The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-18
ALL WASHINGTON AWHEEL.
SLOW WORK IN THE HOUSE STARTS
CONGRESSMEN TO RIDING.

| Learning to Manipulate the Wheel.
! Darwin's Theory Reversed in Some
Instances-The Speaker Himself
Rides His Wheel Only in Maine.
Members of Congress who Are Fa-
miliar Figures AwheeI on Penn
syIvania Avenue-PrOminent Cow
eminent officials who Enjoy the
sport.
Washington, July 1.-THE lull In legis-
lation in the House while the Senate
was considering the tariff bill increased
the number of wheelmen In Washington.
Many a member from remote parts of the
country learned to ride the wheel Wash
ington has been called the heaven of BIZ
cycles. 1t has over 800 miles of concrete
| pavements and the roads in its vicinity
are far better than the average. 1t is the
only city in the United States where the
| streets ere better than the sidewalks.
trip to Baltimore and back Is no novelty.
Wheelmen go there in large parties and
return the same day. To stranger the
city seems to be alive with bicycles. Men
and women, girls and boys fit through the
| streets like swallows, darting here and
there between cars and vehicles. Some are
bent on business, and others are out for
pleasure alone. Thousands employed in
the various departments go to and from
their work upon wheels. The courts Of
the interior department, of the war
and navy building and of the postotfice
building are crowded with bicycles. In
every department provision is made for
them. The crypt of the capitol is filled
with them. There Is a place set apart for
them on the ground floor of the pension
building Theaters advertise them check
ed and stored without charge.
A congressman who Is a member of the
| L. A w. rode past the city postoff1ce re-
Gently at Z o'clock In the morning. The
streets in the vicinity swarmed with
wheelmen in gray uniform. They trooped
away from the building in platoons, north,
south, east and west, making the morn
| ing delivery. These letter carriers run to
the extreme limits of the city. They use
the wheel In the delivery of letters Col
lections from the street boxes are most
| all made by carriers on wheels. Some car
| riers ride to their field of delivery and
leave their wheels at a pharmacy or
grocery while they distribute their letters.
| The congressman saw one carrier leave
his wheel at the residence of Senator
| Stewart, and from there make his deliver
| les foot
1t is estimated that from 1900 to 1900
| persons employed in Washington use their
| wheels in going to and returning from
business. Nearly 10000 are employed in
| the departments alone, and of these 1t is
| safe to say that more than one-quarter
| he, 81 chit In, q
hours is exhilarating. Rosy-cheeked type
! writers in natty costumes. machinists en-
| ployed at the navy yard. department
| clerks, male and female old and young,
| school girls and school marms, all dash to
| their work mounted upon wheels. Some
| sail along with charming grace and even
! abandon, while others nervously grip the
/ handles of their wheels and dsmount
| when in doubt. Many sit as straight as
| ramrods, with hands behind their backs
| driving the wheels as though they were
| parts of themselves, Others maintain an
| unconscious, but easy attitude, apparently
| thinking over the work of the day. A few
bend to the low handle bars, and speed
| along as though suffering from curvature
| of the spine. DarWin's theory is appar-
/ emily reversed. Instead of the slow evo-
| luton through long ages of man from the
/ simian, we have the rapid development of
| the simian from man. This evolution is
/
lady has ever been seen on the streets of
| Washington riding a wheel with rams
| horn handle bars.
Nor are the patrons of the wheel con-
| fined to the Caucasian. Though the Ethi-
| opian cannot change his color, he proves
| extremely facile In changing his method
| of locomotion. The colored girl, whether
| octoroon. Quadroon, mulatto or Congo, is
| in the front on the wheel. She rides it
| gracefully if not artistically. Often she
! is accompanied by dusky admirer One
! of these admirers attracts universal at
i tention. Tall and slender, he rides at the
| side Of his tinted inamorata, clad In
full bicycle suit. The suit is sumner.
| He wears blue cap with a long white
| peak and a snowy button on TOP. His
blazer carries the Princeton colors, orange
and black His knickerbockers are of
| navy blue, and his golf stockings are of
plaid that would throw a highland chief
| into commissions.
The wheel is also a favorite with the
members of the Chinese legation. Several
] of the attaches are experts. All ride la
| dies wheels on account of their flowing
| robes.
In fact, everybody rides the wheel, the
clergyman and the congressman, the law
yer and his client the doctor and his pa
tient. the mistress and the maid. every
body but the office-seeker. He walks. Not
| long ago a congressman took tea on
Sunday afternoon with family living in
the northwest. The lady of the house was
| busy attending 10 the wants OF those
around the table, One OF the children at
the table asked its mother where Gertie,
the servant girl, was.
| 'She and the cook have gone out on
| their wheels This Is their Sunday off"
replied the mother
HAS your servant girl wheel?" the
| congressman asked In establishment.
/ Ne h.. IwF aoha FDFs
| 10 cents an hour"
She then told a story OF her washerwo-
man. "She comes here every Monday"
the lady said. ITO do the washing. Last
| Monday l waited all day for her and she
never came She appeared bright and
| early on Tuesday morning. I asked her
/ why she failed 10 come on Monday, and
she replied, ! hired a wheel A lady out
beyond the soldiers home owed me %
cents and went out there 10 collect A."
| After a long morning ride the congress-
man breakfasted at his rooms and.
mounting his wheel. rode to the capitol.
| He had hardly turned the corner before
he passed a gentleman IN knickerbockers,