The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-01
WHEELMEN AT LEWISTON.
Portland Cyclists Figure Prominently
in the Meet.
Twin City Cycle Clubs Elaborate Plans
Swept Aside by tho Rain-The Day
Devoted Chiefly to Indoor Pleasures.
rsfEc1An TO THE pREss.1

Il
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.1
Lewiston, May 31.-The loyalty of Port
land bicyclists, whose ardor is not
dampened even by such steady down
pour as was experienced today, saved the
Maine divisions spring meet from being
a flat failure. The Twin City Cycle club,
the new wheeling organization of Lewis
ton and Auburn, had spared nothing to
make the occasion success, and did it
self proud in carrying out so many of its
plans as the weather conditions per-
mitted. But had it not been for the good
attendance of their Portland brethren,
these royal fellows of the Androscoggin
cities would have played to empty
| benches.
! Secretary Richardson's racy circular
letter to league members had stirred up
the sporting spirit, and the response that
came in from all over the state indicated
that there would be mighty influx Of
bicyclists here today. But all signs, ex-
cept those in the Portland weather
bureau failed. About seventy men from
Portland, Deering and South Portland,
and a bakers half dozen from Sanford,
constituted the entire visiting delegation.
Sixteen of these came through on their
bicycles, through the forty miles of mud
between here and the Forest City, which
Sundays bright afternoon sun looked
down upon Their backs and shoes and
tires all bore unmistakeable evidence of
their pilgrimage.
The others came in on the Sunday
afternoon train, and were in more
presentable condition on their arrival.
/ After brief stay at the bicycle club
rooms, for a general brushing up, the
visitors and their hospitable escorts
boarded special train of trolley cars and
rode to Lake Grove from where they were
conveyed across the lake by pleasure
steamer and landed at the club house.
There the afternoon was pleasantly
passed, the opening of clam bake being
among the attractions. The bake would
have stood few more hours of cooking
without any fear Of being overdone, but
on the whole the boys were able to par
take of it sufficiently to appease their well
whetted appetites.
The evening was quietly passed in the
wheel club rooms in town and at the
Rockingham hotel.
This morning the club rooms presented
a melancholy spectacle. The rain was
coming down in sheets. Talk of parades
and races was worse than useless. All the
forenoon the drizzle continued, inter
rupted now and then by. a rift in the
clouds through which the sun struggled
Immediately set in, there would have
been no hope of pulling off the track
events.
The Twin City Cycle club boys were
equal to the emergency. They hired the
Island Garden theatre and invited ali
visiting wheelmen to join them in
, willing away the wait. Prof. Sage, the
hypnotist, who entertained Portland SC
well all last week, was there, and he
helped make things lively.
Meanwhile, the clouds grew thinner and
thinner, and let in broad rays of sun
shine. At five O'Clock some of the
principal streets had dried sufficiently tc
allow the bicycle parade to start The
route was shortened and the number OF
wheels in line was not one-fourth as large
as would have been seen had the fore
| noon weather been favorable. The Port
{ land Wheel club had about forty in line
: The clubs ''prairie schooner with its
elaborately decorated canvas sides
| brought up the rear and attracted lots Of
attention.
, The banquet at the Rockingham was 8
credit to that hotel, and to the entertain
ing club One hundred covers were laid
After the feast President Howard Bur-
introduced Mr.. Fred N Saunders as
toastmaster, the duties of which office
were performed most acceptably.
Mayor Judkins made the welcomin
address, which teemed with hospitality
Chief Consul Abner W. Lowell ably re
sponded and in the course of his Response
had something to say about good roads
the need of more systematic use OF
guide boards, the encouraging growth oi
F the league in Maine and other matters OF
: special interest to wheelnen. He was
; profuse in his compliments Of the Lewis
ton and Auburn entertainers.
"The League of American Wheelmen
q factor in municipal politics. Thai
was the subject assigned to ex,Aldermar
C. W. Small of Deering. He had hi
, doubts about the league being as great ,
political factor as some of it's member
presume, but he gave the wheelmen credi
for what they have done towards the at
tainment of municipal improvements.
y Mr.. o. P. T. Wish, the PORTLAND
Wheel clubs representative on the officia
board, talked entertainingly ON the sub
ject, "The newspaper as a good road
educator. :"
Secretary Treasurer Percy H. Richard
son of Portland, made happy fiv
3 minute speech on his favorite theme
tGood roads," and ex-President S. B
Phil lips of the Portland Wheel clul
T enumerated some of the benefits to b
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