NOTES BY DEMON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2209, 2 July 1896, Page 37

NOTES BY DEMON.

t— The Hon. R. J. Seddoa has accepted the office oE president of the Cash Cycling Club recently formed in Wellington. The ambulance class formed by the members of the Dunedin Cycling Club will start work on Monday evening, 13th inst. The lectures are to be given by Dr Eoberts, president of the club. The Portobello Road Board on Saturday last had under consideration a letter from the Dunedin Cycling Club asking that a nominal charge of <Jd be made on Sundays 'at the Waverley toll. The charge at present is ss— a most prohibitive figure ; and, though the board seemed inclined to give the matter a. trial, it was shown that they had not power to make differential tolls in the way; desired. A concession like the one asked for would be of great advantage to cycliits, and the dangers of the road would be at a minimum, for there \» little traffic on Sundays, and riders are nowadays as careful to avoid accidents to pa«6ers-by as they are to guard themselves and their machines from damage. — — A meeting of cyclists was held at Christchuroh, last week to consider the question of taking steps to confer with the City Council with regard to .making by-laws for the regulation of cycle traffic. A number of resolutions dealing with'' the" regulation of the cycling traffic, ' the improvement of roads, the registering of' each bicycle rider, and the formation of a Cyclists' Road-ridera' Protection Association were carried, and a committee formed to have powTer to confer with the , local bodies on the eatablishment of workable and just by-laws and to watch the interests of oyclists generally. Paced by » tandem geared to 105, W. Martin, "the American rider, lowered the 10 miles record at Brisbane to 22min 42sec. He. rode a Humber geared to 961n. . The Lewa-Beeson protest has now beep fiuftUjr eettlodj and tbe prize, £30, wbioß Lewis

I claimed, as he was first past the post, has been paid to Cecil Turner, the second man. Beeson protested against Lewis on the ground that Lewis crossed him during the race, and the I stewards upheld' the protest and disqualified I Lewis. This rider thereupon appealed, to the league, but unfortunately for the appellant it was found he was not a member of the league, and consequently had no right of appeal. Lewis's solicitor, however, demanded tie prize-money from Mr Carney, the sports promoter, and Cecil Turner ' making a similar demand, to save himielf Mr Carney placed the money in the hands of the court. On the day the case was to come on Ken , Lewis agreed to Turner taking the prize provided Mr" Carney's expenses were paid out of it. Thus the matter was settled. A good pun on the X rays is perpetrated by Wheel Talk. Around a small photo of T. Eijk, John S. Johneon's manager, there is a representation of rays of light, and scattered among the rajs are a number of dollar signs (§1). Underneath are the words " Eck's lUya." The S. A. Register, dealing with the performances given by Marfchner, the world's champion trick oyclist, at Adelaide, says :: — •• In every item Marschoer concluiively proved his. right to the title of world's champion. Waltzing on wheels and gyrating in graceful attitudes .preceded remarkable exhibitions on the one wheel. It is surprising what control he possesses over the wiry steed. Careering along without the aid of fork or handle-bar, he proceeds at a Ligh rate of speed till within a few inches of the audience, when ha suddenly stops and begins riding backwards. One fine feat is taking holcMMhe top of one wheel and whilst in the air reversing it and obtaining a footing" on the pedals. The spectators showed their appreciation of his efforts of mounting the one wheel while it is proceeding at a fast rate. This very difficult trick requires the most accurate judgment. Marschner jumped into the . pedals ' without touching the wb&sl. He is an- adept at riding tb.e little wheelT and on the safety to ■" 'gatfoesßA*wei »ao difficult fc»ti. His rifling

a wheel with the frame either in the air or trail* ing aloDg the ground was quite a mystery to the onlookers. Speeding along inside of an ordinary bicycle rim with his arms out straight, and riding on the spokes, and on a peculiar diamond-shaped wheel which caused him to rock, was but' another illustration of his wonderful balancing powers. - Marschner concluded the exhibition by placing a ohair on a table md balancing himself on one wheel on top. He then jumped the wheel on to the chair and the' floor, and careered round the room."

George Eliot's old school house, in Liltle Park street, Coventry, it now the home and haunt of a section of the cycle trade. An invention that is certain to prove immensely popular with the cycling fraternity-has just been brought to perfection by Mr Romeo Grilli, an Italian. It consists of an extra frame to seat two persons, ci.dc by side, and which can be fitted on to any ordinary roadster. The machine, with everything adjusted, only weighs about 401b, and looks far more pictureeqete than the preseut tandem ; indeed, as far as married couples and sweethearts are concerned, the new invention is. likely to prove in great demand with them, for sitting side by side they can converse without any trouble. Am regards having two people of unequal weight, the balance is adjusted by utilising sliding saddles, which are so perfectly arrauged'that a man of 15stcan ride on one 'side and a boy of half that weight on the other without the least inconvenience. The public will soon have an opportunity of judging for themselves as to the' merits of the invention. A large number of pressmen witnessed the trial recently, and the machine certainly fulfilled all expeotations.

A writer in Bicycling News gives the following lyre tip, which is well worth a trial : — "It is a well-kaown fact that in repairing a punotured tyre you must remove all the sulphurous powder from the surface of the inner tube at the spot where you intend to place the patch, or else the solution will not stick. To clean the tube a piece of sandpaper is provided in all the repair outfits, and with this you have to scrape the rubber. You fold the empty tube on one fiuger and polish, at it, and perhaps roughen the surface and certainly clear a larger space tb.au is needed, and cannot clear an exact area. Now the letest idea is to throw away all your sandpaper and use a match. Moisten its head and use the phosphorus end to rub lightly on the by re. The sulphurous powder rubs off into a pale paste and leaves the indiarubber clean and black' immediately. , No force is required, and the cleansing is perfect. A spot no bigger than the matoh's head cm thus be cleaned on a piece of any size or shape. It- is a handy way of marking the site of a puncture ' when found, preferable to the use of a blue pencil. A cyolist does not always carry a pencil, nor need he any longer carry sandpaper. He usually carries matches, and one of these will answer splendidly, and after the operation still be as able to light his lamp. Therein lies the chief beauty of the tip. It is costless, as the match you use is none the worso for being employed in this way. Try it at your next puncture, dear reader, and you will be delighted at the simple dodge,\and if your tyres are sound, and you want to experiment, rub a moistened match lightly on a smalt portion of the cover, and see how it cleans away the whitened surface." | Atter several months of consideration, the Governmentiias jnst isiued a new law for the control of cyclists throughout France, and their rights and obligations on the road. Up till now there was no "official" text to provide magistrates with authority, and, strange as it I seems, some had even gone so far as to deny cyclists the right to wheel on the highways. The new law puts the cycle on even terms with any ordinary vehicle, and, while it compels every cyclist to keep to the right, to carry a lamp at night, and to have on his machine a plate bearing his name and address, it warns all drivers to leave a space on the road to cyolists the same as to a carriage. It even goes io far as to allow cyclists to use the footpaths, outside towns, in every case where the road is paved or when it it in reconstruction. ' The terrific impact of a bicycle in motion is seldom realised by its rider. With an list .man up, and the machine moving at only seven miles an hour, a momentum of 15001b is created, without counting the weight of the wheel. This is sufficient to upset any pedestrian with terrific force. A collision between two list cyders, each going at the moderate speed of seven milei an hour, would result in a glorious smash of 30001b force. One would rather imagine than experience the fearful impact of a racer travelling at a 2-15 bat. It is n wonder there is anything left at all of the unfortunate victims in such cases. An electrical instrument, which should prove of inestimable value to cycle manufacturers for detecting flaws in tubing, is the j latest invention in the scientific world. A ! small pneumatic tapper, worked by haod, is first applied to the material to be tested, the I tapper bsing connected with a telephone, while a microphone is interposed in the circuit. Two operators manipulate the instrument, one being right out of earshot when listening at the telephone, whilst the other taps the metal. Electrical communication connects tha two, and directly a sound is heard differing from the normal, the listener signals for the spot to be marked on the steel, and the portion is condemned. The latest electric cycle lamp ie one in which the power is generated by a series of brushes on the hub of the wheel, which rub against a platinum plats when the wheel revolves. NEW ZEALAND CYCLISTS* ALLIANCE. A general meeting of delegates to the New Zealand Oyolißts' Alliance was held at Ohrlit- | church on 22 ad inst. 1 A letter was roccWed fsom tkAi^i Sflufo

Wales Amateur Athletic Association, forward* ing a special vote of thanks to various organisations and individuals in New Zealand for their generous treatment of the New South Wales team.

A letter whioh had been forwarded on by the Pioneer Bicycle Club was read from Mr C. H. Jones, stating that he was going to Eogland as a representative New Zealand oyclist with the intention of competing there at amateur meetings, and asking if assistance would ba given him.— lt was deoided that Mr Jones be informed that the alliance did not see its way to vote any money for the purpose mentioned. The following "records were passed :-r-Road— Christchurch to Dunedin, J. O. Shorland 22hr 13min ; Dunedin 1 to Invoroargill, R. M'Kenzie 9hr 54£min; Napier to Wellington, P. F. Fabian 22hr 40min. Traok— Tea miles, S. Macdonald at Danedin 26miu 19|sec ; quartermile, C. H. Jones at Christchuroh 32§sec ; one mile and a-half, S. Macdonald at Dunedin 3min 39 4-seec ; two miles, H. Thompson 4min 324-ssco; three miles, H. Thompson 6min 523-ssec; one mile and a-half, H. Thompson 3min 26fcsec ; one mile, H. Thompson 2min 13§*ec ; half-mile, H. Thompson lmin 5 3 sjec ; one mile, H. Thompson 2min 12£ sea; 50 miles, J. O. Shorland '<2hr 14nain 40seo; 100 mile's," J. O. Shorland 4hr 39min 51« e c; 25 miles, J. O. Shorland lhr Omin 40<eo; five miles, J. O. Shorland llmin 55seo ; 10 miles, J. 0. Shorland 24min lsee ; five miles, H. Thompson llmin 45sec; 10 miles, H. Thompson 23min •31sec ; 25 miles, H. Thompson 59min 30s.se ; one hour, H. Thompson 25 miles 350yds— all at Coristchurch.

The following standards were "passed :— S. Macdonald, 1 and 1£ mile ; H. Thompson, 1, I£, 2, 3, 5, 10, and 25 miles ; R. Crow, i mils ; W.. B. Bell, i mile and 1 mile ; J. O. Shorland, 10 and 25 miles. i

It was unanimously decided to present Mr Harry Thompson with a gold medal in recognition of the good work done by him this season in record breaking. A sub-committee, conginting of Messrs Hayward, E. A. England, and Cuaack, was appointed to revise the standard Hat. The annual meeting of the alliance was fixed for Thursday, September 10.