The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-04
BICYCLE FOOLS.
There Are Many Varieties and TheS
Are Not Confined to America

Boston Transcript.
The world is full of bicycle fools VINO
rush down inclines or along pathways
a-wheel where angels would fear to tread
even medieval angels with wings TO save
themselves, unlike those of the most moo
ern art From east and west and north ana
south. from far lands and from all about
the Hub come stories of Wheelmen ana
wheelwomen who amuse themselves with
audacities of foohardiness which contrlo-
ute to no worldly ends except possibly
those of surgeons and the makers OF
wheels and wheels and more wheels NO
wonder that one New York newspaper
runs daily column of bicycle accldehls'
mostly avoidable." A recent tale from 81.
Louis is of the most consummate, WlllIul
idiocy on wheels on record. A narrow
beard placed along the edge OF high rail-
read bridge over the Missouri river attracts
the bicycle fools, who ride across in pleas
ant competition in folly One woman is
proudly announced as taking advanced
rank among her brethren.
They do these things no better in France.
In the maritime Alps, not far from Nice
and Monaco, there is a very dangerous
coast. complicated by a sharp turn on the
way down. and below a deep raVlne
SDdnned by a DrlQSe, lIe DI1uSc u ANAAi4
ingao The Touring Club of France put up
signs and issued warnings IN VAIN blcycie
fools, assured of their ability, roQe heeq-
lessly to their destruction at lively deatn
rate Then the Touring Club, determined
to save these rash ones by force, souSht
permission of the local authorities ana put
up g. high wire netting on each SIDE OF the
low parapet of the bridge. Witty Albert
Petil of the Journal Des Debats makes the
following amusing comment; L must own
up When | first heard OF this WIRE pdsk-
Of being over an abysS like q proVidentlal
spiders web | was extremely incredulouS.
But the wire net of RamlngaS IS not
myth. 1t exists, it performs its junction
and happily does not eaten corpSes. II II
good strong wire netting Four days after
it was put up in April it was assaulted by a
poor devil whose machine was smashed
against the parapet and VINO was 1lak IN (
straight for a better world when ne had
the sweet surprise of being caught on the
fly and rocked gently on an elastic ana
springy couch. Isn't that merry emotlol6
to recommend to one Of these amateurs or
new emotions? Since April four other VIC
Tins have been jerked from certain death'
and there is a good prospect OF making d
saving average of four llNeS week: One
can't help counting up how many blcycle
tourists at this rate would have been plleCl
up in three or four years at The bottom or
the raVine of Ramingao. The Iourlng Gun
has done well in putting an END 10 rms
hecatomb But is it not really incredible
that all of its counSels and precepts should
have remained unnOuced until II was
forced to hang a netting over the abyss be-
cause so many people like better TO take
large risks than little precautions. the WIRE
netting at Ramingao IS posltlvely syin3ollIc Is,
Contemporary life is a coast. Everybody
wishes to arrive quickly at the risk OF not
arriving at all. The precepts OF lnorallsts
are like the warnings of the touring CIup.
They have not the slightest effect in stop
ping those who are eager TO hurry tnem-
selves out of the race. And statesmen seek
in vain to find a wire netting Whlch VIII
save the break-necks from the maj sem
Fps