Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
PIONEER CYCLISTS
RECALL OLD TIMES
Sixty Members of &c. Ri. c. -
Attend Fiftieth Anniversary
Banquet Here.

. nirlS at the Cosmos Club to celebrate
> the fiftieth anniversary of the organi-
= cation of the Capital Bicycle Club,
:. which once played so great a part in
= the athletic and social activities OF
+. Washington. known widely by its more
Z familiar name Of the &C. Bi. c. this
: club included within its membership an
: unusually large number Of young men
who were destined in later years to
figure prominently in the intellectual
!. and business life of the National Capt.
: tai.
: The so who met at the anniversary
> dinner are not the only survivors. No
Lices of the dinner were mailed to about
> $50 former members-an whose ad-
= dresses could be found. 1t is ID years
since the club disbanded and the men,
bers have long since scattered to many
distant places. That so should have
been present to renew old friendships
and discuss the times the &C. Bi. c."
was an active organization is regarded
as striking evidence of the place which
IL holds in the memories of the men
who once belonged to it.
Old Vehicles are Recalled.
= DR.. Leland o. Howard. an enthusiast
dc member of the club in the first 10
. wears of its life, was chairman OF the
committee on arrangements and toast
master at the dinner. He and the other
speakers recalled the days when the
members rode bikes" that would make
, the average man of today dizzy by their
mere height. They had one huge wheel
. and one very small wheel, which some
times was in front and sometimes IN
the rear. They had curious clicking
!. pedals. hard-rubber tires and set OF
. handle bars which looked more like
something to vault over than the ap-
paratus with which to steer such
speedy vehicles.
= There were frequent falls and the
members of the &C. Bi. c." all had
: to learn the right way to fall in order
= to minimize the danger OF injury. For
: it was not like falling from the low
wheeled bicycles of today; 1t was more
like falling off a roof, or out OF tree.
Among the speakers was Max Hans
mann, the only charter member pres
: emit. and Dr. Henry M. Schooley, VINO
had the longest record of membership
= in the club. Others who spoke at the
dinner were Clarence G. Allen, Duane
r. Fox. Gen. Charles D. Rhodes, who
4. went in the old days by the nickname
: of the Colossus of Rhodes" Charles
F, Bacon of Boston, John j. Chlckerng
of New York, Edison B. Olds, Francis
II. Stephens, Henry l.. West. Fred H.
Parks. Edward o. Robinson, DR.. William
. p Morsell. Andrew w. Parker and
Henry Calver.
When the club was organized jan
uary 81, 1879. the charter members
were Herbert S. Owen and his brother
Frederick D. Owen, Max Hansmann, L.
P. Einolf. Frank G. Wood, L. N. Je-
: sunofsky and Charles Krauskopf. Mr.
Calver said that he had seen the owen
: brothers month ago in Miami, fla
where they were obliged to remain on
> account Of the health OF FREDERICK u.
owen.
Those Attending Dinner.
. The go who met at the Cosmos Club.
IN addition to those already mentloned
included w. Spencer Armstrong, A.
Barry Bacon, Clarence M. Barr1ck. ).
Allen Boteler, Walter E. Burleigh, Ed
ward N. Burns, Appleton P. CLARK. Jr.;
Herman ]. Clark, Meyer Cohen, Ben
ian1in r. Cole. wallace F. Crossmann,
william w. Dodge, Abner F. Dunning-
ton. George e. Fleming, De Lancey w.
Gill, Herbert A. Gill, A. P. Greeley,
James H. Harper. DR.. Lee Harlan. Al
fred j. Henry, DR.. Garrett L. HIS,
DR.. J. Bartlett Hills, DR.. Leland Q. How
ard, Robert c. Howard, c. B. Hunt,
Thomas j. Johnston, Robert v. La Dow,
e. jr.; Samuel E. Lewis, John 7. Looms,
Gideon A. Lyon, Arthur s. Mattingly,
/. William P. Mayheld, A. s. Mccoy. VIII
liam s. MinniX, S. Preston Moses. 1r.;
Ballard N. Norris. Frank H. Pelouze,
Jesse d. ProSiSe, George F. Ruoh, John
= T. Schaaff, william e. Schoenborn,
William T. Stockett, Henry A. Willard,
I'd: John L. Writ and DR.. William d.
Writ.
The first home of the &C. BIZ c."
was on Tenth street near II street: In
: 1880 larger quarters were rented at Az
Eleventh street, now part OF Inc
Star Building. Two years later sew
eral rooms were obtained in the LIE
Droit Building at Eighth and F streets.
The club finally built for itself a flne
home in 1889 at 400 Fifteenth street,
facing the White Lot. There 1t re-
NAMED for % years, which included
the most prosperous period of its ex-
istence.
The club disbanded in 1911. when
the Federal Government purchased the
entire block for new public buildings.
The day of the old bike" had gone.
The automobile had made it a back
number"
In the list Of the clubs presidents
the following names occur: Max
Hansmann, the first president; G. Z.
Haw.ey, Dr. Leland 0. Howard, j. West
Wagner, John M. Killits, Rudolph
Kaufman, James Q. Rice, Walter s
Dodge. Francis H. Stephens, Edison B.
Olds. Harry N. Low and Thomas Brad
ley.
First Race in 1880.
The first annual race of the &C. BIZ
c." was held in June, 1880, at Iowa
Circle a. quarter mile being marked
inner
police assistance and fine weather, the
event was very successful and drew
large crowd Of spectators. The quar-
ter-nlile was won by Will Chester. The
mile and smile races were won by j.
NICK. Borden.
Races were held again at Iowa Cir
Gle in 1881 and 1882. A cinder track
was laid out in Athletic Park, at Ninth
and S streets, in 1883, at cost of
$4,000, but it proved to be poor ground
for a race track and fast time was I'M
possible. Several racers had bad falls
on this track. Here the 2-mile race
was won by Frank Howard, brother
of the presiding officers at thursdays
dinner.
The club had its captains, and drill
SQUADS were trained. Exhibitions were
given on the street in front OF the old
Arlington Hotel, on Vermont avenue
between H and I streets. and on New
York avenue The drill squad made
trips to Philadelphia and Baltimore to
give exhibitions. The high wheels OF
the early years were more picturesque,
II less safe, than the safety" models,
which later came into use.
Among features of the club activities
were the runs" and tours, in which
groups of members took part. In 1882,
Mr. Allen, Mr.. Hansmann and Warren
Seeley spent three weeks touring in the
Shenandoah Valley, going by way OF
Harpers Ferry as far as Natural Bridge,
where residents said they were the first
bicyclists they had seen.
Week End Runs Popular.