The herald., 1895-07-21
SWAGGER FOLKS
SCORCHING NOW
Fair Danes of New York
at Newport Crave to
Make Records
MISS FAIR IN THE LEAD
Mrs. Alya Vanderbilt Has Entered the
Lists With New Wheels and
French Costumes

NEWPORT, r. l.. July 19.-While the
rest of the bicycling world is laughing at
the much talked about records OF Mrs.
Henry Clews and Miss Virginia Fair over
the ten mile course around Bellevue ave-
nue., the swagger colony of the city by
the sea honestly regards the performance
OF these ladies as remarkable.
For those who are unacquaited with
the great bicycle doings OF the two la
dies it will be necessary to state that Mrs
Clews took wheeling lessons in fash
ionable New York academy all last win
ter. and when she arrived at her Newport
house few weeks ago became fired with
al am bition to do some scorchlng. be-
fore her marriage to the New York bank
er she was the belle of Keokuk, Iowa.
place that seldom sees her nowadays. But
the breezes of the western plains gave
her vigorous constitution which in
these days of athletic womanhood counts
for a good deal in the social world. Mrs.
Clews has a grown daughter, Miss Elsie,
who has been ''out' several seasons. lt
would be almost unkind to say that the
lady mas passed the forty-year milestone
of life. particularly as she doesn look
more than thirty.
After several days riding with groom
as pacemakel. Mrs. Clews made the race
and did the ten miles in an even hour.
This record created great furore among
the other ladies of her set, and many tiled
to beat the record, but all failed until
Miss Virginia Fair, the beautiful young
Californian, was induced to make trial.
Miss Fair Is stopping with her sister.
Mrs. Herman Oelrichs and she has the
advantage Of being coached by Mr.. Oel-
richs, one of the finest all-around ath letes
in the country. The fact that Mr.. Oel-
richs once challenged John l.. Sullivan
to box him in private room shows that
he is not an athlete of the second rate.
particularly as the big fellow, who was
then in the heyuay uf his glory, declined.
sensibly saying that he had nothing to
gain and everything to lose by such an
encounter.
Miss Fair made her trial under business
like conditions. She had Calvin S. Brice,
Jr.,a very fair rider, to act as reacemaker,
and the ten miles were covered in fifty
five minutes. What is more, Miss Fair
declares that she did not half try, and
could easily make q record OF forty min
utes, and perhaps thirty-tive.
Since Mrs. Alva Smith Vanderbilt. the
divorced wife of Willie H., arrived at her
marble palace it is declared that she will
soon make an effort to lower the record.
Six bicycles have already been deliverd at
the palace. One is for the mistress, an
other for Miss Consuelo. a third Tor Willie
X. Jr., and the her three for grooms.
Right here II should be said that all the
grooms EN- ployed in the fine New port
houses are now as expert with the wheel
as they are in managing the horses. a
groom who is not clever bicycler finds
his vocation gone. He must also under
stand the mechanism of the wheel, so
that in event OF an accident he can
speedily make the necessary repairs.
-1., naIAx r,I IA~
a bloomerite in modified form. When
in Paris recently she purchased several
suits for herself ana daughter. They are
not as daring as the typical to conform
with the less advanced American. idea.
The only one that she has yet been seen
in is of dust-colored French hiking suit
but were fashioned cloth. and the skirts of
the coat are SO long that the little leg
Pings are visible. T. Mrs. Vanderbilt sue
ceeds in lowering Miss Fairs record
the latter will again do some scorching.
Perhaps before the season is over the
society record for the distance will be
thirtysminutes. There ale a number of
Tuxedo girls who claim that they can do
twenty miles an hour. Some of these
girls will be at Narragansett. and when
the gay season there is IN full swing all
records will be smashed to smthereens.
Coming back to the servants of the
cycling swell the grooms are not the only
ones affected by the fever. The trim
French maids have had to take an extra
course since the bicycle became the fash
ion. For there is the new safety couture.
which is warranted not to become disar-
ranged in the stiffest breeze and the
swiftest speed up the avenue the leggings
have to be most carefully adjusted over
the stout cycling shoes, and the boomers
require nicely OF arranging that only a
bicycle artist knows anything about.
Miss Fair is short and round and
plump, and she is a thing of beauty when
she starts for her daily spin. Fist of all
after her morning dip and massage, sue
dons an undergarment of heavily ribbed
gray silk. Over this her maid arranges a
skirt of gray silk and the very full bloom
ers OF gray tweed, which are Marranted