The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-31
FALL OF TwO SCORCHERS.
THBIR CAPTURE AFTER A NOT
CHASE M A CRAFTY cor.

ne Kent Out orTheir sight ne Much ne he
Could, and Ran Them Down After = Mile
.,d . Half what the Bicycle Squad
Have A Accomplished Along the boulevard.
Mr.. George w. Brown OF AGA Amsterdam av-
enue ia one OF the most skilful scorohers who
trundle bicycles up and down the Boulevard.
lie is an athletic young man. with sturdy legs
and a deep chest, showing good muscle and
plenty OF wind. He ia q frequenter OF the Boule-
ward, where he may be seen any afternoon, and
he keeps at II usually until well along In the
evening. Hls bicycle suit IL always the same,
but although IL Is one Of tho neatest and most
servlceablc yet devised for the purpose, 1t has
apparently not been copied by any of the
Thousands of men who daily spin up and down
that asphaltcd street. 1t consists simply OF q
dark blue coat, buttoned closely over a dark
blue Jersey, close-ntting dark blue knickers,
with a nne white stripe down the side. and
stockings to match. His cap Is very similar to
those usually worn by yachtsmen.
Mr.. Brown 10 a crafty scorcher. He rides q
high-goared wheel, and can get into his stride,
rs racing men say. with remarkable celebrity.
The handle bars of his machine are we'll for
ward. but yet are so we'll raised that even when
scorching Mt HE topmost speed he Is not bumped
over the machine in the ungainly fashion AZ
focted by most scorchera. When he 10 riding at
his best II Is doubtful IL there is q scorcher on
the boulevard who can overtake him, and that
is as 1t should be, for MIR. Browns business is to
overtake other scorchers, and he does II regu-
larly and literally with neatness and despatch.
He is q bicycle COP. with headquarters at the
West SiIty-eighth street station. He Is a young
man, perhaps 90 years old, and has not been .
policeman very long. But there Is no doubt that
he enjoys his present tour of duty.
Policeman Brown learned very early In his
experience with the scorchers that q straight
-. --l a. .N
always successful. Strategy is . valuable aid.
Tho other day he was standing near the side
walk talking with another policeman. not Of
the bicycle squad, when two scorchers sailed up
the Boulevard. They were going fourteen miles
an hour easily, and nearly ran down u man who
was wabbling along ahead Of them, enjoying o
quiet and slow ride. Their shouts OF warning to
the slowgoer attracted Browns attention, and
he jumped on his wheel and set out after them.
The scorchers happened to look back Just then.
saw Brown. and slowed up. That's where
Browns craftiness came in. He slowed up too.
They were on the east side of the Boulevard.
The policeman crossed over To the west side. and
was lost to the view OF the scorchers behino .
lot of trucks and wagons. That was about at
Ssyenty-sixth street.
they went at it again lieketE.split. So did
run down bumped over his wheel and put In his
best ticks irving to follow the race. But the
scorchers and the policeman ran away from MIN
~ II he had been tied to a post. Up the Boule-
ward the race went, and every moment the po-
liceman gained: But the scorchers did not look
back again. and were ignorant of their danger.
AS Brown scOrched along the riders coming
s ses the sd fun. But RaS1 a s few bic ia'' usually aIs ,u IN
and they gave 1t up: Brown went over the street
railroad tracks in Eighty-sixth street at q rate
that would have shaken \ less ex experienced man
out Of the saddle, and when he got to the top of
the hill at Ninety-second street he was not more
who were doing easily twenty miles an hour
down the hill.
going down the hill to Ninety-sixth street. put
ting all his muscle on the pedals. Half way
down q there 1;,,ss was raom Ian q nss OF tb ,rnHks' a JS, ne a. mac Ss
sweryed 70 pass a little girl ran Into the street
ahead Of him.. For n few seconds It looked as Il
he would run her down surely. but he was equal
to the emergency. With ali his weight and
muscle no began to back pedal. He worked so
chine. He didn't, but he Stacked up enough so
that the child got BY all right and then he set
The scorehers were a block and a half ahead
and the hill Is ten blocks long. The steepest
Psgs Is a. sse ,6 1sslnn'f Brown vs. you eo, c eO t lps d desee she
of tho other hill sent him we'll over the worst
part Of the climb. just IS they got to the top
t @assss of the er ssoro eheMn Ealf T.' second "r' more and md
ter Of a mile behind. doing his level best. From
That's the way to catch EN-" said . police
man who had seen the last Fart Of the race.
get 'em right while they're at It,. Sometimes
you have to lie low to do It. II they sec you
coming they slow up and then swear they
"s sE7erybodg Rides moro than eight mile. an
hour" Brown said to a Sun man the other day.
The average rate is fully ten miles. but we
anything about a bicycle can control 1t easily at
that rate. and one who doesn't know can't go
that fast; As long az n machine Is safely under
control there's no danger ITS y %hen the H, speed PEI
BILE. You can't shut off quickly enough: and
you can't turn and dodge. There's a lot Of fun
In riding fast. and it's no wonder there are so
many scorchers: but it's bad business here on
and 80 many trucks aud teams."
There has been a great deal of kicking lately
about the bicycle policemen. Some of 1t, per-
haps the hardest. by some of those who were
loudsst in their demand for the establishment of
the squad. But there Is no doubt that the
wheeling policemen are a great satifactlon to a
large majority of the hundreds of wheelmen
who ride on tho boulevard. They have done q
notable work in the way of tanning the drivers
OF trucks and ice and stone wagons, who used to
take supreme delight in annoying and harassing
wheelmen. There Is a very great difference in
the respect which these men show nowadays
for the rights OF bicycle riders and the way they
used TO conduct themselves before the bicycle
cops began to patrol the asphalted streets. Tho
policemen themselves are a refreshing example
OF 1.-THE new regime. They are all polite and accom-
modating always. willing to help out any one In
trouble at any personal Inconvenience, as many
n rider who has had an accident has found out
arbitrary arrests and NJ arresting persons who
were not scorchtng. particularly women. but 1t
Is very doubtful II on the whole they have made
any serious mistakes. And II Is an incontro-
vertible fact that bicycle riding on the. Boule-
ward is much safer and more interesting bo-
cause of their presence there.