Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-31

Indianapolis Is hanging out its banners
and putting on the preliminary frills TOT the
meet Of the League of American Wheeiiheh
which begins August 3. The Hoosier cap
ital is prepared to take care OF every Wneei-
man in the land, and announces there Is
notbing in the town too good for the boys
and girls. The significance of the announce
ment will be better appreciated in connec-
tion with the statement that the local man
agars NJ the meet have money to throw to
the birds" II IL is not absorbed in the usual
way.
Tho program OF the week opens on Tues
dav with the usual preliminaries at the
Headquarters in Tomlinson's hall. followed
in the evening with a reception and con-
cert at the state house.
Several cycle runs are booked for Wednes-
day morning, the championship races in the
afternoon and a smoker in the evening.
Runs and races are scheduled for Thurs
dav, closing with several warm entertain
ments in the gardens and parks of the city.
Similar events are booked for Friday and
Saturday, the wind-up being a banquet and
q reception to the representatives of the
press.
'I'll bet you that in spite of everything
that has happened and all that has been
said not one man of "a dozen sitting around
here knows the number of his wheel" said
n rider to his friend a few days ago, when
the pair were sitting on. the veranda OF a
hotel. Some of them, perhaps, have a
memorandum of the number at home in a
pocketbook or elsewhere, but IL he lost his
wheel right here not one could help the
notice to find it. My scheme for always
being able to give the number of my wheel
is a great one, and l am in love with 1t be-
cause | originated it myself. Look here!'
Then the speaker pulled down his stocking
far enough to expose the cuff of his bicycle
boomers. One the cuff, penned with idell-
BILE ink, he had the number of his wheel, to-
gether with the make and year OF 1t.
On almost every cycle path in Minneapolis
NAV be found the dead bodies of sparrows.
To the greater number of those who travel
over the paths it has always been a mystery
WHY the sparrows should be found on the
path. instead of on the road. If they mad
been injured there were plenty of other
places for the disposition of their bodies, but
for one found elsewhere there were always
four or five on the cycle paths. The secret
of it is this, vouched for by many cyclists:
The sparrows in flying close to the ground
have occasion many times to dodge a
bicycle. AS the wheel revolves rapidly they
do not see the spokes and make a dash to
get through. The result is, of course. fatal
in almost every instance, and the body OF
the bird is left lying on the cycle path.
Teddy Edwards method Of riding cen
turtles is entirely unlike that of the average
centurion, and it is worth the consideration
of all cyclists who attempt long distances.
He starts at an easy gait. Occasionally, to
show what kind of stuff he and his wheel
are made of, he gives other riders a chance
to catch him of they can, but as a rule he
avoids road racing tactics of every descrip-
ton. He rarely rides far without dismount-
ing to relax his muscles or examine some
wayside object of interest, and insists that
the rule usually followed by century riding
parties, of stopping for rest only at stated
points on the route, determined before the
start, is conducive to the giving out of
many riders who could easily ride a full 100
miles If at liberty to halt for a few moment
whenever so inclined. Edwards finished his
2OOth century In Chicago on the 10Th.
''A brand-new style OF cycle rack has been
discovered by a New Jersey farmer who
runs a wayside inn. 1t possesses the COM
bined virtues of great efficiency and extreme
cheapness. This dispenser of soft drinks,
who on week days hunts the potato bug and
MOSQUITO, has taken the wheel of an old
farm wagon and after cutting the spokes In
half has stood the hub on end in a wooden
socket in, a fixed position. Bicycles are
pushed in between the spokes, which
radiating in all directions, makes it con,
yenient for every, user to stow his wheel
and remove it without interfering with any
of the others.
A handy little device such as anyone
might have made for personal use had thu
idea occurred opportunely is being marketed
by a western firm. 1t is designed for thu
purpose of enabling a rider to clean a chair
without removing it or even getting thu
hands dirty. 1t is a quarter circle meta
case made to slip over the sprocket. a clil
attached to the lower tube holds it frml!
in place. BY upending the bicycle this cas-,
becomes a trough very much like that IL
which a grindstone r%evolves. This trougl
is filled with gasoline and then by turning
the sprocket the chain is cleaned about a
thoroughly as it could be by taking 1t OF
and soaking 1t. The metal trough is, o
course, thin enough and sufficiently narroy
to permit the crank to pass over it.
Here Is a thumb-nail etching of Chicag
life vouched for by the Tribune:
Mister" asked the barefooted boy wit
the brimless hat, "ycu're the owner of thi
store, am you
II mn" replied the man in the bicycl
establishment. what can / do for you, m
young friendg'
Don't you want to hire somebody t
stand on the corner and holler out, Ice
when n Teller comes along ridin' any othe
kind of bisickle 'ceptin' yours
1t is hard 10 tell whether the passenge
who alights from n car without lookin
around or the bicyclist who rides clos
alongside of a rapidly moving car is MOI
in the wrong, The small number of acct
dents between wheelmen and car riders be
cause Of this carelessness on the part {
each is astonishing. Conductors usual
warn passengers about to alight when thel
is a truck or other heavy vehicle approach
ing. but they do not seem to think that II
silent, swift moving bicycle is worthy
consideration, The rumble or the othC
vehicles. or their size, apprises conductor
of their near presence, but as for turnir
! their heads about ana using their eyes 4
a caution against cycles, il is somethir
most of the faretakers do not do. So fl
as bicycles are concerned, passengers lea'
ing cars must look out for themselves.