The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-06-15

cling in the opposite direction so as to warn said
person of the approach of said bicycle tricycle.
and any person riding bicycle or tricycle. or driv
ing or controlling any other vehicle shall upon
the approach of any person travelling in the op-
pOSite direction turn to the right in such man
nef as TO allow the person or vehicle approach
ing ample room to pass.
SEC. 3. ANY person violating this ordinance
snail upon conviction be fined not less than
three dollars moi more than ten dollars for each
The bicyclists have conceived the idea
somewhere that Mr.. Stevens is the man
who sprung the ordinance but the fact
OF the matter is that bicycle ordinance
was introduced by Councilman Stevens
last summer and passed, but it bore not
the slightest resemblance to the ordi-
nance passed at the last meeting of the
council. The Stevens ordinance was
passed but there was such a storm raised
because it contained provision allow
ing bicyclists to use the side
walk that it was reconsidered
and referred to the committee
on licenses, of which Councilman Ste
phenson is chairman. It was that COM
mittee that proposed the ordinance that
is now Il law, and Councilman Stevens
was particular that it should be under
stood that the ordinance passed was no
relation to the i'll fated one introduced
by him.
The serenade may perhaps lack some
be deficient in volume, for the bikers
will spread themselves and make it in
teresting if the police don't stop them.
The cause of all this and of the great
uproar that you met several times in a
block last night is the ordinance above.
The bicYclists are mad about it and are
doing their best to make it ridiculous,
even to the danger of becoming them
selves public nuisance.
10 fs 81,
ton bringing the speed down to six
miles an hour is little unseemly. there
is no necessity for making such bois-
ferrous protest as the one last night.
Luckily and strangely there were no
accidents resulting from runaways.
Almost every bicycIist you met last
night was doing his best to spite the
ordinance by some outlandish appliance.
There were COW bells and sleigh bells
end dinner bells and gongs and triangles
for noise, and lanterns and headlights for
lights
Dan Adams and A. W. Beronius had
cowbells. Morris Stevenson. j. B. Doncy-
son, Mike West and Cort Edwards were
among those who had sleigh bells that
Jingled at every turn of the wheels.
Some fellow had a big trolley car
headlight in front and two had triangles.
]. Mccoy had a large stable lantern
| hanging beneath the seat of his wheel
and a dozen had dinner bells which
they rang wildly.
The wheelers were not content in 60
ing alone. They went in crowds and
| made all the noise possible.
Chief Wilkerson has issued an order
today that the agitators will have to look
| out for.
"If they make too much noise" said
s-1ief Wilkerson today, 1--WE will arrest
them. They have no more rights than
anybody else. So long as they do not
disturb anybody with their boisterous-
ness it is all right, but they must be care
| full They may be complying with the
ordinance about bicycles, but there is
| also an ordinance about disturba of
the peace that they must look out for"
The bicycle riders regard the ordi-
nance as entirely unjust and severe. "We
don't care about the lights and bells"
| said one. "That's all right. There ought
to be lights and bells because you might
run into somebody, you know; but six
miles an hour, why, l can walk faster
than that There isn't any sense in it.
It's violated every day by horses
and buggies. Better get off and
walk than to ride only six
miles an hour. We must make all this
noise TO call public attention to the fool
ordinance and say, you want to look out
tonight. We won't do a thing to that
councilman but go down and wake
him up"
VIM. Taylor, the dealer, has taken care
to get the vote on the ordinance as the
council cast it and finds that Fulton and
Skinner were the only ones that voted
against the ordinance.
What Counci1men Say.
The councilmen are a little annoyed
at the result of the bicycle ordinance.
| but they have not despaired.
Councilman Bradford said: 'EThere is
nothing unreasonable in the ordinance.
The bicycle is a noiseless vehicle and
they should carry something to warn
| pedestrians OF their approach, for there is
no other way to know when one of them
is near. People have been run over and
| crippled for life in this town, and the
pedestrian should have some protection.
The bicycle ordinance is all right and not
in the least Objectionable"
| Councilman Burgess said: 81 do not
see that there is anything the matter
with the ordinance. Bicycles are
vehicles and they should be regulated
| like other vehicles. After while l will
| introduce an amendment to give the
| wheelmen the exclusive use of some
| avenue between certain hours SO that
they may have all the fun they can"
| Councilman Roundtree said: "The pro-
vision in regard to carrying lights or
bells was perhaps not explicit enough.
and the kinds to be used should have
been outlined in the ordinance. 1t may
| be necessary to amend the ordinance. I
think that the provision limiting the
speed to six miles an hour little strict"
Disastrous Fire in Bridgeport. Ohio.
WHEELING, w. Va, June 15.-One OF
the most disastrous fires in the history of
Bridgeport, Ohio, opposite this city,
broke out in the Oglehay block this
morning. The entire block was de
stroyed. Loss $4,000, insurance 100000.
Crawford County system.
The county central committee of the
south commissioner district met at the
court houee this afternoon and formed a
permanent organization by the election OF
G. Fl. Titus chairman and ]. E. Larimer