The Springfield Wheelmen's Gazette, Vol 2, No 3
Articles in this issue
- Detailed preview of the Springfield Bicycle Club's four-day meet at Hampden Park, September 16–19, 1884, describing the race programme, evening entertainments, fireworks, $8,000 in prizes, and the new half-mile track.
- Editorial comparing cycling with fox-hunting, horse racing, yacht racing, and other sports, defending the wheel against charges of danger and ridicule from rival sportsmen.
- Reports J. H. Adams's record ride of 925 miles on a 46-inch Facile from Land's End to John O'Groat's in six days 23¾ hours, surpassing James Lennox's previous ten-day record.
- Editorial responding to a Boston Baptist ministers' debate on amusements, arguing that gambling abuses at bicycle races should be cured at their root rather than used to condemn cycling itself.
- Analysis of why the Quaker City Bicycle Club's Philadelphia tournament and London's Muswell Hill camp both failed financially, contrasting them with Springfield's success through heavy, judicious advertising.
- Dr. George F. Fiske of Amherst, Mass., covered 205 English miles in under twenty-four hours on a 48-inch Expert bicycle during a 1,000-mile European tour, surpassing the 24-hour record of every country except England.
- Humorous anecdote reprinted from the London Cycling Times about a Coventry tricyclist who mistakes the county gaol for a public house and is served ale by the governor.
- Letter signed 'Fair Play' describing a new speed gear for racing bicycles, followed by the editors' rebuttal arguing that gearing up requires more power than it saves and poses no real threat to crank-wheel racers.
- Fictional adventure story in which Springfield cyclist Will Maillew races downhill on his bicycle to warn a village of a bursting reservoir dam, only for the drama to dissolve as a waking dream.
- Survey contributed by a Melbourne subscriber for Karl Kron's forthcoming book, tracing the history of cycling journalism in Australia from The Bicycle (1882) through The Australian Bicycling News to The Australian Cycling News and The Australian Cyclists' Annual.
- Two letters: the Elkhart, Indiana, club secretary reports growing wheeling interest and recounts how the club captain and secretary humbled a boastful rider on a run to South Bend; an English correspondent ('Waverley') describes the failed Grand International Cyclists' Camp at Alexander Park and a record sociable tricycle race won by Wilson and Pallin.
- Veteran wheelman W. V. Gilman of Nashua, N.H., recounts a Sunday ride along the Merrimac River to Tyngsborough, commenting on poor road conditions caused by municipal road machines, his ambivalence about the L.A.W., and an encounter with two 'comely belles.'
- The London Cyclist's complimentary notice of Volume II No. 1 of the Gazette is quoted in full, praising its bright contents and portrait of champion George M. Hendee; the editors respond with their ambition to make the paper readable in England and Australia as well as America.
- Description of the prize cups to be awarded at the September 1884 meet, including a 27-inch silver and gold cup made by the Meriden Britannia Co., a Victor tricycle from the Overman Wheel Co., and three Stevens rifles donated by J. Stevens & Co. of Chicopee Falls for the 'Stevens Race.'
- Wide-ranging column of cycling paragraphs covering race results, rider injuries, club news, and trade items, including George M. Hendee's 25-mile win at Philadelphia, T. W. Eck named Canada's champion, Karl Kron's eastern tour, and the formation of the Iowa state division.
- Humorous sketch 'from a Washington standpoint by one of the Ducks' recounting Springfield wheelmen's comic misadventures at the L.A.W. Washington meet, followed by the result of the D. J. Canary vs. Warren Wood fancy-riding championship at Chicago and a note on the new Columbia power gear for tricycles.
- Club notes covering the Detroit Bicycle Club's planned week-long tour through western Canada (July 13–19), the Brockton City Club's silent drill, the Rutland Bicycle Club's rink dedication, and club elections for thirteen named clubs across the U.S.
- International cycling news digest including English manufacturing statistics, the Rudge bicycle's race dominance, F. Stevens's transcontinental ride, Prince's 10-mile race against the trotter 'Scotland,' Adams's Facile long-distance records, and a tricycle run from Paris to Geneva.
- Full results of the Quaker City Bicycle Club's first annual tournament at Jumbo Park, Philadelphia, June 17–19, including George M. Hendee's victory in the 25-mile bicycle race, and a report on the 25-mile championship belt race at Leicester won by Howell.
- Karl Kron forwards long-distance cycling statistics from two Australasian correspondents: J. Foxley Norris on New Zealand clubs and notable rides, and 'Autolycus' compiling Australian 100-mile day records from 1882–1884 for Victoria, Tasmania, and New South Wales.