The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 26, 1896, Page 1

i VOLUME LXXX.—NO. 56. SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 26, 1896—THIRTY-T‘V()_ PAGES. PRICE/FIVE CENTS. SAN FRANCISCO BICYCLE RIDERS AS DISCIPLES OF PROGRESS. Enthusiastic Outpouring of Devotees of the Wheel Who JAre Determined on Improving the v il il b i 10 104 ", ICYCLISTS of every age, race, sex and color—bicyelists from every stratum of cycledom, from the scorcher with his interroga- tion-point hump to the hoary- «eaded patria cer, sitting in military srectness on an e 60-pounder wheels— n short, every who could claim any legree of prof; 7 in managing a wheel, urned out last it to take partin the reat demonstration in favor of good treets. Such a parade as last night’s has never refore greeted the eyes of San Franciscans nd it was estimated that at least 100,000 vectators lined the streets. The number f wheelmen who started with the proces- ion isestimated to have been at least 5000, ‘hey came from every direction on wheels 0 every stage of decoration and threnged be streets in the vicinity of Twenty-sec- nd and Folsom until even the pedestrians ould scarcely move. Long before the order to fall in was dven thousands had assembled. Posi- ioné of vantage from which to view the sarade had been pre-empted all along Fol- om street. The sidewalks were thronged or blocks and the windows of every ouse were crowded with spectators. It ras the same all along the hne of march, mt the contrast between the usual quiet- iess that prevailsalong the Mission streets eade the activity and bustle last night specially prominent. ‘While the procession moved down Fol- om street all went well. The street has ieen recently paved and the smooth sur- ace of the pavement is a perpetual delight o wheelmen. When, however, the line of sarch turned onto the rough and uneven lowntown cobblestones the trouble be- an. Falls apd collisions somewhat shat- ered the serried ranks of wheeimen and or the rest of the distance to the speak- rs’ stand on Van Ness avenue the march ras a race of individuals rather than of odies. The scene on Van Ness avenue after the itragglers had reunited was a wonderfully mimated one. As in the Mission then the procession started, so on the wenue at the finish the sidewalks and . such of the street were black with people. ted fires blazed on every corner, and at be corner of Fell and Van Ness a huge onfire threw its glare upon the motley auititude. Emblazoned in. vari-col- red Chinese lanterns upon a wall op- josite the speakers’ stand, the inscription ‘Finish Folsom Street” admonished the ssembled cyclers that Market street was ot the only street that needed improve- 1ent. “‘Repave Market street,” however, was he warcry last night. Placards of every ize and color and glaring transparencies siterated thelaconic demand for strest im- rovement. And few of the thousands of pectators who witnessed the great ¢emon- iration last night failed to realize that bis warcry is zoing to be one of the great logans of the coming municipal cam- 2ign. It was easily apparent tbata new lement had come into local politics, and bat the wheelmen’s vote would be & po- tent factor in determining future munici- pal administration. The turnout last night was, as it were, a test of the political strength of the wheelmen, and it showed how great that strength really is. It is said that the wheelman vote will amount to something like 30,000, and with such a balance of power they are quite likely to effect a change in the policy that has long pre- vailed in street improvement, of putting down smooth pavements among the sand dunes and on the rocky hillsides of the remote saburbs and leaving the principal thoroughfares of the City in a condition of comparative impassibility that would shame all but silurians. The demand—with which last night's great demonstration will do much to secure compliance—will probably be but the initial one of a series for street improve- ment reform. The wisdom shown by the wheelmen in co-operating thus' to secure the one de- sired improvement seems very likely to be rewarded with success. The very fact that they stand together as a body instead of being divided by each one working for some local improvement affecting his own neighborhood proves that their promi- nence as & public factor will be consider- able, Mission residents are particnlarly inter- ested in securing the repaving of Market street and obtaining a mesans of commu- nication with the City, such as Golden Gate ayenue furnishes to Western Addi- tion residents. Nevertheless, proposed im- provements will affect nearly every wheel- man in this City and out of the City as well. Many of the cyclers who now ride to San Jose by way of Oakland and San Leandro do so because they dread the ride over the rough cobblestones and along the slippery cable-slots: of -this City. If a smooth street gave them an opportunity of getting out into the country and down toward San Mateo County without risk- ing their necks and shaking themselves and their wheels to pieces on the cobbles 2 great many wheelmen would take the San Mateo route to San Jose, instead of crossing the bay to Oakland. Never in the history of the southeast ‘I | o O 77?') il ((l,llll /) S, S Y2, A Brilliant Section of the Parade as It }\epeamd a Few Minutes After the Start. end of Folsom street was there anything to compare with the scene that was wit- nessed there at 8 o’clock last evening. Old and young, fat and lean turned out as if by magic upon the adjoining streets leading into this newly bituminized thor- oughfare. Houses that heretofore were content with an ordinary hall light be- came illuminated from basement to gar- ret. Not content with turning on a full stream of gas lights in every room com- manding a view an abundance of Chinese lanterns were strung from roof to stakes in the ground about the gardens. Noticeable among the residences which made more than an ordinnay display were that of Captain W. A. Phirips, 2832 Fol- som .street, whose three-story building ‘Wwas a transparency worthy of comment. Captain A. F. Spear, 2008 Folsom, had “old glory” out at full length, with a string of Chinese lanterns_on other side. H. C. Somers, 2906 Folsom, tried to surpase his neighbor in his line of deco- rating. George Flack's residence, 2000 Folsom, shone forth in splendor with a variety of lights. Mrs. F. Nelvon did her share to give eclat to the occasion. George Bueker and F. 8. Nieson added much in their line. But the handsomest decorated place on this section, so far as its unique- ness was concerned, was the residence of William McMurray, 2926 Folsom, where each rose bush and vine bore its burden of lanterns, The front of Cosgrove Bros.' store on Folsom and Twenty-sixth streets was bandsomely set out with. an abundant dis- play of lanterns and American smail flags, Henry Mohr, 2934 Folsom, was as good as his neighbors in the illuminating line. Captain George A. Raabe, with his fitty aids, took up their stations on Twenty- sixth street, west of Folsom, and there patiently awaited the formation of the procession on Shotwell street. In the meantime every man, woman and child in charge of a wheel were busy trimming their lamps and attaching their Chinese lanterns to every conceivable limb of the silent modern horse. Some had huge umbrellas, some had small ones, while others had none—but all had their wheels decorated with red and white bands bound round the rims, en the spokes, and, in fact, all over the entire bike. -Each bicycle had.its ever-present bell, ranging in tone from the husky rat- tle of the cowbell to the sharp tinkle of the silver-tongued alarm. At last a squad of mounted police hove in sight on the corner of Folsom and Twenty-sixth streets and gave the order to form on Shotwell street and wheel round Twenty-sixth in rear of the grand marshal and his aids. As this order was heard and understood there was a movement such as never be- fore was witnessed in San Francisco. Chinese lanterns commenced to move as if by magic. As soon as the head of the procession swung into Folsom that boulevard was lighted up by & sudden flare of calcium lights from doorsteps and balconies until that portion of the street was illuminated with lurid rays which, when thrown on the passing decorated bicycles, produced a most pleasing effect. This exhibition was kept up and down the street as far as the eye could reach, ‘while the procession went on and on. The following divisions and organiza- tions of wheelmen were in the line: Advance platoon mounted police. * Grand marshal, Captain Georgeé A. Raabe, First division—Mounted. South Side Improvement clubs. Merchants’ Association, Association of Im- provement clubs. Citizens—All mounted. » Becond division—Ladies’ Alpha Cycling Club and unattached lady riders, preceded by chil- ‘dren on wheels under the care of special detail of mounted police. Third division—Marstiels, John Burke and James Joyce; unattached wheelmen. Fourth division—Visiting wheelmen; Acme Club Wheelmen, Oakiand; Ariel Bicycle Club, Vallejo; Alameda Cyoclers, Alameda; Diamond Cyclers, Alameda; Crescent Athletic. Club, Berkeley; Petaluma Wheelmen, Petaluma; ‘Palo Alto Wheelmen, Palo Alto; Menlo Park ‘Wheelmen, Mountain View; Napa Wheelmen, Naps; Reliance Wheelmen, Oakland; Santa Rosa Wheelmen, Santa Rosa; San Leandro Wheelmen, San Leandro. Fifth division—City clubs: C. A. C.C.; Bay City Wheelmen-and unattached friends, with floats, transparencies, etc. Sixth divislon—California Cycling Club and unatiached friends, with floats. Seventh division—CALL Cycling Club and un- attached friends; Golden Gate Cycling Glub and nnattached friends. Eighth division—Imperial Club and unat- tached friends, with band, floats, etc. Ninth division—Liberty Cycling Club and Tl T 1 ] e ' et — i ! 4 i, i (C (a8 City's Thoroughfares—Fully One Hundred Thousand Spectators Viewed the Parade. L4 (ol ;!' r: ig/a unattached friends; Olympic Club Wheelmen and unattached friends: Tenth division—Olympic Cyclers and unat- tached friends; Pathfinder Bicyele Club and unattached iriends. Eleventh division—San Francisco Road Club and unattached friends; bugle corps, float. ete.; San Francisco Y. M. C. A. Cycling Club and friends; Waverly . Cycling Club and friends. Twelith division—Unattached clubs: Na- tional Guard Wheelmen; Presidio Wheelmen, U.8. A. Thirteenth division—The Thirteen Club; Union Iron Works Wheelmen; John 5con Marshall float; Potrero Wheelmen.. Fourteenth division—Pacific Cycling Club; Verein Eintracht Wheelmen. . Fifteenth 'division—Golden Gate Wheelmen ; Barker Cycling Club; Pheenix Cyeling Club; Lily Cycling Club; Maii-Carrier Cycling Club. As the troop of horsemen in the van of the procession made their way at a clip- ping gait along Folsom street the crowd, which had assunied large proportions even as far as Fourth street, gave away easily. But when Tenth street was reached the street was a mass of people clean to the center. g | The squad of police in front of the grand marshal were scarcely able to make & passageway through. On Market street the horsemen made a slow determined charge from Eighth down to Kearny. The cable-cars were so burdened on their sides, roof and platform that they sagged perceptibly. It would have required a hundred police- men to hold in check the enormous crowd on the downtown streets; it surged in on Some of the Bicycle Glub Emblems That Are Familiar in San Francisco. the procession like the ocean and looking back on Market street the horsemen saw nothing of the wheel cavalcade they were leading but an occasional lamp bobobing above a black stream of people.§ The bursting of a rocket in the air fol- lowed by a glare of red fire was the sig- nal for the wheelmen to move, and then the band near the head of the column struck up a popular air, Divisions and clubs wheeled into line and began the trip down Folsom street. The residents along that thoroughfare were all alive to the oc- casion, and on nearly every house frort were displayed Japanese lanterns and bunting. In many of the windows were illumina- tions in the old-fashioned style—rows of candles placed one above another. 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