The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-22
NEWS AND GOSSIP
a OF CINDER PATH
The Six Great Racers on the Track This
Season.
WILL MEET ON NATIONAL CIRCUIT
The Event Will he Watcned with the
Greatest lntercst..TwO Bicycle
Shows in lS97..AbOut European
RecOrds..New Scneme for Marking

The Buffers. Bald, Sanger, Gardiner,
Cooper and Ziegler arA the greatest
men of the cycle track this year. The
meeting of the seven at the later dates
of the national circuit will be watched
with interest. Cooper is likely to go
dead to the world" they all say. be-
fore the season is old, but he keeps
| winning just as many races from Bald
as Bald wins from him, with perhaps u
few more.
Tom Eek, who trains John s. John
son, the American cycle dyer" says
he has offered To match Johnson for Il
thousand francs against the winner OF
the grand priX de France, ridden on
Sunday last. Saturday, paced by u
tandem, johnson rode a mile In LA 10.
This equals the worlds record made by
Platt- Belts.
Tom Cooper has won $500 in five
weeks on the national circuit, and yet
this same Cooper was unsigned two
weeks previous to the start of the cir
cult and was employed i'm u cycle store
would stay to the end of the year, as
all the teams had apparently been
made up for the year. Cooper had rid
den the previous year as an amateur in
the early part of the season and in
class l. towards the end of the season.
He had been in the latter class Il prom
inent performer in handicap races and
his many brilliant finishes in these races
gave him a name. Through the inter-
Vention of friends Cooper secured foot
hold on team and went to Louisville to
train on the famous Fountain Ferry
track. Previous to Decoration day he
was employed to act as pacemaker for
Mike Dirnberger.
1t has been decided by the national
cycle board of trade to hold their an
nual national cycle exposition for 1897
in January and February respectively
There will be two national shows, one
in Chicago and one in New York. Presi-
dent H. l.. Coleman, to whom the whole
matter was referred, has decided that
the western exposition, which is to be
held at the new Coliseum building,
SiXty-third street and Illinois Central
railroad, Chicago, ILL.,, shall come first
January 30, 1897. The eastern national
cycle show, which is to be held at the
Grand Central Palace of Industry
Firty-third street and Lexington ave-
nue., New York city, will open on Satur-
day, February G. 1897. From present
indications both buildings will be taxed
to their utmost to accommodate the eX
hibitors, as there are already over 250
applications for space in hand.
The European records do not approx
mate any of the performances at the
shorter distances that have been made
in this country, but soon there will be
big alterations in the time tables in
vogue on the other side of the water.
Though the French, German, English
and Italian riders have been prominent
ly identified with the smashing of for
eign records, the fact has not been dis
puted that American wheelmen have
clearly demonstrated their superiority
in the record breaking line.
Kiser is an adept at following the
pace, and in the presence of an enthu-
siastic French audience will shortly fol-
low the Septuplet in trials against the
best European records. Murphy and
Wheeler are exceptionally fast riders.
and will also be used to reduce the for
eign marks.
Arthur Gardiner was paid $120 in sill
Yer dollars at Little Rock, and was at
a loss to know where he was going to
store all the money received. Like 9TH
er racing men, he bought an express
money order and sent the money home
as fast as received. and is said to have
q bank account of not less than $1,000
and a house that he has bought, all
being money earned and won the rae
ing circuits in the last few years.
Ziegler is frugal.
A new scheme has been suggested to
owners of bicycles. 1t is for every
wheelman to have private mark on his
Wheel and in the event of the loss ,f
the wheel the identification of such a
mark, known only to the rider, would
be good proof of ownership. This mark
should be concealed, and. instead of Il
mark on the saddle or saddle-post. it is
suggested that IL portion of the enamel
about one inch square he scraped from
the frame Of the machine. After all
trace of the enamel has been removed.
apply coating of grease, and with
pointed piece of steel dipped in car
bolic acid draw the initials or private
mark through the grease. The acid
following the marking of the steel pom.
while the grease keeps it from spreal-
ing. After allowing the acid to eat into
the tubing the grease can be rubbed off
and the mark or initial shows as plain
ly as If cut into the steel framework.
One coat of enamel will hide the marx
If your wheel is stolen, of course. you
have to scratch it again before you
can Identify the mark. Another good
thing to do with a $lO0 wheel is to Eeep
it in Il safe place. and not let it stand
around where thieves can easily ride
,f; with IL