CYCLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2206, 11 June 1896, Page 37

CYCLING.

NOTES BJ DEMOX. ; — — There bus been a remarkable spell of good cycling weather, atid our local riders have, "daring the week just ended, been revelling in the pleasures oF cycling. Ab I write, a change has come over the scene and wet and mtiddy - roads and cold blustering winds are strongly in evidence, so that the cyclist is just now forced to fall back on the companionship and other attractions of the respective club rooms. At the invitation of the Dunedin Amateur Boating Club some. 2o members of the Dunedin Cycling Club assembled at the D.A.B C. hall and engaged in a friendly contest, at oribbage with the rowers. The cyclists were not strong enough to withstand the skill of, the- rowers, and were at the finish of the contest hopelessly beaten, but not discouraged, for the players pitted against them were experienced and expert at the game, and hold an enviable position as a cribb^go te&m. After the contest • the visitors were {..ifvrtamed by the members of the boating club. A return match is talked about, when the cyclists hope to be more experienced and to meet with better success. The University Cycling Cub is in a very flourishing condition, and toe weekly runs are itell patronised. The vio-presideats of t\e club have, I understand, offered a trophy for competition, amoqg members. . The race will most likely be run off during the interval of some football match daring thi3 season. r _' — Final arrangements are now being made for the formation of an ambulance class in con- ' ' section with the Dunedin Cj cling Club. Mr B. Crow, Mre club's honorary secretary, informs ' ' me that he will be able to give intending members of the class all information in the course of • day or two. ' The Ottgo Cycling Club hold a leap year dance ab Sfc. Paul's schoolroom on the ■ 19th inst. - . Our Wellington correspondent, "Onletkes/* writes:— "Mi Will CftS^k nfco is e%aily

known as ' Clyclometer ' (tho in' cresting cycle gofsiper of the New Zealand Mail), sends me a copy of Wheel Talk, that beautiful little Chicago periodic brochure issued by the tyresome Morgan and Wright. In tbe copy before me (which I take pleasure in passing on to 'Demon' to demonstrate my belief that a good thing should circulate) I nobica a 'foreign supplement,' largely Australasian, in which two photos appear— one being a successful fchot by Mr Castle at a group of our local 0.0. on the Hutt road, and the other a lovely photo of the Ot.ir* Gorge, which must make a few U.S.A. tourists long to come over our way. One cm easily see that Wheel Talk has an up-to-date correspondent hereabouts ; which leads me to remark that one cacnob pick up a modern copy of Bearings, the big Yankee monthly, ■without seeing 'W. Castle' bt-neath an Australasian newsletter. Mr C*stle is a young man? and it is pleasant to see he is enterpris- ' ing in his hobbycycliDg. He bai also figured well ou the amateur track with bin wheel — in fact, we have had three Castles in the air !" The Melbourne Bicyle Club start this season with a credit balano-e of £1600. Mr W H. Wilks, M.L.A. for Balmain, New Fo'ith Wales, has applied to the, Minister for Public Works to have a sum of money placed on the Estimates to put signboards or fingerposts in any "part of the colony where they may be required. The expense of this undertaking will not be large, bat the benefits to ojclists will betsonsiderable. A movn is being made in the matter of holding a relay race from Sydney to- Melbourne. Under the heading ©f "A Chaptsr of Accidents" the New Zealand Times has the following .—" Mr W. A. Thompson, of the Oamiru Rovers' Cycling Club, in his attempt to lower the Napier- Wellington road record, met with a lot of ill-luck, end had eventually to give up. Ih hi 3 first effort, as already recorded, the chain of the machine snapped, and in the second ' attempt he made excellent time! till reaching TCy^rUls, being fcben two hours and a*hsilf

ahead of th/ 5 record. Until reaching Ekctv huua, however, he met with vory bad roads, I aud had seven spills with consequent bruises, j while during the night his hunch and legs I became frost-bitten. He arrived as the Rimutaka at 7 aim. yesterday, and net withstanding the bad roads he was still an hour ahead of the record. When crossing the Rimu.tak* hii tyre was puuef.ured, and though he nuuuted hid pacez's asaelioe futo was againet him, for wh«n lie wj.l fairly under way the chain of the machine, mounted the cogs, and aB he had no spanner he lost all the time he had gained. Mr Thompson came on to town in the evening." A quadraeyole, composed of t.vo tandem bicychs ar>ai)(;ed side bj side, has beeo brought; out in Puns to serve as a fire engine in c&s4t of emergency. It is worked by four men, and is fitted up with the necessary hose pipes aud fi&m-gd, which occupy the ,spaco between the riders. On reaching the sc- ne of action it will be the work of a minute to bring the hose pipes into play on the fire. It is estimated that 18,000 litres of water can be brought into play per hour. . This machine has, it is said, an advantage in tpeed over the present fire engine. Ik ia said that Mr Gladstone is thinking about lo&miag to ride a bicyole. A cyclist tuggesfcs that if he rides he should use a Premier bicycle. Salisbury lamp, and Cork bandies. An elecbrical instrument, whioh should prove of inestimable value to cycle manufacturers for detecting flaws in tubing, is thelntsst invention in the scientific world. A small pneumatic tapper, worked by hand, is firat applied to the material to be tested, the tapper being connected with a telephone, white a microphone is interposed in the circuit. Two operators manipulate the instrument, one being right out of earshot when listening at the telephone, whiltt the other tips the metal. Electrical communication connects the two, and | diuc':ly a sound is heu-d differing from the normal the listener signals for the spot to be marked on the steel, and the portion is condemned "Sir C. H. Larrelte, a noted English cycling journalist, ventured to ride through Hyde Park one morning last month. He says : ; " I never, even in the thickest traffic, had such a-aul'ry time before. Half, the swagger cyclists can't ride. They have not the slightest idea of the rule cf the road, and rush about all over the place. How they manage to avoid collisions I can't imagine, but I do kaow this— they can have it to themselves in future as far as I am concerned, or if. I do venture smong the 'smart people' again I will invest 6d in such papers which carry with them an insurance policy against accidents." The first journalist, «ays Bicycling News, apart from Mr R J. Meovedy, to get wind of the DunJop sale was Dr F. F. M'Cabe, of the Irish Field, who forthwith obtained a transfer form and went to Mr J. B. Dutilop and purchased 2000 shares &t £7 each. In a few days the price wai £12 10s, and the plucky Irishman fobbed £10,000. The first public news of the deal appeared in the Icish Field. The mokt exSr*ordin*ry cosfcacno ever seen on a lady cyclist appeared in Hyde P*rk, London, the o c her day. ' A widow's bonDefc and crape-covered coat was worn with black satin knickerbockers and no overskirt. The English cycle thief has hit upon an effective method of "obliging a l*dy." With all the outward semblance of agentlcmiu, he frequents parka 'and other popular haunt* of lady riders. Having selecisd his victim, he suggests that her tyres are too soft. He kindly offers to pump them. Then he tightens the nuts, v and, hiving displayed an amount of tender solicitude which draws copious expressions of gratitude from the fair recipient, he snggeets that be had better try it just to, see that it is all right. Of course paimisuon'U given, and the ludy has a rude awakeniug. Two ladies were v : ctimised in one d«y by this means last month. — <r I do not for an instant hold that the bicycle is going to redeem the world or turn the rising generation into an army of saints, but I do know from personal experience that the boy who rides & bicycle and come 3to school with a healthy glow on Irs face, tout means a good circulation and a hearty appetite, produced by exercise in God's fresh air and God's bright sunshine, is a much more tracUb'e lad thnu is the same boy when he is allowed to mope .around the house or the corner grocery, listening to (he vile stories of vile men, or conoocting some devilry of his own. And not only is he more tractable — he learns more, he is a better boy, and will make a hotter man. — Womankind. At the present rate, there will soon not ba a single crowned head in Europe exempt from the cycle mania save Queen Victoria. The latest are the Prince of Wales, the QueenRegent of Spain, and the German Emperor. The Empress of Austria has taken to the wheel. , King Alexander of Serbia's performances on the bicycle excite no little admiration by reason of his endurance and speed The Czar of Russia is an enthusiastic cyclist, as are also his uncle, Prince Waldemar of Denmark, and his cousin, Prince Christian, the eldest son of the Crown Prince of Denmark. Both King Humbert and Queen Margaret ride. King Leopold of Belgium rides a bicycle, and a year ago sustained two or three very severe falls. The Financial News in a leader on the Pneumatic Tyre Company says: — "When we come to look at the growth of the profits and to consider the number of new uses which are open to the pneumatic tyre, we begin to wonder if the company has not made a mistake in disposing of its unique and valuable property, even at the seemingly enormous price of £3,000,000. At first night the offering of this same business to the public at the greatly enhanced capital value of £5,000,000 appears a somewhat bDld appeal to the confidence of- investors. To. buy a business tot £4000,000 and then to offer it* low weekj

later at a profit of no less than £2,000,000, id a financial operation rather calculated to take one's breath away; bat a moment's refko'ion will convince the thoughtful oritic tint the big men behind this venture would never have dream!; of throwing down their cards on the table in this candid way if they tad not besn prepared with excellent and conviuoing reasons why the *chetne should be favourably received by investors. Well, we have the fact that the Pneumatic Tyro Company made for the year ending September last a net profit of £308,000. The £5,000,000 is to be divided thus : £1,000,000 in 4 per cent, debentures, secured on the assets of the company ; £1.000.000 in S per cant, prefsreuce share', £1,000,000 in ordinary share?, and £2,000,000 (which constitutes the profit oa the deal) in deferred shore.*, which are not to rank for dividend until the ordinary nave received 8 per ceut., but will then share 'pan passtt' with them in the distribution of "the surplus. We thus h*Vrf £40,000 per annum for fcha debentures, £50,000 for the preference, an! £80,000 to pay 8 per ceut. on the ordinary, ! whioh three amounts come to £170,000. Assuming the profits to be only £400,000, this would leave £230,000 to ba divided between the ordinary charts a»d the deferred, giving about £77,000 extra, or nearly 16 per cent, altogether, to the ordinary, and £150,000, or nearly 8 per cent., to the deferred. • We are evidently on the threshold of a vary big movementincycliug|enterprise, due to the vast development of the pastime all over the Continent, and even in our remotest colonies." Jetome K. Jerome, in bis letters to " Clarind*" in the Idler, has been giving mujh attention to the subject of c- clinf , and in one of these epistles he remarks :— " Every wunian in London, apparently, is learning to ride the bicycle. The streets and parks echo to the cries of ' I'm going, I'm going, hold me back ! ' — • You're all right, I've get you.' — • Oh, don't leave me, I fauV — 'Yes you can; mind the kerb. Don't look at your fctt ; you c*n'b fall.' — ' Oh, dear, what has happened ? '— ' It's all right'— 'There you are, I knew it!'— 'Oh, that's nothing ; you will get used to it. Jump up.' "" The Berlin commissionaire rides a bicycle painted red ; fie express post is carried about by an official on a yellow wheel, and the postal system, which evf n before the- introduction of the wheel niw exed'eut, is now as nearly perfect as possible. Advertisements on wheels are the order of the day. Just now a, bicyole made for three carries a man and two layfigures, dressed in the smartest of spring fashions, and' advertising a draper's establishment. One of the leading English cycling papers bay determined, with the primary object of tending up its circulation, to inure all annual subscribers free of charge against accidents by rail, trfcm, 'bus, or bicycle. The amounts are : £100 at death, £100 for permanent disablement, £50 for temporary disablement, and 10a weekly during tempo ary disablement. Cyclists in France are nearly as numerous, and probably, owing to w*ut of control, more oVjectionab'e to foot passenger* than they are in this country. It is rather curious that until the present time there should have been practically no restrictions imposed upon the rldurs of cycles in a country which \s remarkable for careful and judicious 1- gelation in mftttets concerning the convenience and safety of the public. It is true that there have existed for a criusiderable tims regulations prepared by the prifets of the v<mus departments for controll'ng this class of traffic, and as thise regulations varied in different departments it was necessary for longdistance travellers to make themselves acquainted in advance with, the conditions that had to be respected. Lately, however, it has been considered desirable that a general measure should be prepared, and this has been doae under the joint auipices of' two Government departments— that of the Interior, the chief of which is responsible for the depattmeaial roads, and that of the.Travaux Publics, which constructs and raaintaias all the bighwnye of the State. It would appear as if legislatirn on this subject were indeed badly needed ; the French cjclist had becotce n public nuisance, if net a constant terror. He was, as a matter of fact, bumpered by few restrictions ; wheeled vehicles, especially those of the heavier class, were respected for obvious rea'one, and if the prohibition against reckless riding were observed in towns, they were set at defiance in the couutry ; brakes were unnecessary, bolls were not required, and the cyclist shared the footpath with the pedestrian, or in many cases monopolised it. The new rales are in-teDded-to improve this surprising st&te of things, and they will doubtless be productive of good, though they, appear to us cot to go far enough. For the future all cycles must carry a loud bell, or other warning signal, that can be heard at least for a distance of 50 yards ; after sunlet a lighted lantern musi be carried, and no machine is allowed to circulate without a plate on which is legible the name and address of the owner. — Engineering, The New York Herald has the following regarding the disposal of the patent for a new bicycle skirt:—- " The palm for a rapid and skilful ' international business transaction mutt unquestionably ba awarded to the young and pretty British matron, Mrs Bygrave. Mrs Bygrave Unded in America on Friday, the lasb day of January, with a bicycle skirt of her own invention for sale. Within two hours of her arrival, while still nervous and dizzy from her long and earnest communion with Neptune, Mrs Bygrave ha 3 Lot oily donned her new original skirt, bub was dispUjipg its various merits to the buyer «f one of the largest athletic goods establishments in the country. • ' " Not satisfied with (the offer he made her, this self-confident, energetic young woman went lortfa on Saturday in search of greater financial

inducements do part with hit eyoling skirt; The first establishment the visited offered her * royalty on all sales made. But Mrs Bygrav£ had other ambitions and walked away in her patent skirt to a well-known firm on Twenty lthird street. Tho wisdom of her coarse WAS shown when «he promptly received an offer of 5000dol from tho Twenty-third strtafc dealers wbo stipulated, of coureo, that they should! receive full assurance of a patent from Washington. Lest there should be any difficulty in regard to the condition of the patent, Mrs Bygrave started on Monday for Washington, remained in tho patent office two hours, found the coast clear for launobing, at it wew, thfl new cycling skirt, and returned to New York on tho afternoon train. She did not see tho White Home. That was not her business in Washington, she (aid. " On Tuesday she visited the patent office ill New York to make rare that there would be no delny in granting the patent, visited the firm with whom «be was negotiating, received a cheque for 500dol with a note for the additional sum of 4500d0l as soon »a tho patent should m received, and on Wednesday morning sailed od tbe Majestic for her native shore, the very nest BOOOdul transaction having been accomplished in lets than four day*. " Her cycling skirt is the most novel invention In the matter of wheeling skirts that has yet come before the wheeling public. By s system of cords worked through opening* near the wtist line, ib can be made to fill thr«p different varieties of long-felt wants of the biojele woman. , , . "First of all it is a trim, circular walking skiit, close fitting over the hips, and measuring about three yards at the hem. To adapt this skirt to the ' drop frame ' bicycle thfl middle 1 of the front breadth is pulled op by means of a shirring otring run down the front saita between the lining and a narrow casing. This •gtcing is drawn through an opening at the waieb, where it is fastened by means of a clam nnder a neat pocket flap. The shirring reaohei) a short distance above the knees, leaving thfl skirt neat and smooth fitting about the hipa and actually forming two loose bags in which the kuoas work up and down without* ths slightest drugging and pulling at the waist line, which \e the sad and daily experience of th« women wearing the ordinary skirts."