The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-19

worlds BICYCLE skate record, however,
and made it, paced by a professional
tandem on Fifth avenue, in New YORK,
a short time ago. Mr.. Reynolds mas
consented to tell just how he won the
recent quarter mile contest with a
Wheelman. He has written over his
own signature a description Of the race
as follows:
at have been convinced for long
while that the bicycle skate is the COM
ing motor for speed, so far as man
power is concerned. Most people do not
understand exactly how such skates
are made, and I will, before telling how
it seemed to me at the time of my re-
cent victory over the bicycle, tell just
exactly what the bicycle skate is. Each
skate weighs two pounds, and consists
of a thin bar of brass with fork at
either end in which the wheels, six
inches in diamater, are set. The rims
are of steel and the tires of cushion
rubber.
1.-THE pneumatic tire it is conceded, is
out of the question, as the pressure upon
the skate is largely lateral. The skate
is equipped with straps for ordinary
road use, but 1 do not use them, pre-
ferring instead the ordinary racing
shoe fixed to the skate plates by means
of rivets. The upward curve at each
end of the skate serves the double pur-
pose of accommodating larger wheel
and bringing the foot nearer to the
ground, thus facilitating locomotion on
the same principle as the lowering Of
the crank hanger on a bicycle.
eve have all heard great deal, par
ticularly those of us who have made
study of the wheel of the beauty of
the ball bearings. 1t does not seem to
me that I ever saw anything about the
bicycle as perfectly adjusted as the
ball bearing of the skate. One of the
little wheels of the skate, when once
set free, will spin until further notice.
I don't mind telling you that l am
having a pair of improved skates
made which will only weigh three
pounds.
''Of course it comes easy to me to
skate, for in three years contests in
roller skating throughout the United
States I won 112 out of a possible 100.
Then at ice skating have always done
we'll, and so 1 felt quite confident of
at least making a good showing when
I tried to set the pace for Fox down
at Bath Beach few days ago.
ut was only a quarter of a mile, and
it is very hard to get your best speed
in that short distance, but [ made up
nv mind that when we got the word
to go 1 would show what l could do
and incidentally show Fox the way.
They gave me a start of twenty yards,
which was really a good deal more
than I needed, and at no time was Fox
within reaching distance.
you know you can't hear bicycle.
Somebody told me the other day that
it came upon you like thief in the
night, and I guess that is the way it
is ANYHOW, when l started I had 1t
all figured out how I was going to
win. There are two things that win
races-steady speed and good judg-
ment. I knew I had the one and l
tried very hard to exhibit the other. l
expected that after a bit Fox would
work UP within thirty feet of me, and
I tried to look over my shoulder sew
eral times to see just how far he was,
but I kept going on and on, giving
backward chances. but without seeing
sign of the wheel.
"I heard the people cheering, and
there was an awful lot of them, but
YOU see the trouble was I could not
tell whether they were cheering Fox
or me. I knew, of course that l was
in the lead, but it seemed to me that
there was a chance at all times that
Fox might be coming up on me. In
a second, however, when 1 realized that
/ was not being caught. felt that the
victory was mine. You have no idea
how exhilerating it is to go over the
earth in that easy, gliding way that
the skater does, to feel that you are
not exerting yourself to the utmost,
and yet that you are winning the
praise of thousands of people who arc
watching you
"I did not realize until then what a