The Wheel: Journal of Bicycling, Vol 12, No 5
Articles in this issue
- State-by-state results of the League of American Wheelmen annual elections for Chief Consul and District Representatives, covering Colorado, Connecticut, Dakota, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, California, New York (six districts totalling 945 votes), New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
- Detailed travel instructions and rail schedules for LAW members journeying to the St. Louis annual meet in May 1887, describing routes via the West Shore Line, Michigan Central, B. & O., Pennsylvania lines, and Missouri Pacific from New York, Boston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Minneapolis, and Omaha, with named regional contacts (Bidwell, Collamer, Dunn, Johnson, Irvin) to coordinate accommodations.
- Regular correspondence from Kentucky noting a proposed bill to legally recognise wheelmen's road rights, a call for clubs to incorporate, and humorous observations on rural newspaper correspondents who annually bemoan 'velocipede riders' on the pikes.
- Baltimore cycling notes covering a Sunday run to Halstead's attended by the Maryland Bicycle Club, Baltimore Cycle Club, and Ramblers—among them W.P. Hall, C.W. Abbott, H.D. Bayley, and H.L. Kingsland who delighted the crowd with fancy riding—plus a plan for Maryland Division L.A.W. runs with the Chief Consul as roadmaster and observations on why Baltimore ladies do not ride as Washington and Boston women do.
- Washington D.C. cycling notes by 'White House' covering an April 16 road race (prize medals, current record 1:35 for about 20 miles) with Robertson, Crist, Rittenhouse, and Barber among expected starters, plans for Bert Owens' May 7 birthday run including a polo match on Stars between Will Robertson and Rex Smith, and a summer tour planned by Robertson, Morris, and Rex Smith to New York via Hagerstown and Gettysburg.
- The Southern Department editor reports the Shenandoah Valley League tour party is fully made up with applications arriving daily, quotes the tour marshal as 'awfully busy,' notes the B. & O. offers a $24.67 Washington-to-St. Louis round-trip fare, and mentions parties being assembled in Philadelphia to ride to Coatesville and in Baltimore to ride from Hagerstown to Staunton.
- Brief correspondence from Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, reporting quiet cycling since the Easter Monday meet, a six-mile run to Carrollton led by Captain Seabrook, a pleasant afternoon ride into the hilly northwest country past the Blue Ridge, and plans for runs to Rusterstown (16 miles) and Baltimore (28 miles).
- Wide-ranging New Jersey column by Jonah covering the Orange Wanderers' good-roads pamphlet campaign for township committees, tandem record-holders Lou Johnson and Harry considering a road-race entry, the U.C.W. race committee (Burnet, Hetfield, and Kinch) selecting Pierson, Moore, Burnet, Collins, Hetfield, and Farrington, the Wanderers' June 4 century run under Captain Porter, the Ixions' proposed Decoration Day 50-mile race at Roseville track, and the Plainfield Bicycle Club's ball at the Park House.
- Correspondent 'Gas' reports the Citizens' Committee is organising an illuminated parade during the Grand Army encampment in late September, the Missouri Club has sole management of the L.A.W. meet, the steamer Hudson is engaged for the banquet excursion to Clarksville, the convention fund exceeds $2,000, and a preview of Karl Kron's C.T.C. article appearing elsewhere in this issue.
- Feature article with sketches on the Manhattan Athletic Club at 524 Fifth Avenue, tracing its 1876 founding, the athletic fame brought by runner L.E. Meyers, the new four-storey clubhouse opened November 20, 1886 (parlour gymnasium, billiard room, café, reading room), and a letter from Benj. G. Sanford announcing the Club waives its $50 initiation fee for all L.A.W. members of one year's standing.
- Orange, N.J. cycling news: the Atlantas Club offering a year-record medal prompting members to ride in competing directions each morning; W.D. McCoy selling his cycle business to L.H. Johnson who becomes the sole cycle dealer in the Oranges; C.W. Baldwin resigning as Wanderers Vice-President with H.B. Thomas elected in his place; J.M. Gilmore admitted to membership; and the season's first run postponed by rain.
- D.E. Rick reports the Harlem Wheelmen hosting a Grand Spring Smoker on Friday evening at their 124th Street clubhouse, a special meeting to consider acquiring the adjacent house (adding billiard room, three wheel rooms of 20 × 30, and four dressing rooms), entries by Halstead, Powers, and Parker in the five-mile amateur handicap at the Twelfth Regiment Armory on May 2, and gold medals offered for the Decoration Day inter-club road race team.
- Fare table issued by G.R. Bidwell listing round-trip and sleeping-car rates to the L.A.W. annual convention in St. Louis (May 20-21) for members from New York ($20.70), Boston ($35.00), Providence ($35.00), Albany ($28.85), Rochester ($27.50), Cleveland ($20.35), Dayton ($14.60), and Indianapolis ($10.00), on presentation of certificate signed by Hayes or Bidwell.
- Account of the sale of the 42-inch Standard Columbia used for over five years at Pope Mfg. Co.'s Warren Street riding school; hundreds of prominent New York and Brooklyn wheelmen were taught on it, including L.A.W. President Dr. N.M. Beckwith, actor Nat. Goodwin, Outing's Poultney Bigelow, Puck's E.N. Blue, trick riders Professor Speedwell and A.E. Roe, and Harlem Wheelmen captain Irving Halsted.
- News item from the N.Y. World: G.B. Mason and wife have ridden nearly 2,000 miles on tricycles from their plantation near New Orleans up the west side of the Mississippi to Iowa and on toward Chattanooga, averaging thirty miles a day; Mrs. Mason's severe inflammatory rheumatism was prescribed by her physician and she appears entirely cured.
- Albany correspondent 'Toiler' notes James Beadley receiving the Apollo Safety agency with several orders booked, spring riding inaugurated with a spin to Sloan's on the plank road, Mr. Scattergood riding the first Singer's S.S. tricycle seen locally, the Albany Bi. Club taking new quarters May 1, and petitions for the New York wheelmen's rights bill actively circulated by Scattergood with assemblymen's signatures secured.
- Karl Kron's lengthy polemical letter contrasts the CTC Secretary-Editor—judicially rebuked by Justice Wills on November 22, 1886 for printing a forged letter and announced in the London Times—with the L.A.W.'s handling of its Secretary-Editor's self-confessed $4,500 defalcation, arguing that Americans who subsidise the CTC while a self-confessed forger remains in control are morally endorsing the forgery, and recommending the League reduce trading and give more money to roads and touring.
- Karl Kron's bulletin dated April 25, 1887 announces the final index pages of his 800-page touring book 'Ten Thousand Miles on a Bicycle' are going to the printer; advance sheets can be examined at G.R. Bidwell's (315 W. 58th St.) and Pope Mfg. Co. (12 Warren St.); distribution will begin at 200 copies a day within three weeks, called 'the Doomsday Book of Cycling' by an English reviewer.
- Humorous poem by 'Clementine' of Toronto celebrating spring through a comic catalogue—bluebird tootling, bullfrog croaking, boarding-house landladies squirting hellebore—ending with the cycle rider cycling over soft roads, the tricyclist triking, and club men clubbing.
- Secretary W.R. Maxwell reports the April 8 and 15 founding meetings of the Eastern Road Club from delegates of the Boston, Somerville, Dorchester, Chelsea, Newton, Suffolk, Cambridge, and Brookline clubs; G.L. Haynes elected President, L.A. Frost Vice-President, Maxwell Secretary-Treasurer; initiation fee $5, annual dues $10, limit of 25 member clubs, each entering a three-man team for road races over a twenty-five mile course yet to be laid out.
- St. Louis Press Committee previews the 1887 L.A.W. Meet: the steamboat Charles P. Chouteau secured for a Friday night excursion down the Mississippi to Montesano Springs, the Saturday parade from 20th Street through business districts along asphalt to Lindell Boulevard and Forest Park (no street sprinkling that day by arrangement), and a banquet at the Lindell Hotel with the Mayor and leading professional men.
- Correspondent L.B.G. reports the Winona Wheelmen's $400 track sold in a real estate boom (considering legal action under their April 1888 lease), growing cycling activity in Minneapolis with the Tribune praising the tricycle for ladies, and race results from Washington Rink at Armaindo's benefit—Grant Bell winning the two-mile professional in 6m. 54s., J.W. Hays the one-mile amateur in 3m. 21s., E.A. Savage the two-mile amateur in 6m. 35s.
- Brief note that New York's Rights and Privileges Bill has been reported favourably by committee with no lobby opposition and will come up for a final vote on Monday night; petitions already circulated should be sent immediately to Geo. R. Bidwell, 313 West 58th Street.
- Editorial riposte to a taunt from the Bicycling World, presenting a four-week word-count comparison (April 1-22) showing The Wheel published 77,900 words against the World's 56,650—a margin of over 5,000 words per week—pledging to continue publishing more news than any other cycling paper and to keep running reader letter extracts gratis.
- Correspondent 'Dixey' covers growing local interest in rear-driving safety bicycles (Rover, Ivel, and the anticipated Victor Safety), reviews the Columbia tandem's Philadelphia debut with mild criticism of ground clearance and dress guard, and reports the University Bicycle Club's 25-mile Lancaster Pike road race postponed to Monday, now a two-man contest between Keen and Whitaker after Page the jumper withdrew.
- Miscellaneous items: W.A. Rowe commencing training at the Lynn track; Thomas Stevens' lectures now managed by Major Pond (also manager of Beecher and Stanley); Percy Furnival winning his first English season race at Bishop's Stortford on soggy grass in about nine minutes; George H. Day elected president of the Weed Sewing Machine Company of Hartford; Cleveland Bicycle Club's April 16 athletic entertainment; Schwalbach & Willdigg's postponed 'opening' in Brooklyn; and Frank Elwell planning a 1887 Canadian tour from Edmundston to Quebec and back.