Evening Star Newspaper, October 24, 1896, Page 17

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 34, 1896-TWENTY_FOUR PAGES. The Indian summer is with us, th how long it will remain no one knows, noi | even the prophets at the weather bureau. The blasts of winter will scon be here, and the pleasure of riding will be taken away. | A slight taste of what may be expected has | already reached us. The only feature tc ; mar the pleasure of riding these fine day is the wind, and this is apt to spring up at any time, and die out just as suddenly as it comes. The force of the slightest wind is felt on @ bicycle. To new riders it is a very diff- cult task to ride on the road against a heavy wind, and it seems to be the luck of one to have the wind veer around just in time to have it in the face again all the way on the return trip. Cycling nas its drawbacks as well as its pleasures, only at this time of the year the drawbacks appear to be more numerous. The riders of the fair sex feel the discomforts more than the male riders. The wind seems to have a special tendency to twist and turn the skirts and make them bothersome in every respect, especially in the case of the new rider, who is nct skilled enough in the art of riding to take one hand off the grips and adjust the skirts. Within the next fortnight the racing sea- son will have closed. The last races of the season at the International Athletic Park are now in progress. Next Saturday the Eugene Field monument fund race meet will close up the season, so far as meets are concerned. The Friday following the great road race, which has been so much talked of, and which promises to be the greatest event of its kind in this locality, will come off. Last year the weather god | was favorable, and one of the best meets | of that season was held on Thanksgiving day. It seems hardly possible that the weather this year will remain open as leng a period as that. Columbia Athletic Club. Prince George's county, Md., tsn’t really responsible for the trouble, but as the scene was laid there, the Columbia Athletic Club wheelmen swear that section of our neighboring state is a Jonah, and will fight shy of it in the future. The party that left the club house last Sunday morn- ing for the usual run was small, but they had a time enough for a hundred. They were six hours reaching Marshall Hall. Burroughs started the ball by falling off his wheel before he had left the asphalt of the city behind him. He was badly bruised, but reached the destination as soon as anybody else. Two hours and a half were spent at Oxon Hill, while Shannon fixed eleven punctures m his tire. After that everybody did bis little turn in his smash-up vaudeville, but Charlie McGuigan made the hit of the program when he decided that one handle bar was too meny for him, so he twisted his off. He was immediately sorry he did it, so he constructed a new one. He cur- ries a knife with a three-inch blade, and it came in handy this time. He cut down @ tree with it, whittled out a Y¥-shaped fork, stuck the lower part of the Y into the head of his machine, tightened up the nut and rode the last eleven miles with his new wooden handle bar. The Macalester was just coming up to the wharf when the boys rode into Mar- shall Hall. A committee of timid riders from the club who were afraid to snake the trip on wheel came down on the boat to see how the riders had made out. As all other club runs during October have beea long and hard, Capt. Stiles has decided to have a series of short runs. So tomorrow's trip has been called for Alexandria. Instead of an early start, the party will not leave the club house until half-past 2 in the afternoon. The back road, or Mt. Vernon avenue, has been se- lected, as it is in particularly good con- dition just now. The return to the city will be made by the ferry. All of the riders are expected to carry a lamp. Arlington Wheelmen. The Arlington Wheelmen made a century run last Sunday, under Lieut. Frank C. Potts. The start was made at ten minutes after 6 o'clock in the morning from 513 9th | street, the party arriving at Frederick at 11 o'clock, and after a stop of fifteen min- utes rode back to New Market, where din- ner was enjoyed. After a lay-over of one and a half hours the start for home was made. Leaving New Market at 1:30 o'clock, the boys arrived at Olney at 4 o'clock, where a stop of five minutes was made. The club reached 7th street and Boundary at exactly 5:21 in the evening, completing the whole century, including all stops, in eleven hours and sixteen minutes. Those starting were Messrs. Murphy, Harry Walker, Harting Warner, Wright, Posey and Lieut. Potts. Mr. Warner was taken sick just outside of Laytonsville, and was compelled to return home on the train. Lieut, Potts will take a party out for a spin to Occoquan, Va., tomorrow, and hopes the boys will all join in making the trip as successful as possible. The run will start from 613 9th street at 9 o'clock sharp. The proposed supper club road race has been declared off and will not be run this fall, owing to the lateness of the season and the other events that are scheduled within the next two weeks. For this rea- son the, president of the club has not ap- pointed a committee to manage the affair, the old committee having been discharged at the last meeting of the club, held in the fore part of the month. The determination not to have the race this fall will be re- ceived with regret by a good many mem- bers of the club, who looked forward to the event with a great deal of pleasure. Mr. Eppa Combes is slowly recovering, and expects to be out again shortly. Washington Rond Club. The Washington Road Club held a meet- ing during the week, which was of unusual interest because of the fact that the weed- ing-out process of the dead wood of the club was commenced. There are many members of the club who are away behind in the matter of their dues, and at the meeting sixteen men were dropped, whose aggregate indebtedness to the club was $105. At the next meeting it is expected that a good many more names will be dropped from the roll. Several new mem- bers were admitted to membership. The question of holding a fair was brought up, and the club decided to give one some time during the winter. A com- mittee, consisting of William Jose, W. J. Prince, C. H. Fisher, J. E. Bischoff, A. G. Gensler, P. T. Carter, Rudolph Jose, Fred. Dr. W. W. Hodges, was appointed, with | full authority to act in the matter. It is contemplated to hold the fair probably in the Washington Light Infantry armory, for a week or ten days, or possibly longer. The club run tomorrow will be a century run to Frederick, in conjunction with the league century run to that place. The start will be made with the league riders. Last Sunday no run was taken. Capital Bi. Clab. The Capital Bi. Club took a spin last Sunday to Rockville, under Capt. Bart Hills, seven men turning out. The return to the city was made via Offutt’s X Roads, and, once on the Conduit, the men had a delightful ride into town. The strong wind which was blowing at the time was dl- rectly in their back, and the trip into town was made in considerably less than twenty- five minutes. No run has been scheduled for tomorrow, and the destination of those starting will not be announced until just before the time of starting. A good many members of the club will start out on the | league century run to Frederick, and help | swell the attendance on that trip. W. C. Allen, one of the members of the club, and superintendent of the electric lighting of the city, entered two of the races held last Saturday at the Interna- tional Athletic Park, given by the employes of the District building, and won both events. His success has started a sort of racing fever among the members of the club, and as a result about half a dozen of the ciub riders will enter the road race which will be held Friday evening, Novem- ber 6, over the Conduit road course. The work of refurnishing and refitting the club house is now completed. The | place hus been fitted up in excellent style, | and all of the pool and billiard tables have been put in condition for a hard winter's work. 0. ¥. E. S. Cycle Club, No. 1. The O. Y. E. S. Cycle Club, No. 1, took a tun last Tuesday evening, under Licut. E. S. Thompson, there being twelve riders. A ride through the city was the extent of the trip, the weather making it somewhat rough fer road riding. The regular run next Tuesday evening will be under Lieut. Thompson, and, if the weather is favor- able, the ride will extend out in the coun- try. Last Monday evening the entire club paid @ fraternal visit to Ruth Chapter, No. 1, O. E. S., at Brightwood, it being the regu- lar meeting evening of the latter organiza- tien. An enjoyable evening was spent, dur- ing which a splendid program was render- ed, winding up with the serving of refresh- ments. The visitors spent a thoroughly en- jJeyable evening. Altair Cycle Club. The Altair Cycle Club is doing very little as a club in road riding. On account ot the weather Capt. Weaver is not calling any club runs, nor is It likely that any runs will be taken this season. Last Sunday Samuel Darby, Dave Rey- nolds and Joseph Braitmayer, under Lieut. William Britt, made a century run to Bal- timore. Heynolds acted as pacemaker all during the trip, and exceedingly fast time was made. All of the riders will be en- titled to clud century medals. Several more centuries wiil probably be made by indi- vidual members before the close of the season. Mr. Walter Weaver, the popular secre- tary of the club, who was so seriously ill, has almost entirely recovered, and will shortly be able to be out again. Naugautuck Cycle Club. The members of the Naugautuck Cycle Club are busily engaged In making plans for the coming winter. The club has been partly changed into a secret organization. This is done, it is stated, to prevent any false cr erroneous impressions from being circulated regarding the doings of the club. Last Tuesday evening the club took a run t> Chevy Chase, carrying out a good representation. They visited the house of @ friend and spent a mest enjoyable even- ing. Hyattsville Cycle Club. ‘The members of the Hyattsville Cycie Club are making a move in the right direc- tion. They are in a locality where good rcads can be appreciated, partly due to the fact that the roade in their locality are not noted for the excellency of surface. The} ciub has begun the work of improving the | highways in its section. The movement has started with the stretch of road be- tween Biadensburg and Rives Station, on the Baltimore and Washington turnpike. The cost of improving the road is piaced at $600. About $250 of this sum was raised by other parties, and the cycle club undertook to raise the balance of the money—$150. This will be done in short order, plans be- ing now under consideration to secure this amount, and most likely before the begin- ning of next season the road wi!l be in Brittlan, C. J. Crossby, H. F. Phillips, H. Parsons, C. L. Maxwell, F. W. Koss und C._ Howard. ‘The officers elected were; W. Moulthrop, | president; C. J. Murph vice president; D. W. Reinohl, secretary; I C. Norwood, treasurer; W. S. Quinter, captain; W. M. brittian, Meutenant, and 1. C. Norwood, bugler. A committee of three were a ed to draft « constitution. The following gentlemen were elected members of the club: H. Baker, J. Tummey and William Matchett. The first club run will be given to Cycle Cottage tomorrow morning. point- BETTING. t the Different Classes isk Their Money. There was a prominent bookmaker in the city the other day, and meeting a Star man he grew quite communicative. Said the knight of chalk and slates: “People have an idea that the races can be beat, but they are dead wrong, my boy. I’ve been in the business long enough to discover that, but you can’t beat it into the crowd we live on. “Now, that seems queer, don’t it? com- ing from a man at the mercy of the talent. But ft ain’t queer. Not a bit of it. Peo- ple don’t realize, for instance, that # ‘vookie’ who runs what we call a legitimate book can always keep ahead of the game. But it's so, just the same, and as a ‘bockie’ can always tell froma glance at his sheet just what he'll have to pay out, no matter how the horses finish, all he has to do is to equalize his books. All the horses can't win, you know, and by cutting down the odds on this one, running them | up on that one, refusing any more of the stuff on another, and so on, he can al- ways get enough of the money in his box to more than offset what he'll have to pay out. And that, too, as I said, no matter how the horses run. “Another thing people are wrong about is this. They believe the ‘bookies’ live on the big bettors—the plungers. But they are dead wrong again. The small bettors are the fellows who provide the dough for us. The fellows who bet five and ten dollars and even less. Those are the suckers we play for, and if wasn’t for them we wouldn't be in it. They are the stuff we're always iooking for. But the most chumps of the lot are the fellows who've been caught by striking a long shot. ‘They're forever looking for another, and that’s where we live. “It ain’t the long shots that hurt the “bookies,” for we generally pay little out when one of that kind takes the stuff. It is the favorites that hurt us. But when a long shot wins there ain’t much of what we pay out but what comes back to us. For the chump that wins one of ‘em imagines that you can’t stop him from picking ’em up right atong, and he becomes easier than ever. So, in a Httle while not only is the stuff he pulled out on the long shot in the bookies’ boxes again, but also about every- thing else he can rake and scrape up. “I tell you about the only fellow who beats this game is the one who plays only once in a while. The duck who gets it straight and then goes down the line on it. He’s the mug who does us, and he’s the chap who generally sticks to our stuff for keeps. But the dead easy stuff is the chump who goes up agin us day in and day out and in about every race on the card. He's up today and down tomorrow, and it ain’t a long while before he finds that there are a sight more tomorrows than anything clse in the game. Then he drops out, but the chumps make a big field, and when cne goes to the stable another goes to the post, and the game goes on. “But the game ain’t what it used to be. Not much. No, it ain’t because folks are getting any too good, but because the stuff ain’t so frequent. Then, too, the fish don’t rise so quickiy. Either that or there ain't so many of ’em now. No, the pickings now {is small. and, between you and me, the business is going to the dogs. Tough, ain’t it?” —— WHAT HIS MONEY DID. A Novel Plan That Was Adopted by a Millionaire. “Tt isn’t always that money in quantity 1s productive of good results,” remarked a well-know temperance worker and moral- ist to a Star reporter. “I beg your pardon,” interrupted the re- porter, “I know one of the times and places when it would be. “I think I could name another,” laughed the talker, “but, joking aside, I remember on one occasion when a man with a million dollars did with it what I never knew a millionaire to do before or since, and the good he did lives as gloriously today as it did forty years ago, when he did it, and it will never die. It was in a New England | town of about six or seven thousand peo- ple, largely of the factory classes and pretty hard to handle in the matter of Naquor drinking. I was a young man then, just beginning the work that I have been trying to win victories in ever since, and I found the man who gave the most valu- able assistance was this millionaire, a man who not only drank himself, but offered it to persons at his house, and in other re- spects was by no means a man of piety, though active in all contributions to char- much better shape for cyclists, both of Hyattsville and Washington. League Century Run, The first league century run of the season will be held tomorrow to Frederick, under Road Consul A. W. Leeke. The start will be made at 6 o'clock in the morning from 18th and K streets, Franklin Square. It is expected that a good representation of local cyclists will turn out. The Wash- ington Road Club will take a run to the place, while delegations are expected from the Capital Bi. Club and the Liberty Wheelmen. The next regular run of the league will be Friday evening to Benning, starting at 7:30 o'clock in the evening from the same place. The Castle Row Club, The members of the Castle Row Club, an informal organization, met last Monday evening at the residence of Mr. C. J. Mur- phy, No. 943 S street, and organized a road club, to be known as the Castle Row Road Club. The charter members are: Messrs. W. Moulthrop, C. J. Murphy, D. W. Rein- Schade, Eddie Kioman, George S. Ball and ohl, I. C. Norwood, W. 8S. Quinter, WV. M. A WHEEL FOR BAD ROADS. ¥t Differs Essen: lly From Any Ever Built. An English firm will soon put on the market a wheel that differs essentially from any ever built before. The picture shows the design. It has four wheels, three being small and one about the sige of those on the common safety. The wheels are Placed in a line, and nothing is gained in the way of balance. The inventor asserts that his machine will run as smoothly over rough ground as the common wheel does over asphalt. The multiplicity of wheels is expected to do away with the jolting from an uneven sur- face. and the wheel will make a cobble- stone pavement a joy. If {t does all that the inventor claims for it people will be inclined to overlook the queer appearance of the machine and give it a trial. But if four wheels are good, would not eight or ten be better? Perhaps the cycle of the future will resemble a centipede, and the rider then can go over an excavation for gas pipes or a cable road with impunity. ity and church work. “He was a man of sixty or more, and was popular with the people of the town of all classes, seeing that he was retired and had ample time and money to make him- self on good terms with everybody. Well, the time came when we had our fight for the control of the liquor traffic in the town, and, though we made a game fight, the hosts of Satan were against us, and we went to the wall. I felt greatly dis- couraged, but the millonaire was as cheery as a bird in a sunburst, and the next day after our defeat he called me in and pro- posed his plan to meet the new order of things. “It was only what a rich man could do, and one who had that kind of moral train- ing which does not hesitate at means, so long as good will come. I thought as he did about it, though, with many more doubts and fears than he had, but he never faltered, and within a week’s time he was the proprietor of the handsomest saloon in town in the best place in town. In ad- dition he had a bar as near as he could get it to every other saloon in town. In all of these places drinks were sold at half the price in any other place in town, and, as they were as nicé in their appointments, they soon had all the trade. “In a month’s time several saloons had gone lo pleces, and as each one closed its docrs my friend shut up his that was near- est to it and made the central one hand- somer than ever. Finally he owned the only saloon in town, and as soon as he got things in that shape he proposed to the drinkers to sell stuff at a higher price and turn the profits all into the poor fund. In view of the fact that he had no opposition, and was prepared to give liquor away if another saloon opened in town, he per- suaded the drinkers to do it his way, and within a year’s time he had the entire town salooned by system, and it was the thriftiest and the soberest town in all New England for ten-years. Then the million- aire died, and some people began monkey- ing with his plan, and the result was an overset, of course, but he had builded so Well that even to this day the good is there and it will ever remain. ee Intelligence in the Kitchen. From Harper's Basar. “Cook, how long did you boil those eggs?” “Noine minutes, mum.” “But I told you that I wanted my eggs boiled three minutes.” “Thot's thrue, mum—but there was tree eggs, mum, an’ tree times tree is noine.” oo —__ One to His Credit. Brom the Chicago Record. “Osmond, have’you attended any of the fall openings?” “Yes, last night I stepped into a coal hole.” LUCKY cyclE’ RACER ‘As He Riske ‘Broaking. His Neck to Break a Record, SOME AMUSING AND AMAZING ESCAPES Superstitions Which* Wheelmen Have About Ther Luck. ACTUAL EXPERIENCES VERY BICYCLE Tacer believes he bears a charmed life when on the track. Like the “Man of Destiny,*’ who fought all Europe to @ standstill without ever receiving a wound himself, the racing cycler has a fixed idea which mever leaves him, that his “good an- get. is continually on the watch to guard him against danger and harm as he pedals at headlong speed around the track. This belief—it is more than a super- stition—of the racing wheelman is some- thing entirely unknown to the general public and very rarely is it ever~referred to by the cyclists themselves. On the track it often happens that for some seemingly trivial reason a rider who 1s almost certain of winning a race will absolutely refuse to ride, even though he may have gone so-far as to come to the scratch prepared to start. In such cases no amount of persuasion or argument on the part of the racer’s friends or backers can induce the man to start in that race. Urged to give a reason, his answer al- ways’ is that he has an undefined feeling that he had better stay out of that race— and’stay out he invariably docs. The real Treason, however, is that the man is act- ually afraid to enter the race. His feel- ings are as nearly like the “blue funk” of the school boy as anything, and he has an idea that his “guardian angel” causes this feeling as a sort of warning. Be this as it may, the fact remains undisputed that racing wheelmen are pecullarly ex- empt from serious accident while in con- tests. Accidents but Few. The death of a jockey while riding in a race, a fatal accident to a ball player, broken limbs and injured health on the foot ball field, and almost fatal accidents while playing polo, are common incidents, but it is seldom indeed that one hears of a bicycle racer meeting his death on the track, and even accidents of a serious nature are so infrequent as to cause re- mark when they occur. That there is some mysterious influence which ‘protects the apparently reckless wheelman as he rushes at breakneck speed around the track would seem plausible enough, when the number of remarkable falls a man takes are considered. In ninety-nine cases out af a hundred where the rider takes a header over a fence, or gets tangled up with hfs opponent's wheel, it would seem as if no human being could get ont of such a mixed-up mass alive, even if he avoided instant ‘death from the terrific jar of the sudden stop. In almost every casé, however, the rider picks him- self up unhurt, often mot even scratched, and appears in .the ,next,zace none the worse for his mishap. : A peculfar cage in pofnt Was that which occurred at the Manhattan Beach track on July 15. During a race im which Owens, Barbo and Hicks, ail well-known men, were riding in a bunch, they came into collision with one another, and the result was sur- prising to riflers’ahd spectators alike. When the three wheels struck Barbo shot up into the air’as’ {f fron’ a spring board. He sailed gracefully over’the fence sur- rounding the track, head first, and after turning a somersault, whieh would have done credit to.a professional tumbler, land- ed on his feet.in the midst of a crowd of spectators. Hicks was also thrown over the rail, and after performing some won- derful and intricate mid-air contortions, found himself sitting in a seat among the holders’ of reserve tickets. Owens was the only one of the three who remained on the track, and it took four attendants the best part of ten minutes to get him un- tangled from the three wrecked wheels. Uninjured Amongst the Ruins. Yet none of the men were hurt, al- though the wheels lay in ruins, and when other machines were provided they started out again and rode to a finish. When the three men came together they were riding at a record-breaking pace, and there was not a person who witnessed the collision but thought that one at least of the men would receive serious if not fatal injuries. Yet another case is that of George Pfiffer, a well-known wheelman, who while scorch- ing with three companions managed in some way to get his wheel mixed up with one beside him. Pfiffer rose into the air as If he had received a kick from a-cata- pult, and when he landed he was sitting astride a stone wall ten feet away, won- dering how he got there, but uninjured. His companion in the shake-up picked himself up from the middle of the road, and after a careful examination all the damage he could find consisted in a few scratches, a good deal of the road-bed Iib- erally distributed over his person, und a rent in his new knickerbockers. "In this instance the protecting spirit of the wheel- man was particularly well-disposed, for the wheels were practically uninjured. Of all tumbles on record, however, which seemingly started out for tragedy and ended in comedy, that recently taken by Owens on the Olympic track takes the lead. He was in the race to win, and victory seemed almost within his grasp. The spectators had already begun to ap- plaud him, and the finish was hardly a length away. Suddenly—no one can tell just how it happened—Owens’ wheel struck the inside fence. The wheel halted ab- Tuptly, the rider did not. He kept right on in the direction he was headed, and did not stop until he found himself in the judges’ stand. It was even money as to who was the most surprised, the rider, the Judges or the spectators, at this most un- expected ending of what seemed at the moment of its happening a most serious accident. Perhaps one of the most marvelous es- capes that ever a wheelman had from death was that of A. J. Boyle of Jersey City, who while riding down what is known as the Georgé rozd, which runs from the top of the Patisadés down to the river, lost control of his machine and nar- rowly escaped being carried’ over the edge of the cilff. His maghine went over and was dashed to pieces on the jagged rocks, seventy-five feet below}! wntte Royle, at thi very edge of the precipice, threw himself from his wheel and escaped with only a severe shaking up and a few, bruises. ek TTBS CAPINET WORK. Costly Lumber Used fot the Decora- tion of Amerfcan Homes. From the New York Tribupe. Lying ir some of theigre&t lumber. yards of New York and only’showing their value to the experts and the initiated ones are heaps of rare and costky woods, some from the countries of the equator, others cut from American forests.” In one single lum- ber yard it is no uncommon thing to see a stock that is valued at $50,000 or more. In one block near the Hast river front there 1s often $1,000,000 worth piled up in the open air or under the cover of rough sheds. The veining and mottling of a log and the veneers tkat are made from it fix its value. While all these special woods of com- mesce are ‘ccstly, prices. three and four times the average are paid for unusual patterns of rosewood, mahogany and black walnct. There are several hundred varieties of fine woods brought each year into New York, but of these only a few are known to commerce to ary extent. Mahogany, French btrl, rosewood, curly ash, Ameri- can quartered oak, figured birch, black wal- nut, Circassian walnut and satinwood are the fancy timber varieties that. sell the best, their prices running from 3 cents to 10 cents a foot for veneers. These figures woops FoR | give ro adequate conception of values until they are eximined carefully. But the cal- culation is a simple one.. A veneer is a thin strip cut from a beard by a shaving machine, thirty veneers being allowed to each board of an inch thickness, the boards of these costly woods running about 2 feet in width. As a rule these boards are 8 to 10 feet long, and thus a single veneer of mahogany 2 feet wide and 10 in length is worth, by itsel®, from 50 cents to $1. A double row of these veneers piled up 5 feet high is worth easily $2,000. K In the lug mahogany sells here at $1 to $1.50 a foot, board measurement. It comes from Mexico and Cuba, and, brought to this city in logs, it is sold in veneers. These veneers, stacked up in piles in the sheds, are so brittle that the only way of ship- ping them to the furniture and piano man- ufacturers is to pack them in cases. A case usually holds 500 sheets, or from $300 to $500 worth, and is so heavy that the strength of from four to six men, with rollers, is necessary to get it upon a truck. A case is known to the trade as a “‘flitch.” Even unvarnished and unpolished as these rare woods are in the rough, the leak terns are easily visible. Nearly all these woods are sold in veneers, for two reagons: () They are too costly to use solidiy, an @), they all have a tendency to warp. Next in popularity to mahogany comes American figured walnut from Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee and the western part of Ncrth Carolina. The finest logs of this timber are to be found on the slopes of the Blue Ridge and Cumberland mountains. So important is it to get woods of fine patterns that the leading walnut dealers irspect the trees themselves be- fore they are cut down. They employ ex- perlenced woodsmen to search over the whole region where the best walnut lies for months at a time, and then, the finest trees having been marked, the dealers leave the city and travel through the woods on horseback themselves, selecting the mcst valuable trees, afterward buying them from the farmers or the owners of the land. These precautions amply repay the trou- ble, for tre reason that at times Ameri- can walnut sells at 20 cents a foot in ve- neers, and a single log 6 feet long has been known to yield as much as $525. From Bahia comes the finest rosewood of the world, its veneers selling at 6 cents a foot. It is not ‘brought here, however, in any great quantity, as rosewood is no longer the fashionable material it was in the days cf our grandmothers. White ma- hogary from the west coast of Mexico and satinwocd from San Domingo, of a pale yellow tint and of dainty pattern, the finest qualities of which have sold for vu cents in veneers, and the poorest veneer less than 10 cents are still in great demand. One of the most curious of the rare woous is amboy, reddish brown, veined irregular- ly, and is used mainly for inlaying. It comes from Africa and is sold at 20 cents @ pound. — Two of the finest foreign woods are French birl from Persia and the Circas- sian valnut that is cut around the shores of the Black Sea. French burl costs 15 cents a pound, and its grain is a most curious thing. It is really a walnut wood, the “burl” being a wart or knot that forms on the side of the tree while it is young, thus twisting the course of the sap vessels and forming strange patterns and odd com- binations of lines. At times these burls are extremely valuable. A single log has sold for as much as $2,500. The features of the Circassian walnut are the high polish to which it can be brought and its vivid stripes of dark brown and black. Some other expensive native woods are figured curly ash, curly North Carolina birch, which has a reddish tinge; poplar and American quartered oak, used mainly for hcuse work. All of these fetch from 3 cents to 5 cents a foot in veneers. Ebony sold at $70 a ton; cocoholo, somewhat re- sembling rosewood, and granadilla, heavy and black, are much in use for knife han- dies. San Domingo lignum vitae is, perhaps, the heaviest wood that is to be found. A stick 18 inches in diameter and 8 to 4 feet leng weighs from 5 to 600 pounds. Spanish cedar and snakewood, the latter socalled because its grain is like the mark- ings of some serpents, are used for many purposes. Turkish hoxwood comes here in rather large quantities, and has long been the popular material for wood engraving. Amarilla is one of the most artistic of all woods, with its bright yellow surface. NEW PO! ‘S$ FOR CYCLISTS. A Course of Lectures men on First Aid to From the New York Sua. ‘The latest thing among bicyclists is to take a course of lectures on first aid to the injured. This would seem to be the right thing in the right place. Wheelmen and wheelwomen, as a class, are peculiarly liable to accident. Ordinarily, of course, the injured man isn’t in shape to put his own knowledge to much use; but where there is one bicyclist there are pretty sure to be others, and if enough of thein should take an interest in this they would form an immense mutual aid society of a senuine, practical kind. Last week a class of young women be- gan a course of five lectures, There is also a weekly class of men, and others will be organized us they are needed. The work is under the direction of the Society of First Aid to the Injured, and the classes meet at the headquarters, 105 East 22d street. The young women at the first lesson were introduced to a gaunt, pigeon-toed skele- ton, which hung from a hook screwed into the top of its skull. The young doctor who delivered the lecture called the skeleton “this individual,” which made it seem very real to the young ladies of the class. It was quite a relief for them to turn to the life-size charts showing the muscles, nerves and circulation. It was still more agree- able to drop these things and learn how to put on bandages. A small boy who got very sleepy during the lecture was utilized to show the various methods of bandaging. As the class progresses, the members them- selves will experiment along these lines. The lectures given will not follow exactly the regular course on First Aid to the In- jured, but will be especially adapted to the needs of bicyclists. For instance, especial attention will be given to fractures, dislo- cations, concussion, heart failure, and so on. The first lecture is simply a general Preparatory talk on the structure and more important functions of the body. The lec- turer gave a brief description of the body. The lecturer gave a brief description of the bones, in the course of which he toyed so carelessly with the pigeon-toed skeleton that its persistent, bland smile was really Pathetic. He imparted such valuable bits of information as that the skull is called the cranium, that there are fourteen bones in the face, and other little anatomical trifles. The real fun of the course will be when those earnest young bicyclists get to work themselves at that small boy. He seems to be strong. That is weil. —_+-e-+__ A Thief's Queer Booty. From the Boston Evening Transcript. Sanford E. Thompson of Newton mourns today the losr of a package of butterflies and beetles from India, which some thief stole from Bishop’s express wagon while it was being driven in from Newton last night. The package stolen contained five boxes of rare insects which had been collected in India. Very likely the thief was dis- gusted when he found what he had taken, and it is unlikely that he will make any attempt to dispose of the articles, as they are not readily salable, and the police were notified of the theft last night. Some of the insects were the property of ‘ Mr. Thompson, while others had been placed in his keeping by @ friend who had col- lected them in India. Any restitution the express company can make would not compensate Mr. Thompson for the loss of the rare beetles, and he expects never to see them again, as the thief probably would throw them away when he found he could not dispose of them readily. The collection represents a vast amount of work in India and to duplicate it might be the work of years. —— — +06 Electric Lights Save Room. From the Medical Record. A committee of doctors in charge of the hospital at Crewes, England, recently gave striking testimony to the value of electric lights for hospitals. In this hospital the number of beds in the various wards was apportioned in such a manner that there would be 2,000 cubic feet of space for each patient, thus insuring a sufficiency of fresh air. This apportionment was made while gas lighting was employed, but now, on the recommendation of the committee, electric lighting has been adopted, and the committee further advise that the number of beds in the hospital be increased from twenty-eight to forty-fivé, stating that as electric lighting does not vitiate the air ike gas, the cubic space per patient can be diminished in the above ratio without harm, for Wheelwo- the Injured. 17 ee S.7.:°=——————————————— SOME CYCLE CHAT The average bicycle dealer, according to the stories told, has to put up with more than one’'would ordinarily suppose. The general impression seems to be that he makes barrels of money through the sales of bicycles. His profit, and he himself will tell you, is not near as large as thought, the manufacturers making the bulk of the profit. Regardless of this, however, the dealer complains that the general public in purchasing a wheel seem to think that he can throw in a lamp, ‘bell and other sundries, and then allow a discount, and also keep the wheel in repair for the full period of the guarantee. In the matter of the guarantee, it is claimed, ‘there seems to be a good deal of misapprehension. The guarantee as given is to the effect that the wheel, if found in any way defettive in construction, will be repaired free of charge or a new wheel supplied. The ordinary purchasers, the agents assert, have a different conception of the meaning of the guarantee, and a wheel, if smashed in a collision, run over by a vehicle or damaged in any other way, is brought to the dealer, and the repairs ali claimed under the guarantee. A wheel was brought into the shop of a well-known cycle dealer a few days ago which looked as though it had gone through a Kansas cyclone. The frame was bent and twisted, the rims of the wheeis were buckled so that their original shape could never be guessed, the handle bars Were models of compound curves, and the tires were split open in several places. The rider collided with a cable car, and, strange to say, escaped serious harm himself. The hext morning he complacently brought the wheel in the shop and claimed the guaran- tee. He was a new rider. The dealer was old enough to know that the condition of the wheel was not attributable to a defect in manufecture, but the rider insisted that the wheel went down with him while he was riding at a fairly good rate of speed. He stuck to his story, but it did not go, and he took the wrecked machine to an- other repair shop, where he paid to have it patched up. On one occasion a young lady with an escort came into a dealer's store, and while the young lady stood at a respectful dis- tance the young man brought up her wheel and stated that he had come to claim a guarantee. “‘The chain has worked loose,” said the gallant, “and you will have to put another one in.” The dealer was staggered for a moment. He did not know whether the man was serious or wiether he was only joking. The escort was se- rious, however, and the dealer remarked that the guarantee was for defects in the construction of the wheel, and not to keep it in repair. He showed how to tighten the chain, and the pair went away happy. There is a joke going around the city about one of the members of a well-known cycling club. The club has splendid quar- ters, and during the recent cool spell the members hugged the fire closely. It was on a Sunday evening that the incident oc- curred. He came into the club dressed in his Sunday best, intending to make a call on his best girl. He wore patent leather shoes, a new cutaway coat, white tie and white vest and a brand new derby. There were some club members about the fire, and more coal was needed. Before any of | If Jf not the others would make room for the new- comer to sit around the grate he was told that he must first go down in the cellar and get some coal. There are a number of crooks and turns in the cellar, and if a person is not acquainted with the place he can get lost in the labyrinth of passages. Just at the bottom of the steps is the heat- ing apparatus, in front of which there is a hole, walled with brick, where the fireman draws out the ashes. The young man, with bucket in hand, started down the steps, and when he reached the bottom he tumbled in the hole, which is about three feet deep. It so happened that one of the feed-pipes to the boiler had bursted, and the water had filled the hole. The young man, dressed in his good clothes, went sprawling into the mess, and he, thinking he was drowning, yelled for help. He finally got out and came upstairs in a de- plorable condition. The water was still dripping from his good clothes, and the transformation from a dandy to a forlorn- looking object had been as complete as it was rapid. He did not get a chance to call on his girl that night. himself in a blue sweater and blue pair of racing tights, and stayed in the club house until near midnight, when his other clothes were sufficiently dry to permit him to don them and wear them home. Some of the friends of Prof. John Cross- ley of the Columbia Athletic Club played a rather mean joke on him last week. The instructor entered a down-town lunch room ene night to get something to eat, and left his wheel standing outside. When ine cas cut the wheel was gone, and no one knew anything about it. Beileving tha: some one had stclen his wheel he Teported the matter to the police. The nexi day the wheel was returned to the owner, but he does not know who had it. get it back, however. A good story is toll cn a well-known Paperhanger in Georgetown. He nad a job of work out in the country near Falls Church, and with the paper and other par- aphernalia of his trade bundied up he mounted his wheel and rode over to the | place. For fear that some one would steal his trusty steed he took his lock along and } carefully locked the wheel while at work. When he completed the job he packed bis material and started for his wheel. searched for his keys, but he could not find them, and then he remembered that he had left them home in his other cloth was mad; but he co: He tramped all the w: keys, and then tramped all the way out to unicck his own wheel and ride it in. There is a good story told of a well- known local racing man, who went over to Ealtimore and entered a race meet. One of the prizes in a race in which he was en- tered was a ton of coal, which he won. He could not sell it, as it would have been a violation of the amateur racing rules, a he knew of no one to whom he could 2 it. so he had the ton of coal brought to this city. By the time the railroad freight was paid and the price of hauling both in Baltimore and this city, and the handling, the coal cost him more than he could have bought a ton in this city. Mr. C. Andrew: Cook of this city, who was a delegate from the local Cigar Mak- ers’ Union to the twenty-first annual con- vention of the International Cigar Makers’ Union of America, held recently at Deiroit, returned home juring the week. He was considerably impressed with the use of the wheel tn the cities he visited. “One thing that struck me as peculiar,” said Mr. Cook, “was the large number of ladies who ride wheels in Detroit. It seemed to me as though there were more female riders than there were males, and every morning strings of factory girls, shop girls and working girls could be seen riding along the streets, while very few male riders were in sight.” One evening some friends he met at the convention wanted him to go bicycle riding. They were surprised to learn that he could not ride a wheel. “Well,” said one dele- gate from the northwest, “I thougnt every- body in Washirgton knew how to ride a bicycle, you've got such nice streets there.” Mr. Cook intends to master the art of rid- ing a wheel. Messrs. C. E. Lockwood and A. Stock- ton of the bureau of engraving and print- ing will spend their vacation on a trip to Ud not help himself. Instead, he dressed | He was siad to | He} in town to get his | i \ | in a few years, as the driving hor New York awheel. They will go by way of Frederick to Gettysburg, where they will visit the famous battlefield. From this place they will go to York, Pa., thence to Philadelphia, and so on to Brooklyn. In the latter city they will visit the parents of Mr. Lockwood, where they will remain un- til after election. The return trip will also be made awheel. The two are experienced road riders, and have been over the same road. ——_—_ TO BREED BETTER HORSES. Probable Effect on the Horse Trade of the Trolley Invasion. From the Philadelphia Record. When the trolley lines displaced the horse the market received a sudden blow, the results of which are well known. Farmers who were breeding horses di Posed of their mares and gave up the bust- ness. When a colt ts foaled it does not reach the market for from three to five years, hence it is somewhat slower to ad- just the demand and supply again “com- pared with other stock. Cattle are not subject to the same drawbacks as horses, as they enter into the food supply, and the market can quickly recover, owing to the ready means of disposing of the surplus, but horses can only be disposed of for certain purposes, their number being re- duced by natural causes, and gradually. Every year the surplus will be less, and as fewer horses are being raised the normal condition of the horse market will soon he reached. The horses of the future will be of bet- ter quality. Before the agitation of the Subject of good roads heavy horses were required in order to move loads. Speed is now more desirable, and lighter horses will be preferred. The ox team is better adapted for rough roads than a team of horses, and taere was a time when a yoke of oxen could be found on every farm, but oxen are slow, hence farmers willingly sacrificed them in order to use the speedier horse, and-as the roads gradually improved the horse supplanted the ox. That ts just the position in which the Percheron and Clydesdale horses stand today. Ten years ago they were in the lead, but the French coach, Cleveland bay and hackney re taking their place, because the roads are becoming better and more speed is re- quired in moving loads. Farmers who cculd not before move their produce to the railroad stations during the winter, when the roads were bad, are now using the wide-tire wagons and quick horses The cost of transporting an article to mar- ket depends largely upon the length of time required, and the profit must be made by reducing beth the time and labor. Good roads will increase the demand, be- cause more vehicles can be used where be- fore they were impossible. The bi may displace the horse to some extent, but there are uses for the horse in which he has no competition, and ft may be added that the large army of bicycle riders is not recruited from those who used horses entirely. The bicycle has been the cause of better roads and thus increased the uses for the horse, which will be apparent will appear on the scene with more speed. Farmers who take a gloomy view of the outlook for horses should not overlook the fact that the colts have not had time to grow since the depression in prices, and that horses will, for a time, become scarcer. There is a profit for the farmer who will raise colts of superior qualit It is not necessary to attempt to breed fast but it is essential that only mer- {torious sires be used. The demand will be largely in fuvor of family driving horses and for horses of medium size, which are adapted to general work on the farm, with quick action on the road, rather than for heavy horses, with slow movement, and horses can be raised cheaper in the east than they can be transported from the far west. —_ ++ ___ WHAT BILL NYE SAID. Advice to a Man About Writing Ur His Town. From the New York World. A little over a year ago I had a hanker- ing desire to write a comic history of my native town, and one inspiring wrote a letter to the late William questing a little encouragement. . e's encouragement: My Dear Sir: You are another of several million who have tried to inveigle me into writing to you in the hope that you will get my autograph to display in store win- dows as a holiday attraction, and, kn ing only too well that my name in any store window is a sure guaranty that the proprietor will be in a position to dedge his creditors and the poor house, I take great pleasure in being of some benefit to the town where you, no doubt. are trying to induce the public to appoint you to the lucrative position of “special officer with out pay.” The idea you suggest of writing up your town in a humcrous is a good one—if you can run faster than the other fellow. But I will give vou a little kindly advice and send your wife and fam- ily a few flowers to lay on your et, if the cther feliow runs faster tan you. First, begin to make fun of yours: then gradually make fun of every one It is a risk, but if you are young ai good sprinter the comic -history of city will be handed down to posierity. The secret of writing up any town is contained in the number of lies you can work off on your neighbors and enem: conscience to some needy perso: cian and then pitch in and let the the rest, and they will lose ing it. * * * Hoping that citizens will allow you to remain unmo- lested in your city, and that you will be brave and bold to the bitter end, I remain, in do- your tellow He } with fears for your future welfare, WILLIAM NYE. Rats in a Street Car. From the Philadelphia Record. A down-town man who owns a rat terrier, of which he is very proud, spread conster- nation among the passengers of a 1th street car on Friday. The dog had been given to him, with a written guarantee that it would kill rats as easy as falling off a log. The new owner wanted to prove the dog’s ability in that line, so he went to a friend who keeps a big warehouse up town, where rats are plentiful and big, and secured a dozen of them. He put t an old-fashioned trap, which he cove with paper to prevent a too curious public from secing what he had. Then he boarded a 10th street car for home. Everything went along smoothly until the car reached the down-town street where he was to get off. He carelessly picked up the trap by the ring at the top and the bottom dropped out. The rats scurried all over the floor. There were sev- eral women in the car, and of course the screamed like fury. One of them actual fainted. Three of the rats were killed t | some of the passengers, but the others escaped to the street and disappeared. —- see a Mrs. Ward's Knowledge. From the Sketch, It must have been some very inferior jealous novelist who invented the stor that after the publication of Mrs. Ward's former novel, “David Grieve,” which shows marvelous insight into the psychology of Bohemian life in Puris, a friend asked the gifted authoress how on earth she had ac- quired so much knowledge of t lurid phese of existence? “Oh,” replied the lady, jokingly, “I just gave H—— a (9 note, and told him to run over to Paris for a week's holiday to find out all about it for me.” A&A NEW AND UNIQUE CYCLE INVENTION, The latest addition to the freak inventions of the wheeling world is a curious ma- chine with three wheels. Its inventor claims: It is unequaled on rough roads, cobble stones, ruts, gullies, sand or mud. Before its non-vibrating handle-bar the hickory and all other handle bars will disappear lke dew before the sun. As a hill climber it is superb. It will stand up without bracing, with the rider cn or off the saddle; it can be turned around at ordinary speed, with- in its own length; will not pitch the rider off the saddle, and the machine will not fall if the power-wheel slips on wet roads. Just what advantage the third wheel is the wheelmen of the country will have to discover for themselves.