ON THE WHEEL

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XI, Issue 553, 25 July 1901, Page 5

ON THE WHEEL

I B:

Cyclos.

Few cyclists fully realise the immense amount of wear and tear to which a chain is treated, and a few figures quoted by Mr K. Gerrard, the English expert, suggest the advisability of a gear case, for an exposed chain works under the worst possible conditions that any mechanical device having bearings can be subjected to, viz., oil, wet, grit. A chain contains some 110 working joints, 110 working rollers, and 550 separate pieces in all, loaded and jerked from zero up to 600 lb. The area of a working rivet is generally *O4B inch, and, therefore, the pressure often rises to 125,0001 b, or 51 tons per square inch. When each rivet and sleeve has worn -003, the chain will be nearly three-quarters of an inch longer. It is said that the new glass pavement now being experimented with in the Parisian Boulevards is splendid for cycling on, no sign of side-slipping being apparent in the slushiest of weather Unfortunately the Whitsuntide racing has not been without its usual complement of accidents, and, what is more to be regretted, they have been unusually serious (writes “ Veteran ” in the London “Sportsman”). The mishap to poor Edmunds at Cardiff will put that popular rider out of the running for the Amateur Championships at Bristol, and will greatly detract from the interest in that meeting. The accident is, I believe, to be the subject of an enquiry by the Local Centre, Edmunds having lodged an objection against a member of the promoting club. There was a nasty smash in the final heat of the Open Half-Mile at Kensal Rise, the accident taking place almost at the finishing post, and reminding one of a similar crash at Catford a few years ago. On that occasion the fall was caused by the slippery state, owing to rain, of a strip of wood let transversely into the track, and all the riders fell within a few lengths of the winning post. Opinion as to the cause of the accident at Kensal Rise differ. One witness singles out L. Pearce as the unwitting instrument, but another attributes it to Wilson’s tyre coming off the rim. Stuart, who appeared to be bored by Pearse, fell heavily on the sprint cinder track, twenty yards from home, Harding, Thomson, Wilson, and Pearce falling later, knqck-

ing d iwn H. B. f* cott, the judge, anj sending him some distance from the post. Garrard was, I believe, the only rideY who did not fall. Stuart and Wilson were the worst sufferers, and some time must elapse before they will be able to again race. Says the “Asian” (Calcutta): “ As wo predicted, the bicycle tax in Bombay has been found uncollectable, and so it will be in Calcutta. The Bombay Municipality recently reconsidered a resolution of the standing committee, stating that sanction should be given to an additional grant . of 780 rs to meet the cost of continuing for a period, of six months the establishment in connection with the collection of the cycle tax Mr Hormusjee Shapurjee observed that those who complained the loudest about the bad condition of the roads were the cyclists of Bombay, and it was a pity that, in order to find out defaulting cyclists, who called t hemselves gentlemen, but who did the r very best to evade the tax, it should be deemed necessary to employ a sort of detective establishment. Mr J. Wadia said that the cycle tax collected was so small that it was not worth while levying it. They should do away with the establishment of detectives, who ran after ladies and gentlemen, which was not a dignified position for the Corporation to adopt; the sooner the tax was abolished the better. The proposition was, however, agreed to, but at the end of the six ironths the Commissioners will find themselves in no better position as regards this iniquitous tax, and if they can’t work the tning in Bombay, pray what hope is there of Calcutta succeeding ? Machinery for manufacturing rubber good, £7000; engines, boilers, etc, for driving some £SOOO worth ; building alterations in the big mills at Montague, £2500, are three very respectable items in connection with the building and plant being put up in South Melbourne by the big Dunlop Tyre Company, who intend manufacturing rubber goods on a large scale. The Dunlop rubber mills will have the largest and most up-tb-date rubber plant in the Southern Hemisphere. The well-known electrical inventor, Mr Edison, recently made the following remarks to the London “ Daily Mail” anent his views on autocar cons traction:—“ The autocar ought to have been British. You first invented it in the thirties. You have roads only second to those of France. You have hundreds and thousands of skilled mechanics in your midst, but you have lost the trade by the same kind of stupid legislation and prejudice that have put you last in the many departments of the electrical field.” Several curious trials with motor cars have been made by Austrian officers. They arranged the laying of a military telephone over a long distance, and permitted cavalry and motor cars to compete for the quickest performance. The cavalry had undergone a special training for ■ laying telegraphs, but were Easily beaten, owing to.the improved appliances on motor cars for unwinding the wire. J i iv / • ■' d

London “ Sportsman ” speaks well of a scheme evolved to prevent loafing, which was tried at Crystal Palace on , Whit Monday. It says: —This system is the finest preventive of loafing which has yet been tried. It makes the race excitt?: ing all the way, and so hot was the pace in the race referred to that eleven of the fifteen starters had dropped out before the half-distance was reached. ' The i- system is as follows: —The leader at '■ach half-lap (after the first lap, which does not score) up to the last lap scores one point, the leader at the beginning of the - last lap scores two points, the first man to finish scores twelve points, the second six, and the third three. Of course, on a small track, there would be the danger of one man getting ■ away, stealing a lap, and then hanging on until the finish. Such a move, which is not improbable, but has, indeed, actually happened, (a?) would, of course, destroy all interest in 5 the contest. This, however, would not 5 be likely to occur on a "three or even a ; -three and . a half-lap track, than which," ; with the exception of Putney, there is no ; smaller path of importance in London, f Other things to be feared in the Crystal .. Palace were that one man would pile up such a score of lap points that he need not trouble to gain a position at the finish, or that one would stay so much the best as to give him a runaway win. None of these undesirable things happened, for everything depended on the positions at the finish, which proved to be very exciting, despite the gruelling which the men had undergone. A curious case is reported in one of the English papers. A cyclist, who was staying at a temperance hotel had his ‘ machine, which he had left in charge of one of the servants, stolen. He sued the landlord, but was non-suited, the Judje ruling that as there was no charge made for storage and that as the machine was noton licensed premises, the landlord was ; not liable.

M. M. Boseingrave has gone into training again for his match over the Hurdles with George Smith in November.

At a meeting of the Council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, held on Thursday, a letter was read from the Amateur Athletic Union of Australasia stating that the dates submitted by New Zealand for this year’s Australasian championships, December 28 and 31, at Auckland, had been approved. The letter also stated that already the Queensland, Victorian, and Sew South Wales Associations had appointed special committees to see that those colonies were represented to the full strength at the games. With regard to the statement that Auckland desired the dates changed to December 18 to 21, the council decided to ascertain definitely what was desired, and leave the matter in the hands of the subcommittee already appointed. A letter from the Amateur Athletic Union of Australasia in regard to the record of 15 3-ss. established by G. Smith, of Auckland, for the 120yds hurdles, stated that that the union thought that in all cases it would be better for the as ociation under whose jurisdiction the performance came to first determine whether it would accept the record before sending it to the union for acceptance. The council decided to accept Smith’s record, and ask the union to confirm it as an Auatralat ian record. It was decided to agree to a reciprocal arrangement with the League of Wheelmen in regard to reinstatements, and to adopt the suggestion of the league to approach the Government with the view of making a small grant to bach sports body holding championships.

Dr. W. Collier, of Oxford, does not condemh athletics or exercise. He merely puts forward a strong plea for regulated exercise as opposed to strain. The gist of his advice is summed up in the following paragraph, which is commended to the notice of all readers interested in questions relating to physical developmentl could say a great deal of the evil effects of muscular strain on the lower middle classses, whose ambition in recent years has been stimulated in every shape and form to win pots and medals in all kinds of running and cycling handicaps. Fortunately, I believe, this craze is on the wane. I have pointed out the dangers connected with muscular efforts, but I do not close my eyes to the advantages gained by athletic competition as carried on at our public schools. I hold that the advantages to health are overwhelming I believe the physique and general health of our public school boys owe an enormous amount to school games, and the taste for healthy open-air exercise these games develop. I believe these tastes developed at school often stand a m n m good stead for the rest of his life. lam not going to moralise on the beneficial influence of athletics in the building up of character This influence has been described and dilated on by headmasters and laymen in better and more forcible language taan I can command, and, I may add, in a very convincing and clearly written paper read a few years ago by Dr G. Fletcher. I take only the physical side, of man, and I assert that a taste for muscular exercise in the open air will do more than anything else to keep a man young in spite of his years, and able to enjoy life in the best seme of the word.”