Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-03-06
FOR WoMEN @CYCLIsTs

A recent mishap to a lady while out walk
ing with her husband Is fair illustration
of the recklessness Of some drivers. The
lady and gentleman were. crossing the
street, when a vehicle, driven by a drunken
man, rain her down before her husband
could save her The driver whipped up
the horse and drove rapidly away. while
the lady was carried to her home, badly
inju1 ed her condition being regarded as
critical. In the same week two other wo-
men were knocked down and injured by
reckless drivers. AS in the first case, one
driver escaped. and as he Is not identified,
there is only poor chance Of his arrest.
In the other case the driver was arrested.
and In the Police Court Judge KimbaL i'm
posed fine of SO
Fewer pedestrians are hurt by reckless
driving than bicycle riders, for the fact
that the law gives the pedestrian the right
of way. With the bicyclist 1t is different.
Mounted on his wheel, he is regarded as
vehicle, and as such comes under the laws.
Without exaggeration fully one-half of the
large number of accidents. which are la
beled by the police collisions. between
cyclists and vel..cies are caused by the
drivers of vehicles. There have been many
accidents that could have been avoided had
the driver exercised some discretion and
turned his horse in the right way. In The
event of a collision the driver knows that
his horse wagon will not suffer near as
much az the bicycle rider. who is nothing
more than pedestrian mounted on a frail
machine.
The number of collisions appear to be
larger with the female riders than with the
male, and II Is perhaps advisable to bring
this matter up while the general public Is
expressing disapproval of reckless driving.
A drunken man is not fit person to have
oh nf HOY md In, {.,
toxicated condition he does not know what
he is doing at the time, though afterward
he may realize it. Such Person the
seat of bl ggy or wagon makes riding Tot
only dangerous for bicycusts, but for pedes-
TRANS and the drivers Of other vehicles.
The police will arrest drunken man on
the street and lock him UP al the station
house until sober, but no effort is ever
driving vehicle, unless the liquor has had
sLch an effect as to cause him to fail
asleep.
ball of the foot. There are some female
riders who cannot understand this. The
appearance of some of the young lady
riders is spoiled by the manner in which
played. and the position of the foot is
plainly visible. A graceful motion is al
ways preferable to an ungraceful one. yet
from the manner in which some young
nature had intended them to be flat-footed
They Sc the instep for the work the ball
Of the foot Is intended to perform. The
result is they get less power in the push
irg. tire the body more, and. worse than all
look badly. The only reason that can be
assigned for using the, anseep is that the
heel acts a block and prevents the foot
from slipping off the pedals. If the ball of
the foot Is used and the proper weight kept
On the pedal there is no danger of a lady's
foot slipping. 1t is gratifying to note that
a majority of the female cyclists not only
use the ball of the foot but have acquired
the ankle motion. - s
or course. woman rider cannot be ex-
pected to be as familiar with the various
parts Of a machine as an employe of a
cycle store. but there are, many things
about the wheel she ought TO know. How
many who knew the size of the wheels
they use? How many spokes are there in
the front wheel? Hownmany in thenrear?
What make is your machine and what
kind of tires do you ride single or double
tube, and whose make? There is a big DIFF
ference In repairing punctureS In single
and double tube, and in the latter make
there are different ways of reaching the in
ner tube to suppress a leakage of air.
What is the width of the tread? The tread
Is that part of the machine. measured at
the main sprocket. from outside to outside
Of the crank shafts: What are the sprock-
cts. and what are the crank pins? What Is
the wheel base? Is yours double-bar or a
single-bar drop frame? Why is it called a
drop frame? How many parts of the BIZ
cycle can you enumerate? There are any
number of other simple questions regarding
the wheel that can be asked and which
few ladies can answer.
There is nothing that adds SO much to
the pleasure Of a ride good saddle. II
Is only after one has had considerable
trouble to secure a suitable seat that the
comfort and advantages of a good saddle
are appreciated. The selection of sad
die is largely experimental. What may
prove to be a good one for some may lie
the reverse for others. There are many
ladies' In the city who use mans saddle.
The woman's saddle Is noticeable by being
much broader and shorter. The manufac-
turers long discovered the need of making
4 division, and now, since the main &C
oessons to the cycling ranks this season
are expected to be through the increase OF
the wheel among the fair sex, the atten-
ton of the saddle manufacturers has been
engaged In turning out product suitable
to the demand.