed from the
luggage van four bicycles, one tandem
| bicycle, eight extra wheels, two trunks
and seven valises. These constitute the
accOuterments, and, as they say at the
custom house, "tOols of trade" of the Zim-
norman Wheeler racing combination, in
use while Europe is being fOraged, with
/ Paris as the seat OF headquarters. Zim-
merman always carries two machines
/ wherever he goes, but he uses only one.
| The new machine must be at hand to pro-
/ vide for smash-ups or accidents of any
/ sort, but "Lim" is a veritable orthodox on
! the matter OF sticking TO the Old one, TO
/ which he has become accustomed.
| He never changes gear, never changes
/ the hight of saddlep post or distance from
/ the handle bars, and is scrupulously par
/ ticular that the measurements from peak
! of saddle to either handle or from Cantle
! TO crank center remain always the same
| to the fraction.of an inch. III by accident
any Of the parts Of the machine are moved
from their proper places Zimmerman
| knows IL in an instant, and the race will
not go on until the remedy is effected
MISSED HIS REGULAR" SHOES.
Upon arriving at Newcastle the train
ing bag" was found to be missing In it,
/ besides shirts, racing trousers and other
articles, were Zimmerman S racing shoes
| The loss Of the shirts was Of no import
| ance but the shoes-a rusty-loOking old
pair that had done service for the "slIee-
/ teri for three years. and which would 90
a-beggiug in u secondhand storc-the
/ shoes must be found before the morrow's
races were called or there would probably
| be no zimmerman in the contests
/ That bag was last seen at Leicester,
but changing cars at Normantown, y ork
| and some other place on the way from
/ leicester to Newcastle lthey appear to
/ change cars four or five times on every
| lOO-mile trip in Englandl had made il pos
/ sible for that bag to 20 either TO Leeds, to
! Liverpool, TO London or to any other town
/ in England. scotland or Wales, or TO be
/ left at leicester. The station master at
| Newcastle was besought. Could he find
that bag! lie asked Manager Troy a
! string of questions of "A character that in
dicated he could either be a good lawyer
or master of his position, and wrote
down all the replies. lie was instructed
/ to engage all Jhe telegraph wires from
| John O'Grat's TO Lands End and keep
| them hot only get that bag and accept
| S. for his services. At midnight "that
| bag came.
! il may seem funny that zimmerman
/ couldn't ride Just as well with another
1 pair OF shoes, but il must be explained
/ that this old pair just fits all require
ments. while new shoes could not The
/ soies are worn Just right 70 admit Of an
/ cboring TO the pedal in exactythe same
/ position, the lacing presses upon the same