The Washington times., 1895-06-16

OF their class and the almost equally good
drawing cards in the other classes, would
i'll a short while put the venture on
paying basis.
Has this matter ever been seriously
considered?
COMPARED WITH OTHER CITIES.
Authentic informa tiOn givs be number
of riders OF the silent steed in the city
of Philadelphia at $4,000. What an enOr-
nous number is this! And yet with our
small area and population compared with
that OF the City OF BrUtherfy Love, we have
upwards of 20, 0,O0O attached and unat-
tached riders and this is showing that we
need by no means be ashamed OF.
Notwithstanding this large proportion OF
riders, there seems no end TO the additions
thereto While we boast of the number Of
local rides, other cities are adding 10 their
already large numbers and the makers Of
wheels are couespondingly happy.
FOR GOOD ROADS.
Speaking with a Philadelphia rider
week orso ago, he informed the writer that
the coU ntry roads from Baltimore to
Newark, which were at one time notOriously
rough, were now as smooth and we'll kept as
the driveway in a gentleman's own grounds
and for this the wheelmans Influence
and everlasting hammering for good
roads" must be given full credit
own city are noted fortheir good condition
1t Seems only question OF time when
everywhere in our broad land the roads will
be ridable, especially so with the Southern
roads. which for the most part seem 10 be
last to fall in line.
BUSINESS THEN AN D NOW.
Few persons realize what this vast
number of riders means from a business
point of view. The amount of capital eX-
pended in building up and carrying on this
industry-one OF the newest and most
profitable-among our country 5 mechanical
resources, is something enormous.
a local manager of prominent make of
wheel informed me a fortnight ago that
it was literally impossible tor his home
office to turn cut enough wheels 10 come
nywhere near the number actually ordered.
At that moment he had about forty orders
on the waiting list, and as to having wheels
for stock that was entirely out OF question
aud that sales were missed daily simply
because the samples could not be had to
show off the several grades ana classes.
And what is true of one make is so OF
all the others. All of which must be most
gratifying to the men who have put IN
the capital and energy and brains.
With what a marked contrast is the
! picture as draw in a cycling paper
| bearing date of June, 1898, and which
| old paper accidentally opened to the
| writer at a place marked "A Look at the
Future and then These Are the Times
that Try Mems Souls"
Among other things, the writer of that
! article stated that the business was over
| done, and that this, together with the
stringency of the money market, would in
| little while find wheels a drug on the
market, and that so many makers would
| fail that it would be safe to say there
would not be as many bicycles 10 choose
| from in 1894 as there We're then.
| Later on he said: THE cycle factory
| that can live through the next year or
more and have enough energy left to get
out stock for the following year VIII be
| stronger than ever, and there will be
| fortune in store for it.
/ Now the latter part of his prophecy has
been verified, for there is g fortune in the
| business, but see What a contrast with the
| ConditionS-not enough wheels TO supply
/ the demand now, as against the prophecy
| that there would be no necessity for
supply.
| HOW SOCIETY BECAME INTERESTED.
| As far as it is possible to locate the
beginning of the period when society-real
| swell soCiety-became interested in bi-
| cycling, il seems that during the summer
| of 1894 the beaux and bellies of Newport,
| having exhausted all other means of Sc
curing amusement for the morning hour,
without any serious intention took up the
/ wheel.
First one party and then another took
up the new toy, and almost Instantly it
became the fad The local agents found
themselves overwhelmed with orders, and
from that time to this the interest has
| been unabated, and il is 10 longer fad.
The wheel has invaded every degree OF
| society and all ages. The bench and bar
are patrons of the silent steed, and even
physicians now ride them.
1t would not be surprising to see the
| members of the Cabinet astride a safety
going to attend Cabinet meeting.
To go back TO the society interest in
the matter When the wheel was taken
up as a fad at Newport it did not take
long for it to be heralded over the land.
4 very shrewd and qUick-witted manager
of certain wheel in Gotham saw his
chance, and made the most of it, and
| society in New York followed Newport
and the several degrees of society fol-
10 wed the one above theirs aud the thing
was done aud from fad it has grown to
be the proper FORM"
Out of all this this now famous Michaux
Club was formed in New York city in the
fall of 1894, aud is now one of the most
exclusive clubs in that city of clubs. From
this club came Prince aud Princess Hatz-
felt aud party OF six others who rode