The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-04-07
NOTES OF SPORTS.
The New WhceIs-Ausfraliap biiiy
Murphy is Diepleased.

Murphy il Diepieaseu'
Australian" Billy murphy Is back from
England. and judging from his comments
on tho boxing game across the water
he is not favorably impressed with his
English cousins Any time he is ques-
toned abour his trip 10 Albion's shores.
the Australian feather WAKES very
wrothv and excited.
why. the bloomin' sods wants yer 70
folght for blawsted mug Of ale so they
does" said Billy. in explaining about the
game i'm England. Il was treated taT
enough in me go with curly but those
fellows who as the boxing 'ouses there
don't wants TO give yer enough TOR 20
TO buy a good igTr. And they're mghty
stiff lot. too. Not near as sociaole like as
you American folks. went down 10
the National Sportin Club one day, havin
a date with chap. and when ! got 10
the door a bloomin' red-faced iackey bars
me entrance, and sen.
" You can't come in = SCI.
"Ows that / asked.
Yer a foighter. ses he. and foight-
ers cawn't come i'm this way. Go around
by che rear door he sez. and bloime me
II that wasn't what ! 'ad 10 DO on.
they're a bloomin' stiff lot Of buffers. so
they are, and I want no more OF them.
The most noticeable Improvement in the
PHILADELPHIA team Of 1898 over the ~
team IS I'm baSe-running. There IS not
a really slow rupner left on the team,
the slowest being probably Wheeler and
Fifeld. and they are not slow by any
means. In place OF Clements, Taylor
Mailman. Nash and Lave Cross. for in
stance. the club has scared fast men
Ike Douglass. Elberfeld. Fisher Flick
Monte Cross and DonOhue. Cooley. Doug
lass Elberfed. Cross. Lajoie, Delahanty
Thompson, Flick, and Abbailccnoi are
all good runners ana, with TWO OF three
exceptions. especially quick in getting 70
first base. The three catchers-tlsher
BOYLE and McFarland-are all fast men,
they ranking In speed probably In the
order named. Among the pitchers there
are. likewise no ice wagons. There
are not half a dozen men in the league
who get 10 first base quicker than Orth
and Donohue. Unison and Platt are also
very speedy Murphy Duggleby and Dun
gle run well. and, as stated before. tiheld
and Wheeler are far from being as SLOW
as Clements and Taylor, Tor instance
The Philies may now be said to be one
Of the fastest teams in the Lesgue.-Phil-
adelphia Ledger.
POSSIBILITIES VI Wal tAf VI AH''-o
ingenious and valuable suggestions In the
way Of needed improvements in military
and naval machinery and science. ono
Of the latest proposals is from DIR. rot
ter, the esteemed president of the Lesue
of American Wheelmen. Il think, Cd
serves this gallant warrior, who shies
fearfully at the prospect OF tack, p.e<%
of barbed wire or broken bottle on the
highway that an enemy would be more
careful OF a company Of unarmed cyclists
than they would OF A whole regiment 90
armed troops. for a wheelman on a fair
road with the means at hand for appear
ing and disappearing rapidly would be
able to puzzle any general
The idea OF a disappearing soldier Is
great Improvement on the disappearing
gun. and the remarkabl feature of 1t Is
that Il has occurred 10 no one before. All
that is needed is for the roads in Cuba to
be put in a fair" condition, and then.
while the Spanish troops are wandering
around I'm a bewildered state trying TO
keep track of the elusive bicycle corps,
the reserve force OF infantry and cav
airy can sneak In their rear and take
every mothers son Of them prisoner.
Mr.. Potter should have "A medal, made
of leather or some equally enduring sub
stance, for his contribution 10 military
science.-Topeka Capital.
Along with wooden handle bars the
strictly smooth-surfaced bicycle tire
seems disappearing In 1896 the wooden
handle bar was hailed as q feature GER
tain 10 become as universally used as
the wooden rim. II was fairly popular
last year. but this spring most wheels
appear with metal bars. Similarly
couple Of years ago the rough-tread tire
jumped into popularity that was view
ed obviously and thought 20 be rather
fleeing fad.
Now there are few makers who do not
turn out a tire with some kind Of ribs on
the surface to prevent slipping. A change
is noticeable. however from the style
which resembled = nutmeg crater. Sew
eral varieties OF these pimply tires were
introduced during 1896 and 1897, but their
Objectionable Characteristic of throwing
dirt over the frame OF the wheel and
over the rider detracted from their virtue
Of not slipping This style is almost OBJ
solete this year in the market In its
place the longitudinal ribs on the tread
have been widely adopted, although II Is
not new design, one manufacturer hsv-
ing been using il for many years.
new variation Of the ribbed or ser
rated tread that has appeared is a tire
having the tread itself smooth. but ser
rations running lengthwise along each
side OF the tread. The virtue claimed for
this is that none of the resillency of the
tire is lost on account OF the ribs and no
dirt is thrown up while the side-sl,pping
Is as effectually prevented as when the
ribs are directly in the centre. Detach
able tires are less heard OF this year. and
the hose-pipe has so far triumphed over
the inner-tube variety that riders do not
have the same puzzling task of deciding
what is the difference.
Alexander A. Jordan, the old-time ath-
lete, died Monday at his home. No. 1863
east Sixty-third street. New York. He
had been i'll for several weeks and his
death was not unexpected. For several
years back in the sos, Jordan was the
all-round champion athlete Of America.
He won over the very pick OF the land.
and his feats are fresh in the minds or
many who are still competing on the
track and field His chief comp
Malcolm W. Ford. These two alternated
for five or six years in carrying Oh o.,
championship.