The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-06-05
BICYCLlSTS ON THE ALERT
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page.)
It has been suggested to the execu-
tive committee that the original plan
of the union Of not calling the general
body together frequently may prove a
mistake, because 1t misses opportunities
of keeping up interest in the organiza-
ton. l would suggest to you, as sub
ject to consider tonight, whether, dur
ing the wheeling season, more or less
regular general meetings of the union
could not be held with advantage.
Your committees are also open to all
sorts of suggestions, and will welcome
the proposal of any field Of usefulness
which may be made by any of you.
1t would be most unjust to close this
report without a hearty and thankful
acknowledgment of the help that has
been all the year given us by all the
newspapers of the town. There has
been nothing that we have asked OF
them that they have not each most
willingly and cheerfully done Their
columns have at all times been most
Hospitality open to us for notices or
complaints, and they have taken no
end of trouble to be of assistance to us.
They have editorially seconded all our
efforts for the improvement of the
streets and for their proper policing.
Their news editors have been solicitous
to give all the news they could find of
the doings and plans of the union, and
have at all times expressed themselves
as most heartily with us. We owe
them our thanks for. this course, as 1t
has been most useful to u.s.
Af rryo; n1, j- f.
ted. MORRIS F. TYLER,
President Bicycle Union.
Street Committee.
TO the Members of the New Haven BIZ
cycle Union:
Conference.-The chairman of the
street committee begs leave to submit
the following report:
The committee organized late in the
autumn of last year and began work
along the lines laid down in the consti-
tuition of the union, as follows:
A committee on city streets which
shall consist of one member from each
city ward, and which shall have in its
charge all matters concerning the con-
dition, care and Improvement of the
streets of this city, so far as they eff
feet the members of this association;
and whose duty it shall be to collect
and publish such information about the
streets as shall at any time seem to
the committee desirable; and who shall
represent this association in it's rela-
tions with the public authorities that
have control of the streets.
In order to facilitate the work of col
1ecting data relative to the condition of
har nf
street committee was instructed to APP
point deputies to assist him in the
gathering of information as to condi-
tion of the streets
Before the committee were well or
ganized and in working order winter
had set in and the beautiful snow had
spread a mantle Of charity to cover
multitude Of sins and the glazing de-
fects Of the roads.
When spring came the deputies be-
gan to send in information along the
lines suggested by the blanks furnish
ed for the purpose.
A careful examination of such reports
as have been handed in confirms the
opinion that many have had for a long
time that the New Haven streets are
poor and kept in such imperfect repair
that they are rapidly growing worse.
Take Howard avenue, for example
Several weeks ago loads of broken stone
were thrown into depressions In the
road, no attempt being made to clean
out the mud or dirt therefrom so that
the broken stone would readily become
cemented to the rest of the road Ito say
nothing of neglect to loosen the basis
with a pick so as to facilitate the ce-
menting process). In very short
while the horses hoofs had kicked out
a lot of the broken stone, scattering
them all over the roadbed, thus becom-
ing a menace to the tires of the bicy-
cles and the morals Of the riders. Not
only this; 1t took the efforts Of several
etenergetic'' street cleaners to scrape
up this stone along with the surplus
mud and refuse of the street. A vary
economical way of repairing roads, to
buy stone, pay for carting it on and
pay for scraping it up and carting 1t
off again.
No wonder that it costs the city
about 1926 per mile to repair roads
Presently, when we riders have again
found our old tormenters, the ruts and
holes, along comes more stone which
is dumped, and l use the WORD adVls-
edly. and If the powers that be or the
winds are strong enough to move 1t the
road-roller Is brought to bear on the
stone and poor apology for repairs
is the result.
Why is 1t that so often we find the
roadbed Of the traction companies
which is built to grade, higher than
the surface of the street? Simply be-
cause the street has been suffered tc
wear away and little or no attempt il
made to keep 1t up to the grade.
Wind and water are injurious tc
roads If used in large quantities. We
sprinkle the streets to counteract the IL
effects of the first and straightaway
let loose other devils worse than the
first in our zeal. Not only do we in
jure the roads by washing the surface
off, but endanger the life and limbs Of