NOTES BY DEMON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2287, 30 December 1897, Page 37

NOTES BY DEMON.

Our lecal riders who are" fortunate enough to secure holidays ire just now wheeling over different parts' of the country. Central Otago seems to le the favourite run where a few days can be put to advantage. The cycling resorts round about Duuedin have been well patronised by riders whose holidjiy is of only short duration. Racing men are assiduously training in view of the Caledonian Society's meeting at New Year time aud the Otago CycliDg Club's meeting on January 8 next.

A committee meetiDg of the Dunedin Cycling Club was held in their rooms on the 21st Mr F. M'Kechnie was elected as the club's delegate to the league. The preliminary programme of the club's annual sports meeting — this being the sixteenth— was drawn up. AmoDgst other intern?, there will be a Dunedin Wheel Race (first prize £25), a Multicycle Race, & championship event for both cash and amateurs, and thiee flit events. Prize mon.ey will be given to the amount of £140, which should ensure splendid fields. Four new members were elected.

Items from the Bulletin :—: —

A fancier of A. J. Body (New Zealand) for the Austtal sent along this belated conundrum :

Gin A. Body meet a bodyIn the Austral spin, Gin a body spill A. Body, Can A. Body win? Body vjajs second in the Austral. ' The- Austral Wheel Race of 1897 proved an eloquent object; 'lesson on the inutility of flat grass tracks for men accustomed to banked asphalt. Both in the heats aud the final the race w»s an utter fusco. Even the champions on the first day were unable to steer straight, *nd Englishman Green, who bad a morlgagooa the big prize, fell when the heat was all his own. He tumbled in company, too, for .scarcely n heat was ran without half a dozen or more iprawlißg beside their machines, while the final last Satu^*"- n^mDoscd of realiw *.»>$ cream of

Vie. cyclists on the different marks, saw no less than six men come down out of the 20 starters.

Taylor, who rau Walne to a few inches in the preliminary, came down early and alone, but another lap saw all the chosen men of the race knocked out in a lump. "Newhaven" J*ckson touched another man's wheel, and recovery being impossible on the slippery grass over he went, bring down Farrell, the lightning lad on 180 yds, who won his heat by a street. Bucknxll and Jewel came on top of them, and Walne, ridiDg over a fallen machine, was thrown out of his saddle and out of the race also.

For Walne this was especially hard luck. The arrangements for pacing between Herd, Bucknal), Herman, Farre'l, and Murray, all on 180 yds, were io complete that few thought that Body and Walne (on 20yds with a 40yds gap ahead) would ever catch the field. Bub both these men rode so well that the field was *11 one long string before the first mile was scored, and,' as far as Walne wa3 concerned, the race was hie, for there was not a man riding who could live with the Bmanalandcr's flashy finishes. He made the fatal mistake, however, of following the field instead of working into second or third place. The result was that another's fall snatched 20030V8 out of his hand.

The last lap saw Body go out to leave the field as he has often done before, but though he gained a break of three lengths towards the end, the veteran "Jimmy" Carpenter dashed acro.'s the gap and battl'd it out with the Maorilander, crossing the line a short length ahead. Carpenter started from 85, aud though he has been doing little of late, the veteran — he is 27 years old, but veterans age early on the cycle track — has a long list of track successes as well as his road performance*.

The Austral Baal had a lamentable failure at the very start. Lober, on 180, fell as he was being pushed off, and " no race" was called in error by oce of the judges. J. T. Scatt, the limit man, .heard aud sat up, not knowing the race waß going on until the frc-nt batch rushed past him. However, he lost nothing by the mistake and got third place, so his growl is not worth considering.

The Five-mile Scratch was Body's, the Maorilander following up his sterling Austral performance by walloping Jack Green and Ken Lewis out in the Qual tun.

Despite the threatened loss of interest in eyeing, the Austral attendance on Saturday was the largest on record, the takings being £1240, as against £1038 last year. Also the "deadhead" reserve,, by reason of the improvements, held .over' looo more thui previously. The'atten dance is estimated at 27,000.

-The subsidising of amateurs has been a long-Btßudiag,grievance, and the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company ha 3 always set its facs against the pract'ee. When in self-defence it followed the lead of other tyre companies it was the last to do so, and now has rl-rLjed itself to discontinue the practice, provided the union will take 6t-?ps to prevent other firms carrying it on. This is a mosb excf l'ent move, ac tha openly, honestly piofessiotal class is bes-t encouraged by speed promoters taking no monetary interest in amateurs. If a man wants to be paid for his rid ng powers, there isuo slur on his coming out as a professional rider, and the payment beneath the rose of other (han professionals is a practice well abolished.

If your lamp burns dimly and is prone to fits of sudden extinction, just drop a litble kerosene into the reservoir — a teaspoonf ul will be ample — and you will be worried no longer. The flame will burn brightly and bs more tenacious.

The Catford Club (England) ba9 bad a prosperous year, and numbers on its rolls no fewer than 430 members, while its income runs to over £1500 a year.

A company has recently been formed in England called the Cyclists' Chalet Company, Limited, with the object of establishing roadside refreshment rooms on favourite eyei ng routes. It is to supply tetnperacce refreshments only, and in particular to give accommodation to ladies who do not care to patronise roodside publiehonses, that the scheme is promulgated. One such chalet has been erected between Bath and Bristol, and ib is proposed to erect 500 snch all over the country. At the present lime such accommodation is occasionally found ia cottages, but the establishment of picturesque chalets, under uniform management, where gtod meals are cheaply supplied, and the more commonly rec-ded cj cling accessories aud repairing materials are kept in stock, has a prospect of success not wholly Utopian.

A youth ia a country school one time, upon being a«ked to describe a horse, n plied that it was an animal with four legs, one at each corner. This description is about as a&mrate aa the average rider could give of his wheel. Tell the aversce man that a modem Uu'vr.la Kaa

952 parts and he is dumbfounded, In most high-grade wheels there ate 100 main psnts. Bub with the duplicates and the small auxiliary parts iccluded there are actually, all told, 952 separate pieces. It is universally admitted that the construction of a bicycle is oue of the most delicate and intricate problems in mechanics, not less difficult than the building of a bridge," a locomotive, or a sky-scraping office, building. A locomotive is composed of 240 main parts, •>. watch of 230, r.nd the human body of 208 parts — thtt is, bone. These three constitute a trinity of power, delicacy, and elasticity. Bich of these quali'ies is represented in the 100 steel parts of a bicycle. Every rider should know the name and purpose of evary part of his wheel. He would then derive more pleasure from it, and would have less annoyance in cis 9of an accident.

A French physician says the best refreshment during long-distance riding is fcuit and milk.

CI^UB The ficat races in connection with the MasseyHarria Cycling Olub were held on the Caledonian ground on Friday afternoon. Beautiful weather prevailed, and there was a modoiate attendance, the visitors to (he ground being present by invitation of the club, which is composed entirely of employees of the MasseyHarris Company. ' Mr W. A. Shields acted as judge, Mr J. Davies as starter, and Mi* P. J. Slafctery as timekeeper. The handicappcrs were Messrs W. A. Shields, J. Davips, and A. L. Smith, and the programme wss carried out under the supervision of tbe i olio wing committee — Messrs W. A. Shields, A. C. Ormond, J. R. Lowry, H. F. Gibson, A. Djivios, A. L. Smith, and T. Armstrong. The X likorai Band were in attendance and played a number of selections at intervals during the afternoon. Visitors were also supplied with afternoon tea and other refreshments. The details of the various events are as follow : —

Third-cl\ss One-mile Handicap (open to all Massey-Harris ein])loyees who have never been first, second, third, or fourth in a Ma>3-;ey-Harris, iace) — Pircfc heat: J. PeJce,. -225 yd«, 1; A. Orraoud, 250 yds, 2 ; T. Lawrence, 220 yds. 3. Also started : J. Kins 250 yds, W. Hmue 250 yds. W. Clark 270 yds, ,T. M'Cluskey 30Oyds and G. Smith 3OO.vdij. Won easily. Time, 2:nin 45^ec. M'Cluskey and Claik fell after covering about half a lap. Second heat : J. ITauley, scr, 1 ; ,T. Stewart, .«cr, 2; D. Bray, 250 yd.«, 3 Also started: J. LilUy 90yvls and IJ. Jay 225 yds. Won by a couple of yards. Time, 3mia 3sec. Final heat: J. Peak's, 225 yds, 1; A. Ormond, 250 yds, 2; T. Lawrence, 2Soyds, 3. Also started :J. Hanley 'scr and D. B^ay 250 yds. Won by about 20 yards. Time, 2min :39see. Pibst-clvss One mile Handicap (open to all Ma«sey-Harris employees). —C. Peake, ISOyilf, 1; C. Moore, Co>df, 2; E. Levien, 00yds, 3. Also started : J. Stewart scr, J Hanley scr, W. Gibson scr, W. Stephens 90yds, W. Smith 1-iOyds, J. Duthie 180 yds. Hanley and Duthie rutired after covering about half the distance. Peake kept in front all the way and won easily by several yards. Time, 2min 36Jsec. Ladies' Bracelet. One mile and a-half. Special prize, value £5 03, presented by M. Donnsby and Co. (Limited). To be competed fov at thiee meetiugs. — Fhsfc Beat: A. Oiniond, 375 yd«, 1; C. Peake, 270 yds, 2 ; W. King. 135 yds, 3 Also started : W. Gibson scr. Won by about 20 yarJs. Time, 4min 24-.cc. Second heat : C Moore, 90yd.«, 1 ; J. Stewart, scr, 2 ; W. Smith, 210 yd?, 3. Also started : J. Hanley scr. W. Stephens 135 yds, J. Lilley l?syds. Ilanley caved in after going a mile and u-balf. Moore won by over 100 yards without any tiouble. '1 imp, 3min ICJive. "Final heat: C. Peake, 270 yds, 1 ; C. Moor.', flOyda. 2 ; W. Smith, 210 yd», 3 ; -W. King, 135 yds, 4. Also started : A. Oimond 3?syds and J. Stewart scr. The two last-mentioned caved in when about half the distance had been covered. Peake won by about 30 yards. Time. 4min 3sec. Second-claSs One-mile Handicap (open to all Massey- Harris employees who have never won a Masaey - Harris race.). -J. Peake. 225 yds, 1 ; C. Peake. 180 yd", 2 ; C. Mooie, GPyd<..3. Also started : W. Clark 270 yds, W: Hume 250 yds, J. Stewart fcr, J. Hantey scv, J. Li. ley 90yd', W. Smith 140 ids, W. Lloyd 180ydp, J. DtUbie lfcOyds, and D. Braj 250 yds. A vary clo=e race between ,'C. and J.-Peak resulted in the latter winning by about a foot. Time, 2min 34ssc.

Half-mile Y)\<h Open Handicap. -C Peake, 90yds 1 ; C Moors. 30yds, 2; W. Smith. 70yda, 3. Also btarted : J. Hunlpy sc, W. Gibson scr, E. Levien 40yd.«, ~D. Bray 120 yds, J Stewait scr, W Stephens 40yds, W. Uoy.i !)oyds and J. Duthie POyds. Won by about 30 yards. 'Jime, Imin llsec.

Tinine - milk Ope.v Handicap. —C. Peake, 500 yds, 1; J. Stewart, scr, 2; J. Lilley, "50yds. 3. Also started : W. Gibson scr, C. Moore 100 yds. W. Stephens 2>yds, W. .Smith 450 yds, and J. Duthie 500 yd*. Duthie, Smith, Stephens Moore, and Gibson all retired atdiffer.nt stages of the race ; and Peake, who led all the way, won by about half a lap. Time, Pmin32-ee. Co"%soiation Handicap. — F. Levicn, 40yds, 1: J. Hanley, scr, 2; W. King, 50yd?," 3 Alxo started : C. Moore scr, "W. Gibson 20yds, W. .Stephens 50yds, W. Lloyd 80yds, J. Lilley 80yds, U. Jay lUOyds, and H. Clarke 120 yds. Won with plenty to spaie. Time, 2iniu 40'iec. INVERCARGILL SPORTS. Ikvercaugill, December 25. The Invercargill Cycling C.ub's sports meeting to-day was the most successful the club have yet had. About 1000 pe->ple were present. The weather was fine, but tbere was at tirne3 a stiff breezs. Results :—: —

Mile Maiden'. — Turner, scr, 1 ; M'Mullan, 3^ec, 2; Duff, 3-ec, 3. Time, 2miu 42 3 ssec.

Thiiek-jiile Amatcuh Open.— J. S. White, scr, 1 ; C. H. Arndt, 10.cc, 2; C. Mackenzie, 2(Lee, 3. Time, !)uiin 33,-ec.

Wiiell liace Handicap. — Firctbeat: G. Cuthbertsou, Ms c, 1 ; F. Ciawfor.l. 2oiep, 2; T. Double, 12.SPC, 3. Tiinp, omia 44 4 ssec. Second heat : \V. A Masters, lO^ec, 1; I. Muir, S.sec, 2; W. Jordan, 20-s-c, 0. 'lime, smia 20 3 ssec. Third heat : G. Butler, 25sec, 1; W. Turner, ]ssei:, 2; Clialmer', Fsco, 3. Final : Turner 1, ll'd wards 2, I<\ Crawford 3. Time, smin 25 3-ssec.

Tnr. Tiikee-mii.k Amateur Championship was practicilli* a \\ alk-over, for Atndt only wont out to p ice J S White. Time, Bmin 29 1-Sscc, or 4 Eiec in-i>ie of Iht limit.

Ham--mili: Opkn Handicap. — "First heat: Butlor, 70yds, 1; (Juthbertson, 30yds, 2; Maw, ic yds. 3. Time, lmia llsec. „ Spcnud heat:

Willet, 90yds, 1 ; Poole, 50yds, 2 ; Crawford, 90yds, 3. Time, Imin llsec. Third heat : Kd wards, 50y.15, 1 ; S. B. Crawford, 80yds, 2: Hell, 50yds, 3. Time, Imiri 10 2-ssec. Final: Willet 1, Edwards 2, Crawford 3. Time, Imin S 2 s*ec.

Three-m le Roadster. — First heat : Poole, 2(hsec 1 1; Duff, SOiec, 2; Melvhi. 25 ec, 3. Time, Smiii 3-530 c. Second heat : Jordan, 28-.cc, 1 ; Shanks, 25 3 ec, 2 ; Mitchell, 2.Bdec, 3. Time, Bmtn 38f-.ee. Final : Poole 1, Duft 2, Melvin 3. Time, Smin 47sec.

Half-milk Open Handicap.— lX. C. M'Kcnzie, 5-iec, 1 ; J. >■*. White, sc 1 , 2 ; J. Johchon, foec, 3. Time, Imin 15 4-5 cc.

Tiik.ef.-mim>: Gash Ciumpionsiup.— o. A-. Maxwell 1, J. Chalmers 2, T. Maw 3, P. Muir 4. Time, Bmiu 47sec. The limit bsing Binin 20sec, no prizes were allowed.

iNi'EiiCLUD Tjwt. Five miles. — Maxwell 1, Chiilmeis 2, VV. A. Masters 3, P. Muir 4. Time, 13min 2o^ec.