The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-22
NEWS OF THE wHEELMEN.
THE SPRINGFIELD BICTCLE CLUB IN
FINANCIAL STRfITS.
Assignee to Bs Appointed for the Pioneer
Racing Club-Why Athletes Are Suscept-
ible TO Observation-Disclosures Converted
to Potter,a BnrEnEe IlleorIea-GnssIn.

hDOb ~ = hCHult VI Nio iluA " 10 EIIlUk d1u
fall meets this year. The club was suspended
by the Racing Board last week for failure to
pay the paccmakers OF the National Track
! Association"
The Springfield Bicycle Club is one OF the
oldest wheeling organizations In the country,
and Its career has been Allied with history
making incidents. As the typical race-pro-
noting club. II has occupied the highest pin
nacle OF esteem in wheeldom, and 1t will be
difficult for riders to realize that this grand
old club has been financially swamped by the
sport it 80 long fostered and built upso bravely;
for that is what has happened. 1t was the
money lost in promoting races that forced
it into the hands OF an assignee. 1t
seems hardly possible. though, that such
IA club will he Obliged to wind up
its affairs without some magnate go
ing to its assistance. The character Of
the club was that OF a sportsman OF the first
water. 1t was sport. pure sport, that it stood
for during the two decades in which It's name
has become known throughout the cycling
world. 1t was the first club to promote pro-
f~essional races. and it may almost be said that
1t Is the father OF cycle racing In America. In
the early eighties, when it's frstseries oftourna-
ments began. with the men using high wheels.
1t induced n number Of English riders to come
over here TO race. This was the first appear
ance OF a troop Of foreign riders in the States.
Among them were Sanders Sellers. n. G.. B.
Weber. or Alphabetical Webber." rs he was
generally known: Illston. Woodside. Prince.
Furnival and Dick Howell. In those days
Star Weber. Ralph Temple. George Hen
dee, Percy Stone and Billy" Rowe were
the stars OF the American path. Hendee
being for a long time the indicated
champion, whom the Englishman came to
meet. Hcndee in his racing time was not only
a crack Splinter. but a handsome fellow who
was the particular idol of the women. as Jimmy
Michael is to-day. When he was defeated by
Billy" Rowe women in the grand stand wept
without attempting to conceal the fact. In
these meets Of the eighties Henry E. Quicker
was the active spirit OF the club promoting
them, and they were highly successful. After
Hendee was defeated in 1895 the interest in
them Jagged. and in 1888 the last one took
place. They were always held on three days in
September and were invariably favored with
In 1920 the tournaments, were resumed with
the safety in use. Hendee., himself retired
promoter During the Class B" days the dia-
mond tournaments OF the fall we're famous, and
National meet. victory at one OF these tour
naments. counted for more in glory than
The races were, always held at Hampton Park.
WHICH has had more records broken on it
the dhH5i e1a iss sn'l e w sxiT p ! r tsss t hnz G broaeh he
the club TO grief. combined with the first break
il! !spr tfs t%ik wes St having TfEis ' gsar e re eysaSsd
ffin %set ah m Titus TTns: as With the c q EaiGfs eat 5nss f It wss a
loss to pocket. This fall d it decided not to hold
a tournament. but to have a meet on Labor
to be the last straw. 1t is a sad history. and it
seems to point out that the day for amateur
sport is now run on a scale which had best be
left to those who make a study and a business
Of it.
One who has had some experience in train
ing athletes, speaking OF Edwards: the century
brought on by too much rubbing and too little
them pr catch cold. and instead Of baths they
purlties q the flesh are prevented from being
properly thrown out by the pores. The salts OF
skin and the germs OF typhoid and breeding
places; In many cases the most e man In train
pores. instead, Of opening. them. What a man
working as Edwards, did should have, is a Rus
snSn es Rfnn GoGa this rubb ans b 5esf FSO IS TaTge IN
to his bed with typhoid" ~ ~ '"' ~"
The speed that melts." was illustrated by
way of rather a clever Joke on a corpulent and
days ago, The victim is one who does not pre-
tend TO be a scprcher. The scales show a
t6e@. aSd Se knows reS9Ff bet Eaen He he do sesnf tSin Gn
build, and Is fond Of telling in the club cafe
On Monday he was feeling fine and he went
alopg the Boulevard and sailed over the hills at
daEedd BY the discovery, that he really could
That, hight t at the % Clubhouse house the "4 two
friends whom he passed on the road
turned his wheel over to the boysto be cleaned.
He had a great story to tell Of how fast he had
T!6dsR; onS d of tGe the tw1 4sci fliEP sSd pSw "G a to at thS
A blowpipe was lighted, and after a few min
his Corp9iency" was telling Of his prowess.
soon, the boy from the wheelroon asked per-
Els f5 sss aP S' ssid { l@i Fie a aS nj. ssE!oD / Nsst ca
to ask IL you. knew about your cyclone
Sd3jGsn sle All = yosE Wheel x5tsf 9 6rissi
investigate and the others OF the party trailed
along because they had received their cue from
m rne 1TS oSnd IL its pIac o, ON one the }9k axle hse cy yef . let
eogs Of the works and the. case having melted
the c~yclometer had been melted because Of the
speed OF its owner; and there was no chance
hands HpcE e the fafa' 80 9thor expianstio9
has ever been made concerning how that
cyelometer was melted. and the ,member, is
down the reputation OF being tho fastest man
in the club and the man who melts cy-
clometers."
There is somewhat in the records OF the
track owners and promoters this year that
should " give pause to the racing EIen before
they decide to leave the League fold and trust
themselves 70 the mercies, of the mercenary
ones who invite them into their managing par
lors. The official reports show that most OF
the tracks and tue promoting association? have
been suspended because they have Jailed to
| nav their monetary ObliHatiDlg SDTinTprS and
racing men are itching for the good cash prom
Used them so bountiiuliy in the spring. The
mistakes OF the Racing Board were never like
this The men might not always have re-
ceivcd the best judgment on their eases, but
II 1t Is the same board that is now eKcrcis-
ing its authority in their interests and
protecting them from further loss at tho
hands of those who. have Jailed TO settle
by putting them under ban. The situation
suggests very strongly that the Racing Board
does look aftor riders interests and that others
do NOT. 1t is worth while for the mcu TO reflect
carefully before Withdrawing from under the