Vol 6, No 33
Articles in this issue
- Leader arguing against putting the machine away in cotton wool for six months while the racing man goes out of training and others take to football or Lacrosse. It does not advocate Saturday runs through the winter, but urges riding in the daylight of the early afternoon or on an occasional holiday, when "the venerable 'Stassen', or Irish roadster so long deserted" may be called into requisition, and asks for accounts of such rides for the Gazette.
- Minutes of the meeting of Monday 12th November at the "City Arms": Hermann Rudolf Schmettau of West Dulwich elected; H. W. Bridges allowed to withdraw the resignation accepted last month and restored to the books; G. W. Pearse's resignation accepted; and the Editor authorised to insert four extra pages in the present Gazette if he found it necessary.
- E. S. Price repeats his request for lists of prizes won, distances over 100 miles, and short notes of tours ridden this season, for insertion in the Annual Report.
- Members who used the tickets sent out with the last issue are asked to settle at once with A. Lloyd of The Winns, Walthamstow; unused tickets may be destroyed.
- R. G. Francis gives the full arrangements for the dance at the Public Hall, Croydon, on Wednesday 12th December, the complete list of twenty-two stewards, the recommendation of the "Greyhound Hotel" for members staying the night, and train times from London Bridge and Victoria to West Croydon, plus the final stewards' meeting at the "King's Arms", Katharine Street, where anyone willing to help in the musical line should bring his songs.
- Hon. Sec. H. S. Naylor announces the performance on 22nd January at St. George's Hall, Langham Place: H. J. Byron's comedy "Weak Woman", preceded by the farce "To Paris and Back for £5". Prices run from £2 2s. stage boxes to 2s. 6d. balcony, the free list is entirely suspended, subscribers of 5s. get a free stall, and evening dress is requested.
- Full report of the dinner at St. James's Hall on Wednesday 21st November, where nearly eighty members and guests sat down. The Rev. W. d'A. Crofton likened the Club to Niagara and himself to a man ladling it with a sieve; Captain Ashley W. Barrett's long reply reviewed the year, 25 elections against 18 resignations, the deaths of Charles Taylor and Ernest Carr, the S.E.'s record average of 15.7 per run under R. G. Francis, the three General Meets at Halliford, Dunstable and Harrow, ten Bath Road Trial medals with H. R. Reynolds's 7hrs 28min for the 100 miles, and victory over both Oxford and Cambridge in all three events. Further toasts came from Theo. Godlee ("Other Clubs", answered by R. P. Hampton Roberts), C. H. F. Christie (the officers, answered by R. B. Hough), S. P. Smith (the racing members, answered by O. Thorn), M. D. Rucker (the visitors, answered by Mr. Edward Turner) and H. G. A. Brown (the Gazette, answered by editor T. E. Scrutton).
- Seating diagram of the Annual Dinner, naming every member and guest at the top table and the six side rows, Hampton Roberts and G. L. Collier at the head, then Godlee, Christie, Wyndham, O. Thorn, Beck, Francis, Pigott, Newman, Lloyd, Meyer and the rest, with several places filled by members' unnamed friends.
- "Zulu" describes the Rucker "Tandem", illustrated below the article: a straight 16 lb. backbone doing away with small wheels entirely, raked forwards instead of backwards, which can be fitted to any two "Ruckers" so either rider can revert to a single machine. He claims Westerham hill, hitherto unrideable, has succumbed to it, and that if it comes into general use the Bath record will be beaten.
- Report of the winter campaign's opening on Wednesday 7th November in the Queen's Room of the "London Tavern", Fenchurch Street, through thick pipe smoke. Oliver Thorn opened with "Out on the deep"; G. L. Hillier, C. E. Sharman, C. Y. Lyne, G. E. Schmettau, H. W. Bridges and Campbell Rae Brown followed; E. T. Sachs gave a conjuring performance justifying the Captain's epithet "world-renowned"; and C. P. Little's "He did, but he didn't know why" and his accompanying throughout drew particular thanks.
- "Octopus" backs "Imprimatur" against the Club's "monkish seclusion", quoting Barnum on spending £99 of £100 on advertisement, and urges cultivating the press for friendly reports of the Dinner and Smoking Concerts while disclaiming anything like a touting advertisement. "W. X. W." replies that increase is not the one thing to aim at: the L.B.C. is large enough for working purposes, and a position like the L.A.C.'s would damage the social element essential to a bicycle club.
- "Porcupine" judges the Smoking Concert a success with 150 present, though a bad room for singing and the men would not take up the choruses. He parodies the toast of the L.B.C. as a "common form" in which Mr. A. is on his legs twelve minutes, "of which two were speech and ten applause", notes twenty-seven North-Easters at the dinner and the noisy S.E. corner where the Editor fell as a North-East lamb among South-East wolves, regrets that some committee men contemplate resigning over Monday night's vote, and records G. P. Coleman's election to the N.C.U. executive.
- Report of the meeting at the "City Arms" on 26th November, called at the requisition of H. R. Reynolds and others, with 44 members present, on moving the 1884 Annual Race Meeting from Stamford Bridge to the Crystal Palace. H. G. A. Brown urged the better track and a promised grand stand; the Captain replied with costs (3s. against 12s. 6d. to take two cousins and their brother) and a £10 loss on the Palace meeting; Oliver Thorn opposed on the ground that Stamford Bridge was the most convenient place for seeing the ladies. Carried 26 to 13.
- Second instalment: Sunday at Versailles, then Choisy and three miles of pavé to Villeneuve-St.-Georges, Mélun and Montereau, overtaking en route a telegraph messenger on a home-made machine with a 36 or 40-inch front wheel and a box for his dépêches, guiltless of rubber and as noisy as a fire engine. Williams's front wheel locked again outside Montereau, the bearing plate proving cracked, so a new one was telegraphed to Dijon from Pont-sur-Yonne, and the party took the hilly Cerisiers route to St. Florentin.
- Captain Ashley W. Barrett publishes the Sub-Committee's arrangements: hares away from the "King's Arms", Katharine Street, Croydon, at one p.m. over a circular course returning about four, with washing at 3d., warm baths at 1s. and dinner at 3s. Oliver Thorn (W.) and A. Barker (S.E.) are the hares, J. C. Oswald and A. W. Barrett the pacemakers empowered to disqualify anyone who will not work with the pack or who covers ground otherwise than on foot; the chase is postponed if continuous frost brings skating.
- On the Friday evenings of 30th November and 7th, 14th and 21st December, N.E. men and a few from other districts will meet at Forest Gate Station at 7.30 and Snaresbrook at 8.45 for an hour's run over good gravel paths; changing and washing accommodation provided.
- New addresses for Morley (Blackheath), G. Nevill (Canonbury), H. S. Jackson (Bethnal Green), N. B. Morris (Bishopsgate Street Within) and F. Kinder (Lincoln's Inn Fields).
- Contributions must go to the Editor at 35, Eastcheap, E.C., bear the author's name, be written on one side of the paper only, and reach him by Tuesday evening for immediate insertion.