CYCLING NOTES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5166, 26 October 1895, Page 3

CYCLING NOTES.

[BT hwouier.] Cycling formed s, special feature of tho Sports on tlifi Mnstcrton Park Oval on Thursday., Hitherto, wheel ovonts liavo been the weakest part • of tho programme, but tho groiviug €ilarity of tho machino is ovicd by the interest exhibited this , and it is plea,sing to notice tlmt tho Club is encouraging cycling. Mr James Mowlem, the W.A.A. and C. Club's new Secretary is an enthusiistic cyclist, It is believed that cycling will continue to grow in favour,and hold ■s a prominent place as a means of locomotion, until flying-machines become common and easily manipulated. This is not likely l» come about for somv time, as up to the present nearly every invention to enable man to emulate the birds of the ftirlias proved a miserable failure, and about ninety-nine and tlirecquarteis per cent, of the misguided > mortals who have tried to fly, have simply invited sudden death. the world and an appreciable contingent of her husband besides, figure vigorously at Battcrsea from 10,i!0 to 12 by the clock nowadays. Cycling lias, as a matter of fact, says The Sketch, bccomeour only pleasure, and breakfast at While's annexe with strawberries and hockcup « yjlpw/on, oiler nil that life lias to of its pleasantest in the season's early daytime, The Duke of York on his Bantam, is the latest royal recruit to this overwhelming gaiety, and one of tho infrequently graceful is Princess Maud of Wales. Few women, indeed, move more prettily either on a wheel or off. Tho Duchess of Fife is an adept already at this gumo of games, and next season we shall, no doubt, see tho Duchess of i York duly enrolled, Meanwhile, : the ardent Parisian never took more i kindly to the Bois than we to our Surrey Side. And if we still fail to i grasp tho divided skirt in its most graceful reading, doubtless that will eomo. Whon a man meets with an accident through the fault oi negligence ; of another, ought the injured person i to be denied a remedy at law against I the person who causes tho injury, because he is indemnified by a club ' or insurance society F This question has been decided by the Judge of the ] Bristol County Court in tho case of Edwards v. Harris. The plaintiff, , whfis a working man, was walking a bicycle in tho street, when the bicycle manufacturer, came along in a pony trap and ran into him, injuring him in the ribs and smashing his bicycle. The victim ' belonged to a club, which paid his _• doctor's hill and allowed him 12s a 1 week during the period of his dis- ' ablement. it was contended that the defendant had no right to bonefit by the prudence and foresight of the plaintiff in joining the club, and on 1 the judge venturing to ask for a precedent counsel read a judgment ; of Mr Justice Bramwell which fully j bore out this view. Under these cir- ( cnmstances, His Honor ruled that c

evidence with regard to payments by the club in respect to the accident vwas not material lo the case, and he gave judgment for £l2 damages, with costs. Mr Beniio Kroiner, a well-known journalist of Vienna, is about to start on a bicycle trip round the world. Ho has provided himself a camera, to enable him to lake 'pfcpshots" of interesting scenes ' and incidents on his journey. " Ulysses," writing from Keokuk (U.S.), under date September 7, says: —" The bicycle has the right of wayill this country. The astonishing rapidity and unanimity with which humanity has jumped the wheel is changing social conditions aud enr vironments in a marked degree. Many writers expatiate at length upon the health-giving and norvebuilding powei of this new and popular pastime. The preachers, however, denounce it, because it has a tendency to empty the pews on summer Sabbath days. The W.C.T.U. women commend it, because the men must keep sober in order to ride, and recognise it as an evangelistic, agency for sobriety. A recent issue of the' United States Tobacco Journal' declares that the bicycle has caused a total reduction in the consumption of cigars for the

year of £7,000,000. The' Journal,' therefore, regards tbe bicycle as an 'enemy of the tobacconist, basing its assumption on the fact that men Am smoke when riding a wheel," "Bicyclist was recently thrown on to the electric railway near Bushmills, in America, with his machine on the top of him. He received a strong electric current, and died , without regaining consciousness. Only those ladies who liavo ridden along the road on a bicycle, fully know the annoyance they have to enduro from some people whom they pass. It would seem as though a lady on a bicycle was a fair target for hoys, men and even women, to poke fun at-. A New Zealand writer recommends lady cyclists to carry a glten hide and to use it on provocation ; but this, of course is no euro for ngsinine remarks, but simply by contempt to live them down, Fifteen years ago, men riding high bicycles bad to suffer tlio sneers of tho mob, but to-day men suffer no such annoyance, and in course of timo women will not be troubled either. ' Zimmerman is to stay a month in Adelaide before going to Melbourne. He is making use of the oval track in that city—which is the best in Aitfji'alasia-for training purposes. BAb expected to make his first appearance on the Sydney cricket ground, on November 16th and 23rd, at the N.S.W. League's Meeting, r> Diamonds and gold bars are now becoming popular amongst American ataateurs for prizes. If not equally as useful as current coin the differonce is, indeed slight, but the American League ordains that money prizes shall not be given. Gold bars have to be assayed, weighed, registered, suitably engraved, and made bo that they can bo hung as medals, Then they must be photographed and copies furnished to the Cycling Racing Board. It seems that all 'these precautions are taken to prevent amateurs Belling their trophies. An American firm makes bicycle rims of paper. They are said to be very light—only 16oz—and also strong. They can be enamolled in any colour desired and are said to be strong aud cheap. i&Lßuffalo (U.S.A.) race meetings fdPwmei) are hold, all the'races boing contested by members, of the gentler sei. These-races aro not popular, beiug simply processions of gaudily-painted bicycles, ridden by fantastically dressed women. ,

The Canadian "Wheelmen's Association does not approve of lady cyclists, and ill members are not permitted to race for record purposes on any occaiion when a lady's rice forms part of tli# programme.