Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-23

crew had taken out the Contrary IN the /
morning and gone over the course using |
light sails and trying Il out In a gen
eral way. Although similar to the Priscilla. |
Il lacks some essentials TO make II the /
equal Of either the Ramalie craft OF the /
Togo. It sits too high in the water and |
lacks the breadth Of beam to make II |
staunch in heavy weather. with an m |
shaped bow and a cockpit cramped for |
room it hardly does credit to its builder, |
as the Amundson boats seen at Oshkosh |
last year were superior In all details. II is |
not likely he knew OF such local competi- |
tors as Captain Robbins or he would have |
tried TO make a better showing beside the |
well built and graceful Togo. Not that the |
Contrary has no merit, because IN a very |
light breeze It is fast and handles we'll. |
1t is outpointed by the Togo, but It is |
doubtful II the Togo can beat it under !
conditions prevailing in the last race.
At 315 the gun was fred and Clarke |
crossed on the second. but the Togo was a |
few seconds later going over. To the 1rst |
mark was a run and both boats used spin |
makers as ballooners. with barely wind !
enough to move along, the Contrary, in its |
berth nearer the south shore, slowly drew
away and turned the buoy, four and one |
half minutes ahead. On the next reach
! It gained four minutes more, but lost
slightly on the wlndward work returning
1t gained again before the wind and when
reaching for the ifth buoy passed the Togo
on It's way to the fourth. which came about
and they finished in a close race to the
dock. When the Togo gave up It was
ten and one-half minutes behind, but prob
ably would have cut it down on the wind
ward work that remained.
| d
The result OF this trial caused consider
able comment between the Togo and Con-
trary factions. the latter maintaining suf-
! icient evidence to substantlate IL. Those
who went down to st. Joseph from Omaha
and Council Bluffs enjoyed a delightful
trip, as the Missourians were highly hospl-
table and treated their guests with rare
courtesy. Another visit there is already
anticipated. even II its realization means
the temporary surrendering Of the Manawa
mug. Captain Robbins is at work already
| on a new challenger for Mr.. Van Brunt
and they expect to bringit UP this Sep
tember for another strike at the cup. His
model was kindly shown the visitors and
their long and silent scrutiny betrayed the
respect they bore the builder Of the last
two challengers.
Charming Hall, who has Just made a
new worlds interscholastic high jump rec
ord, is only II years OF age, being'a mem
Der Of the Oakland (Cal.) High school At
a recent meet he cleared feet 23l
inches, truly a remarkable jump. Hall
took up athletics four years ago At first
year, when he surprised the students of
him, but he improved steadily until last
year, when he surprised the students OF
athletics by jumping six feet In the Pa
cifc Amateur Athletic league field day,
Hall repeated his six-foet performance and
was chosen to represent California in the
games at the Worlds fair in st. Louis. At
the fair he easily won the title OF the
American junior champion. At the recent
meet Hall raised the amateur coast rec
ord and came only 1s-lOO of an inch be-
low the record held by spraker of the
Berkeley school of New York City.
%
The bicycle is coming into Its own again.
1t has taken a long time. A variety of
fads in sports have risen and gone down
since the bicycle craze swept over the
country nearly decade ago. followed by
a slump. In the meanwhile the discerning
have been waiting for the return of the
wheel, not as another boom, but on the
rational lines which its merit warrants.
In its numerical proportions and infinite
, absurditles the bicycle mania was prob
! ably the most remarkable of it's kind that
the country has ever known. In it's heydey
it ragged more iercely, and in its fall 1t
went down fatter and harder than any
, thing before or since. That is why II has
been so long recovering. Nothing with less
) real excellence could have recovered at
I all, but in the democracy of its appeal It's
| simplicity, safety, cheapness. utility and
pleasure the bicycle is one of the big in
! ventions Of this age or any age, and 1t
; was bound to come back some day. This
I summer there are evidences that. the day
3 is near. For the first time in half a dozen
years the manufacturers are unable to
meet the demands for new wheels, and are
keeping their plants running nights to
$ catch up. Similar activity is to be seen
a about the repair shops where they are
!. busy once more grooming old wheels for
I the roads.
j 1t is interesting to see how everybody
a who is returning to the bicycle thinks II
J, is necessary to give some excuse for It, as
5 If it were something he was just little
ashamed Of II want one to ride back and
e forth to my golf course" said a man
e apologetically in buying a wheel from a
r dealer this week. 1t must be understood
e that the bicycle OF today is not the bicycle
of yesterday Neither are the bicyclsts
" /
& two because many of the apparently new
d features OF the wheel have been in exist
e ence for years, but were formerly sacri-
d feed to the zeal for excessive speed. Every
e thing that did not concentrate on that was
seorned in those days. Now the demand
is for comfort. Wheelmen might have
& had the cushion frame. for instance, in the
d boom days, but they did not want 1t. Now
, the best wheels are uniformly equipped
: with a spiral spring In the rear fork and
n many OF them also in the front fork. The
h coaster brake too, is the rule today. al.
o though riders for long time looked ask.
: ance at It Even now In spite OF the fact
n that 1t was American invention not
more than 90 per cent OF the wheels in this
e country are supplied with It. as against q
n per cent In Europe. There Is one really
/ new contrivance, though, since most people
y slowed their wheels away Ia the cellar
and most important one. 1t is the two
q speed gear, This Is mainly found on ths
> chainless makes Of wheels. but an inven
u ton has recently been put on the market
a for chain wheels. The advantage OF a two