New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-01
IN THE CYCLING WORLD
n1rr1C.-I,rY IN TRAvERsING NETWORK
STREETS.
..,--r,,,> ,res OF THE F'ERRlEs-NEEDED ASPHALT
REpAIRs-wlDENING THE COMFY
ISLAND CYCLE PATH

REPAIRs-wIDENING THE COMFY
ISLAND CYCLE PATH
y, sAnse the new Hudson County Boulevard
.. more conveniently situated for the wheelmen
~ Brooklyn than for those of New-York. Not
that IL is more easily accessible. since it can be
,eached from numerous points along the North
-,,vor hut II is easier for Brooklyn wheelman
% make a round trip. it may be called. TAX
,rg the new boulevard in one direction than for
a rider living in this city. except. perhaps. on
sunday when 1t is no. a difficult matter to ride
10 the lower end of Manhattan Island and take
the ferry to Staten island To go by Staten
Island is one OF the simplest ways of getting
TO the southern terminus Of the boulevard The
Staten Island ferry is close at hand for any
Brooklyn cycst who crosses South Ferry from
the foot of Atantic-ave which can be reached
on asphalt, except for the last three or tou'
blocks 1t is a delightful run of three or -FOUR
miles from 81 George to Port Richmond. whence
short ferry leafs 10 Bergen Point close 10 .he
beginning Of the boulevard From near the
northern end the return trip may be maze o!
the Weehawken Ferry, by boat from Shao! S'ue
10 Thrteenth-st or by going three or four
miles further north. the Fort Lee Ferry can De
taken, In which case the trip VIII nciude hiNer-
side Drive and part Of Central Park. In either
direction the ride the new New-Jersey boule-
ward is delightful, but II behooves riders TO make
note Of the direction of the wind. If IL Is blow
ing strongly, and govern themselves accordingly
Speaking Of the difficulty of getting TO the
lower end Of New-York bicycle on ordinary
days, rider Of this city suggested plan when
others may be glad 10 learn of. He said that
there was no trouble in riding downtown as far
as Fourteenth-st.. but below that point few
would care TO go. except In case of necessity, on
account of the jam Of vehicles that would be
met with. So he proposed to take ferryboat
at Twenty thrd-st cross to jersey City and
then return t. New-York by the Chambers-st
ferry. which Is in reaching distance of the Bat
terry. The plan is a practicable one: II VIII De
still more so when ferry IS established be-
tween Twenty-thrd-st and the Pennsylvania
Railroad station In Jersey City.
The ferries. by the way. furnish a means for
wheemen to avoid number Of difficulties. TWO
or three wheelmen East Twenty
third-st ferrybo just al the edge of evening
not long ago. and two Of them fell into CONVEX
sation one being in search of information as to
the best way OF going from the foot of Broad
way Brooklyn to the Heights The other said
that Lafayette-ave could be taken from BEDFORD
ave- but as it was not good riding on account of
the granite pavement. he recommended the
route by Prospect Park, which. though much
longer. would be far easier. After reflection
however No / decided 10 cross back to New
York by the Roosevelt-st. ferry and return
20 Brooklyn by Fulton ferry, which would, of
course. bring him the Heights district.
Here is anOtner incident 10 tne same eHtC''
narrated by Brooklyn wheelman: My wife
and had been off on a tour for three or four
days and got back to town by the Delaware,
Lsckawanna and Western Railroad about the
middle of the afternoon. How Were to get
from Barclay-st. 10 Brooklyn was problem over
which ! cudgelled my brains considerably. or
course the natural way would be to cross the
Bridge. but my wife has horror OF doing that
on bicycle. She is afraid Of the runaways
which occur now and then on the Bridge and
would be in a nervous panic all the way over
lest a horse should get beyond control and come
tearing down the roadway after her when she
had no opportunity of getting out of the way
90 the idea OF going over the Bridge had to be
abandoned If We had been coming in on the
Pennsylvania Railroad all would have been PLAIN
sailing for there the Annex boat. which
would carry us right to Fulton-st saw no
vav Of solving problem satisfactorily, Dut
nv wife had no sooner applied herself TO II thah
with woman's intuition she quickly arrived at
solution. II was simplicity itself. too. She pro-
posed that We should merely trUndle our wheels
down Wcst-st. to Cortlandt-st., cross 10 Jersey
city and proceed to Brooklyn by the Annex
boat. and that is what we did
The other morning there We're two wheemen
on a Twenty-thiro-et. ferryboat coming from
BROOKLYN 10 New-York As the boat was enter
Ing the slip one asked the other how near to
the West Fortysecond-st. ferry 1t was possible
10 ride on asphalt; what he wanted to know
was whether there any streets with asphalt
pavement west of Eighth-ave.. near Forty-sec-
ond-st The second rider. a New-Yorker, adj
vised the route through Twenty-sixth-st and up
Eighth-ave. to Forty-second-st.. and said that
there was no asphalt in that neighborhood west
OF Eighth-ave The Brooklyn man preferred to
avoid Eighth-ave as far as possible. and de-
termined 10 make tour Of discovery. Knowing
had hal "A :
far as sixth-ave he turned into that street from
Madison-ave., and finding no asphalt on 1t west
of Broadway proceeded up tnat thoroughfare'
keeping sharp lookout for an asphalt pave
ment on the eft-hand side He saw none until
he reached Fortieth-st.. and then, to his salts
faction, found that the positive statement OF me
New Yorker on the ferrYDoat was erroneous. Tor
the asphalt on FOrtieth-st. extends TO Ninth-aNe
Ninth-ave. between Fortieth and Forty-second
SITS is niserably paved. but two blocks OF poor
pavement amount to little Foriy-secOnd-st has
frst-class granite pavement all the way 10
the ferry and It is possible to ride over IT rapidly
and easily.
The hint given in this column short while
ago regarding The bad condition of East Twenty
sixth-st between Lexington and Third aves'
was quickly acted and more than week
ago men were set at work TO make the necessary
renatrs So far good Now. why cannot some
thing be done toward providing a good pavement
from the corner Of Twenty-sixth-st. and First
ave. to the foot of East Twenty thrd-st?
Thousands Of wheelmen pass over the rough
pavement here every year. and pains ought 10 ne
taken TO make the journey less trying ana
dangerous
The Coney Island Cycle Path has been wdened
for the distance of about two miles. and 1t is
mn, expected that the work will be carried
further this season. though it will be resumed
I'm the spring. Considerable lew graVei or
crushed stone has been placed on II and It's gen
eral condition is good Wheelmen have been