THE OMAHA DAILY TU3T3 : SUNDAY , 3TE15U1TAUY 27 , 1807.
TUB PASTIME.
ItmtTMl n
.UTILITY OF THE BICYCLE
Wheel Becomes a Feature of the Messengoi
Service.
ITS PRACTICABILITY NOW ESTABLISHED
Coiiiimnlcn Find Tluil
Their Service In Vnndy Improved
by ( lie Employment ot ( lie
I Cycle IllilcrM.
In no particular has the advent of the
blcyclo been productlvo of moro striking
results than in the change that it 1ms
brought about in the district mcsscngei
Borvlco of the local offices of the various
telegraph companies. I
Everyone remembers the messenger boj
of half a dozen years ago , but today /few ol
his familiar characteristics can bo recog
nized , as ho has exchanged the slow 'anil
uncertain means of locomotion which na
ture afforded him for the swift and noise
less wheel. The boy who loitered Indolently
along the sidewalks as though his main
object in life was to master the content :
of the show windows has gone forever. He
is no longer to bo seen snugly located In c
sheltered stairway perusing a dog-earec
copy of the "Boy's Own , " nor docs the firs !
April sunshine disclose him playing mar
bles in an alloy > to which the observation
of the manager Is not likely 10 penetrate
Ho has dropped into the list ot has-been ;
and his place. Is taken by another who I ;
alert , businesslike and Industrious.
The now boy never loiters. Ho rides his
wheel at a _ pace that discounts the motoi
trains , dives between pedestrians and suc
cessfully runs the gauntlet of the most In
oxtrlcablo tangle of vehicles. Nothing shorl
of an old-fashioned blizzard stops him. He
rides through snow and slush and through
.the pelting rain , as diligently as though be
had a personal Interest in having the yellow
envelope In his belt delivered at the cnrllesl
possible moment. Ho has developed an am
bition , too , and hopes to be a manager him-
eelf some day. And altogether ho Is worth
two or three of his lazy and loitering pred
ecessor. In the evolution of the messen
ger boy , the comic papers have lost a valu
able target for their humor , for the tlrae-worr
Jokes that wore once cracked at the expense
of the uniformed boys arc altogether oul
of place when applied to the hustling young-
tors who wear their brass buttons today.
OMAHA MESSENGER CORPS.
That the bicycle Is solely responsible foi
the admitted Improvement is contended bj
every manager In Omaha. They aver thai
the use of the wheel is a development ol
the same principle that Is applied by moderr
educators In the education of young chil
dren. The task that must be learned be
cause It Is a task Is distasteful to cvccj
child , but the teacher who Inculcates the
eamo Information and makes the lesson o
pastime is demanded by modern progress ,
When the boy was compelled to drudge
wearily along the hot pavements to carry
messages the work was tiresome and It was
natural that they should not take any great
amount of interest in it. But when the
trip was to bo taken on a wheel , It became
a very different matter. And It Is the uni
versal experience that from the time the
( Wheel and boy were Joined together an as-
THE WinJEL
tonlshlng amount'ot Industry was developed.
There ore three regularly organized corps
ot blcyclo messengers lu Omaha. Both Man
ager Umsti'd of the Western Union and
Manager Fuller of the Postal Telegraph
companies claim the honor of being the first
to Introduce the Innovation , but leaving them
to settle their difference of opinion with
axes or such other weapons as may bo avail
able , It Is certain that Omaha was one of the
firstcities In the United States to have a
lull force of rtestenger boys on wheels. The
only other competitor was Syracuse , N. Y. ,
and as the wheel wae introduced In each
city without knowledge of the other and at
about the same time , honors are fairly oven ,
The results of the system have been so sat
isfactory that It has now been Introduced in
nearly every city In the United States , Soon
after the experiment had been tried at the
local o 111 co of the Western Union , the vice
president of the company hid photographs
of the force sent to every mauager In the
west with Instructions to follow Mauager
UmstdiVa example as noon as possible.
Manager Unmted Bays that the wheel waa
a decided success from the first , and has
Improved the service fully CO per cent. It
baa had a tendency to imbue the boys with
an idea ot their own Importance and to make
them feel that they are of come account In
the big Western Union syitcm. All of the
twenty-four boys now employed by this com
pany ride high grade wheels , and they are
zealous In performing their work , if for DO
other reason , because the wheel * are bought
on the iDiUlltuent plan and the/ for that
to lore their positions means to lose > tl
much pilzed wheels.
Whllo the boys buy their own wheels , tht
have had their wages Increased In a propo
tlon that fully makes up the extra expens
Under the old system the boys received fro
$12 to $15 per month , but now they get $
and extras. The extras mainly consist !
the charge for street car faro which no
goes to the boys Instead of to the stre
railway company. This often amounts
$3 or $4 a month , so the boys are really be
tcr paid than before.
. THEY ARE RACERS , TOO.
The Western Union force has turned 01
some of the best young riders In Ncbrask
Ono of them Is Harry Edghlll , who won tl
six-day race at tlie Coliseum , a year or tv
ago. Edghlll also knocked a big chui
from the atate record for an un paced ha
mlle at the Charles Street park last summc
Luudiford Sawyer , who won second place
the Douglas county road race last May
another Western Union boy and Half
Brown and R. T. White have also develop !
Into really clover riders.
The wheel was not adopted by the Amer
can District Telegraph company until a yet
ago last spring or nearly two years aft <
It was used by the Western Union. Bi
the results have been no less satlsfactor ;
and the force already Includes a number <
crackerjacka In fast and trick riding. Mar
ager Ryner says that the service Is in
proved In every respect since the bicycle
were Introduced. It requires the use <
fewer boys and much better time Is mad <
The corps now consists of twenty-five boy
whllo thlrty-fivo or forty were formerly ix
quired. The boys bought cheap wheels
flrst , but these have been discarded nnd th
force Is now fully equipped with those of
high grade. The wages of the boys ha\
been materially increased. Previously the
wore paid $12 to $15 per month , but no
the ecalo runs up to $18 and $22. Manage
Ryncr claims la George Phillips the be :
trick rider in the state , and a number
the other boys ara capable of giving an ej
hlbltlon as good as is usually seen on th
variety stage.
The bicycle corps of the Postal Tclegrap
company is much smaller than those of tli
other two companies. Manager Fuller ht
only eight boys , but ho is fully convince
of the advantages of the system. Ho aaj
that better service Is secured in every wa
and' In case of a rush , the force can handl
the business with a rapidity that was lu
possible before the "wheels were used.
The following Is the personnel of the mei
senger service :
Western Union Telegraph company : 1
Manlon , Amos Ewcll , Arthur Kelly , J. J
Donncrmoyer , John Bell , Charles Kell ;
Lunsford Sawyer , M. J. Donnermeyer , Job
O'Connell , Thomas Kennedy , F. Johnson , \
Appleton , Leo Wright. Qlen Roberts , Ralj
Brown , Oscar Bloyer , Frank Edghill. :
Bush , P. . T. White , F. Armstrong , M. Sha :
non , C. It. Pyburn , Ed Kennedy , Charh
Jensen. x
American District Telegraph company : :
Oomber , W. Peterson , C. Shea , E. Hamll
T. Church , 13. Taylor , M. H. Byrnes , J. Ha
rlgan , R. Selby , D. Gordon. G. Brown , i
Phillips , E. Lumbeck , J. Cowgar , F. Klrsc
nor , F. Llnder , F. C. > Bowyer , S. Barker , \
Paulscn , A. Blozler , S. Galney , E. Delano
L. Barrett , M. H. Brown , C. Morrison.
Postal Telegraph company : Fay Crowlan
Ernest Brown , C. Huntley , Claude Benne
James ArnoHl , R. Hosford , Roy Fox , .
Bluck.
TIIC 111CYCI.I3 IN AVAH.
*
In Utility Aiutrfcln < < Ml lu ForclK
ArmlPN.
In view of experiments which other n
tloim are making T lib reference to thu ui
of the blcyclo In modern warfare , says tli
Boston Advertiser , it seems at least Btrant
! \S A CIV1L1Z1&11.
that more of an effort In that direction
not being carried on by the national fiui
In this and other states. The fact Is w
known that General Miles has looked w
favor upon the use of the bicycle by E
dlera in the regular army , or by couriers
army service. No bicycle regiment hao
been formed , however , in the army , t
there Is likely ta be no such experimi
In the Immediate future , so far as tbo put
can learn.
In Franco , especially , the blcyclo 4u
curded with greater attention by the ar
authorities , and baa already appeared
military reviews. Experiments have b (
made In Franco with a military blcyclo , a
during a recent exhibition a zouave ri
up at the rate ot about twelve miles
hour , wont through his part in a sham b
tie , then folded up hla machine compac
on his back , sealed a wall about eight f
high with a ladder , fired again from I
other side o ! the wall , unfolded his btcy
aud rode off ,
The exhibitions in Franco have mi
It plain that an army can travel on
cycles with much greater speed a d _ w
more effective fighting force than ever 1
fore. It might be undesirable for ma
reasons to equip an entire array with bli
clea , but there la certainly no reason wh )
number ot companies lu a regiment shot
cot be mounted ou bicycles and should i
be trained to maneuver on wheels. O
aide ot an experiment which hag been ma
at the fvttCDal capital { ho public hear * lit
ot bicycle rtglmeubi la the national guard
WHEEL RACING IN NEBRASII
Something of tha Men Who Hare Eidd
to Victory ,
FACTS CONCERNING EARLY CYCLE MEE
OntlicrlnRH Wlicrc ( Iiocnl AVhcclmi
Ilnvc Mmlp Ilccnrtln thnt Itnvc
1'lnccil Tlirm nt ( he llcnil
if ( lie
The flret bicycle tournament In Kcbras
was held In this city In September , 18 :
It was under the auspices of the Ontn
Dlcyclo club , and was a one-day meet , wl
a half-dozen amateur events upon the cai
It waa held upon the club's quarter-m
track , which was located In the old Athle
park on North Sherman avenue. The ir
orlty of the races were won by John
Htchcock , a local man who proved hlms
bo'moro than nn ordinary rider In the
ye. At that tlmo such n thing as t
oilern geared safety was unheard of , a
o good old high wheels predominated.
lo then In 3:20 : was considered good tin
d a man who spoke of rldlnft 100 miles
day on n wheel would have been consider
flt subject for the Insane nsylmn. Sir
at time , however , hundreds of races ace
co meets have been hsld In the state , n
trough the modern methods of science a
10 Increased knowledge of training , t
mo for a mile , as well as for other d
anceo on the bicycle , has been reduced un
Is far below that of anything travell
ion land or water , with the exception
afts propelled by electricity and steam.
clng man nowadays who cannot rldo a in
n two minutes or better Is not consldei
uch of a rider , therofors It will bo B (
mt In ICES than fifteen years the time
o mlle hns been reduced by about one-h ;
nd in this advanced age , when but t
ilngs are considered Impossible , It wo
o unwise to say that It has reached
owcst mark , as another ten years may :
far below the minute.
FOR PUN AND BUSINESS"
p'rofessMonal bicycle racing was tried It
mall way some ten years ace , when tn
ere comparatively few racing men i
ewer race _ meets. It proved to bo a fallu
inca then , until the present date , the sp
as rapidly gained In popularity. Hoc
nen have sprung up all over the coun
nd race meets have been held by the thi
and. Racing men ceased to participate
10 sport for glory , and the result was I
nakera' amateur , who was paid
de and advertise some certain m :
' . bicycle , then the League of AmerU
Vh ° elmon racing board Improvl ;
Glass in , " or what might bo more pn
rly termed a semi-professional class.
ook but two short years for the public
ro ot this and It began clamoring for 01
ud-out professionalism , which the Leaf ;
f American Wheelmen , a body that I
mrsed and controlled cycle racing since
nfancy , promptly decided to give In
eclarlng that there would 'be ' but t
asses , viz. , amateur and professional , afl
: arch 1 , 1S9G. The result was marveloi
mmedlately racing men began to multlr
apldly and the majority of the best or
elng In the business for livelihood. Join
10 professional ranks. Race meet promote
tiered fat cash prizes and the races cc
ained double the number of entries tli
ley formerly did. Thus the Increased nm
ier of riders made competition hotter a
nterest greater.
The number of racing men In Nebras
las almost doubled within the last year a
hero there were but one or two prof <
ionals a few years ago , there arc at lej
wenty now.
But going back to the original subject , t
econd meet held In the state occurred at tame
amo place and under the same auspices
ho flrst. This time , however , It was a t\v
ay affair and the dates upon which It <
urred were October 9 ivad 10 , 1S85. It w
t this meet that the young and unsophls
atcd bicyclers of the state had their fli
xperleneo with a "rigger. " He came frt
'oronto , Can. , and sailed under the nat
f Harry Patterson , but In fact was no
thcr than Fred Westbrook , one of t
pesdlest of all the Canadian professlona
le entered most all of the races and llti
lly ran the amateurs to death , beating the
at every stage of the game , and carried
nearly all of the desirable prizes , as was
'of the whl
as a considerable roll money
he friends of the local heroes put up on t
outside.
This woeful experience , together with th
monetary losses on the tournaments , ma
he" boys sick of race meets and they ga
no moro until nearly flvo years after , wh
heir former experience In this line bad be
orgottcn.
orgottcn.PRINCE UPON THE SCENE.
Itwas In the winter of 1S8G that the
doubtable John S. Prince struck Omaha. 1
Exposition "building which then stood at t
corner of Fourteenth street and Capitol a'
nuo was an ideal place to hold Indoor
cycle races. Jack realized thla and for
with had a ten-lap track put down and wi
to work to get up some races. After a f
match races with other professionals ,
which Prince came out victorious , ho i
on a six-day race , eight hours each day.
lad Imported such swift professionals
31ngley , Schock. Ashlnger and othew , and ,
ncrease the public Interest , Induced a pro
sing young local amateur by tbo name
Bullock to enter the race.
Omaha people took to bicycle racing tl :
Ike a duck takes to water and the re :
vas that the Exposition building was crowi
each night of the race. Prince was of coui
victorious , with DIngley Eccond and Bulk
bird. Following this came a series of mat
irofcsslonal races and a few amateur rac
.ho prominent amateurs at that tlmo be )
Pcabody , Mlttauer , Lytle , Blackmoro a
Smith.
In the spring of 1887' Prince leased the <
ball grounds on Twentieth and Miami strec
which Is now known aa University park , a
put In a line quarter-mile track , which
ipened to tbo public by giving a gra
tournament on Juno 20-27. The professlor
events had such men as Whlttaker , Ashing
Prince , Knapp , Eck , Bullock and DIngley
starters. Wulttaker had an easy thing , wl
nlng everything In sight and simply inakl
monkeys of the other riders. In the amatc
events such old-timers as Peabody , \Ver
Smith and Dukes of Omaha , and Savai
Sellers and Sailor of Minneapolis were pltt
against each"other. . Pcabody was the wlnti
in tbeso races and easily demonstrated tl :
lie was the swiftest amateur in the we
It was at that meet that Willie Pixley ro
his Mrst race , which was a one-balf-m
match against a kid , Jules Barthell , from !
Louis , who was easily defeated. Sevei
other match races and tournaments we
hold upon this track , which was used un
the fall of 18S8 , when Prince built t
Coliseum on North Twentieth street , whl
Is now known as the Knights of Ak-Sar-B
Castle , In this place some races were lu
that will go down into history as fame
events , The first race of Importance was
six-day , elgbt-hour-per-day affair , in whl
Knapp , Heading. Ashlnger , ( Morgan , Dlngli
Armalndo and Eck participated. Thlii \ \
the race In which Ned Reading , the sold
bicyclist , made his debui as an unknov
The race drew Immense crowds , and ,
Heading was making a hard fight for ft
place and being a local rider the Inten
was naturally very great. After a splrll
contest Knapp won , covering 711 4-10 mlli
Heading second , 7108-10 ; Ashlnger thl
684 2-10 ,
P.ODB 'AT PLUM CREEK.
In 1889 the first tournament over held
the elate outside of Omaha took place
Plum Creek , or what is now called Lcxln
ton. It was bold under the auspices of t :
Lexington Wheel club , and was the fir
division meet ever held In the state. T
first Nebraska league of American Whe (
men state championships competed fc
They were the one-mile ordinary , which w
won by C. 0 , Peabody of Omaha , and tl
one-half mlle safety , won by II , H. Hhod
aluo of Omaha. A remarkable thing a bo
the meet was the winning of the latter ra
by Mr , Rhodes , who bat ) never competed
a race before. Several days before the me
he went to Kearney on a business trip 01
stopped at Lexington on hU "way home
see the races. Aa Omaha did not have
representative entered In the bait-mile afe
championship and Mr Rhodes * wa A f
road rider , his Omaha frlenda Insisted ur
his entering the race , which was Indui
to do after a good deal of. coaxing. Ne'
having ridden a wee bHoro ho T
naturally a little backward , , but after
got to going once he simply , ran away fr
the rest of the field , and won in 1:41. : It v
certainly a surprise to his.-friends , as w
as tohimself , and , as > di reward for ' ,
wonderful performance Me now hears I
title of the half-mile champion of Nebras
for 1889 , and wears a handsome $50 gi
medal. The next state tnfet was held
Omaha at the old fair grounds' on Septcml
29 , 1890 , under the auspices' 'of the Oma
Wheel club. The safety championships w <
won by Bert Torterfleld , Svhlle the two m
ordinary state championship was won
Louis Flescherj the ofio. and flve-ro
ordinary championships by 0 , K Denmi
all of Omaha.
lt1891 the state meet WSB' held nt Yo :
Mockett of Lincoln won the two-mllo or
nary state championship In 7:09 : , and 11
ton of Omaha took iho one-fourth mlle or
nary and one and two-mllo safety cha
plontOilps In 4:3 : 2-5. 3:40 : 1-5 and 7:11
spcctlvely.
During the winter of 18S9 and spring
1890 Lincoln had Its flrst experience w
bicycle rocos , when Manager Bllllo Man
took n train of Omaha amateurs down to t
Capital City and put on a six-day race
Donation's hall. The track was abe
eighteen laps to the mile. Among t
Omaha riders who competed were Flwch
Wertz and Mcars. Mardls else Induced
Mockott , then a Lincoln novice , "to " start
the race.
THEY WHIPSAWED MA.RDIS.
Of course Mardls was looking nfter i
good , hard dollars both for himself and 1
"boys , " as lie called them , and In order
create enthusiasm In 'the event ho held th
back and allowed Mockett to gain a 1
laps , thinking , of course , that when the 1.
night came ho would turn the boys lei
and they could easily regain their 1
ground and beat MockeU out , but <
doughty Ebcnezcr was a foxy boy and
Saturday night when iho Omaha contlngi
began to cut out h , warm pace ho qule
dropped In after the bunch and there
stayed. It was Impossible for the boyu
gain on him and ho won the race cas.1
But the Omaha crowd came home with
pocketful of money , which was salvo
the wounded feeling caused by their ig ;
minions defeat.
Mockett wes looked upon as n champ
by the Lincoln people , and when he tracccc
In defeating several others of NebrasV
swift men In match races on the "wash-dl ;
track , as It was called , his frhnds thou
him a world-beater. It was not long , hi
ever , until other men could not be Indu
"wash-dUh " and the tr
to race on the - ,
was torn down. A few races were held
the State Fair grounds In the fall of 1 !
after which Urns Interest in the uport
Lincoln began to die out.
On July'4 , 1S92 , the fourth annual meet
the Nebraska division was held at Hastlr
A road race from Junlata to Hastings , a t
tanco of six miles , waa run In the mo
Ing , and was won by Jack Kaatman
Omaha. The one-mllo ordinary champions
was won by Mockett of. Lincoln by dcfa
The one nnd two-mllo safety state chc
plonshlps were also won by Mockett of L
coin In 2:49i : and C:10',4 : , respectively ,
of the open safety races , five In numbjr , w
won by Billy Schnell of Omaha. Mocli
rode In nothing but the championship i
of course won these easy.
INCREASED INTEREST IN RACING.
During 1892 there wcrtraaiumbcr of oil
race meets of less prominence held throui
out the otate , and peojilo who had befi
looked upon the sport-.atKboUiK rather ta
became Interested in 10 jvindatlien the racl
season of 1893 rolled aipujxtHtho sport 1
double the number of fj > llQre \ that It 1
tha year previous. The Btattflmeet wco h
at Lincoln In that year" < > nJ/Jiy 4 , under I
auspices of the Capital" ! C\ty \ , Cycling cli
I Incoln riders had won , th6i'&atc ! champli
ahlps In 1892 and Omaha.fwdero [ had be
left out almost entirely ! Jh&frj&ore they set
work early In the sprii)3of ; U > 93 and trait
hard for the state mcejijwHfi the Intent ]
of redeeming themselves , vtybich they i
nicely. Russell Condon of Oniaiia won the 01
mile championship-in 204 ; fyWxley of Oma
the one-quarter mlle'chinVpiptiE'lilp In 39 S
and Holton of Omaha1 thd tw < J-mlle champii
ship in 5:58 : 2-5 , and .tliOsi.tyvept the plat
clean and left Lincoln 'Without ' a win to
credit , save the boysj rac'o//ln / which Oma
did not have a representative. A numl
of other meets -wsro held In the state durl
that year , of whlcbi perhars the one um
the auspices of the Tourist wheelmen
Omaha on July 22 waa the most Importa
The winners at this meet wore : Holt
Congdon , Proulx , Plxlsy and W. M. Bnrnu
In 1894 the first meet was held at Oma
on June 30 , under the auspices of M.
Daxon , and the races were won by Cond <
Barnctt and Pixley.
The ctate meet took place at the bustll
little town of Kearney on July 4 and 5
that year. The championships were won
Barnctt of Lincoln , and Frederlckson
Fremont , whllo the other events went
Gerwlng , MoOuIre and Bowles of Denv
This was the flrst season that "Class B"
seml-professlonallsm was tried. Some gc
meets were held later In the year at Way :
Fremont , Plattsmouth , Superior , Noi
Platte end other small towns throughout I
state.
HERE EDGH1LL STARTED.
The season of 1895 opened up early , a
from a racing standpoint Avas far ahead
all previous ones. The flrst Important ev <
of tie year was the Decoration day re
race , held In this city under the auspii
of the Associated Cycling clubs , on M
30. First prize was won by F. E , Bdwoi
a soldier from Fort Omaha , who had ft
ralnutcn handicap , The tlmo prize was x
by "Happy" Holloway cf Plattsmouth , w
covered the ten miles In thirty-two mlnui
and thirteen seconds. Lincoln held a 1
meet ou this day at which Tessler of Suit
won the majority of the events. .Followl
this came the six-day amateur race , held
the Coliseum at Omaha. Thla was the n
In which Harry Edghlll , the messenger bi
illd his wonderful riding , winning the rs
easily by nearly half a mile. Followl
this race came the sixth annual meet of t
Nebraska Division League of Amerlc
Wheelmen , which was again held at Kearn
on July 4 and 5. In "Class A" Gadl
Omaha , won the one-mllo state champlonsi
In 2:20 : 1-5 ; Pixley of Omaha , the half-m
and two-mile state championships In 1 :
and 4:5C1-G : , while In "Class B" Fra
Rlgby of Toledo , O. , won everything In slgl
Other good meets were held during the ye
at Lincoln , Grand Island , Blair , Yoi
Geneva , Button , Humboldt , Falrfleld , Met
Ashland , Elhhorn , Plattsmouth , Wayne a
many other smaller towns. The dlfferc
meets of the past season are too fresh
the minds of wheeling enthusiasts to me
a review of them. The state meet , < hcld
Lincoln on July 3 and 4was , from a racl
standpoint , one of the moat successful dlvln
meets over held in the elate , but flnancla
It was a failure. The amateur champlc
ohlpa of the state were all won by Gadko
Omaha , whllo Mockett of Lincoln -won t
half mlle professional andil'lxley of Oma
the one-mllo professional champlonshli
Among the riders who hava'been promlnc
In Nebraska racing clrfclosCUvlthln the pt
flfteen years are the following : Hltchcoc
Blackmore , Jolllffe , ' ' 'Miner , Peaboi
Mlttauer , Francisco , LytlellvWertz , Bulloc
Beard , Floscher , KastmanE Tagger , Pixli
Reading , Search , WalkbrVrRhodcs , Echnt
Smith , Dukes , Prince . $ cblll , Waldn
Denman , Porterfield. Dickey. Clark , Cotidc
Barnum , Cully , Holtqd , . 'Potter , Tooz
Proulx , Edghlll. Brecr , . . Sleflten , Ci
Sancbca , Burdlck , Muentcferlng , Shrad
Gadko. Edwood , "Pluggtr" Bllllo Marl
and McCall of Omaha1 ; Mockctt. Schadi
Sullivan , Alloway , VanHorti , Clark , Grlflli
Bailey , Yule , McBrlde and "Barnett , Llncol
Hayman and Nelson , Grand Iiland ; Tom a
Sam Patterson , Parraalce" and Hollow *
Plattsmouth ; Carter , BlairSablne / , Beatrl <
ToBfller , Button ; Collins , Kearney ; Bowl
McCook ; ftlcGreer and Gocke , York , ft
many others too numeroug to mention ,
TUB DIG HACK OP THEM AI.
Tbo Slx-Dnr FllKli ( of Jack Prin
mill Snliller Hrnillntr ,
All Omalians well remember the greaU
bicycle race ever ran. They cannot fors
that , for it took place in December , 18 !
right here In Omaha , at that time t
Mecca for the cycle racers of the counti
But thu event which is referred to waa t
match race between the redoubtable Ja
Prince and Ned Reading , the told !
j'hcnom , on the old-fashioned ordlna
wheels. The race waa a six-day , eight-bo
A day affair for { 100 a elde , the go
receipts and the championship of Amerl <
A number of officers at the fort were bchl
Iho military man , while Max and Al IloeO
furnished the slmoleons Tor Prince. As
well remembered the noldler lost , tmt
derived much consolation from the fact U
the achievement never before cquall
In the history of the wheel.
On the night of the close the c
Coliseum held not a soul lens than 8C
people. Every scat was occupied and eve
Inch of available space on the commodlo
promenades held Its excited and scrccchli
biped. The Second regiment band was
hand and struggled hard and manfully to
heard above the din of the insane crowd.
Up to a quarter past 10 thcro was b
llttlo excitement , but at this Juncture , as tl
great struggle began to near the wind v
the vast throng began to grow nervous ai
occasional spasms of thunderous applau
filled the big building. The two grim rldci
however , seemed to imblbo no Intplratli
from these vociferous plaudits. Each ma
with a face pale as death , a furtive , cag
look in hjs eyes , kept steadfastly at wor
Jogging along at the tireless pace that hi
marked their progress through the Ion
weary day. Twenty minutes after 10 t !
referee cautioned the racers about the nil
governing such contests on the final spui
and almost Instantly the building w
mctamophoscd Into a veritable panil
monlum , men , women and boys stood up
their seats and yelled until It seemed 11
remendous volume of sound would ralso tl
roof. The police hurried frantically aloi
heir respective patrols , nlarmed lest tl
overwhelming excitement would culmlna
n some untorscen disaster. Trainers , bac
crs and handlers -\\cro helpless amidst tl
bedlam of not inharmonious sound , and t
picture was one that will live long In tl
iiomory of every person so fortunate as
je a looker-on.
Prince and Reading wore both wlld-cy
and ncrvoUB. but at the uproarious slgi
they bent low over their glistening whei
and ono of the most marvelous spurts e\
witnessed upon a race course began. He :
Ing was perceptibly rattled , and , whllo
rode like some fabulous bird upon the wli
his gait was wobbly and uncertain. Prlr
glided after him like a specter of dct
and on Iho upper turn of next to the li
lap was neck and neck with the almi
frenzied soldier and In another second 1
ebony-clad form was seen cleaving the
In the lead. .
The noise that here burst upon the Jostll
throng waa something actually frlghtf
The official timekeeper , A. B. Hudson , n
the referee stood on chairs at the oppos
ends of the tape line and as the final secoi
were rolled off the excitement knew
bounds. Down the homo stretch came '
riders , Prlnco an eyelash , ahead of I
Roldler , nnd both plying nerve , sinew n
fiber until It looked as If they must
dashed to pieces against the further wi
Reading was slowly but surely gaining ur
the stocky Englishman , but when they si
over the line , by a mighty effort , In wh
he fairly seemed to make his wheel. le
Prlnco managed to get three or four Incl
the best of It.
A Bccno of wild confusion followed , sv
a scene as probably never took place upor
race track before or since. Prince rela ;
his deathlike grasp on the handles of
machine and fell Into the arms of his vlglli
trainers In a dead faint. Heading , too , v
ready to drop from sheer exhaustion a
both men had to bo carried to their tents
The awarding of the race and the presen
tlon of a superb diamond medal to t
victor occupied but n few moments mi
and the great event passed Into hlsto
Possibly the score of the evening , with a i
capitulation for the six days , will be 1
torestlng to racing imcn by way of co
parlson with their wovk today on the I
proved safety. They follow :
Miles. Ln ]
First hour . IS
Second . 1
Third . . . H
Fourth . 14
Fifth . 1
Sixth . 14
Seventh . 14
E'slUh ' . 13
Total . HG
IlECAPITULATION.Mllos.
Mllos. Laj
First day . 12.r.
Second . 1-0
Third . 117
Fourth . . . . > . 11G
Fifth . ' . . . J21
Sixth . , . , . HO
Total
STATI STI CS.
Orcm-di" nn l Mfiiilier Iili of (1
I/LMiKite < > f American Wheelmen.
At the national assembly of the League
American Wheelmen Secretary Abbott Bt
sett presented a table showing the membc
ship on February 1 , 1S9G , and th
of February 1 , 1897. In previous yea
ho gave the comparative standing of t
first ten divisions In the past and presei
Thb year ho has gone to the trouble
record the standing of every division
the two ytars. The figures at the left ,
the table below , give flrot , the numeric
standing for 189G. and second , that for IS !
A glance at the table will show the advan
or retrogression of each and every d'lvlslo
1&SO. IS
Alabama . 47
Arizona . K > 2
Arkansas . 244 :
Colorado . M3
Connecticut . 96T > 1 ,
Dnlnwnro . 33
District of Columbia . 80 :
GoorL'ia . 1C
Klorldu . 13
Idaho . 3
Illinois . 1.59S 3
Indiana . 2G. > J.1
Irv.su . i.'O 1 ,
Kansas . 415
Kentucky . 490 1 , :
Louisiana . 14 :
Mnlnn . 4M I
Maryland . S ) l.l
Massachusetts . C.011 ! ) .i
Michigan . ra ? 1 ,
MlnncHotn . 2 > 1
Mississippi . 7 <
Mlfsourl . 1,579 2 ,
'Montana . 13 :
Nebraska . 230
Nevada . 2
New Hampshire . 2fi7 :
Now Jersey . > . . 2,4fl4 4 , '
Now Mexico . 23
New York . 10,300 20 , '
North California. . SW 1,1 ,
North Carolina . 3S
North Dakota . 29
Ohio . 1,874 2 , :
Oklahoma . 55
Ori'K'on . . . S I
1'cnnpylvanlu . 4r > 31 11 , :
Rhode Island . C17 ] , :
South California . 53 I
South Carolina . 1
South Dakota . 19
Tennessee . 101 '
Texas . . ' . 275 I
Utah , . . . ir.7 :
Vermont . C3 :
Virginia . 11C :
Washington . / . 79 '
West Virginia . 35 1
Wisconsin . 1,117 ] , <
Wyoming . 3S
Canada , . 10
Foreign . , - 15
Indian Territory .
Totals . .39,323 W
"We have gained 34,419 mombprs over o
record of a .year ago a gain of 87 per cent
said Mr. iBaesett , "This exceeds all pi
vlous records. "
ON A IIIKI3 DOWN IM UOIAS STIIISE
( Written for The Bunrtay Dee. )
You can talk about your boulevards
Your paths of hardened clay
You can prate on bourn tracks all yi
wish ,
And talk It night nnd dny
Hut pleasure's nt 11 discount
And ere that Joy you meet
You'll take n morning scorch ,
On a bike ,
Down Douglas strec
You can honor Tommy Cooper
With garlands and praises caloro
You can talk nbout Johnny Johnson
And race re a hundred or more-
Hut honor Is decked In Its glory .
From head to Its very feet
When you tnku a morning ecorch
On a bike ,
Down Douglas ntre <
Let honors , nnd pralsea and garlands
Kor the "Trnnsmisslsslnpl" bo spread
Prom the land of the stars and the stripe :
Let nothing- bun "honor" be said
And in the midst of her glory-
In attaining her wonderful feat , I
Lct'H all take1 a morning ucorch , I
i On a bike.
i i Down Douirlas strec
' J , CLBVE SCOTT ,
Central City , Neb ,
1,1 jclit on theKuUJcct. .
Judge : Jllsa Fosdlck My bicycle lamp
always going out.
Mr. Dooley Well , a bicycle lamp th
always stayed , at home would not bo
much u o.
CYCLING TRADE HISTORY
From Yolocipsdos in the Sixties to the
Safeties of Today.
TRIALS OF THE PIONEER MAKERS
IlcmnrUnlilo I'volulltm In
" , ProcrH * of O
nml IMUInjtK Uoiv Trice *
Have Fluctuated.
Bicycle history Is a small volume. It le
not old enough to accumulate dust , nor Is
any of the data obscured by the mists of
time. Its beginnings In the United States
are within the memory of men of middle
age , nnd comparatively few ot the votaries
of the wheel can bo classed as vetornns.
Owing to our lack of good roada , methods
of nmnmnotlvo propulsion were not thor
oughly Investigated tn the early history ot
our country , but in Europe , notably in
Franco , Germany and England , wcro the
first stops taken toward relieving man from
his abject slavery to ( no horse as a means
" horse" and the
of transit , The "dandy
"drnlslno" are familiar to all who have in
vestigated the subject.
Later on , at the close of our civil war ,
there appeared In Franco and England the
typo of vehicle known as the "velocipede. "
Mlchcaux of Franco has been accredited the
glory of all that pertains to the veloclpjde
of tha early COs. About that tlmo there ap
peared In this country a Frenchman named
Pierre Lallement , who took out a funda
mental patent on the crank movement no
applied to the velocipede then In use In
18GG , and Hanlon brothers , adorn and acro-
courls and , to their great surprise , a few
years later the self smno evidence they ,
had collected In these patent suits u i
used by the firm of Gormully & Jcffcry.
which defeated Colonel Pope In his nctloa
against them. Since that tlmo the funda
mental patents have all expired , nnd , whllo
it Is true that hundreds of patents h'o
been taken out relating to the bicycle , th
manufacture Is really open to any body ot
capitalists which desire to enter the trade ,
because the most of these patents refer
simply to specialties , and not to the entlro
bicycle or any fundamental part of it.
SLOW OHOWTII. '
Prom 1878 to 1884 the trade , like the sport ,
grow slowly but steadily. The old ntylo ot
straight handle burs -was discarded for
curved and ram's horn bars. Treads wrr
narrowed , weights wcro reduced , and quite
a crop of American makers had begun to
spring up. The. English bicycles , which atone
ono tlmo were on the top wave of popularity ,
In this country , were then fairly ousted by ,
the beautiful specimens of workmanship
American mokcrs were turning out.
In 1SS5 J. 1C. Starlcy of England brought
out o blcyclo ho named Rover , the proto
type of the safety of today. Previous to
this , however , there wcro all sorts of bt-
cycles , notably the Kangaroo and Facile ,
all having the object of adding to the cle
ment of safety and preventing the danger
ous headers , It being conceded that only
a man of seme athletic attainments could
rldo the "good old ordinary. " "Starloy'a
safety bicycle , " as ho called It , was pos
sessed of two nearly equal-sized wheels , and
was what wo now term a rear chain driver.
All the English makers grasped the Ide.t
quickly , but the conservatism of American
makers was remarkable , and It was some
tlmo before wo got fairly launched In ths
manufacture of the safety bicycle. Tha
safety bicycle , having since that tlmo ousted
from public favor the ordinary , ono rarely
hears the term "safety" applied to thd
modern bicycle.
T11R PNEUMATIC TIRE.
In 1887 John Dunlop , a veterinary surgcoil
of Belfast , It eland , Invented the pneumatlo
tire. The cushion tire was rapidly coming
to the front , and had It not been for Dun-
lop's Invention the cushion tire would hav >
_ \
OND OF THE NEW BICYCLE GIRLS.
bats , and who ars still on the stage , appeared
In the Union Square theater and did what
was then considered some marvelous trick
work on the wooden velocipede. I was a
boy then , and the sight filled my soul with a
great desire to be abb to ride ono of thosa
"crazy velocipedes. "
Not long after that velocipedes were made
by Calvin Witty , Demarest , and other car
riage builders in this country , nnd schools
for Inptructlon were opsncd In vacant halls
In all the big cities of the country.
APPEARANCE OF THE VELOCIPEDE.
Of the velocipede of this tlmo the frame
and forks were of hand-made steel fqrglngs.
The wheels were of wood , with flat iron
tires , such as are now used for buggies.
The boom was not a lasting one , notwith
standing the fact that the makers turned
their attention to producing them ( especially
In England ) with hollow ateol frames , wire
suspension wheels , and solid rubber tires , so
that by the year 1872 tha use of the wooden
velocipede In this country was practically
extinct.
In 187G there was exhibited at the Cen
tennial exposition a model of the type of
blcyclo known to this day as the "good old
ordinary. " It was exhibited by the flrm of
Baylls. Thomas & Co. , Coventry , England.
It had the regulation suspension wire
wheels , hollow backbone , solid front and
rear forks , and open head , and , in fact , was
the model from which Colonel Albert A.
Pope afterward , In 1878 , copied his first
Standard Columbia. The firm ot Baylls ,
Thomas & Co. Is still engaged In the trade
In England , and they may bo Justly con
sidered ono of the pioneers of the sport.
Some Boston Importing house about that
time 1877 Imported a few English bicycles.
In 1878 the Standard Columbia was
marketed by Colonel Albert A. Pope. It
was made at Weed's Sewing Machine works
In Hartford , Conn. And this action can bo
regarded as a' forerunner of the Immense
number of sowing machine companies that
have since entered into the trade. Since
that time the entlro Weed Sewing Machine
Company plant has been absorbed by the
Pope Manufacturing company.
CORNERING THE PATENTS.
Colonel Pope , with an eye to the future ,
bought up all the old velocipede patents.
The bulk of these patents had been Issued
during the years 18G6 to 18C8 , and , as they
had seventeen years to run from that time ,
they wcro still valuable. Pierre Lallcmcnt's
crank patent was at that time owned by
the flrm of Richardson , McKco & Co. ,
makers ot baby carriages and children's
velocipedes In Boston and New York. They
sold this patent to Colonel Pope for tbo
sum of $300 and shoprlght "to make
children's bicycles , the diameter of the front
wheel not to exceed forty-two Inches , and
one Standard Columbia bicycle. " Shortly
afterward the flrm of Richardson , McKee &
Co , , dissolved , and the New York end ot
the business was taken up by a new corpora
tion under the style of McKce & Harrington.
They decided to manufacture the modern
bicycle , and to that end bought out the
plant of a poor , but skilled mechanic , Robert
J , Hodgson , who was then building a
bicycle called tbo Union at Newton Upper
Falls , Mass.
Mvanwhllo Colonel Pope had been' collect
ing $10 royalty from every blcyclo Im
ported into this country , and from every
blcyclo made here. McKco & Harrington
refused to pay this royalty , and soon found
their entlro plant nnd product tied up with
a permanent Injunction restraining them
from using UICBO patents. They lost In the
been as celebrated as the pneumatic tire ta
today. In 1889 the first English bicycles
having pneumatic tires on wcro brought to ;
this country. The "balloon tires , " as they ) ,
wcro then termed , wcro pronounced hldcousij
The Dunlop company sold Its American
rights to A1. Featherstono & Co. , Chlcugo-
and American manufacturers turned thcl
thoughts to producing tires similar In effect. ' '
The result was an amount of costly litigation'
with the Dunlop people , but from It all
resulted the making of an Improved pneu ,
matlc tire.
In the fall of 1891 , at the Stanley show la
England , the Humber company exhibited a'
bloyclo made with straight tubes. In 1893
a blcyclo of this pattern was exhibited av
the Philadelphia Cycle show , and It created ?
quite a sensation. Many of the English ]
and American makers up to this tlmo ha *
conceived the most fantastic shapes In bl
cycle frames that ono could well Imaging
Today all the makers of the world have
settled down to the typo of the straight
tube , diamond frame shown In 1891. having ;
of course , the modifications and details , such
as building them lighter nnd with larger *
diameter of tubing , as well as in assorted
heights of frames.
In 1891 the long wheel base fad sot In andj
the makers were tumbling over each other.
In their efforts to produce long wheel bases. !
Since that tlmo a reaction has como nn-1'
wheel bases now run from forty-two and one-
half to forty-five Inches.
The elliptical sprocket In 1891 and 1893 ,
was a great topic of discussion among tha'
mechanics In the trade. H was finally
adopted by the 'Popo ' Manufacturing company ,
and it abandoned It after ono year's u. < e.
The. early chain adjustments wcro usually
made at the crank hanger bracket , an ex
pensive and clumsy method. At present all
the makcre use the rear fork chain adjust
ment. Seme of the early catalogues ileecrlb * '
their handle bars as being thirty-six Inches
In 'length. Now the average bar Is from
eighteen to twenty Inches In length. Son\e \ ;
of the early safeties had treads varying from
eight to ten Inches. Today the average tread
Is five Inches or perhaps a little less.
REDUCTION OF WEIGHT.
As regards weight , the flrst safeties built
In this country averaged about sixty poundif
By a gradual process of reduction tiny avori
ago today about twenty-two pounds. Every
maker In this country uses wood rims today.
In 1891 but ono or two'makers had thq
temerity to use them.
Ono of the great steps In promoting the
popularity ot the blcyclo was the Invention
by Owens of Washington of the lady's bl
cycle , In 1878. Heretofore tbo blcyclo had
been regarded by the female portion of the
community as essentially a selfish sport for
men and no Invention in this or any other
country has done eo mucn for cycling aa
the invention ot the drop-frame cycle for
women. * ,
Repeated efforts have been made to obtain
something to supersede the chain as tha
medium for transferring the power. A num
ber of attempts have been made In this
country to Introduce wheels having hoveled
gears to transmit the power. The objecllpas
to them were their weight , tholr width of
tread and their liability to get out of order.
The chain , when the- frame springs out of
line , readily adapts Itself to the new donill-
tlons , but a wheel with tlio hoveled tooth-
gear must needs bo In lino. However , th
makers of chalnlcsa safeties would probably ,
have buccccded had It not been for the re
ductlon In the weight demanded for tba
blcyclo of today. It was found to bo lm <
practicable to build a light frame and nafcJ ) |
carry the rigid and heavy gear. ;
THE FREAK HH WILL BB THERE.
