The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1895-08-21

main entrance OF the rotupda OF the
capitol are eighty in number, and at an
angle of forty degrees. 81. S. Owens, a
| cycler of local note, descended these
steps from the bronze doors to the
| ground on a single wheel. OF course,
| this might not be regarded as much OF
an achievement on safety bicycle
with it's low wheels, but on vertical
machine 1T was certainly very dam
gerous and difficult performance. An
| other very hazardous feat was that of
riding over the coping'of Cabin Johns
| bridge. This was achieved by w. 8.
| Robinson. The coping on the side of
| the bridge is four feet above the
bridge floor, is 800 feet long and 100
feet above the canal. There were two
| joys or offsets in the coping, which
made the achievement more difficult
| and dangerous. The bridge is the
| longest single span of arched ma
sonry in the world, and the height
above the ravine is such as to make
| any man or woman dizzy A single
error in manipulating the handles
| would have resulted liz certain death
| on the one hand, or a dangerous and
Gripping tumble on the other. 1t has
| never been attempted since; and Mr..
Robinson was glad enough to get back
| upon safe ground without mishap.
| He would not try it again.
There are several clubs of wheelmen
| here, but the Capital Bicycle club is
! the oldest of it's kind in this country,
| having been formed in front of the
capital in 1879. Its organization,
| growth and prosperity are evidences OF
the great interest in wheeling. Its
membership is limited to men, and it
has become OF late a good deal of a
social organization. 1t has more than
one hundred active resident members.
These are chiefly young professional
men and men of good positions in the
various departments. There are also
about forty-eight nonresident mem
bers, and number of honorary mem
bers. Some men of prominence are at
tached to this club, and when they
| have regular outings they are accom-
panied by lady friends and present a
gala spectacle on the streets, avenues
and country roads. Quite a number of
I NSISoSluCu CdhC w Vic WHICH, WHICH,
in Washington, and many of them are
warm personal friends of the members
| of the capital club and their lady
friends. Jerry Simpson, of Kansas,
far-famed as the sockless statesman, is
one of the most enthusiastic of cyclers.
This club of wheel-pushers long since
erected homelike building on Eff
teenth street and fitted it up very
neatly. The total cost was 1000. The
building is a three-story structure, OF
modern architecture, and is entirely oc-
cupied by the club. The moving-in took
place in September, 1886. On the low
er floor are the wheel room, the repair
shop and the buffet. On the second
floor are the parlor, the room for the
club meetings and for smoking, and the
library and committee rooms. The club
possesses an excellent collection of bi
| cycle literature, including complete
files of every leading wheelmen's pub
LEGATION. On the third floor are the
| billiard room and some living rooms
for the use of officers and members
| Above these is an attic. The parlor is
! hung with pictures presented by local
artists and with engravings. The
building is supplied with bathrooms