El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-06-18

himself is no ouch as player of the
national game.
The Use Of the Wheel.
TO the north pole on a bicycle is
what Hugh Lee. who accompanied
Lieutenant Peary on his famous trip
across the bleak ice fields of Green
land, believes will be the only means
of reaching the honor to which so many
have aspired.
Mr.. Lee is not joking when he
makes this state ment. His arctic re-
gion experiences convinced him that
the condition of the ice fields there the
greater part of the year is such that a
party of wheelmen properly equipped
with machines and provisions could
come nearer reaching the pole than any
other party of men ever sent to the
north.
''The idea is not at all impracticable
not half so impracticable as some the
scientific world is Interested in just
now,'' said Mr.. Lee. THE immense
though broken in many places by seals
in summer and by icebergs all the
year round, present an excellent OPP
portunity for the practical use of BIZ
cycles
1.-The water freezes as smoothly in
the arctic regions as it does here The
salt crystals make the surface like a
grave! path, and the wheel would not
slip on the ice, as one might think.
SNOW IS HARD ENOUGH.
1.-THE snow that covers the ice in
winter is pounded down by the wind
until it is hard enough to bear down a
man. The surface is like marble, and
l think wheelman would find no
trouble riding over it.
"When l was with Lieutenant Peary
on that long trip across Greenland
there were miles upon miles of ice and
snow, level and smooth enough for
wheeling. l frequently wished for my
wheel. If ever go north again l shall
take one with me-"
eff man could place a station of
supplies upon the most northern of the
islands north of Greenland, as MIR.
Perry now proposes doing, he would be
within three hundred and fifty miles of
the pole, aud if the ice stretched out in
one continuous mass from that land to
in week. He would be able to carry
his provisions with him, because he
would not have more than twenty
pounds IN all.
DANGER OF ACCIDENTS.
"The orly danger would be from ac
cidents, for if his wheel broke down he
would not have provisions enough to
last him until he could make his re-
turn t. camp. 1t would be dangerous
to go alone. Half dozen mea ought
to be able to make the trip success
fully
Mr.. Lee says the present pneumatic
tired wheel would prove worthless in
the extremely cold climate The cold
60 at,,r b. r.ph hnp hritt q
Rubber boots are worthless and rub
her blankets break into hundreds of
pieces simply from the weight of men
sleeping on them. Rubber tires would
collapse As easily.
Mr.. Lee, however, believes a tire can
be made of woven cotton which will
prove durable. If it is impossible to
manufacture pneumatic tires solid
tire would prove very serviceable. A
man on a wheel in two or three hours
could reach Il station a days journey
anead of the gs and would have a
long rest before they came up.
Mr. Lee dOss not think that Lieuten-
ant Peary will ever use the wheel in
his arctic researches, but as he expects
to go north again with the explorer,
the whee ell unquestionab'y will be tried
In fact the young man, it is said by his
intimate friends, has once in a while
dream of winning undying fame by
being the first human being to reach
that much sought object in the north
ern sea.
Two Of the most recent converts to
the bicycle are Paderewski and Joe
Jefferson. The former says he can play
an allegro movement with just twice
as much spirit after he has given him.
self good warming up on the bicycle.
When questioned as to whether he
believe the vibration of the handle
bar in any way affected his touch on
the piano he replied in the negative.
Concerning pianists and bicycles, a
well known violinist of New York
stated recently that his accompanist
h d become so violently attached to
the bicycle that he wanted to ride his
wheel to city 500 mlles west to fill an
engagement.
Il haven't been able to dissuade him
yet," said the man who draws sobs from
the violin, "and expect nothing bet
ter than to hear some morning that he
has started away up the valley of the
Hudson
Joe Jefferson is delighted with the
exercise, "Trip Van Wrinkle never
wou d have slept a wink" said he. "if
the bicycle had been invented when
the dwarfs bowled granite balls in the
hig hlauds. Poor old Rip, how much
he missed.n
Twenty Years ON the Diamond.
Full twenty years John Alexander
McPhee, or "Biddy," as he is familiar.
ly known, has been in constant servics