CYCLE AND MOTOR NOTES

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 37, 8 February 1912, Page 8

CYCLE AND MOTOR NOTES

Francis Dirties, the overland cyclist, arrived in Melbourne at 3.21 _p.ni. on Saturday, 27th January, looking lit and well after ids remarkable ride across from the West. He left Fremantle at 7.-15 a.m. on New Year’s Day with the intention of endeavouring to regain his record across to Sydney which F. White beat by some three hours last May. Dirties then stated that he was confident he could reduce White’s 36 days 13 hrs 3mins by at least six days, and so he has every chance of covering the 3077 miles across Australia from West to East in thirty days. After leaving the W.A. goldfields, Dirties made wonderful time, despite the sandy and heavy nature of the wild trackless country to be negotiated in many places. At one stage the overlander did. not see, a human being for 'three and a half days, but Dirties only considers this an ordinary incident in his travels through the wilds of Australia. Up to Port Augusta (some 1700 miles) Dirties only had one puncture, striking testimony to the value of thornproof “Dunlops” for cycling through heavy country. Adelaide (1930 miles) was reached on Sunday, 21st January, at 10.20 p.m. (After a sixteen hours’ spell, Dirties set out for Melbourne, leaving the city of churches at 2.30 p.m. on Monday. Wellingtonwas made that night and the Coercing Desert successfully negotiated' the next day. On the ride across from Kingston to Naracoorte—a route little known to cyclists—Dirties nearly finished his fine ride in a disastrous way, for whilst riding along a narrow ganger’s track at the side of' the railway line, he fell and rolled, machine and all, down a 10-f t .embankment. Dirties strained an ankle rather badly, his machine escaping unhurt, but despite his mishap he pushed'on and made Narracoorto on Wed nesday night (January 24th). The next day’s run was a short one to Coleraine (Victoria), Dirties wisely giving ’ids ankle a chance to recover. Friday night was spent at Cressy, and at 3.21p.m. on Saturday (January 27th) Melbourne was reaJched. The. run from Adelaide to Melbourne (579 miles) took 120 hrs olmin. Up to this stage Dirties and his Dunlopshod Universal Dicycle had established two (wonderfully line records, viz.,' Fremantle to Adelaide (1930 miles) in 20 days 12 hours 35 minutes, nearly five days better than his own record for this route, and Fremantle to Melbourne (2509 miles) in 26 days shrs 36min.,-some Jive, and a,third days better than P. White’s record. Although so far ahead of time, Dirtle: stayed less . than two hours inf,Melbourne, leaving again -at 5 pun. Ton his way .to /Sydney} his -intention, being to make/Seymour for the-night. All going well, the overlander expects to reach Sydney on Wednesday, 31st January, and if he does this ho will have established the wpuderful feiu of averaging a -hundred miles a day for tiie west to east trij> across Australia. As the record for this run stands' at over 364 days, Dirties (barring accidents) should at least knock six days off White’s-time, a)-perform-ance.' that will iprobably . standi- fo; many-' . a long > day. Despite his < rough ".i , work the ;-recordneaking wheelman looks the picture of-Heal th, and certainly none the worse for his long ride. Dirties states that this trip will bo his last overland ride.

What a remarkable character Francis Dirties is. He is an artist by profession—a journalist and photographer when lie feels so disposed, but he is never happier than when away cycling over the little-known and trackless stretches of Australia. Ho fairly revels in adventure and hard cycling, and what ho does not know about the, interior of Australia is scarcelV worth knowing, fof lie has cycled round the whole Continent twice, and crossed it in all directions, cpyering a total distance of 60,000 miles in about 6 years, mostly over the wildest and roughest parts Ref Australia. In 1906 Dirties set out from Perth and twice made futile attempts to penetrate the desert between Laverton and Oodnadatta. On the second occasion lie barely escaped with his life. Then- he headed his machine southward and came east by way of , the coastal route. After touching at Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane,. he proceeded to Darwin,' and then followed the telegraph line practically all the way to Adelaide. He then rode on to, 1 Sydney to complete the round trip from that city. On that occasion he covered about 13,000 miles. In 1909 ho cycled from Fremantle’ • via Port Augusta and Drokon Hill, to Sydney (3056 miles) in 44 days 22-Jhris. Thirteen months ago lie tackled D. Mackay’s Perth-to-Sydney record (via Adelaide and Melbourne) of -10 days 15 hrs, as a finale to a ] 0,000 miles’ trip round Australia, and reduced it by three days.

After a rest of a few months Birtlcs was again wheel-hound for the wikis of Australia—on a chromatographing expedition for a leading French' moving picture firm, and ho obtained a considerable number of interesting films of typical Australian subjects. Amongst pictured taken were turtling in Northern Queensland, pearling, fishing, kangaroo, wild pig, and alligator hunting, shearing, station life, native life, corrobborees, and a h.ost of other interesting subjects. On one trip they captured 1G alligators' in a week—the biggest being 16ft long. After completing this trip he made for Port Darwin, and then cycled dowfi to Fremantle with the intention of making an endeavour to regain his record from Fremantle to Sydney, which F. White just heat by three hours. Birtlcs then stated that he could accomplish ■he trip -in thirty days, aud that he

s a man of his word is exemplified in ii is present great ride across the Continent. All Dirties’ great undertakings have been ridden on an Aus-tralian-made outfit, and in no instance has his mount let him down in his travels through the Australian wilds. The English War Office is at last waking up to the potentialities of the cyclist soldier, and is now considering a scheme whereby the hundreds of thusands of cyclists in England will lie associated with a gigantic defence movement. The idea is that ovary cyclist in England will lie invitedto join a body to be'known as the National Association of Cyclist Defenders, undertaking that in the event of foreign invasion ho will take up arms and place himself at the dis--1 isal of the organisation, which it is apw proposed to form. Should the scheme go through—and it is practically decided upon—every cyclist that joins will wear a badge and distinctive mark on his cap, and will, in the event of war, ho recognised as an mthorised combatant, for as private civilians the cyclists of England could not take up arms in time of warfare without the risk of being shot if •.night by the enemy. Tbo idea is shat detachments of about 25 cyclists io formed throughout England each under a leader. The detachments to he grouped into corps. The duties if the cyclists would ho to assist in watching the coast, railway, bridges, ' 'rnids -and Holograph lines in time of invasion. ■’ All cyclists joining the 'ca'gife will 1 have the privilege of lionr.'ary: membership of the nearest Territorial Cyclist Dattalion, and will k; invited tp attend all military lectures and take part in field days with the idea of gaining an elementary Tvowledge, of scouting and other mili-

ary: subjects. The proposed inovouont is hieing,, brought before all he English Cycling Associations and lnhs ,with ; ,;i view of gaining their pinion on the scheme, and to as•ertaining what support will he forthoming. Since the Victorian, A. J. Clark, von the Austral Wheel Race of 1901 e has had a most successful career s a racing cyclist. To-day he is he undisputed track champion of Vnstralasia, and has only one or two ■jders his equal in the world of ■print racing.' As an all-round rider e is supreme, Clark having dofeatd the best sprinters in America and hirppe, besides having many longdistance events to his credit, inclining two 6-day races. Clark, who has ust returned hack in Melbourne from Vmerica-,/ has,.decided to team with V. J. levies, another Victorian ridvr, in tile; forthcoming Melbourne Glays race, ■ The addition of this team o the, grqnp of ridJrs, who competed »•: theuJKjeent Sydney 6-days ' event vill lend,.considerable,jhitorest to the vent-,i that starts iny Melbourne : on lie r l,9;t(i February v AljJh , A telling, commentary, upon the hange. of opinion as regards motor minibus transport is the fact that he London Coypty Council who have deven and a Ipilf millions of pubic money invested in London Tramrays intend applying for power to •nn motor omnibus services. The ;reat, success both .fypm ,a public and i.nanpiiaf, point of view of the motor ms in London is playipg havoc with ailway,|tvaffife, and at last the Lonlon County Council is' faced with the serious problem of what to do with ts railway systems, which are slowly nd surely being relegated to the background in favour of the more omfortablo, more mobile, and cheaper transport by motor-propelled omnibus. The experience of London .vill iyet, ,be the experience of the .Commonwealth capitals, and it there"dre behoves those in authority to nove slowly as ■ regards spending >ig sums of money in laying down ixpensive permanent ways to carry runaways. The day is coming when the motor bus will enter into serious apposition with the tramways in Australia, so why not move with the imos and meet all further demands For passenger transport by the 'establishment of motor bus services ? It is interesting to note that one London motor , bus company has a fleet of 1220 up-to-date vehicles, which last year- carried over 300,000,000 passengers.- No wonder the London Coun.4l is worrying over the future of its tramways!