The record-union., 1899-12-18
OF INTEREST TO CYCLISTS.
FOLLY OF ENDURANCE TRIALS
&C. G. w. PROPOSITIONS.


Military Wheel-Road Agitation
In the south-Motor Carriages
Mud and the Wheel.
The following from the New York
Tribune" of December 10th. has our
hearty concurrence. These cycling en-
durance feats prove nothing and do in
finite harm:
An old-time rider of the bicycle who
visited Madison Square Garden last
week and watched the men in their
weary grind shook his head when asked
about the contest and said: 1T is things
of this sort which have done more to
injure the popularity Of the sport, if
it has been injured, than anything else.
The professional promoters who profit
by such contests are the only gamers.
They are careful enough to grab every
thing which has more or less popularity
and use it for their own ends. would
not be surprised to see the same people
use the automobile for some such pur-
pose within the next year or two. They
took hold Of cake walks and wrestling
fakes SO long as they could make any
money out those things. 1t is the same
with the bicycle. I doubt if another
such contest will be allowed to take
place in this city. In a team race, In
which each man is allowed to ride only
twelve hours out of each twenty-four
the exhibition is not so cruel and IN
human as the old six-day continuous
grind. Still, it does not show anything
In the old race the onlookers had
chance to watch the strength and VI
tally of the competitors fade away and
to gloat over their agony. Under tue
conditions last week each man had
plenty Of time for rest, sleep and re-
freshments, and the strain ON the con-
stitution was such as any athlete could
stand if he was in proper physical con-
dition. I looked upon the whole exhl-
bition as / would upon contest De
tween men for twelve hours a day
running up and down stairs. There is
something exciting in a sprint race, or
even in a contest between two evenly
matched men for an hour, but when
the grind goes beyond that point it
ing to me how SO many people will pay
their good money to patronize such ex-
hibitions.'
The Capital City Wheelmen have in
structed the Wheelway Committee to
petition the new Board Of City Trustees
to improve the Thirtieth-street path
1t belongs to the city, cost it sou, is
falling into decay and needs immediate
repair to save it. 1t is great con-
venience to people of the east side, and
indeed all who ride awheel and need
the path for sidewalk.
Tuesday night, December 18th, the
Capital City Wheelmen nominate OH
GERS The membership should turn out
and put In nomination the men they
want
The C. c. w. are considering the
proposition to put their wheelroom on
the lower or basement floor, and con-
vert the main floor into a recreation
room for billiards, athletic apparatus
etc. The cost for the two fittings, ex-
elusive of apparatus, would be about
S110 It would be worth it, but the
money should be raised Independently
of the treasury income. Next spring
the club will want $500 more for
handball court. That, too, should be
accomplished by outside effort. The
club membership is equal to all this
and to more rapid payment for its prop
erty, if only the membership will real
ize it's ability to perform. What should
a $1,000 investment for betterments be
to such a fine membership?
Massachusetts,, New Jersey, New
York and Connecticut are probably the
States which have made the greatest
progress in country road building. TheY
have all levied State highway taxes
and have built roads by a system OF
State aid While the rate OF taxation
has been low, the amount collected has
been considerable. In New York So0,OUo
was collected by State tax Of L 1-lu
cent upon every $1,000 assessed valua-
ton. and four-f1fths Of the whole
amount was collected in the cities
where most of the property in the State
is situated.
A New Yorker says. Il have
often heard it asked what became OF
the old bicycles? This question has not
been answered in the North as yet, as
far as 1 know. All that you have to do
is to go South and West and find out.
The colored people in the South have
become the most enthusiastic of riders
and many of them own their own
wheels. noticed during my trip many
of the wheels of prominent makers of
the 1896 and 1897 models. The wheels
were generally in good condition, and
they probably represent much of the
leftover stock of those years. The ma
chimes are of the first class, and will
give much better satisfaction than
those of some cheap, flimsy wheels
thrown on the market by some makers
who cared nothing for their names or
business regulations, and who merely
jumped into a popular business to make
money quickly and then get out"
A curio among motor carriages is now
being constructed. 1t is smaller and
rather neater in design than many
a. 10 80 =, o,t- caay, In 11Sn for pra r.