Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-04
Revival Of the H. s. Owens Birth
day Run.
A UNIQUE AFFAIR FOR TIE CYCLISTS
Great Interest Manifested in the
Baltimore Trip.
GOSSIP OF THE CLUBS

During the coming week the event among
| the bicycle folks will be the Observance of
the H. s. Owens birthday run-"mile'
| around the Capitol" This custom will be
| inaugurated this year by Mr.. F. D. Owens.
| brother to Mr.. Herbert Owens both Of
| whom are well-known bicyclists and bicy-
| Gle dealers. and among the pioneer wheel
men in the city, extending back into the
| days of the old high wheel
The custom was started some years ago,
just after the organization Of the Capital
| Bi. Club, of which Herbert Owens was the
captain for the first five years. The club
| lacks but a few days of being the oldest
bicycle organization in the country, ard at
| the time 1t was born the safety was an I'M
known machine. 1t was then H. S. Owens,
| or Bert Owens, as he Is better known
originated the custom of observing his
birthday by giving run to the members
| or the club, which was full of fun ard ex-
citement, and which generally wound up in
a feast. These runs were continued for
some time, and gained quite a reputat ton,
the event being annually looked for by
the entire wheeling fraternity of the Dis
trlet. Inc wheelmen in those days were
not nearly as numerous as at present, and
all the riding public of that time was in
terested in the mile around the CAPITOL
run.
Inc advent of the safety practically kill
ed the FUN on this run. On the high wheel
bert owens would do the leading and with
NUMBER OF riders following him, he would
make run around the city over some of
the toughest ground he could possibly find
down hills and up hills, over gullies and
broken stones. 1t required Skilled and
expert rider of high wheel to successful
| ~ Ioiio" the leader, and the headers ard
,omples on the trip We're numerous and
iaushable AT convenient points along the
line the photographs of the riders wouid he
lahe. py other members of the club, and
sometimes rider would be taken in the
act OF executing a fancy double-action
header. ~ ''o'i
Since 1sss the custom has not been OBJ
served the safety springing into popularity
at that time. while the old high wheel TOOK
a pack place. The fun of the trip ia lost
| IN riding a safety. and hence it was dis
con tihued. Bert Owens is now out of the
sits attending to the affairs of his bicycie
factory at New London, Conn. though n
! it possible that he will be on to attend the
| testivlties The run this year will be given
| by ms brother, Fred. Owens, who is mem
| Der OF the Capital BIZ Club. The rough
feature of the old ride will be eliminates
ana IN the run Thursday it will be more
| OF social affair than anything else.
According to the program, the run is ex-
| tended to the members of the CapitaI ri
CiuD and their friends and it Is expected
thal lully two hundred persons will avail
themselves 1iI1 or the opportunity. The start
VIII be at D O'Clock in the afternoon from
lne club house of the C. BIZ c., and will
VINO Up about O'Clock at the Capital Rid
| ing Park, corner of 18th and New York
wheel
men. The riders will be divided up into
three sections, all under the commend Of
Mr; Irving Williamson, the president of the
Gun. VINO VIII act as marshal. The first
DIVISION VIII be composed of the male mem
| bers of the Capital Ri. Club. 1t will be un-
| DER command of DR.. j. Bartlett Hills, the
captain of the club He VIII have as his
| aids Messrs. N Macdaniel, DR.. Lee 7, Har
| pan, William F. Roberts, DIR. Henry w
Reed. The second division of the line will
be composed of ladies and gentlemen, and
/ wi hn NJ, tt,x1
| His aids will be Dr. James M Nick. Taor-
| den and Messrs. Clarence G. Allen and AL
| fred j. Henry. The third division will be
composed comp OF the unattached wheelmen. who
| have been Invited to participate and will
| be captained by Mr.. w. F. Morsell.
The Route.
The divisions will be divided up like the
| companies in a regiment. The riders will
| be divided up into rows Of three four to
! a division and headed by one of the aids to
| the captain. The route has not been Sc
| lected. and the exact trip will be known to
| no one but the leader. Just before leaving
the club house at the start the riders will
| be photographed. They will then head
! ever to the mall and ride around the White
! Lot once or twice, so as to give every rider
| view of the participants. The ride will
| then go eastward through the picturesque
| park of the mall to the Botanical Gardens
| and thence to the Capitol by the south side
| Here by the favor of more members of the
| Camera Club of the Capital Ri. Club. more
| photographs will be taken. The route will
| thence go east by the best road to the city
| boundary, passing Kendall Green and the
| other suburban places of beauty and in
| terest, running along the outskirts until
| near a point at 18th street and boundary
| Here the party will be met by number of
| unattached wheelmen, who will distribute
| Chinese lanterns to all the participants.
| The lanterns will be lighted and the return
| home made picturesque twilight parade,
| pleasure seen north and in some western
| cities, but common to country runs in Eng
| land.
! Riding Park, at 18th street and New York
| avenue, without dismounting. and circle
| around a course a few times. after which
the wheels will be stacked and an impromp-
| tn program will be delivered The park
| will be gorceously decorated for the occa-
sion and brilliantly Illuminated with cleo
! trio lights. An immense May pole will be
| erected in the center of the ground from
| the top of which pieces of vari-colored
| bunting will be stretched to all parts of the
| ground. All of the riders will wear badges
| and souvenirs of the occasion. Should the
| weather prove unfavorable the trip will be
| made the next pleasant day.
| Wheelmen's baltimore Trfp
| AS published in this column recently,
| the project of trip of the united wheel
| men of the city to Baltimore has assumed
definite shape, and meeting will be held
| Wednesday evening at 80 18th street,
| where all arrangements will be completed
| for the event. Already over fifty unattach-
| ed wheemen have signified their intention
| of going, and it is calculated that four or
| five times this number will go.
| The trip will be distinctively an affair for
! unattached wheelmen, and not a club event
| by any means. Lady riders will be well
| come, and all the riders who can go are re-
| quested to bring their friends. The trip
! will be exceedingly cheap one, and
| the cost for the round trip will be good
| deal less than two dollars per head. This
| includes a fare of one dollar, one dollar
and ten cents for the round trip, and fifty
! cents each for dinner in the monumen tai
| city This last expense may be unneces-
! sary from the fact that it is likely the
| Baltimore wheelmen will attend to the
| wants of the Washington riders.
| 1t is contemplated to make the trip on a
/ special train, and this can be done where
! the attendance will be one hundred riders
| or over. The special train will be equipped
| with baggage cars, sufficient to accommo-
date all the wheels of the party. and if
| the cost of the round trip is more than one
| dollar. the excess will probably be charged
| for the handling of the wheels both ways
| on the trip. Another advantage Is that
with a special train the time for the start