The Portland daily press., 1894-06-12
THE WASPS ESCAPE.
The Deering Sidewalk Bicycle Riding
Situation.

Only Seven Were Summoned to the Court
Yesterday-Only Three Appeared on
Time-But Many More Names of Of
tenders Were Taken.
Only three of the many bicyclers ar
rested for riding on behring's sidewalks
Sunday put in an appearance at the
municipal court at $50 yesterday morn
ing, as commanded by the officers.
These three were H. W. McCauseland,
and Frank NJ. Brown, of Portland and
Pearl Brown of Westbrook.
Clerk Jones read the charge against
them, and they pleaded guilty. Mr.. Nc
Causelaud said that the street at the
point where he was arrested (near he
ball grounds) was impossible for bicy-
clists because of the crushed rock that
is uncovered there. He was not in the
habit of riding on the sidewalks. there
was no one on the sidewalk when he
rode on to 1t, to avoid the crushed rock,
and if he met anyone he should be sure
to dismount.
Brown was called upon by the Jadge
and made a similar statement.
Judge Elder said that he would gladly
excuse persons who were comparatively
innocent, but the riding of bicycles on
the sidewalks had become such nuis-
ance of late that something must be
done.
He fined them one dollar and costs
each the whole amounting to 81. 81 each.
This was the smallest fine he could i'm
III, Ill
them, corroborated their statements
and said that they did not disturb any
body.
Pearl Brown of Westbrook plead guilty
and was fined one dollar and COSTS
Four others, who were summoned to
appear did not appear. Their names
are re. Smith, r. P. Smith, Frank
Smith and S. Barnstern of Portland.
The officers were given strict orders to
Immediately arrest them and lock them
up. They will undoubtedly regret that
they did not regard the enforcement
of law in Deering with more respect.
The bicyclers who paid their fines are
naturally curious to know why, when SO
many names of offenders were taken by
the oticers Sunday. only seven were sum-
moned to appear in court. There can be
no doubt that Is or 90 bicycles were
caught riding on the sidewalks, and
their names taken. This statement is
from one of the officers 1t is also stat
ed that some boys were allowed to go
free. Now boys are the very ones that
cause the trouble on sidewalks. They
Ill NJ 10
gard the rights ofSpedestrians as rule.
A boy would be much less likely to dis
mount on meeting pedestrians than
man would. Anyone who knows how
bicyclers ride knows that this is so, and
that as rule if there is anything obnox-
ious about bicycle riding it is the youth
full rider who is to blame.
1t is hardly necessary to say that H.
". McCauseland and Frank Brown, two
of the most widely known and highl
esteemed bicyclers in this State, would
never inconvenience pedestrians by riding
a bicycle. They happened to go on to
the sidewalk at that place to avoid that
execrable stretch of road, which is even
dangerous for horses. There are patches
tent, extending for several hundred
yards. Those sharp cornered rocks must
be dangerous to horses hoofs. Stepped
on just right. such rocks would lame
horse. They might Of course cut a bicy-
Gle tire.
Why cannot crushed rock be covered
as soon as it spread, and not left two
or three days. The same thing prevails
in Portland. A stretch on Cumberland
street has been uncovered for over
week That state of incompleteness al
most resulted in fatal accident when
little girl, as reported in the PRESS,
was run over by the horse and team that
turned quickly to avoid that led of
sharp hard rocky edges
1t does seem as if when a road is being
repaired all available repairing agencies
should be concentrated at that point and
the work done as quickly as possible.
This covering of road with sharp
rocks and then leaving it in a state of
incempleteness is wrong on the face of
it. The covering material ought to be
ready before the rock is spread on. 1t is
not better that one bad road should wait
while another is thoroughly repaired
than to have two or three roads in a
state of dangerous incompleteness of re-
pair.
Two of the three Smiths who were
arrested appeared at about 10 O'Clock in
the forenoon, and said that they thought
the court opened at that hour. They
were ordered to appear in court this
morning. The other two did not appear.
In regard to the fact that mole than
seven wheelmen were caught riding
upon the sidewalks Sunday, it must be
remembered that frequently when d
wheelman. thus culpable, is hailed by
policeman he simply puts on more
steam and is out of sight in no time. Of
course his name cannot be taken and
that is how the wasps escaped the drag
net Sunday Yet there were certainly
more than seven whose names were
taken, and why they were not summoned
is what the wheelmen who paid their