Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-11

CARTS Imagine what It would
be II. as we have. said above. all the
young and half the middle-aged of both
&c xes suddenly took to driving dog carts
|furiously about the country. and II learn
er met learner in narrow lanes or on hills
like the side of house. Even the In
stinct for self-preservation, often so
strongly displayed by a horse in a learn
er's hands, would not avail to prevent a
prodigious number of fractures. simple
and compound.
We may expect. then. that the cycling
accidents will continue until the present
crop of riders have learnt how to ride as
well as how TO propel their machines.
What, as the years go on. Will tell equal
ly in favor of better riding. will be the
fact that SO many girls and boys are taxi
ing to riding. In a dozen years time 1t
will be difficult to find any person under
twenty-five and belonging to the income
Fpaying class. who did not learn to ride
before he or she was grown up. We are
not going to suggest that cyclists should
never ride more than seven miles an hour.
or keep their brakes always in their
hands or jump off at every piece of
down. Hill, or take any other pedantic pre-
cautions. There Is not the slightest rea-
SON why people should spoil sport, by
such enorrnities of caution. Next to hav-
ing a machine which Is in a reasonably
sound condition. the main thing for the
cyclist to do is to think OF the road in
front of him. Just as good driver always
watches his horses ears the good cyclist
should always see that he has got a clear
hundred yards of road in front of him.
When he has got that he can afford to
enjoy himself and not to trouble greatly
about himself or his machine. IT, how
ever. there Is something in front nearer
than this, be 1t either a turning. or a cart.
or a cow. or an old woman. or a dog. it
behOoves him to look out. He must. that
is If 1t is a corner. not unfiX his atten-
ton till he has got round 1t and can see
his way clear again, or II 1t is an OBJ
stacle like cart or dog, till he has got
by. The same rules apply if the cyclist is
going down a steep hill. or if the road is
muddy or broken up. So easy is the act
of dismounting from a cycle even when
il is going at a fair pace. that If the cy-
clist remains at attention he can almost
always be sure of preventing the more
serious consequences of an accident If
he is reasonably alert he can. that is in
the case of a collision. spring off before
or at the moment of contact. Doing this
will very often save broken bone. The
only accidents which a cyclist cannot. as
a rule. minimize by care are. losing con-
troll of the machine down a steep hill.
sidesiip. an. break in some essential
part of the machine. OF course careful
cyclist. and one well on the lookout.
ought not to lose control; but granted
that he does. he still may do a good deal
to help himself by keeping his head and
looking out For example. if he sees
there is bridge with brick parapet
waiting for him at the bottom of the hill.
he can turn himself into the hedge and
spring off at the moment the front wheel
runs UP the bank. When people begin to
realize that riding bicycle. like riding
or driving a horse. wants the use of the
head as well as of the legs and arms, We
shall see the cycle death and injury roll
very greatly reduced. If people who cycle
would pay as much attention to their
safety as people who drive they would
find that on the whole. cycling is a safe
pastime. Properly practised il is certain
ly not more dangerous than driving. In
both instances there is. of course, a GER
tain unavoidable element of risk. but
then life altogether is a risky form of i'm
prisonment with capital sentence car
ried out at the end.-London Spectator