The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-08
CYCLING FREAKS.
A Well Known Whee1man
Scores Riders Who
Wear Grotesque
Costumes in
Parade.
MANY GAMES ROLLED LAST NIGHT
The Cliatons Make q Remarkably
High score-Y. NJ. c. A.
Boys VIM. J. A.
c. Concert.

aIfthere is anything on earth that is more
deserving of condemnation than the practice
of certain wheelmen to attire themselves in
grotesque costumes when they participate in
the bicycle parades of the local clubs / don't
know what it Isl said a well known wheel
man to a reporter of "The Jersey City
News yesterday. "If this silly practice
continues to spread there's no telling where
it may end" continued he. "Itis surprising
to me that the clubs do not discountenance
such actions on the part of riders who par
ticipate in their parades, but on the con-
trary it seems as though the clubs believe
that these riders prove a great drawing card
with the cycling public. Any man, much
less a woman, who becomes a part of a pa
rade where grotesque costuming on the part
of the riders is permitted, deserves to be os
TRACKED by every decent rider of the wheel.
The wheelman has been scored as all kinds
of a donkey, and it is an everyday occur
renee for the riders of the wheel to be
greeted by the street urchin with the saluta-
ton, monkey on a wheel. 1t is no surprise
to me hat wheelmen are thus greeted, when
some of them appear in bicycle parades at
tired as monkeys. I have noticed, too, that
the riders who attire themselves thus hide
their identity behind masks. If they be-
lieve that grotesque costuming is desirable
why do they attempt to hide their identity
with the aid of masks? I know of one club
in this city that has encouraged this sort of
thing by offering prizes for the most gro
tesque costume.
ssWhat is most regretable about the prac-
tice is that it tends to hurt the cause of
wheeling. Unlike some other branches of
sport, Cycling can claim tina its devotees
are, with few exceptions, the most respect
able citizens. Go where you will you will
find the 'cyclist an intelligent, well-meaning
citizen. People nave learned to respect the
average wheelman, but how long will this
respect be shown if riders degrade the sport
by arraying themselves in the garb of raga-
mullins? OF course this is a matter that is
difficult to check, but believe that the local
wheelmen at least, will, for the sake of the
sport. take up the light in the right spirit
and discountenance all such actions on the
part of riders.o
;Cycle Path to Newark.
The project to build a cycle path to New
ark has again bobbed up, aud local wheel
men are booming it. The plan is to con-
struct a path from the county road along
| Communipaw avenue over the plank road
into Newark. The advantages to be gained
by such a path are many. Hudson ana
Essex Counties would be brought into closer
relations, more people would come from
New York to Jersey City. Wheelmen would
| a. - Ix,.rafoera o11c in ~ EInn nlnfI1IV
runs. starting from the Boulevard they
could wheel along the path, reach Newark,
go to Elizabeth, and hen on to New Bruins
wick via Plainheld. A finer route for club
runs could not be found within many miles
of New York.
A Slight Mistake.
Local wheelmen were much amused last
evening by an article in the cycle column of
the sEvening Journal, y which referred in
glowing terms to the asphalt pavement
of Arlington, Bay View and Garfield ave
nues. The article even went SO far as to
state that ssThe work was done by the same
company which did many of the roads in
Orange and Newark, and the cyclists con
slider it far superior to the asphalt on Coles
and Barrow streets, and other streets In
lower Jersey City, For the information of
the writer of this news u item it might be
well to state that Arlington avenue is ma
cadamized and not paved with asphalt. The
same applies to Garfield and Bay View ave-
nueS.
How to Find a Puncture.
ssThere are almost as many ways OF de-
tecting a puncture as there are different
WAYS of removing them" says "The Wheel
ssOf course, firstand ever foremost of these
is the refusal of the tire to retain air, that
never fails to let you know there Is some
thing rotten in Denmark Having by this
unfailing symptom been made aware OF the
existence OF a leak, YOU troubles have only
inst begun. Like the Irishman's flea it will
be found tina the puncture when you put
your finger on it isn't there. In their elusive
Qualities chasing heas and hunting punctures
are very much akin. Surprising the venue
for puncture chasing exists in a double-tube
tire. Ascertain at tho beginning OF The hunt
whether the game does not he n1dden 10 ehe
valve. and having drawn that lair and found
1t barren of game, proceed i'll this fashion,
Initiate the tire hard, ~endeavoring to detect
the escaping air against your molstened I'M
ger, or by listening as the wheel is slowly re
volved. Don't get discouraged. LII this falls
are many ways of killing a dog besides those
of choking him to death with butter or blow
ing wind in his ear through a straw. Open
the tire, slightly initiate the air tube, and
stretching 1t piece by piece, hold it to the
cheek and see it the escaping air can be 1elt.
Inns plan is mol auNlsdDle toi iIlinreiSo
bewhiskered pnncture hunters. Don't get
discouraged.
Failure again nloaas an effort in another
direction: examine the cover, inside and out
side, to discover the mark left by the pune
ture producer. which will be directly over
the hole in the inner tube. Then examine
| the tube closely. stretching it in every dlrec-
an dn0%npo