The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-21
FAIR CYCLERS IN BOOMERS.
THEY ARE SHY OF DAYLIGHT YET
AND RIDE MOSTLY AT NIGHT.

The Cycling sport Taking n Fresh
Hold-MOre wheels Ridden Than
Ever-The Tandem quite the Thing
with speedy Riders-TaIk of Re-
viving the Race Meets at the
Track-Some Things Cyclists Have
TO Contend With.
This is evidently going to be a good fall
for bicycles. There is no pun in this. The
season is evidently a booming one in
the cycling line. New wheels are seen
on the streets every day and the agents
report that more bicycles are being sold
now than ever before.
1t would be hard to say how many BIZ
cycles there are in Savannah. The num-
Der is variously estimated at from LOCO
to 1900. 1t would be safe to say that
there are a thousand. Nearly every other
young man now has a wheel or is making
ready to get one.
Nothing demonstrates that the interest
in cycling is on the increase so much as
the fact that boomers have appeared at
last. There was pair on the Thunderbolt
road yesterday afternoon. They were not
of the obtrusive type, but still they were
boomers and not skirts. Several of the
fair cyclists are known to have equipped
themselves with these articles of dress,
If they may be so described, and to appear
with them on the streets at night, but
they have fought shy of daylight so far
Savannah is rather old fogy on this line.
Although there have been lady cyclers
Tor several years, the sport has never
come into general vogue among the gent
leI sex. Ihere are probably not over
nrty ladies' wheels in the city and the
majority OF these are owned by young
The advent Of boomers NAV increase
the popularity of the sport with the-ladies.
II VIII certainly have that effect with the
young men. The girls have been sporting
Dloomers In Atlanta, Jacksonville and Au-
gusta for several months, and Savannah,
the greatest cycling town of the lot will
eVSntually be compelled to drop into line.
ne tandems have developed consider
apie popularity recently. Since Frank
Nihams and Walter Gross came out
with their handsome Rambler tandem
last June several other cyclists have
concluded that they would enjoy riding
on bicycle built for two" The Con-
! winch IS used especially for pacingl>Alr
X. V. COnnerat in training for tine va
rl99s cycling events in this section. He
O'Byrne and George Shivers have re-
Gently gotten a handsome Columbia on
winch they may be seen flying along the
Polk has lady's Raleigh tandem. Gross
ana Williams have also recently added
| a IeefleS5 Tor ladies'.
With their single wheels these two
| gentlemen are about the best equipped
| DlcycllStS in this section. With such an
equipment they could hardly be other
| be rather speedy, and are now spoken of
among their friends as the Heavenly
| Iwins. Their Rambler tandem is gear
ed to so, weighs only 40 pounds and goes
| p feet inches at every revolution of the
| pedals. They can easily Laake mile in
two minutes. Several other ambitious
/ blcyclists are figuring on tandems and
the number in use here is likely to be
/ increased soon.
With the increasing interest in cycling
| there Will very probably be some move
made soon for meet at the Savannah
track. The i'll success financially<of the
| track placed damper on the cycling in
terest in Savannah from which it has TAX
| en- some time to recover. The track is
there, however, and in very fair condi-
| ton, and it would be better for those who
| have put their money into it to have 1t
made use of than to let it lie idle. The
! blcyclists are disorganized at present, but
| there is disposition to get together again
and effect an organization of some kind
| for the general benefit and pleasure of all
! So much new blood has come into the CIV
cling ranks this year that it ought to be
easy to effect strong organization.
| The bicyclists have many things to COM
| plain of and strong organization would
help to lessen some of them The road
| hogs" are now the subject of general COM
plant. The road hog is first cousin to the
| railroad hog who takes uD two seats in
a crowded car and the street car hog who
spreads himself over space enough for
three people, and leaves ladies to stand.
| hog is an animal oblivious to
the rights and privileges of
Others and disposed to ride rough shod
| over them until brought up with a short
| turn. The road hog is of more luxurious
! type, however, than his cousins just men
toned and is frequently met riding in a
! carriage on the Thunderbolt road. AL
| though the road is wide enough for two
| carriages to pass in trot the hogs in car
riages prefer to ride down the bicyclists
| whom they meet and drive them into wire
| fences and underbrush. They do not seem
to be aware of the fact that bicycle is
vehicle in the eye of the law, and has as
much right on the road as any other We
hicle. Some of them will be made to realize
| this some day.
THE Morning News warns the bicyclis IS
| against becoming careless and riding at
| night without lamps" remarked a we'll
! known cyclist yesterday. That is right,
| but why should all other vehicles be al
| lowed to move around at night without
| lamps? The city ordinances require car
riages. and hacks to carry lamps after
! dark, but the ordinance is a dead letter A
| special nuisance to the bicyclists at night
| is the street pushcarts. They move about
the streets after nightfall without lamps
and as they move very slowly, and are
| almost always on the wrong side of the
| street. they form a constant source of
| danger to all bicyclists They ought by
all means be required to carry lights at
| night l wish you would warn the bicy-
! clists to always take the right in going
! very careless on this score, and can re
| frequently seen riding around the left
in danger of being run over by fourwheei-
! ed vehicles, but of being run into by other
| bicyclists. A bicycle collision is very
| serious thing, as everybody knows who
has ever tried it, The sensible bicyclst
who takes the right side of the squares
is not looking out for other bicyclists, and
is very likely to run into the careless
| fellow who takes the wrong side. This
| is very likely to be the case at night.
| especially if one wheel is dark"
CITY BREVITIES..