The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-06-22
NEWS OF THE WHEELMEN.
Hamilton Wheelmen to Build a
New Club House--Notes.

| naeeting tonight at the club house which
will be of very much Importance to the
| members. 1t is expected that plus VIII
be received for the building OF the new
club house, which the members have de-
| cided TO have erected. This step was
| made necessary by the growing MEMBER
ship and the lack of room in the present
quarters. 1t is the intention to have the
house of three stories and basement. In
| the basement will be rooms for the stor-
ing and repairing of wheels and also
| quarters for the speed merchants to
train. On the first floor will be a recep-
| ton room, a. pool and billiard room and
a reading room. The second floor Will be
used as a library and parlor. A gym
rasirm will be fitted up on the top floor.
On Friday night the club will hold the
annual picnic at Schuetzen Park, Union
Hill. The arrangements for the event
nave been most carefully planned by a
competent committee and a successful
i affair is expected.
Another afternoon of solid sport IS
pl onlised by the New Jersey Racing AS
| ISOLATION for next Sundays meet at the
vailsburgh board track. The professional
riders will take part in a mile and a i've
mile handicap races, the latter being
likely to prove one of the most interest
ing contests seen hereabouts for a long
while. Over half a hundred amateurs
| will take part in the three events in this
class, including about all the metropoli-
tan cracks. In addition Fournier's In
| fernoy tandem. with a record of 1.31 Is,
will pace C. w. Hadfeid in a mile exhi-
- NJ =. r,i1 h1rsp OF fhrnn p
NJ, being preceded by a band concert.
The popularity of century runs is
shown by the fact that the Metropolitan
Bicycle Club has seen fit to place a limit
of 200 on the number of entries that will
be received for the doubl century the
club has arranged. There is to be no en-
try fee charsed. The start will be from
Bedford Fountain Brooklyn.
The Acme Wheelmen are comfortably
situated in their new home. Newark ave-
nue. and Fourth streets. While the build
ing is not the most imposing in the world
the member are thoroughly satisfied for
thu present
The various wheeling clubs in the
county have tried pretty much every
scheme possible to draw out large num-
tiers or club runs, but all inducements
have failed to affect the number of rid
ers. That club runs are a thing of the
pas. is an ~undeniable fact that the Clubs
fully realize. and while they cling on to
the idea with the hope of ultimate sue
cess, they are not over enthusiastic.
The Press Committee of the League of
American Wheelmen says:-"The Florida
Division of the T. A. w has been ex-
perimentjng with oil on roads The plan
followed has been to sprinkle a stretch
of read with the crude oil and another
with water. It has been observed that
the oiled section is not affected by the
warm climate, whereas the watered sec
ton drys up Immediately. The oiled part
also retains the smooth condition of the
surface better than the watered section.
The experiments so far have been very
successful, bu. they will be continued,
particularly With a view to ascertaining
the effect of the ell Upon the rubber in
bicycle tires
1t is not explained, however, to whom
the tires to be- experimental on belong,
and should the oil have IN i'll effect on
tires the general public will be first to
l=arn the success or failure of the expert
~ istN- |o9 Il tAC a q
failure.
The proposed automobile race between
an American and a French machine has
brol.gh. the attention of the public to the
wretched coalition of American roads.
The French automobile has shown an
average speed of thirty miles an hour
for a long distance, while the best the
American machine has been capable of
is a little over sixteen miles. The differ
ence is aseTibed solely to the bad roads
over which the American machine was
compelled to travel. Referring to this,
Chairman Otto Dorrer, of the L. A. w.
Highway Improvement Committee,
speaks of n of the causes for the mis-
cradle highways. He says
Mex to water. the greatest enemy of
good roaas-yes, of all oads-is the mar
row tired wagon. Narrow tires and wa
ter, acting together. have given our
country roads a third dimension. They
are not only SO many miles long and so
many rods wide. but they are deep-so
deep, alas. at times that travel over, or
rather, through them, Is next to impos-
sible