Evening Star Newspaper, December 25, 1897, Page 20

CLUB GOSSIP Before the next issue of the cycling page of The Star New Year will have arrived, and the season of making calls will have commenced. While never noticeable to any extent in this city, in other cities the wheel- men have started the custom of making calls awheel. This fs, of course, provided the weather is faverable, and if the con- jecture of the weather is correct next Saturday will be a pleasant day. Owing to today being the holiday of the year there is very litule probability that much road riding will be done tomorrow, even if the weather is pleasant. Capital Bi. Club. The pool tournament of the Capital Bi. Club commenced last Saturday evening, and started cut with extremely bright prospects. It is a handicap affair, the work of Mr. W. €. Allen, whose handicap- ping is commended on all sides. There are in all -four entries, and the open- night w marked by some clever play- » tourney remaining open until quite The event will last until the evening ef January 15, according to the present schedule, on which night the finals will be Pithe Christmas tree celebration, a time- honored custom of the club, which w: announced to come off next Tuesday even- ir committee. The club will, as usual, keep open house on New Year day for all its members, and @ right royal time can be anticipated by all By actual count Saturday evening, and then at a time when all married members should be at home with their wives, there Were fifty-three wheels stacked in the racks on the lower floor of the club house. This did not include the full number pres- ent, as there were some members who came to the club without their bicycles. If this number ke up it will be neces- sary to enlarge the bicycle storing room. Rialto Cycle Club. ‘The members of the Rialto Cycle Club enjoyed themselves immensely Thursday evening at a masquerade party and dance which was held at the residence of Miss Grace Keefer of 316 2d street southeast. The costumes were of a varied assortment, some quite interesting and others very ludi- crous. The meeting was attended by al- most all of the members, and a very pleas- ant evening was spent, during the course ef which refreshments were served in abundance. Last Sunday the club took a ride through Soldiers’ Home grounds, despite the There were eight in the party. Should the weather tomorrew prove . it is likely that a short city Il be taken in the aftern of the club attended servic in a body at the t Church, where re- were being held. Alpha Cycle Club. held Monday evening, at n time the holiday season will be ob- rved. The meeting was to have been d at the residence of Miss Rainy, at 20 . but the place has been ged to Miss Rolles’, at 2021 I street. iss Sweeney will entertain the club All of the members have been he G street northwe: ors. notiiled of the change. Miles Cycle Infantry. The members of the Miles Cycle Infant: will hold watch meeting services Friday evening at their quarters in the National Guard armory. The new year will be wel- comed in with appropriate ceremonies, though just what form the entertainment will take remains to be decided. A ma- Jority of the members appear to be in favor of a smoke The leave of Major Thompson of the 4th Battalion, whose place is now filled by Captain S. H. Wigg the senior cap- tain in the guard, will expire next Thurs- On this date Captain Wiggins will ime command of the Cycle Infantr: ‘The rifle team of the command partici- pated in the company team match last Wednesday evening, and made only a fair owing. The examination of the brigade board of candidates for promotion has been post- poned indefinitely. Sergeant William C. Eckstein has filed an application for transfer to Company D of the Sth Battalion. Lieutenant Weaver has secured an addi- tional three months’ leave, and is out of the city. The infantry is now in command of Lieutenant T. R. J. Campbell. A number of recruits enlisted in the com- ny during the past week. Century Cycle Clab. Last Sunday the members of the Cen- tury Cycle Club took a run to Hydttsville, Md., starting from the club house at 10 o'clock. The run was in charge of Cap- tain Byrnes. and a very pleasant time was spent. From Hyattsville a cr ountry run was taken for home, via Brookland and Soldiers’ Home The boys are very much pleased wit the club headquarters, and are hard work fitting up the place for the n meeting, which will be held the first Men- day of the new year. The members of the basket ball were badly handicapped last week, and consequently were defeated in a game wi the Queer Wheelmen on Wednesday last at the Washington Light Infantry Armory. Four of the regular members were un- ble to play and substitutes were put on m in place of Counseiman, Joncs, and Barghausen. Bob Williams, the popular treasurer of the club, left for a visit in northern Penn- nia, to spend the Christmas holidays. ed J. Vaulkman has gone to his hoe , where he will spead the holi- pa team Pos: day season with his folks. W. D. Hadger is at present on a_bust- ness trip in Florida, where he will re- main for a few days. Captain Byrnes has called a run for to- morrow, starting from the club quarters at 10 o'clock. At the next regular meeting of the club ations for member- a@ number of new apr ship will be acted upon. > L.A. W. GOSSIP. ‘There were seven applications for mem- » of the local division filed during the week, and no renewals of old member- st iy ing to the official figures this makes the membership of the District di- Vision equal %2. The Christmas gift this ycar in the shape of total membership must remain at these figures. The new members fre as follow Sidney F. I east. James A. Edgar, 29 5th street northeast. ward P. Goodrich, 916 sselievre, 315 E street north- E. Muth, 418 7th street northwest. Adele H. Vulte, 1825 I street north- west. R. Wells, 1720 Connecticut avenue. James W. Wiiliams, 749 Sth street south- est. In the last issue of the official bulletin of the league a list of the original or char- ter members of the league is published, through the courtesy of George B. Wood- It will be remem- the organization was formed In all 128 Massachusetts was rep- Fesented by forty-five cyclists, and New ward of New York. bered that May 31, 188, at Newport, R. I. ames are given. . has been postponed by the amusement | 3th street north- York was next in number with thirty-five representatives. Pennsylvania had twelve, and Rhode Island and Connecticut eleven each. Illinois had one and Maryland one. The District of Columbia was represented by two. They were H. S. Owen and H. I. Carpenter, both heing credited as being members of the Arlington Wheelmen. There are three delegates whose location cannot be placed. Under the head of the un- known is the name of Wentworth Rollins, who most likely was a member of the Capital Bi. Club vf this city, which was organized the year previous. If the press dispatches be true a queer state of airs exists in the Maryland di- vision. © city or town in the state ca he found which will be willing to accept the state meet for next year. w The meet st year s held ia Frederick, but it was not essful. The year before the ene was at Cambridge, but the results were not satisfactory. The wheelmen of Frederick who were behind the enterprise lost money, and profiting by past experience no city is willing to take hold of the mat- ter. It might be that some arrangements will be made later for the mect, but that is uncertain. The published press dispatch of the matter is as fullows: “The state meet of the League of American Wheel- men will not be neld in Hagerstown next summer, despite the fact thgt the Mary- land division is trying to force it on Ha- gerstown. George F. Updegraff, ex-cap- tain of the Hegerst¢wn Bicycle Club, stated today that he had received a let- ter from Chief Consul Sams, who asked him to get into the harness again by ac- cepting a place in the state L. A. W. board, but Updegraff politely declined. Updesraff further stated that the whe men here do not want the meet and will vot have it. He said the eastern shore dees not want it again, Baltimore city cannot get up interest enough to hold the meet there and Frederick had her eye-teeth cut last year, when the ‘fizzie’ mect was held there. In fact, he said, no town in the state wants it.” General Counci! of the Cyclists’ g Club of England has accepted the ysition of the L. W. looking to an narge of bene and contracts are now being prepared which provide that an L. W. member may join the C. T. C. (when about to tour abroad) and receive his membership ticket, foreign tour books maps, hoiel lists, &c., before sailing. This arrangement will enable him not only te lay out the details of his trip before reach- ing Europe, but will insure to him the snefits of di at Tat hundreds of hotels in all the popular cycling districts of the cor nt and the British Isles. ved from Presi t System” of railr lines, covering ‘veral ‘s of land and water routes in n and seuthi ‘iter states that the entir pted the rule of treating at no extra charge 1s and that cycling is in every way en- southe: which th made for travel over couraged. In considering the application of Boston for the 1808 L. A. W. meet the executiv committee has been forced to re liostile attitude of the New road and steam unpopular prac sum ranging lars for each bicycle checked as baggage over roads running to and from Bo: An L. A. W. meet at Boston would be popular and would probably add $: railroad fares and freights to the Ne land railroads, but L. A. W. members argue that this sum, and even more, might better he paid to friendly roads running to some | western city than to enrich the coffers of the New England combine tion.A letter has been sent by the executive committee of the L. A. W. to the general passenger agent of veral tern lines to ascertain, before final decision is reached, whether these lines cannot be induced to abandon the obnox- ious rule now in force of making extra charges for bicycles President Potter is in correspondence with prominent members of Congress with the view of obtaining the passage of a bill empowering the Secretary of the Treasury to admit touring cyclists from Canada and trom trans-Atlantic countries into the Unit- ed States without exacting the payment or deposit of customs duties on the wheels brought by such tourists for their per- sonal use. The loan committee, tlon of the last National Assembly of the L. A. W. “to provide ways and means for the help of such divisions and consulates ! the league as may, time to time, re- quire financial ald,” has rendered good ser- vice in the few months of its existence. In March last the committee formulated rules and conditions governing loans and pre- created by resolu- pared application forms which require offi- cers of a borrowing division to set forth fully all facts which ought to be considered in passing upon the application. This ap- plication d in some cases a written | Suaranty) is executed and placed before u 1 committee for its action. Thus far only one application has been rejected, and loans aggregating several thousand dolla: }have been made to seven divisions. The national body of the league holds a lien upon all future membership fees coming from borrowing divisions and thus each loan is well secured. L. A. W. members during 1808 will have an advantage not heretofore provided, in the form of reduced subscription prices to many popular periodicals, magazines and papers. Favorable “club rates” have al- teady been granted by many publication: and a full printed list with stated discounts and subscription blanks will shortly be sent to the officers of the several state divisions. To show that the league is being recog- nized as a leading factor in the matter of agitating good roads, it is only necessary to state that at the recent meeting of the Maryland state grange the matter was brought up, and the organization decided to support the league its commendable work in this direction. Chief Consul Con- way W. Sams was present at the meeting and read the draft of a proposed bill, which will be introduced in the coming legislature for enactment. The grange was deeply in- terested in the project, and promised its hearty support. FOR WOMEN CYCLISTS If one could only remember them all, there are a number of simple remedies for cold weather afflictions. To those young ladies who ride their bicycles at this sea- son of the year a simple remedy for tooth- ache or neuralgia is suggested, the use of which would hardly be dreamed of. The cold winds of this season of the year are upt to bring on either of the above-named painful attacks. The remedy is nothing more nor less than a piece of ginger, which can easily be carried in the pocket. If the air is felt in the cheek bone, slip a small piece of the root in the mouth. The burn- ing sensation is not so unpleasant, the mouth and throat will be warmed, and thus ward off all evil effects. A statement fs going around that Austria has fewer women cyclists than any other European country. The Mediterranean countries are probably not taken into con- sideration. The smaliness of the total number of female riders in Austria can hardly be wondered at when it is taken into coasideration that it is regarded as gce” form for every Austrian man on a bic @ > to greet a female rider with “All Heil:” to which it is bad form not to re- . THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1897-24 PAGES. Piy. It is a good thing that such a custom dces not exist in this country. Lole Fuller is now an enthusiastic wheel- woman. This announcement appears to be ken as @ great news item on the other ide of the water. If Loie becomes as ex- Pert in bicycle riding as she is in the mys- teries of the graceful evolutions in the ser- Pentine dance, it could, indeed, be regarded as a gocd news item. “The novel writers of the day, in order to meet the popular demand, are introduc- ing the bicycle into their stories. Indeed, the bicycle seems to be forming the con- spicuous feature in two or three novels now under way. The latest announcement is that Miss Harkncss, whose literary name is “John Law,” is now engaged upon a novel dealing with cycling in Australia. Her claim for writing such is based on her enthusiasm for the wheel, and her com- prehensive knowlcdge of matters pertaining to cycling. Women who vse chamois leather for cleaning and polishing their machines may be glad to know how to wash the leather when dirty. If it is washed with soap and water and rinsed and dried, it will become stiff and hard and almost useless. But if it is washed with soap and wat and the soap is not rinsed out, it will dry as soft and serviceable as when new. The use of toe-clips, even by lady riders, is steadily increasing. They make pedaling easier and the foot pressure more uniform and more constant; they keep the foot in place, prevent the’ slipping of the pedals at eritical times and save the rider many bad falls and perhaps seriéus accidents. Riding with toe-clips is vastly easier than without, and no rider who ever used toe- clips continuously for a week was after- ward content to ride without them. SOME CYCLE CHAT While it may not be generally known, the scheme which originated in this city two years ago, is being boomed by a western cycle paper on an enlarged scale. The scheme which originated in this place was the intercity race series, which was so suc- cessfully carried out one year ago with an overwhelming victory for the local men, but which was somewhat of a fizzle last season, when only one race was run, the score standing 15 to 6 in favor of the local riders. The scheme suggested by the western paper Is for the organization of racing teams in different cities and the holding of intercity events for the national champicn- ship. The plan is a good deal on the order of the national league in base ball circles, enly in the cycling world the circuit of cities would be much larger than in the base ball world. This is probably a good idea, though each city in the circuit should be represented by at least two good teams, one composed solely of amateurs and the cther of professional ridet In the for- mer list this elty would stand an excellent show of winning the amateur pennant for cyele races, but in the professional ranks there would be very little show, unless the racing rules be revised to permit the em- ployment of outside men to uphold the reputation and honor of the capital city. There is hardly any likelihood of this being done at any period in time for the races ot next season, but po: bly the r after the project will bear fruit. As it is now this city could not possibly have a professiona: team representing it that would stand any chances with teams representing Philadel- phia, New York, Boston or Chicago and a number of other leading cities. There is an impression prevailing, which originated some time ago, that ft is only @ question of a short time when the League of American Wheelmen will have to relin- quish its hold on bicycle racing and allow the control of the sport to pass into the hands of some others. Viewing from the present outlook, it seems somewhat proba- ble that whenever this occurs the control will hardly pass into the hands of any oth- er disinterested organization of riders. The National Cycle Track Association — will most likely fall heir to the control of the sport and govern it about on the same lines that the national league governs base ball playing, and drafts rules for the success- ful and clean working of the game. The track owners are the people who are most- ly interested in the success of racing, and to them most properly should descend thc reins of power governing cycle racing. Un- like other fields, an inclosure for cycle rac ing can only be used for the one class o sport, and the men who have placed their money in such an enterprise are anxious to realize something on the investment. They can best do this with the absolute control of cycle racing. ‘That the organization is rapidly coming to the front is evidenced by the conces- sions granted at a conference between the organization and the league officials. The track owners will have their special grand circuit, while the league will have its sep- arate national circuit, both of which cir- cuits will have to be run off on almost the same tracks. This, coupled with the fact that the track owners pay no fee for their grand circuit dates, this is stated on good authority, shows that the power of the or- ganization is fully recognized, and that peace and harmony between the two organ- izations is absolutely essential for success- ful cycle racing. The track owners are more deeply interested in racing than the league ever was, and this explains the stand taken. Looked at in another light the co: which has been duly signed by ihences organizations, makes things exceedingly in- teresting for the racing men, of profess. fonal and amateur status. No more in the east will the leading racers receive a bonus for appearing on certain occasions at tain tracks. No more can they jump off the circuit at any point and go on a put au ing expediticn to rake in more cash. Onc entered in any of the meets on the grand circuit it will be a case of going through to the finish, under penalty of being barred from riding on either the grand or national circuits in subsequent events. The entry blanks are made out for the whole of the id circuit, and entering one race is lent to entering the whole series. This agreement will undoubtedly have a tendency to boom racing in the eastern section of the country. It yet remains to be seen what steps the western people will take. They will most likely enter into the new agreement, and make the track own- ers’ association all the more powerful. Though the league will undoubtedly lose ecntrol of racing, the time is yet several years off. The secession movements which have been originated, the talk over Sunday races and all other breaks are only the precursors of what is to happen. The league was originally intended to secure good roads, and at the present time its reputation has been secured largely through its efforts in controlling cycle :ac- ing. The organization is now getting a membership over the 100,000 mark. This membership has not been secured througa its control of racing, but more to help along the caise of good roads, a movement for which all riders are heartily in favor. It is safe to predict that had as much atten- tion been paid to the cause of good roads as tg racing the membership of the organi- zation would have been much larger than at present. It is now high time to actively begin a vigorous crusade for the improve- ment of the highways. With its present membership, and the number of influential men in its ranks, the organization ought to be able to accomplish mu good in this direction. Sooner or later ft will have to relinquish control of cycle racing. and it is about time the weaning process was be- gun. Among track owners and others there has always been a sort of feeling against what was regarded as the arbitrary action of the league. It might be added that dur- ing the past year or so this feeling has in- creased intensely. If an individual invests $10,000 or $15,000 in a first-class track he is most directly interested in the outcome of the venture. However, he has very little say in the matter. The league, which has no interests at all in the trackgempha‘ .lamps and two saddles. ly states onlygsuch and such men shall be eligible to racéjon the track, and then no race meet’can held until a satisfac- tory fee has been paid for the signature of tha chairman ef the racing board to a sanction blank. The track owner may de- sire to run some races which he knows will prove a paying investment for him and in- terest the public, yet the league is inexor- able, and he! findé that he is forbiiden. Should he do so he stands the chances of having his track filaced on the black list, practically bgyco' , and he cannot run any more legitimate events. Take indcor racing for example. The league has contrq over that. If an indi- vidual or a corporation has a@ large, hall that is not rented every day and receives @ good offer for a’day’s or a week's rental the bargain is quickly made. Suppose the Farty who rénted_it erected a track and ran a six-day rac¢, for either men or wo- men, the former without a sanction. The cwners of the building would be notified of the occurrence. Should they consider the matter they are obliged to cancel the con- tract with the tenant, and lose the money for the rental, under penalty of having their hall boycotted. The owner or own- ers of the plase have probably never be- fore heard of such an organization as the ie of American Wheelmen, which Practically demands that they cancel the engagement, which in mercantile circles can only be looked upon as a purely busi- hess matter. To tell the truth, it appears to be a rather cheeky matter to demand or even request the cancellation of such @ contract, ynder penalty of boycott to the place for subsequent cycling events. Brussels has the cycling fever almost as hard as Paris has had it. Enthusiastic Promoters resident there propose to go Paris one better and give a grand tourna- ment in July next at the Bois de la Camba track, with prizes aggregating $6,500. Such a prize value will no doubt attract all the cracks on the other side, and a sensational meet can be looked for. The program will interest the riders and admirers of the sport on this side of the Atlantic. The program has been announced as follows: International one-mile, open, to be run in one heat, two semi-finals and a final. Six men in first heat, six in first semi-final, four in second semi-final and three in final Prizes, $1,200 to first, $700 to second and $200 to third. Multicycle handicap, five kilometers (578 rds), eligible to tandem, triplet, ‘‘quad,” juint” and sextuplet teams—Prizes, first, $600; second, $250; third, $150; fourth, $75. One-hour race, paced—Prizes, first, $1,000; second, $600; third, $100. If the record of 32 miles 1,084 yards ig broken by the wit ner he will receive a special prize of $250. One-mile handicap, professional—Prize: first, $300; second, $160; third, $120; fourth, fifth, $70. mile, professional, for ‘‘second-rat- ers” only—Prizes, first, $300; second, $200; third, $150; fourth, $100. —_>—_ RECOVERED---STOLEN. Since December 8, according to the re- ports presented at police headquarters, eleven bicycles have been stolen, three In the same time twenty-two bicycles and cycle sundries have been recovered. The owners of ten of the recovered articles have been found. As mary mere are held at the detective headquarters awaiting identification, while two more are cases that have been sent to the grand jury, the thieves being appre- hended and the articles to be used as tes- timony. The bicycles recovered are as fol- lows: One Wilhelm bicycle, returned to P. J. Mitchell. One National bicycle, W. Frayser. One Rambler bicycle, W. E. Clark. = One Warwi¢k bi¢ycle, returned to F. G. Berger. One Overland bicycle, tification. One Crescent bicycle, Marie Hogan. One Wilhelm bicycle, returned to owner, Harry Higham, jr. One Ideal bicycle, returned to owner, Ed- ward Southall. One Warner bicycle, held for the grand jury. One Tappan Special bicycle, held for the grand jury. One Adlake bicycle, returned to owner, C. L. Cornelius. i One Rambler bicycle, held awaiting iden- tification. One bicycle, name not known, held await- Ing identification. One bicycle frame, returned to owner, F. H. Barnhar! Two bicycle frames, held awaiting identi- fication. One Searchlight lamp, William Snyder. Three bicycle lamps, held for owners. * One wrench and tool bag, held for owner. Pair of pedals, coasters, lock, chain and bell, held awaiting owner. One lamp, held awaiting identification. One chain, held awaiting appearance of owner. owner, returned to owner, returned to owner, owner, held awaiting iden- returned to owner, returned to owner, ene eleven bicycles stolen were as fol- low A. A. Waller, 420 B street northeast, Ze- nith Special bicycle, stolen from front yard. F. G. Alvord, 2119 R street, boy’s Crescent bicycle, stolen from in front of house. M. Grim, 15 3d street northeast, Halliday bicycle, stolen from premises. A. F. Dinsmore, 407 C street southeast, Lovell Diamond bicycle, stolen from in front of house. G. W. Scott, 1703 R street, Columbia bi- cycle, stolen from in front of 1539 M street. S. Richardson, 1801 14th street, rented a Lakopa bicycle to a white man, who failed to return. M. J. Wine, 617 7th street, McCuen bi- cycle. Percy H. Wilson, 1616 14th street, Cres- cent bicycle, stolen from in front of 1111 14th street. Horace B. Fryer, 330 2d street southeast, Liberty wheel, stolen from in front of house. Edward Keys, 1017 I street, Hawthorne bicycle, rented to a colored man, who fail- ed_to return it. Ge M. Day, 807 8d street southeast, Ecilpse bicycle, stolen from in front of 202 East Capitol street. The lamps and saddles stolen, with the names of the victims, are as follows: R. Jones, 1325 lith street, King of the Road lamp, stolen from wheel In front of Columbia Theater. J. R. Morgan, 11th and G streets, one Brown saddle, stolen from wheel at above address. C. 8. Fletcher, 172 P street, Pathlight lamp, stolen from wheel. I. W. Roach, 309 Maryland avenue south-- west, Brown saddle, stolen from wheel near 10th and B streets. T. F. Young, room 10, Corcoran building, King of the Road lamp, stolen from wheel while in building. SS GENERAL GOSSIP. The question of gear cases, which comes from over the water, has heen little dis- cussed in this city, It is true that a num- ber of cases have been placed on exhibi- tion, and could e bought, but a good many people hardly knew what the things were when first seen. The gear case does not seem to be very popular in this city, and so far as thé writer knows, few, if any, are in use. © Rudyard Kipling, who became a convert to cycling some time ago, is now an enthu- silastic wheelman. “He says that touring is really the backbone of cycling, and he can be frequently‘seem wandering about Dor- setshire, England, on his wheel. He is not the only one to say that touring was the best use to which the wheel could be put. £ — None. of the Washington cycle dealers has gone down deeply in the bargain line, and suggestions in this respect can be taken from other sections of the country. A Cleveland manufacturer has perfected scheme which he calls a ‘winter bargain, says the Wheel, and rich promises to keep him busily employed during the win- ter months. For a payment of 15 cents per day from October 15 to April 15 he promises to furnish a wheel which is made of the best cold-drawn seamless tubing, with electrically welded fittings, and equipped with two-piece crank, detachable sprockets, good chain and tires, adjustable handle bar, etc. Or for 25 cents per day he furnishes a wheel constructed from the highest grade material obtainable. As a special inducement he will allow any one bringing in a bona fide order 10 per cent commission when. paid up or guaranteed paid, so that by bringing In ten such orders a wheel is obtained free. Back payments to be made up from date of filing order, which makes practically the usual first in- stallment. The talk of riding a bicycle to the Klon- dike regions, which was greeted as a great joke, may not be so funny as was at first thought. An Ohio man by the name of Stilson K. Stevenson has invented a novel wheel, for rough riding, and which it is Claimed will go over ice as nicely as on level ground. The inventor does not make any idle boasts, and for the Past three winters has experimented on Lake Erie with his model, securing very satisfactory results on ice. The details of construc- tion of the machine are not given, but it is so arranged that it ts just as easy to Propel it over a rough surface as on per- fectly smooth ice, and that in going over the latter there is no more exertion than in running over smooth ground. The in- ventor seems to think that the new bicy- cle will be a valuable adjunct for future polar exploration partiés, in addition to being a good thing for the Klondike re- gions. Relative to the claims of riders who seek to establish for themselves the record of a mile in one minute, a New York city manu- facturer has calculated that to ride a mile in one minute, a man would have to make three revolutions of his feet in one second with a 112-gear. With 134-gear, two and one-half revolutions a second would be re- quired, while with two revolutions a sec- ond, a gear of 168 Is necessary. Michael, when riding a mile in two minutes, with a 106-gear, makes one and twenty-three- hundredths revolutions a second with his feet. If a man could move his feet at a rate of one and one-half revolutions a second for sixty seconds, he would require a Bear of 224 in order to cover a mile in that time. One of the finest roads in England is called the Dover road. This is the highway which was so highly praised by Ed. Plum- mer, the English trainer, when in this city several years ago. This road js said to have been built by the Romans, afier Cae- sar’s invasion, and since that time has been improved upon until today it is regarded as the equal of any road in the world. According to a German cycling paper, summarizing the racing in that country for the past season, there were 108 foreign- ers who competed for prizes. Of this num- ber there were 25 Austrians, 23 French- men, 21 Belgian 11 Danes, & Swiss, 6 Dutchmen, 6 Italians, 4 Englishmen, 3 Americans and 1 Swede. Sixty-two of the above, including sixteen amateurs, won prizes. Bourillon, among professionals, took the lion’s share with £700; Buchne £231 15s. (this sum is exclusive of his dai income from August 15 to September pe Gerger, £220; Jaap Eden, Seidl, lis.; Barden, £65; Luyten, £56 Bouhours, £0.’ The amounts secured by the rest of the professionals vary from £30 to £4. — COLD WINTERS. Some Remarkable Records of Low Temperature. From the Spokane Spokesman. The man who leaves this section for the Klondike with a notion that it is not much colder on the Yukon than on the Columbia, will know more after he has passed one winter in Alaska. A few years ago the United States coast and geodetic survey took a series of weather observations on the Yukon, near the Klondike. The aver- age for December was 11 below zero; for January, 17 below, and for February, For five days in February the a s 47 degrees below zero. For 168 S that winter the temperature remained below the freezing point. This would be trying in a land of more sunshine. In Alaska, where, in midwinte: there are about twenty hours of darknes to four of daylight, it is most depre After a while gas and electric lights be twinkling on the Klondike, dispelling part of the darkness, but for the present, ndles must be counted nters will be full of gloom. er, there are points in the United which can make an approach to the n record for low temperature. At r River, Montana, the weather bureau record of 63.1 degrees below at rt Benton, below, Fort Assiniboine, $ below; Fort Custer, below; Fort One of the coldest and windiest places in the United States is the summit of Mount shington, in New Hampshire. ernment’ observatory there ha startling records In November, 1884, wind blew 128 miles an hour. On December 19, 1884, with the temperature degrees: below zero, the wind blew miles an hour. On January 22, 1855, with the temperature 50 below, it blew 110 miles an hour, when frost stopped the wind gauge. In March, 1881, the wind attained a velocity of 132 miles an hour, and in December, the same year, of miles an hour. ‘st inhabited point on the globe is thought to be Werchojansk, Siberia, with a record of 90.4 degrees below zero. In the winter of 188 the temperature fell to 84.3 below zero in February, to below in March, and to 78.2 below in December. The printed type, read before a cheerful fire, can give no conception of the real meaning of these figures. On the Yukon, when the temperature falls to 40 or 50 be- low zero, a man’s breath in cutting the frozen.atmosphere creates a roaring sound that is startling when first experienced. See RASS Chicago's Literary Advance. Frem Literature. Until the Columbian exhibition, four years ago, people on our Atlantic seaboard had a patronizing way of regarding Chi- cago as on the extreme outskirts of ¢ivili- zation, much as complacent Europeans are apt to regard the most established parts of America. The exhibition opened many eyes that saw it to the fact that Chicago is fast becoming an important center of in- tellectual as well as material activity. That new public library of theirs is not only, in all probability, the best building on this continent for library purposes, but it gives a permanent home to an institution which in the year 1896 circulated more books than any other in the world. The libraries of Birmingham and Boston showed for that year a circulation of above 800,000; that of Manchester one of that of Chicago one of far more than 1, 000, In each case, of course, figures were greatly swelled by ephermeral fiction and the like, but, with all allowance for this, such figures means great mental activity. Of this Chicago shows many other signs. For one thing, it has at least two other tm- portant libraries in active operation—the Newberry and that of the University of Chicago. This university, only four years old, is already an educational center of im- portance, not fairly to be judged by such feats as Mr. Moulton’s, who is trying to make ‘‘modern readers” accept the revised version of the Bible as literature. Again, the daily press or Chicago maintains an average merit which one is sometimes dis- posed to think the highest in America. oe Cheapness of American Steel, From the Iron Age. American manufacturers returning from European trips are full of enthusiasm over export possibilities. They find that the cost of producing iron and steel in Europe, especially in Great Britain, is so far above the cost in this country that, unless some radical change takes place in conditions here or abroad, our people are permanently in the lead at the very foundation of the trade. With coke costing $3.50 per ton at well-located, English works, and Bessemer ore not less than 6 cents per unit, it can be easily seen that plenty of American pro- ducers can undersell them, even with a stiff charge for ocean freight as a handicap. But not only are raw materials much dearer, thelr practice both at blast fur- naces and steel works is much inferior to ours. A 125-ton furnace is considered quite a good plant in England, while here a fur- nace producing no more than that a day is out of date, and has been for years among makers of Bessemer metal. British steel works appear to have made no progress in ten years. The machinery and methods now used are the same as were then in vogue. Reports of the heavy output at- tained by American steel works are re- ceived with incredulity, or are looked upon as Yankee tricks, accomplished by doubling up plants, instead of stirring up the Eng- lish managers or mill superintendents to attempt similar performances or find out the reason why. ———~+o+____ ‘ - Aspirations. From the Chicago Record. e “So you are going away, Mrs. Rusher?” “Yes; we are going to move to Ken- tucky for a few weeks until my husband gets to be called ‘colonel,’ and then we shall go to Washington to ‘itve.” A A New Yorker, who lately went on an excursion to New Mexico with a lot 4 railroad men, in a Ways U) a St Louis drug store, special car, reflected that alkali dust and champagne his digestion, and determined to buy a box of Ripans Tabules at “ How do these sell?” he asked of the out bought a box. this New Mexican excursion.” We sell a lot of ’em,” was the reply. That gentleman who just went He is Commodore J. EB. M. Maury of New York, who is on As days went by, our friend took a Tabule after each meal and one before bed and was as ing to regular as atop. So too was the Commodore. oa fava however, most of the party suffered more or less from over-eating, Ina over-smoking, alkali dust, want of exercise and indigestion. Nearly every one complained of constipation, and the Commodore, like a his box from time to time, and in every case relief followed trations. good angel, produced his kind]y minis- “ How does it happen,” asked the Commodore of our friend, ‘that you alone escaj escape.” the inconvenience all the others suffer from? jut our friend was foxy and would not admit that he too was a slave to Ripans Tabules ; but all that party Only you and I carry them now when they go where meals are irregular and the water is bitter or poor. A new style packet containing TRN RIPAWS TABULES ina iced sort is inten: Sores “You FIVE CENTS. This iow prt ‘of the five-cent cartons (120 tabulrs) can Couraxr, No. 10 Spruce Street, ‘New York—or a: per carton (without class) Is now for sale ct =ome for the poor and the economical. One dozen had by mail by sending forty «ight cents to the RUPAK® CREMICAL ingle carton (TEN TABULES) will be sent for five cents. BUILT-UP Woop. A Veneering Process That Substantial Furniture. From the Boston Transcript. It may come as a learn that the veneered table, si¢ rd or other article of furniture with a core of white pine 1s more durable than the solid picces of our forefathers. In a high-clas store, where antique furniture is ke Mak close examination of the various aricles will show that most of them hay is fec the wood warped, cracked somewh: This evitable mishaps to har how caretuliy the: checked or is one of the in- woods, no matter are cured and preserv- ed. In about nin out of ten the wood will show defects before half a ce tury old. The old vencered furniture has Gefects also; but they are in the form of chips and picces knocked out. This can be remedied by v ering the eracks in solid wood paired. The so-called sy lumber is now em ture of most of th This is a great impro fashioned one-laycr ve the most durable eve: enting togeth t woods transvers neered Wi r way from on inch. over again, but not well be re- of joyed in handsome m “building th up” manufac- furniture. t over the old- er work, and it is mad Itc of thin v ly with the . ns in thickness ail th eenth of an inch to hal only hard woods are but a core of soft and nearly always employed. On venee are cemented. e the grain running from right to left; the second layer has the grain running up and down, and the third fourth diagonally, cros se and every other direction. The result is that the “built-up” board can neither crack, split warp nor twist. Moreover, it is lighter than any sclid hard wood board, more flex- ible and durable. This “built-up” idea of wood originated in the shops of Ame worked here more ¢ y than abroad, h all of the European factories now avail themselves of the system, the old idea of vencering improved and de- veloped. It wa first discovered and em- ed in the manufacture of the old three- y chair and car seats. The remarkable durability, strength and flexibil of these seats were apparent at ace and they nin vegue ever since. They were cementing together three thin v f some strong wood, such as may ash or oak, with the grains running in op- posite directions. The amount of strain these wooden seats would stand w be- yond belief. From this simple beginning ihe idea of “built-up” lumber originated. It is now being manufactured extensively and em- ployed In new lines of work ev om of ar. The success of the modern bicycle rily due to it. The Nght wooden wheel rims are made of “built-up” lumber. Strips or Ts of such tovgh woods as mapic, hickory and black walnut are glued or cemented tezether with the grains running in opposite directions. Then they are Lent into a circle and turned. The re sult is the light, elastic, but sirong, bicycl rim of today that is practically unbreak- able or unsplittable, and which will wear better than metal rims. It was not until this idea could be utilized that bicycle man- ufacturers would guaraniee the wooden- rim wheels; but today every concern has implicit confidence in them. Architects have taken up the idea, and concerns are now manufacturing “built- up” doors, panels and boards used for | # trims. The doors tave a core of white pine | with veneers of fancy woods. These doors cannot shrink, warp or split, and, while have all the appearance of hard-wood doors, they are so light that they swing freely and easily on their hinges. In Buf- faio a factory is now manufacturing “built up” doors with the frames left hollow. This not only saves material and cost of manufacturing. but the doors are lighter and stronger. The cost of finishing the in- terior of houses with hard wood or expen- sive wood doors, panels and trimmings is great; but many of the medium and hetter- class houses now are finished in “built- up” boards, with the outside veneers made of fine maple, birch or other expensive woods. The effect is very striking. The furniture maker was in the field be- fore the architect or builder, and he turned out magnificent sifeboards and tables long before the system was employed in other departments. Tke furniture has a quarter of an inch veneer on the surface of genuine mahogany, birch, maple or other woods. and so securely and firmly is it cemented down that neither time nor changes in the weather will ever affect it. The most beau- tiful effects can be produced by this sys- tem. Old antiques are closely imitated, but with the added advantages of lightness and greater durability. Modern styles of fur- niture are made in the same way. One thus has the choice of any style, made as our forefathers never dreamed of, and which casts into the shade their greatest effcrts. Those who believe that modern in- genulty does not excel that of our country- men of a century ago sould siudy some of the results of these factories. The “built-up” timber is destined to play an important part in all of the future in- dustries connected with the building trades ard furniture end cabinet making. Inven- tors have already adopted the idea in working out schemes for reducing the weight of wocden articles wherever this is an importent factor. ——__+-e+____ Old Packs of Cards. From Tit-Bits. A pack of cards was recently sold at a Lendon stationer’s for £120. It was one of the handsomest Italian copperplate card games called “‘teroochi.di Montegna,” made during the fifteenth century. Another pack of cards recently sold at Paris for almost £80. Each of the cards in this pack is a masterpiece of the engraver’s art, and all the figures in the game were historical portraits. The queen of hearts, for instance, represented Queen Anne, the king of hearts being her husband, Prince George of Denmark. The queen of dia- monds was Queen Anne Sophia of Den- mark, the queen of clubs the then Crown revelation to some to | It is realty | | 1 i | F ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. An Indiana 0) Fugitive Slaves. From the Indianapolis News. Near the cross-strect, in Fountain City, formerly called Newtown, where are clus- tered the post office, drug store and the | town's business activity is the home of thr noted president of the underground rail- road—Levi Coffin. The name was con- ferred by a troop of southern slavehunters, who said that, as they could trace their runaways to the house of Levi Coffin, b no further, there must be an undergr< railroad by which they which he must be the name of the railro: never changed. is a movement on foot Quakers of Indiana to purchas and preserve it as a Coffin, for under its and hidden ) runaway si them kept and f lo} th among the h monument to ase Levi ed as nS Seve Such was the sa: sness and of Levi Coffin and his wife, “Aunt aty” Coffin, that out of that larze num ber not one was ever captured in their house and led back to slay Levi and “Aunt Katy” Coffin fig Simeon and Rachel Hall the Tom's Cabin.” have had as ¢ Pre couple alluded to in “t In the old house they Beecher resis erick ss, the n Under thei ure roof the: tered Eliza Harris for days—the Eliza in “Uncle Tom's who escaped with her child across the Ohio river on cakes of floating rying her babe in her arms The house is a substantial pbling ighibs shaded by great in fre The front part of the house is two stories in height, while the L built to it is but one “rom the roof of the hig the raft- built Imstanc not attract ntion outside, upstairs room inside it could One would never suspect that under the sloping rafters there was a dark ‘oom, amy large to hide a number of Siaves, for which it was used. The smail door which opened into it Uirough the wail was secured f by a bed, which, pushed completely hid it from prying car- wri and is ers ar which ¢ and in not be to the lower, n an en m bservatio inst it, yes ——+e-_ The Largest Canal in the World. From Tit-Bits, The Chenab irrigation canal west provinces, India, is 200 feet broad. It is doubtless the largest canal in the world. Its main channel is 450 miles long, while the in the north- principal branches have an aggregate length of 2,000 miles, and th branches will extend, when comp!et an additional 4,000 miles. Apart from i gation, the longest canal in the world is that which extends from the frontier of China to St. Petersburg, and is 4,472 miles in length. Another Russian from Astrachah to St. Petersvur long; both the 1 canal, > be. anal, nnecting with the River Ganges, com- pleted in 1854, is 90) miles in length, and cost £2,000,000 sterling, o: per mile. The total length of canals in India for ir- rigating 8,000,000 acres is calculated at 14,- 00 miles. The Crnal du Midi, connecting the Atlantic with the Mediterranean, is 148 miles long. The Caledonian canal in land has a length of 60 mi From the Indianapolis News. The campaign for the sanita pencils for use in the public schools not end the efforts of the health offi to elude the ways of the microbe. Hurty, secretary of the state board health, has been imteres: of din reading of a public drinking device, which goes the in- dividual communion cup idea one better in disposing of cups altogether in drinking. It is a drinking fountain placed on a ped- estal, so as to be in the reach of the average human mouth. From the midst of the basirm projects a little nozzle, shoot- ing up a jet of water not very lage nor violent. To drink, a person simply lets the little water jet play into his mouth and takes his fill. The jet may be turned on or off. As there are no cups, and the same water never touches two pairs of lips, there is no chance for microbes which seek to travel from one mouth to another. The argument Is that, as long as the water itself is pure, this is an absolutely safe method of public drinking. ———__ +0 Wild Horses Arizona. From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. “There must be 20,000 head of wild horses in northern Arizona,” said Will S. Barnes, one of the largest cattle owners in Navajo county, recently. ““They are the worst nui- sance that can be imagined. It has reach- ed the point where ge cannot safely turn out a riding horse to graze. We have to keep our saddle animals and round-up horses stabled all winter or bring them down to Phoenix for pasturage. The wild stock not only eat the food that ought to go to the cattle, but they run cattle off the range. They have chased off all the cattle from the west end of the Hash Knife range, one of the best grass districts in northern Arizona. It is useless to put out salt for the stock, for the wild horses chase away the cattle that come near it. At this season of the year they are fat and have shining hides. They sweep over the coun- try Im great bands, gathering up any stray animals they may come across. A horse is as geod as lost that joins them.” ——_—_— ++ + Triumphed Over the Electric Light. From the Wilmington Morning News. At the Sussex county Teachers’ Insfitute held in Milford, Del., last week a lady teacher boarding at the Windsor Hotel tried io blow out the electric ight. Being un- able to blow it out, she wrapped a skirt around it, but the skirt would not stay, so she tried to fan ft out, and in her exertion struck it, and it broke. She succeeded.