The Bicycling World, Vol 64, No 24
Articles in this issue
- A. J. Musselman will bring semi-friendly suits against makers, jobbers, dealers and riders using knock-out front axle hubs under the Blodgett patent No. 710,241; the Eclipse Machine Company of Elmira has already accepted a royalty licence, while Corbin, New Departure and Aurora Automatic Machinery have not.
- M. M. A. president A. B. Coffman of Toledo reports one maker already contracted for 60 per cent. of its output, backs independent motorcycle shows over automobile-show corners, and outlines a petition to the Interstate Commerce Commission for lower freight rates east of the Mississippi plus the proposed 2,000-mile National Tour.
- Harley-Davidson's Milwaukee plant is running some departments 24 hours a day with 625 employees and an $8,700 weekly payroll, shipping over 50 machines a day, and has begun excavating a six-storey $100,000 addition on Chestnut street.
- T. R. Burton moves from the Pittsburgh branch to assist eastern district manager O. S. Tweedy; C. C. Gehring succeeds him at Pittsburgh, J. C. Weston moves from San Francisco to Chicago and C. A. Gilbert from New York to San Francisco.
- The Auburn, N. Y., firm is enlarging its basement repair shop with power lathes, grinders and a free-use air compressor, and has taken the Flanders agency for Cayuga county alongside its Reading Standard line.
- Manager W. J. Walker marked the opening of Harley-Davidson's New England headquarters at Danvers, Mass., with an entertainment and dinner at the Danvers Club for city officials and business men, with general sales agent E. T. Mueller present.
- The Buffalo Cycle Trade Association held its spring meeting at F. F. Rick & Co., 635 Main street, discussing the “coming back” of the bicycle; the 42 members afterwards lunched at the Cafe Metropole as Rick's guests.
- The Aurora Automatic Machinery Company's Aurora, Ill., works, employing 1,800 and running a night shift, holds orders for 2,500 of the new “5” single and “7” twin and 2,000 “4” singles; Axel Levedahl and William Ottoway are the designers.
- Chicago west-side Thor agent Ira H. Whipple placed $1,500 of deposits in one Saturday with branch manager F. D. Freeman, who reported 21 sales for the day in Cook County and runs a “live” window display driving a white Thor's wheels by electric motors.
- Raymond Snyder, the 15-year-old son of the American Machine Company's proprietor at Columbus, Ohio, built a motor sled from the engine, tank and rear wheel of his four-horsepower Emblem and has run it at 40 to 45 miles an hour.
- The Norma Company of America has sued the J. S. Bretz Company in the United States Court for the Southern District of New York over ball-bearing patents Nos. 744,427 and 796,648 and the “Norma” trademark, alleging Fichtel & Sachs and Merkur bearings are substantial copies.
- A. H. Patterson of 1080 Bedford avenue took one of the two largest spaces at the Brooklyn automobile show with the only motorcycle exhibit, showing every 1912 Indian, Pierce and New Era model plus accessories.
- The Hendee Mfg. Co. testing department held its first dinner at the Highland Hotel, Springfield, Mass., with Charles H. Arens as toastmaster and Joseph Baribeau of Toronto, holder of the 100-mile dirt-track record at 1:40:14, speaking on Canadian motorcycling.
- Continental Rubber Works sales manager W. J. Surre reports Continental-Erie motorcycle tires selling well and bicycle tire output above average, and as chairman of arrangements previews the Cycle Parts and Accessories Association convention at Detroit, August 6 to 9.
- Judge Hazel reserved decision at Buffalo after hearing a plea in abatement arguing the grand jury that returned the coaster brake indictments lacked jurisdiction; his absence in March makes a trial that term unlikely.
- Leader noting that more was subscribed to the American Olympic bicycle team fund in one week than in the previous four months, that a world-famous tire maker gave $100, and that riders are still “wofully lacking” from the subscription list.
- Leader urging a joint bicycle and motorcycle race programme at Detroit during the Cycle Parts and Accessories Association convention of August 6-9, timed between the F. A. M. assembly and the Newark world's championships.
- Fixture calendar for March to September 1912, from the Denver show and the Buffalo armory flat-floor races to the Stockholm Olympic 200-mile road race round Lake Malar and the world's championships at the Newark Velodrome, August 25-28 and September 1.
- Tacoma's new motor vehicle ordinance bars riding faster than 20 miles an hour, with fines up to $100 or 30 days in the city jail, and the chief of police has told his motorcycle men to keep a close watch.
- The good roads department of the Denver Chamber of Commerce has issued a folding map of Colorado's state highways with tourist information and scenic photographs, obtainable for 10 cents from commissioner Dr. F. L. Bartlett.
- The Aurora Automatic Machinery Company presented H. “Troxel” Roberts with a white seven-horsepower Thor twin in recognition of his work as sales manager; Roberts is now sales manager of the Troxel Mfg. Co. of Elyria, Ohio.
- F. E. Bremer of Milwaukee has sold his Merkel and Yale agency to the new Milwaukee Cycle Supply and Sales Company and joined the Yale factory staff as a traveler in southern territory.
- Reprinted Joliet (Ill.) News note on five club members riding to Elgin through snowdrifts, one of whom detoured through cornfields and broke a pedal, bent an exhaust pipe and lost seven spokes.
- The five Baltimore exhibitors reported over 50 machines sold and are already talking of a separate show in 1913; Howard A. French showed the Milford sidecar and an Iver Johnson, and the Chase Motor Company sold three Harley-Davidsons to the Park Board.
- After the Columbus Automobile Club withdrew its offer of floor space, the Columbus Motorcycle Club's committee arranged its own show for March 2 to 9 at 37 and 39 East Chestnut street, with six local dealers already booked.
- The Oberwegner Motor Company of Toledo, Excelsior distributor for 20 counties, has adapted the automobile trade's “ribbon system” of parts indication, running ribbons from parts to cardboard letters spelling “Excelsior.”
- Late arrivals of the Emblem, Haverford and Russell-Hulett brought the Toronto motor show's motorcycle exhibits to 14; Hyslop Bros., Ltd., took on the Emblem, and Emblem president W. G. Schack attended with racing man L. S. Taylor.
- London letter reporting a War Office scheme to attach some 2,000 motorcyclists to military units, the classification of monocars and duocars for competition, the A. C. U. spring trial and heavy Tourist Trophy entries, and public condemnation of racing riders' “hooliganism.”
- If Fire Chief Ten Eyck's recommendation goes through, Hamilton, Ont., will be the first place in Canada to adopt the motorcycle as fire brigade equipment; the machines are being tested before acceptance.
- Three new F. A. M. clubs joined at Enid, Okla., Boise, Idaho, and Butte, Mont.; Rockford, Ill., reaffiliated, the old Queen City club of Cincinnati reorganised with 50 signatures, and registered shop certificates reached 561.
- Membership committee chairman Estabrook sets out the commissioner's duties in full — assisting the State Commissioner with membership, promoting the sport locally, organising clubs and appointing ward assistants — with competition matters excluded.
- The Portland Motorcycle Club, doubled in membership in four weeks, moves on March 1 into the basement of Merkel agents Dean & Abbott at Fourth and Salmon streets, halves dues to 50 cents and discusses building a motordrome.
- M. M. Huyett of Salina, Kan., secretary of the F. A. M. Central District, writes that after 21 years on the “cushions” he now rides some 1,500 miles a month on his territory and talks F. A. M. and local clubs to every rider he meets.
- Springfield Motorcycle Club men rode the Boston road to Brookfield on February 17; Indian tester Charlie Spooner jumped his machine two to three feet in the air off an ice ridge at about 30 miles an hour, landing safely each time.
- The Motorcycle Club of Dubuque, Iowa, laid out an extensive 1912 race schedule at its annual meeting on February 22, opening at Nutwood Park on Memorial Day and corresponding with leading eastern professionals.
- The Colorado Springs Motorcycle Club elected Orin C. Lewis president, adopted semi-annual dues with a free half-year for members recruiting five others, and moved from a motorcycle shop to fitted quarters at 1053 North Wahsatch avenue.
- The Philadelphia Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Club's benefit netted enough to furnish its club house at 1308 Cumberland street, which is being modernised with an asphalted cellar runway, rooms for touring visitors and hot and cold baths; captain Alex Klein is the local H-D agent.
- More than 100 couples attended the Toronto Motorcycle Club's second annual ladies' night on February 21, a year after the first “skirt” event failed, with side-car jaunts and an annual club dance proposed.
- The Metropolitan Motorcycle Club of 256 West 56th street, New York, elected George P. Jenkins president, E. L. Parris vice-president and A. P. Lane captain, adopting the watchwords of closed mufflers, no smoke and no high speed through towns.
- Organised on January 17 with 11 charter members and now 18 strong, the York (Pa.) Motorcycle Club held its first meeting in newly furnished rooms at 16 Beaver street on February 21.
- Before 6,000 at the Los Angeles Stadium Jake De Rosier won a two-mile match from Joe Wolters and took the six miles in a world record 4:08 3/5 on an Excelsior; Wolters cut the three miles to 1:59 3/5 and Charles Balke the four to 2:40 3/5, and the piston displacements of the Excelsior and the Indians were micrometered at the White Garage.
- Cartoon panel of a motorcyclist being outrun by a horse, captioned with the advice that if your single-cylinder 1906 model is poor at hill climbing you should consult the local livery stable, which can easily add one horse-power.
- At the Traymore Motorcycle Club's first annual banquet in Philadelphia, the president and secretary of the Quaker City club and of the Harley-Davidson club were the invited guests.
- Frank A. Houff, recently elected secretary, was chosen president of the Terre Haute Motorcycle Club after E. H. Baldwin resigned on leaving the city; Jefferson Forbeck became secretary.
- Over 100 couples took part in the Will County Motorcycle Club's dance at Joliet, Ill., on February 20, the members wearing new gray jerseys lettered “W. C. M. C.” in navy blue across the breast.
- The week brought $340 to the American Olympic bicycle team fund — $100 from the United States Tire Co. and $25 each from Pope, Fisk, Continental, Davis Sewing Machine and Consolidated — lifting the grand total to $778.24; James E. Sullivan announced the team sails from New York on June 14 for Stockholm.
- The twenty-fifth Union Cycliste Internationale congress at Paris on February 10, with ten nations represented, re-affiliated the German Verband Deutscher Radrennbahnen and Deutscher Radfahrer Bund and approved John M. Chapman's plans for the Newark world's championships; Chapman returned reporting eight countries will send riders.
- Edw. H. Goodwin of the Irish American A. C. won the two-mile handicap from scratch at the 22d Regiment Armory on February 29 in 5:03 2/5, from Harold Lightfine and H. J. Murphy, out of 18 metropolitan flat-floor entries.
- At the Palais des Sports in Paris on February 18 Lapize beat Emile Georget by two laps over 50 kilometres in 1:00:27 2/5, with Jimmie Moran third and Joe Fogler fourth in the tandem-paced match the Americans had challenged for.
- Ninety-six sat down at the Broadway Central Hotel on February 24 for the Century Road Club Association's twelfth annual “Charter Day” dinner; Duane W. Moore of Bayonne took three first medals and retiring president D. M. Adee received an engraved silver plaque.
- Entry blanks are out for the New England Wheelmen's 15-mile handicap of April 21, starting and finishing at Floral Park, L. I., over the Jericho Turnpike, with a New England racer bicycle as first place prize and a gold Waltham watch for time.
- The Atlas Bicycle Club turned out almost in full at Brooklyn on February 25 for its first club race of the season, Henry Murphy taking the “cork” in an inches finish from A. D. Dawson and Paul Smith.
- Alfred Goullet won the sprint to take the Melbourne six-day race that finished on February 24 with Paddy O'Sullivan Hehir, from Iver Lawson and Worth Mitten, with the Jackie Clark-Gordon Walker team third; it is the pair's second Australian six-day win after Sydney in January.
- Captain Segal announces four bicycle walks on consecutive Sundays from March 3 to 24, and the Eastern Division's fifteenth annual spring century on April 28 from Columbus Circle, its fast “Olympic Division” paced by record holder Joseph G. Kopsky.
- Hal Kaiser clinched the Iver Johnson Wheelmen's 1911 club championship on points from only six of the fifteen races, two ahead of Charles Erwin; a third-place tie was settled by giving medals to both William Muller and Fred Woisin.
- Baltimore's Lafayette Wheelmen are training for the world's amateur championships at the Newark board track, which would be the city's first representation in years; their first road race comes in May.
- A committee of three has all but completed plans to reconstruct the Tiger Wheelmen of New York, founded by Harry Gliesman, partly so the club can prepare candidates for the Olympic try-outs.
- The Crescent Bicycle Club rode to Towson and held its second series of class races on Charles avenue, Baltimore; Will Leimbach won the three-mile Class D after colliding with his brother Gus in the sprint, and C. H. Thomas and J. F. Huber took the Class E miles.
- The Corbin Screw Corporation of New Britain, Conn., describes its two-speed coaster brake for foot-power bicycles, all gearing enclosed in the hub and changed by a backward touch followed by forward pressure, aimed at elderly riders facing hills and head winds.
- Vice-Consul General Carl C. Hansen at Bangkok reports Siamese bicycle imports rising from 468 machines in 1909 to 874 in 1911, dominated by the United Kingdom with 680; American machines are praised for strength but called heavy and lacking finish.