ON THE WHEEL

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 478, 21 September 1899, Page 6

ON THE WHEEL

| By

Cyclos.

An advertisement in an American Paper. —“Advertiser is the owner of a grave-lot in Blank Cemetery, and being convinced that many years will elapse before he is qualified to occupy it, is anxious to exchange same for a bicycle. A grand opportunity for invalids. Apply ” “The bicycle has finally found its way on to an American postage stamp,” says an English paper. “It will form the central figure of the United States’ design of the special delivery stamps for use in Cuba. In size, the stamp corresponds to that of the United States special delivery stamp, and the design has for a centrepiece a mounted bicycle messenger boy, with ‘Cuba’ at the top and palm branches and two ornamental tablets embracing the numeral ‘lo’ on the side.” “A marvellous motor record has just been done in France,” says the Irish Cyclist. “A distance of 3200 miles was accomplished in fifteen days by Joyeux, on a motor trike, unpaced, and without a breakdown. A portion of the journey was accomplished through storms and over roads in the worst of conditions. To keep up an average of 200 miles a day for fifteen days is something wonderful.” Buffalo is the greatest cycle town in America, if not in the world, says an exchange. Every summer day on which there is no rain from 50,000 to 60,000 wheels are ridden. Every day on which the rain falls steadily from morning to evening the receipts of the street car lines are increased by from 800dol. to 1200doL There is one bicycle to every eight men, women, and children, including the poorest. The wheel is the common means of locomotion for 100,000 persons. There are about 180 dealers in cycles and sundries, more than 100 repair shops, and nearly 100 small shops and stores in which bicycles are sold exclusively. There are more men dealing in bicycles than in drugs or bread; more men mending wheels than are shoeing horses and repairing waggons and other vehicles. The League of N S W. Wheelmen have decided to hold a three days’ race meeting on October 7, 14, and 21 on the Agricultural Ground, instead of the four days’ meeting as originally proposed. Zimmerman in a recent exhibition ride covered two miles in 3miu 29-45 sec. Tom Linton, the Welsh flyer, watched the performance, and at its conclusion he vowed that there was not a sprinter in Europe who could excel that performance. In a match between Tom Linton, Harry Elkes (the American), and Burns Pierce (the Canadian) over a distance of 25 miles, the American won rather easily in 43min 22 3-ssec. This was early in August, and it is said that the competitors will meet again shortly. A veiy promising amateur rider has lately been unearthed at Waltham, U.S A., in Everett E. Ryan, and his four recent performances are as follow, according to The Cyclist. In a ten miles paced match against C. T. Earl, of Brooklyn, he won in the new amateur record time of 19min 59|sec. (English best, 20min 19 2-ssec, by Palmer). Then he beat Fred. Beauregard, of Fall River, in three middle distance matches twice at fifteen miles, the first time in 29min 35i-sec, and the second time in 28min 42sec (English best, 30min 40 2-ssec, by A. G. Wright), his latest performance

being the covering of 31 miles 1060 J yards in the hour (English best, 29 miles 454 yards, by A. G. Wright). The League of Queensland Wheelmen’s Winter Carnival was finished on August 24. The weather was pleasantly fine, and the sport was much more interesting and exciting than on the previous Saturday. The piece, de resistance of the afternoon was the Fivemile Challenge Race between the two local cracks, Mick Healy and Freddy Shaw, who had a battle royal, the former winning by a narrow margin. Both had a large coterie of admirers, and the race, which was the concluding item of the programme, furnished Considerable excitement, and sent the spectators home in the best of spirits, and keenly debating the capabilities of the men. The Brisbane Wheel Race, with a first prize of £5O, was won by E. E. Eaton, who came with a rush at the finish and just beat Mutton on the line. Eaton’s time, with 30yds start, was 4.38 for the two miles. Bill Martin secured the third distance in the Cyclone Plate series of scratch contests as easily as he did the two events in this competition on the first day, thus annexing first prize. His time for the five miles was 11.57.

In New York a cyclist, when arrested by the police, may leave his bicycle as a pledge for his appearance at court. “In this country,” says the Scottish Cyclist, “some hotel-keepers won’t accept a bicycle as security for the. price of bed and breakfast.” The action of McDonald versus Melbourne Bicycle Club , arising out of the alteration of heats of the last Austral, has, it is reported, been settled out of court. A good many would like to know just what the settlement was and I suppose it will come to light directly. The secretary of the St. Kilda C.C. charged £25 for his trouble and expenses in the Martin-Walker “match.” The “Plugger” insisted upon examining the accounts, and when he came to this item , he objected, and needless to say, gained his own way. Our Wellington correspondent writes . —“ The Wellington Cycling Club had bad luck last year, its affairs being rather upset by a fire which occurred in its rooms. By a deed lease for a term of five years the club is now in possession of suitable premises, comprising a billard room, card room, reading room, and three offices, the latter have been let, and the rental therefrom is in a small measure, a set off against the heavy rental the club is under, viz., £l7O a year. Two firstclass billiard tables have been provided at a cost of £194, of.this amount £147 7s 3d has been paid, and there remains two instalments of £23 3s 6d and £22 16 9d, falling due in November, 1899, and March, 1900, respectively. When these are paid the club will be practically free from debt. The furnishing of the rooms ran into £6O odd. The attraction of members to the rooms has, by reason of the large expenditure involved in reconstruction, been confined almost solely to billiards. Three tournaments were held during the winter, all of which were well supported, and the sum of £lB-, 3s was given in prize money. Straitened circumstances were responsible for the committee refusing to run the risk of probable loss in holding a sports meeting, after the refusal of the league to grant permission for it to be held on the day applied for, i and in consequence no racing whatever was provided by the club for its members during the season. A permit fora meeting on the 11th November has been secured. The opening club run of the season was a success, though subsequent ones, in spite of repeated efforts by the committee, were anything but successful, owing to the lack of interest evinced by members. The only racing member present at the Championship Meeting was Mr G. Bell, and he succeeded in winning the Halfmile Amateur Championship. Under the reorganisation scheme adopted by the league, the colony has been divided into districts, each of which has its governing body. Wellington is the centre of a district which includes the Suburban and

Wairarapa Clubs, and the control of racing and other matters in this district will, in future, be governed by a committee of delegates from the various clubs attached to the district.