Vol 6, No 2
Articles in this issue
- Held at the "London Tavern" on 31st January with T. E. Scrutton in the chair and thinly attended. The Hon. Ion Keith-Falconer was re-elected President, Ashley Barrett Captain, E. S. Price Hon. Sec., R. B. Hough Treasurer, T. E. Scrutton Editor and Arthur Lloyd Sub-Editor; W. A. Smith's motion for gold medals for members riding the Bath Trial's 100 miles to Hounslow on tricycles within twelve hours was, on Scrutton's amendment, referred with the whole question of tricyclists' position in the Club to a Special General Meeting, and a vote of thanks closed the meeting for the retiring Captain.
- The performance is put off from Saturday 17th to Tuesday 20th February, the reason being E. Meyerstein's letter from the German Athenæum, 98, Mortimer Street, which had hired St. George's Hall for the 20th in aid of their afflicted countrymen in the Rhinelands and needed the 17th because that was the only evening the Prince of Wales could attend. The casts of "Withered Leaves" and "One Hundred Thousand Pounds" follow, with A. E. Buckler, R. G. Francis, R. M. Gruggen and Ashley Barrett among the players.
- Executive meetings at 17, Ironmonger Lane up to January 1883: thanks were recorded to the Provost of Dumfries for carrying the Union's "general clause" into the Scottish bye-laws Bill, the Corporation of Liverpool's proposed further powers over bicycles and tricycles are under consideration, and J. Allan of Uppingham and F. Wright of Oakham were declared professionals for riding for a money prize at Oakham. G. P. Coleman's return shows 79 handicaps framed in the year, and the Executive declined to prosecute a 'bus driver who ran into a tricycle as an ordinary assault.
- E. S. Price of "Homelea," Greenhill, Hampstead wants a room in the City for Committee meetings, about fifteen evenings in the year, rental offered £5 per annum.
- Byron's comedy "One Hundred Thousand Pounds" will be preceded at 7.30 p.m. by the comedietta "Withered Leaves." Seats are filling fast and application should be made to R. M. Gruggen, Lynton Villa, Richmond, S.W., with a further reminder of the unavoidable change of date to Tuesday 20th February.
- "A.H.K." rides out from Kingston on 5th August with J. W. Alison and C. Taylor, finds the "Anchor" at Ripley full of beanfeasters, takes tea at Guildford and the Hog's Back to the "Swan" at Alton. Next day the road from Alton through West Meon to Wickham is better than most racing paths, a leaky boat and a swim at Fareham cost threepence for an hour and a half, and Netley Abbey and St. Cross precede a night at the "White Swan," Winchester with its lecturing landlady; the homeward run past two batteries of artillery, a half-mile pig hunt near Hartley Row and the sand-track over the Ridges to Worplesdon makes about 170 miles in all.
- A full table of the 79 handicaps framed during 1882 by G. P. Coleman of the L.B.C., Official Handicapper to the Bicycle Union, from Brighton on 10th April to the East Essex Bicycle Club on 19th October. Each line gives the club or place, number of entries, date, distance, winning time and the starts of the first three men, and includes the tricycle handicaps at Bournemouth, Freemantle, Essex and Devonshire Park.
- The summary table to the handicap analysis, distributing first, second and third men across the start bands from scratch through 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 200, 300 and 400 yards to over 400, and totalling 286 placings.
- Signed "Dodo," a comic essay on the veteran who talks a youth on to the wheel, expatiating over an evening's cleaning on the unmatched merits of his own maker, greeting the tyro's new machine with "Ah! yes; but…," and preaching an endless paraphernalia of home-made remedies against the two primary evils of bicycling, thirst and soreness, while reversing his views on painted versus plated machines. The writer ends by admitting the caricature is of himself and thanking the friend who first persuaded him to ride.
- A. H. Koch reports the joint meet at Hemel Hempstead, postponed by heavy rain from 28th October to 4th November, where ten sat down to tea. Next morning the party rode through Waterend, Nettleden and Gaddesden Green to Ringshall, down past Beacon Hill and Ivinghoe into Ashridge Park to climb the Bridgewater column on Tegetmeier's order, returning by Watford, Oxey and Kenton Lanes with a gale behind that blew out both his lamps at Willesden Junction.
- For sale, a 52-inch W. Keen's "Norwood," all bright except spokes and felloes, with roller bearings to the front wheel, cone to the back and spoon brake, price £9, to be seen after 7 p.m. at J. B. Young's, Woodlea, Fairfield Road, Croydon.
- "Rambler" reports that W. A. Smith and A. B. W. Whatton were elected to the B.U. sub-committee, with Hillier and Sturmey, to inquire whether the Union should regulate professional racing and run a professional championship, and warns members abusing an "ex-Editor" to be sure he has left the chair, since the 1882 Editor brought out this very number. He also notes H. H. Sherriff breaking his leg dancing at home after seven years' hard touring without an accident, though six weeks may see him fit for the Bath Trial.
- Two letters: Gerard F. Cobb's continued Swiss series, and one from W. Pye-English, Hon. Sec. of the Bicycle Union, announcing that the Executive will not this year call the usual meeting of racing men to recommend a handicapper, since the Council is now thoroughly representative in the south and G. P. Coleman offers himself for re-election, while carefully limiting the decision to 1883 so as to set no precedent.
- Gerard F. Cobb, writing from the Thunerhof at Thun, continues his series with the ascent of the Gemmi (7,550 feet) from Kandersteg and the little green lake above the Spitalmatt chalets whose discovery saved his life and his Zermatt guide's, the bathe diverted them from an avalanche snow bridge that collapsed minutes after they reached it. He then gives section 10, the Simmenthal, with heights and distances from Thun to Lenk and close road notes on the forks at Gwatt and Brodhusi, the two dismounts at Latterbach and Garstatt, and the refreshment houses at Weissenburg, Zweisimmen, Boltigen and Lenk.
- Covers for binding Vol. V are now ready at 4s., with title-page and index supplied gratis; cases for keeping the year's Gazettes clean cost 2s. and back numbers 1d. each, on application to the publishers.
- To "H. H. S.", the Editor much regrets to hear of his accident, the broken leg reported in this issue's Echoes.
- 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 not later than Tuesday the 27th February.