Vol 6, No 1
Articles in this issue
- The leader welcomes the Committee's decision, announced in the Hon. Sec.'s circular, to make no official nominations of Officers or Committeemen at the next General Meeting, since nominations by a Committee are always open to the suspicion of a clique. It urges supporters of the new system to be active, as the old plan will return in 1884 if the trial fails, and argues that the rule barring ordinary members from Committee meetings should be relaxed.
- At the meeting of 4th December 1882 Auguste Malempré of 19, Lower Phillimore Place, Kensington was elected, Racing Caps were awarded to W. K. Adam, M. H. Jephson, C. A. E. Pollock, H. R. Reynolds and J. S. Whatton, and it was resolved that no officer be nominated officially for the 1883 Committee. The 18th December meeting accepted the resignations of G. T. Langridge and M. B. O'Reilly, fixed the Annual General Meeting for 1st February, agreed to patronise the Stanley Bicycle Club's Annual Show, and Hon. Sec. E. S. Price prints every Committeeman's attendance score for the year's fourteen meetings.
- Hon. Sec. E. S. Price asks members to send in at once accounts of tours and notes of any rides of 100 miles or more in a day, and racing members to forward lists of the prizes they have won during the year.
- Hon. Sec. E. S. Price asks that any alterations of addresses, districts and the like for the Blue Book be sent in to him as soon as possible.
- The Annual General Meeting is fixed for the "London" (late "King's Head") Tavern, Fenchurch Street, on Thursday 1st February 1883 at 6.30 p.m., with notices of motion due by the 18th instant. Motions already received include W. A. Smith's gold medals for members completing the Bath to Hounslow 100 miles on tricycles within twelve hours, H. R. Reynolds's proposal to hold the 1883 Race Meeting at the Crystal Palace, and T. E. Scrutton's half-crown entrance fee for the Bath Trial, followed by the nominations so far made.
- A circular from Hon. Sec. Alfred Barker announces a performance of "One Hundred Thousand Pounds," preceded by a farce, at St. George's Hall, Langham Place on Saturday 17th February 1883, with a 5s. subscription entitling the subscriber to a stall. Acting Manager R. M. Gruggen of Lynton Villa, Grosvenor Road, Richmond will supply reserved stalls at 5s. or five for a guinea, balcony 2s. 6d., and evening dress is requested though not compulsory.
- The club's annual long-distance road competition of 1st November was cut from fifty to about forty-two miles by wind and mud on the St. Ives–Eltisley–Potton–Biggleswade–Barton course; J. S. Whatton of Trinity took the lead past Biggleswade and beat E. H. Brown by three minutes in 3hr. 30min. to hold the 20-guinea challenge cup. Full results follow for the Michaelmas Term path races, E. J. Olive's One Mile Handicap win off 200 yards, A. W. Rumney's Four Miles Freshmen's, C. L. Schwind's Five Miles and J. S. Whatton's Ten Miles.
- A tall tale signed "Districtus": the narrator's beloved may attend the West District Ball only if the spirits manifest their approval to her spiritualist mother, so, riding towards Hammersmith, he reasons that india-rubber tyres must bounce like a boy's ball. He bounds his machine over two broken-down omnibuses and the lady's hansom, dropping the two tickets into their hands in mid-flight, and the old lady takes the manifestation at face value.
- A single want: a convertible "Rudge" Sociable in good order, applications to A. L. Potter, Carisbrooke, Beddington, Surrey.
- F. M. Williams is now at 5, Church Road, West Drayton, Middlesex, and H. C. Clifton at 3, Alpha Road, Regent's Park.
- A steward's account of the third South-East District Annual Dance at Croydon Town Hall on Wednesday 6th December, opened with an extra waltz shortly after eight by the District Captain and danced until past two. The writer notes the elder Thorn steering his partner as skilfully as he once rode Lillie Bridge, praises Mrs. Pusey's supper and its sirloin of beef, and records an attendance about twenty-six down on last year but with remarkably few wallflowers.
- "W. T. H." and Elgood ride out on the last day of October through Barnet, Potter's Bar, Cheshunt and Hoddesdon to Stanstead Abbots, a route he recommends to W. and N.W. men wanting to get across into Essex, splashing through the flooded Stort at Roydon and lunching at the "George" at Harlow before a dark nine miles into Braintree. The second day takes them by Halstead, Sudbury and Long Melford to Bury St. Edmunds and its Abbey Gate and Norman tower, until a gale on Newmarket race-course blows both riders across the road and they take train to the "Crown" at Royston.
- "Galley Bell" contrasts the new sixpenny railway ticket marked "Bicycle" with the golden age when a machine travelled as personal luggage in its own locked compartment, watched over by the guard at every stop. He notices Harrison of Kensington Works, Birmingham's new "King of the Stop-bells," and proposes to train on plum pudding and mince pies to cut the record for the shortest distance in twenty-four hours without a dismount, before announcing himself cured of cyclomania.
- "Rambler" notes that E. T. S. and T. E. S. are not the same man, relays "Zulu's" report that the Dramatic Society is strong in cast this season and that five stalls for a guinea is a special facility for married men, and praises the S.E. Ball's floor, supper and flower decorations and H. G. A. Brown's indefatigable stewarding. He also reports Arthur Herbert wintering at Mentone by his doctor's order and imagines election handbills for the coming General Meeting.
- Arthur Herbert writes from the Hotel Camous, Mentone, resigning as a South-East representative on the Committee because illness has kept him from meetings and he will not return to England for some months. A. C. Smith, Hon. Sec. of the Clapton Lacrosse Club, encloses the club's 1883 fixture card and invites L.B.C. men, the club already numbers E. H. Barrett, T. Child, T. Godlee, F. Jolly, A. Murray and the Newmans, to its practice games at Walthamstow.
- A cutting from the Daily Chronicle of 29th December 1882 describing riders fitted with two octaves of alarm bells who set off from the Mansion House ringing "The Bells" up Cheapside, played "Blue Bells of Scotland," "Auld Lang Syne" and "Home, Sweet Home" down Cannon Street, and finished with "Rule Britannia" and "God Save the Queen" on a second spin through the City.
- A correction to the last issue: on page 235, in the fourth line of the President's speech proposing "The Queen," the word "unlikely" should read "likely."
- An apology to the Hon. Ion Keith-Falconer for the stupid mistake in the last issue, the Editor pleading pressure of other business at the time.
- Standing notice that contributions must be addressed to the Editor, L.B.C. Gazette, 35, Eastcheap, E.C., bear the author's name, be written on one side of the paper only, and be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday the 6th February.