The Canadian Wheelman, Vol 1, No 2
Articles in this issue
- Profile of Perry Doolittle of Aylmer, born 1860, who built his own wooden and iron bicycles, now rides a 54-inch Special British Challenge semi-racer, has won twenty medals and a 10,000-mile road record, and escorted American wheelmen on their recent Canadian tour.
- Club notes from Clinton, Ontario, noting cyclist Mayor D. A. Forrester, the riding Holmes family, and a run to London by T. Jackson Jr. and W. H. Ransford, with hopes of forming a Huron County Association.
- A comic tale, signed "Swiz," of a Bush City Bicycle Club moonlight excursion toward Sarnia led by guide Doodleby, whose wrong turn at Delaware leaves the riders arriving back at their London starting point at daybreak.
- Report on wheelmen attending the Western Fair at London (Oct. 1-5), including the one-mile and three-mile races won by Fred Westbrook of Brantford over Burns and Kipp of London, and the Ariels' drill exhibition under Captain J. A. Muirhead.
- Letter signed "ALARM" reporting the near-collapse of the Oshawa Bicycle Club as members sell their wheels for matrimony, banking, business, and deer-hunting.
- A poem "contributed by our own Crank," each verse ending with the refrain "My Wheel," tracing a rider's purchase, learning, crash, and intention to sell the machine.
- Editorial praising the successful Springfield meet as proof wheelmen should manage their own events, urging Canadian bicyclists to shun fair races and to support the new Canadian Wheelman through club secretaries acting as canvassers.
- A collection of press notices welcoming the first number of the Canadian Wheelman, quoting the Ingersoll Chronicle, Hamilton Tribune, Simcoe Reformer, London Advertiser, Grip of Toronto, and others, and naming editor W. Kingsley Evans and business manager J. B. Dignam.
- Column noting the bicyclists' poor billing at the Toronto Industrial Fair and Western Fair races, Quirk of Brantford's $1,000 challenge, Ross's showing at Springfield, Chas. F. Cox's design of the paper's new monogram, and an upcoming C.W.A. board meeting at the Walker House, Toronto.
- A two-line humorous filler: "Empty is the Corner, Crank has gone to sleep."
- Club letter signed "GRIT" lamenting the decline of the Simcoe Bicycle Club and profiling its officers, including President Geo. W. Wells, Secretary-Treasurer H. B. Donly, and members the Tisdale brothers and S. Perry, and welcoming the new Wheelman.
- Report on the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association fall championship games (Oct. 6) and races at Montreal Driving Park (Oct. 8), where W. G. Ross won the one- and five-mile Canadian championships, recovering from a fall to win the thirteen-starter one-mile event.
- Montreal personal notes covering Tommy Lane's imported "Star" machine, Jack Low's bad luck and spoke-breaking falls, young D. D. Holden's racing debut, serenading antics at Springfield, and the Montreal Club's coming sixth anniversary.
- Detailed account, signed "Kanuck" by the Montreal correspondent, of the great Springfield meet, with Hendee, Robinson (England), Corey, Prince, Burnham, and Frazier (on an American Star) taking the major races and Montreal's Ross and J. H. Low making creditable showings.
- Letter signed "D. A. I." welcoming a Canadian bicycle journal, reporting the infant Guelph club's hopes of doubling its membership and its shortened evening runs as the season closes.
- Report on the bicycle races at the Toronto Industrial Exhibition (Sept. 17), delayed by horse racing into electric-light hours, with wins by G. H. Orr (Wanderers), J. Craib of Dundee, and a fancy-riding contest between O. Brunell and P. Doolittle.
- Personal column noting Solon Doolittle's ride to London, accidents to Jas. Lamb of the Ariels and Mr. Smith of Napanee, the illness of Forest City secretary Crawford McLean, and A. T. Lowe of Montreal struggling with an American Star machine.