The times., 1897-07-04

"
The issuance of the circular by the Pope
Manufacturing Company reducing the price
of Columbia wheels TO SIS has caused :oh-
siderable excitementin Washington cycling
circles. Many contend that the cut Is
made too late in the season To create
serious disturbance, and the general con
sensus of opinion is to the effect that Inc
day OF the 500 bicycle is over; that the
cut will be met all along the line, ana
that the present cheap wheels VIII be
practically driven from the market
yanous theories are advanced as 10 The
cause of the slump, but those lii position
To Judge state that IL is due In a great
measure to the auction sales OF The $50
model which differed but little from that
OF 1897 Many of these wheels Were SOLD
With an undeTstan ding that they were To
be exported, but the purchasers failed To
keep faith, and In many Instances they
We're auctIoned off at prices which ran as
low as $50 for machines that could not
be had fol double or even triple that price
at the agency of the manufacturers.
1t IS minated bY the Columbia people
that they VIII have chainless bicycle
on the market next season, and this IS
given as one Of the explanations of re-
duetions in price OF the present styles or
wheels.
In connection with the present reduc-
ten in pnce OF wheels 1t is interesting
t. note the prizes and weights OF ma-
chimes of three or four years ago.
In the Sporting Times Of April 1898,
the ladies' Columbia safety is advertised
at 81 so. The New Mail is advertised at
S125, weight 80 pounds. The Remington
is advertised at S140, weights 81, AZ
and "A pounds The Gendron was S15O.
| Featherstone safeties were advertised by
| Peck & Snyder for $3.50 and the Nassau
was S120. In the same publication the
! Road King and the Read Queen are adj
vertised al $50.
As is generally known, the demand this
year has been for reliable goods, lis ed
al prices within the reach OF the public,
and il has been an open secret that the
higher-priced makers have endeavored 10
meet this demand by putting out u coin
hlna.ion of a 'g6 and '97 model, with
a sc name-plate or they have instructed
their agents to meet competition by cut
ting prices.
Mr.. r. Lindsay Coleman, expresident of
| the National Cycle Board of Trade, and
| president OF the Western Wheel Works,
in speaking on this subject, says:
'In es. ablishing our prices in 1892 we
| were fully cognizant OF the trade condi-
tions as then existing. and We deter
mined TO meet the popular demand for
ahigh-grade wheel a. an honest and reason
able price.
oar annouu, .i5ent that we had es-
tablished our price at S75 was met by the
statement Of other manufacturers that
strictly hiel.-Erale wheel coHld not be
made and sold at so low = figure We ex-
pressed the opinion at that time that
within five years other highs grade makers
would fully realize their error in endeavor-
ing to maintain n fictitious value on their
product, and that the prices that we had
fixed would within that time become
the standard price for other high-grade
| wheels
''If a bicycle is worth its list price N
January, it is worth that same price in
July: per contra, if a sorcalled 81 90 wheel
is worth but SIS in July, it was certainly
worth no iltdit IA Sdilhoi y aitAtNt''-o
values can no more be upheld for any
lenetb of time in the case of bicycles than
in stocks and bonds The old adage chat
water must seek its level is peculiarly
true of bicycle prices.
II do not anticipate that still further
reduction ia the price of wheels Will he
made next year, and believe that when
the announceme mt Of '9s prices is made my
| f,,lfst - f,r.r
the Crescent price will have become the
standard high-grade price
The Cycle Board of Trade gives it's
second lace meet tomorrow at Intema-
tionaI Athletic Park on Conduit read.
Weather permitting, this Will he the
greatest amateur race meet ever held lI
this section of the country. The list ol
contestants numbers fifty, and ;nclndes
the best riders of the city.
The race for the championship of the
war Department bet ween E. s. Ford, of
the Ordnance Division, and j A MoColl
OF the Record and Pension Division, has
stirred up considerable interest. Both
tie riders are popular, and the boys ircTn
the department viii he ont in numbers
10 cheer their favorte TO victory.
The nulticycle handicap, consisting o
| one SIn cit, UNn UanueIllS, anu one tFli1ieV
is looked forward to with great interest
it being the first time a race OF uhis
character haa been run in this city TIL
line up viii be: Moran, single: Schade an6
Halstead, tandem; RonSaviile and Cause
tandem: Greer, Smith, and Wilson, triplet
The officers Of the meet Will DC as
| follows: Judges, l.. b. Graves, j. r. Beall
tr., H. f. Jones, jr.; timers, w Roy Mitchell
W j. Espey, and NJ Jacobs; umpires, Il
jose Fred Moore, e. j. Murphy, and
II stone; scorers, w f Baum, w. X
Larrimore, and G. T. Cabrera; starter
Prof John Crossley; clerk OF course, VII
liam Gettinger; assistants, W. H. Cole
man and John Woerner; Handicapped, vii
liam Jose.
Entries for races are as follows:
one mile Lovice-2, Leonard Mitchell; 3,
Bernard Wilkerson; 4 william F. Maher:
s, c. G Gatley;6, F. Walter Ryan; 7, John
Hill; S, Howard A. Ball; 10, Hayden Noyes;
IL, Jamie Alex ander; 2, j. Landers But
lcr; / 5, W. Buns Dalton; 15, J. E WEitson:
16, Harry l /. Dodge; 20, C.J. Mueller %,
j. o. BOYD; %, William E. Beall; 24, w.
9. OConnor; Is, Joseph Schrot; 29, For
est Stewart; 20, j. o. Mitchell: 30, A
2. Dorr; 81 8. A. Wimsatt; 80, J. L.
Yates; 33, W. II. Wright; 40, F. E. Paigett:
AZ, W. W. Talbert; 43, L. G. Mannakee;
AZ, George 2. Phillips.
One nile open-1, Griffin Halstead; 9
II. W. Hardester; II, j. Walter ThoInp-
son; 1 g. e. L. Wilson; 49, E. A. Duvall; 27,