Cycling.

Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 33, 16 February 1901, Page 16

Cycling .

Loid Robcits commandeered all tlic cycles in the tow n of Pretoria — -some 2000. The.se machines, many of them bring ladies', were distributed amongst the tioops, and it was no uncommon sie;ht in Pretoria to see a strapping (>ft trooper pedalling about on a small, dainty little lady's machine. Two cyclists, named Gray and Thompson, had a narrow escape when nding down hill at Hangman's Gully on the way from PaLmerston. to Dunedin, the other day. They were riding tandem, when the machine got beyond control, and r<tn away with them. Both riders came to grief. Gray, being in front, received the brunt of the fall, and got a severe scalp wound, with slight concussion of the brain, which rendered him temporarily insensible Thompson was also severely knocked about, but not so badly as Ins comrade. The application of a brake to the rim of the wheels in tlie case of free-wheel machines, or brakes operated by hand pressure against this portion of the w heels, has proved a severe strain upon the spokes, in some cases damaging the wheel to such an extent that it was unfit to be used. This has led the manufacturers to fit a brake w hich will follow the irregularities of the rim, and obviate any tendency to strain on the spokes. Connected with the foot of the brake are springs, which allow of either section to rise or fall independent^' of the other, and by this ts ensued the freedom ot the rim from all undue strain Says "Demon," in the "Otago Witness" — "An innkeeper who has accommodation to spare is bound to accept a cvc'ist as a truest. The only ground on which admission can be refused is that the traveller is drunk or disorderly, or is a person of notonously bad character, or is suffering from a disease which would render his presence in the house a source of danger to its other inmates A cyclist who asks for refreshments during closing hours is a traveller in the legal sense if he slept at least three miles from the inn on the previous night A landlord who accepts you as his guest is responsible for the safety of your machine. If the

machine is stolen or injured while in his custody he is liable to compensate you. But his responsibility ceases if the machine is lost or damaged by reason of any carelessness on your own part."

A golf billiard tournament is in progress at the Wellington Cycling Club's, rooms. Play in the New South Wales Amateur Billiard Championship commences on May 20th, entries closing on the 30th April. The championship is to carry a 20-guinep trophy, and probably a challenge cup of the same value. Mr. Pittar, the Auckland yachtsman, has disposed of his new yacht, the Sunbeam, to a Sydney yachtsman. Mr. Archive Logan, the younger brother of the firm of Logan Brothers, took her over to vSydney. Dick Cavill evidently had a mortgage on the swimming championships in Melbourne — he has won the lot. The New Zealander Champion did not have a chance with the "big guns" on the Australian side, as he only managed to secure a third in a handicap event. Cavill says Champion did not do as wejl as was expected, but that he swam right up to his New Zealand form. Mr. Sidney H. Fry, the English amateur billiard champion, is settling in Australia. Of his play an English Kaper says in discoursing on a match c played at Home "He wielded his cue most attractively and scientifically. He showed such an understanding of the finer points of the game that the spectators, whenever he had anything approaching an opening, always looked tor lum to do something big, and they ■were quite ' warranted in so expecting. A man who can make a break of KiB like that which Mr. Fry can lay claim to, is not an everyday customer by any means. His best work was 'done at close quarters. He made some tricky little 'kiss' cannons that would have done credit to John Roberts." Mr J< ry is a son of Mr. R. Fry, the leviathan >,nghsh bookmaker.