The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-27
EVOLUTION OF THE BIKE
WELL ILLUSTRATED IN THE OLD
ORDINARY RUN YESTERDAY.
Everything from an Ancient VeIoc-
ipede to an Up-tO-Date Wheel
The Participants.

High wheels and low wheels, old wheels
and older wheels, wheels of every descrip-
t1on-these were seen on the cycle path yes
terday by the hundreds who lined up along
the narrow way to witness the third annual
q. o. o. run. The grand old ordinary was
there in all it's styles, and there were also
half dozen types of the safety, showing
its stages of evolution, and there was also
the old velocipede, antedating even the ordi-
nary. 1t was practical demonstration Of
the evolution of the bicycle
The Oldest style wheel seen was that rid
den by w. o. Woods. 1t was an old wooden
velocipede with heavy clumsy pedals at
tached directly to the front wheel, the seat
being midway between the two wheels and
on a line horizontal with the tires. This
gave the rider about the most ungraceful
position model wheelman could imagine
To reach the pedals it was necessary for
him to stick his feet out forward to almost
the full length of his legs, and when the
pedals We're up his feet were elevated al
most as high as the saddle. Speed was out
of the question, but the rider managed to
hold on to the pace set by the more modern
machines. The strangest looking machine
In the lot was an old quadrant" manu-
featured a dozen years ago by an English
concern 1t is of the safety pattern, the
front wheel being very small and guided
by queer arrangement connected with the
handle bars. 1t is of iron and has rubber
tires. Carl Fisher rode the handsomest of
all the wheels. 1t was the only pneumatic
tired machine in the bunch; was a small Or
binary with wheel about forty-eight inches
and geared by means of a mechanism in the
hub, which brought the gear up to the
equivalent of wheel sixty-eight inches
high. Bryan Gates, a boy about nine years
old, rode an old Victor with rwenty-eight-
inch wheel.
There was considerable delay getting the
G. .. o. run started. Riders were slow in
coming. and not over half of those who
were expected put in an appearance. The
extreme heat sidetracked several, who re-
ported promptly on time when the moment
for eating at the Broad Ripple Park ar
rived. Among these was Harry Hearsey.
While the crowd was gathering at the Thir-
James A. Allison distributed the souvenirs
to the survivors" and veterans" the
former being those riders who had partici-
pated in the two preceding runs, and the
latter being those who made the run last
year, The former received a leather medal
which was the inscription: Souvenir third
annual run G. o. o. Given by the Ridiculous
Club On each of the three ribbons was
the date of one of the runs: May "A, 1896,
June o. 1897. and June g. 1898 The vet
Grams received purple ribbon inscribed as
The following riders received the sur
vvors' souvenirs: Jesse Alley, Ollie Car
ter, Frank T. Day, w E. Davidson, e. L.
Dynes. c. g. Fisher, Charles Holman, Oscar
Herman Thomas Hay, j. A. Allison F. FL
lis Hunter. r. f.. Smith, Frank Staley Marc
r. Thompson o. II. Sumner. The following
received ribbons designating them as vet
erans:' w. +. Arbuckle. d. c. Allison, Car
ey Buzatt, John Bryan, l.. Cober, H. L.
Fleming. Bryan Gates Harry Green Her
man Goth, John Grosch Kennith Jeffries
Edward Spreng, Bert Vincent, c. f. War
rem, William Watson, N. Waderhouse,
w. o. Wood
Before the start was made the riders
formed in a cluster on the edge of the canal,
and photographer caught the riders and
their strange mounts. Then the procession
moved off up the canal-all but Thomas
Hay, who found that some one had removed
one of the pedals from his machine 1t was
given to him in time for him to catch the
procession, but he had to give an exhibition
of his old-time sprinting powers to accom-
pish 1t.
Only one rider dropped out before Broad
Ripple was reached, the procession reaching
the park thirty minutes after II left Thir-
tieth street There were no formalities at
the park. The crowd scattered there the
riders to enjoy themselves as each saw fit
Dinner was served sit the park restaurant
but there were no toasts Some of the rid
ers had the nerve to ride back to the city on
| their old wheels, but most OF them bribed
the street car men to give them lift