New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-02

club a man who is competent to arrange for
such q meet in the person Of their captain.
George A. Needham, who is chairman or the
Race Meet Committee
He ran the meet last year, and II was the
most successful meeting in the history OF the
club but he intends that the one to be heio this
year shall eclipse all previous efforts, so that
lit will be mark by which all future meets
will be gagged. The meet this year VIII serve
q double purpose 1t will more than ever clinch
The claim of the Kings County Wheelmen 10
blJno-one If the foremost organizations OF wheel
mon IN the netropolis and it will round out
Captain Needham's five years career not tha'
he intends to give up wheeling or 10 leave inc
club but simply because he intends to retire
from active life in wheeling circles at the close
of the present meet. The loss to his Cup VIII DE
,,root wban this occurs, but not great as
might be the case, as his advice ana runo OIL
experiepce will always be at the service OF the
organization, and its prosperity Will Always W
n thing that is dear TO him.
HAD TO LEAVE THE DIAMOND.
The presen. captain OF the Kings Cou"'s
Wbeelmen first began riding in the carry part
- 1soi He had long been identified with ath-
,eti. sports and took up wheeling not ohi! oe-
cause of the delights of cycling, but because ne
- Which h., had devoted his youth up to that
time. and ir which he attained cohsiuei ao'o
tome This sport was baseball. From the time
when he was a boy at school Needham hao al
WAYS been fond of the National sport When ne
,ooar,. an attendant at the Adelphi Academy.
| after graduating from the public school, ana
after leaving that institution. he played WIN
the second team of the Bedford Baseball Clup'
| "A with bp Crescent
| team and later with the Acmes Inc Chiffon
| ord then the Sta. n Island Cricket Club, found
,,o,ro Needham enrolled In their mines. He
| ,avod in various places, and the same charac-
t.ristic, which have made him so popular
| .r,ong tho wheelmen Of Brooklyn secured him
. host of friends among the ball players OF
| prooklv- Thus when he tried to reorganize
| tho Acme team in the early part OF lS9U. ne
| found plenty of support. His efforts met with
| s,ccess then as they have later in the manage
| rrept Of wheeling affairs. He succeeded IN FORM
! ING an amateur baseball team which was the
| hest in the metropolitan district ana the lame
Of which has not yet died out
The Acmes met the best amateur clubs to
| be found and won nineteen out OF twenty-seven
! games 1t was this team, OF which Needham
| was captain that turned out Carter. the Yale
pitcher, who caught for the team. George
| Sharrott, later player on the Brooklyn League
! team was The pitcher, ID Stevenson another
man who attained fame as a baseta player at
Vale pIayed first base. Mackenzie. later OF the
princeton baseball team, played left field.
Needham himself played second base, and A q.
Relyea. the present first lieutenant OF the Kings
County Wheemen, and one Of the fastest riders
in the club played shortstop This team met
and generally held its own with some OF the
strongest professional teams in the minor
leagues The departure OF Carter and Steven
son for Yale broke up the team in 1881, and
inst about that time Captain Needham broke a
/ tendon in his knee while playing at Englewood
n. j.. with the Staten Island Athletic Club In
the amateur league, and concluded that he had
had enough of ball playing for while Many
NJ his old friends had bought wheels and so
: he learned to ride. 1t in the latter part
Of this year that he joined the Kings County
| Wheelmen.
HIS FIRST YEAR AS LEADER.
During 1892 Needham was getting acquainted
with the wheelmen Of the city, gathering strength
and experence for his efforts the following year
when he won the mileage trophy Of the club by
riding 1896 miles. His friends In the club. recog-
MIXING his abilities, and desiring that the club
should profit by them, pushed him for captain In
1894 but he was defeated by Frederick Hawley
The following year he was elected to the place tt
which he had aspired, although his opponent, u
6 Paige was then as now one Of the most popu
lar men in the club. From this time on the ciut
steadily prospered. and great deal OF its growth
as.gKAeaAs ~ si1....-.-..