Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-15
MAD RUSH FOR WHEELS,
A Bicycle Sale That Ended In Jus
'' Five Minutes.

A Bicycle Sale That Ended In just
''' Five Minutes.
"A panic, in which a loss Of life was
averted only by the discipline of the po-
lice, occurred yesterday at the business
opening Of a new store In 9Th avenue New
York. - .F
The crush was in consequence Of an i'm
preston that the firm would sell 500 bicy-
Giles at prices ranging from IS to $15. This
belief prevailed not only in that city, bu,
half way over the country. fact proved
by kilograms from Boston and New Or
leans requesting that cheap bicycles be
forwarded at once.
The doors were to be opened at 0 am
Long before that hour, in fact. as early as
outside the store
AS the time grew on the crowd Increased
to an alarming extent.
In a little while 9th avenue became so
crowded that 1t was only with the greatest
difficulty that the street cars passed
through. The crowd swarmed into 18th and
18th streets, blocking both thoroughfares
completely.
Then began a mad race through the
building to find the bicycles. which were
on the third floor The crowd dashed I'D
the stairs and besieged the elevator men to
take them up. Men dashed women against
the counters on either side of the aisles
in the mad rush to be first. Captain Chap
man had been trying to stem that rush
with his men. They held the first few;
then the flood rolled In and over them.
The bicycles were grouped in a raised
Enclosure about twenty feet square, sur
rounded by light brass rail. A couple of
clerks sat within the Enclosure. ready to
take orders.
Those In the crowd were shouting and
waving their arms in a bewildering way,
and the clerks had taken only half a
dozen orders when a man seized a bicycle
which another said he had claimed first.
The first therelIn0n seized n w no frop
forks, the other by the rear wheel, and
they began to tug. During the scrimmage
two or three others claimed the same
wheel, and seized 1t by the pedals and
frame Then all wrestled together
Intending buyers of wheels climbed upon
the tables and counters, and when they
saw four or five men struggling over the
wheel they stamped and yelled in a fury
Then there were two or three sharp crashes
and the tables went down under their loads
of frantic men and women. At the same
moment the bicycle was torn apart and one
of the men crashed through glass show
case, while a policeman was forced through
the other end. The two fell together in a
shower Of glass.
Three or four women screamed and faint
ed, and a man had a CONFUSION, and was
carried into the harness room.
The crashing of the counters and tables
and the shrieks of the women threw the
crowd into momentary panic. From all
sides arose wild cries of alarm.
At that instant the tall form Of Inspector
Harley doomed up in the bicycle Enclosure
Where he had come from and how he had
got there no one seemed to know. There
were forty policemen with him, and their
presence treasured the crowd. Then the
panicky feeling passed and the crowd made
rush forward, each one intent again on
getting bicycle by hook crook.
Inspector Harley placed solid wall Of
policemen around the bicycle Enclosure, and
the wheels were carried away under police
protection. Then signs were hung up an
nouncing that no more bicycles were to be
sold for the day. The police dispersed the
crowd slowly, and took charge of all en-
frances and exits. After that there was
no difficulty.
The sale Of wheels began at am and
ended at 9:05