May 6. THE SPORTING LIFE. 11

CYCLING.DITTON.

THE PLACE WHERE THE NOTED ANGKL IS.

The Most Famous Cycling Resort in the World Described and Com­ mented Upon An Inn Where Cy­ cling is Supreme."By repute Ditton is the best-known place

hi the cycling world. A perfect controvers­ ial cyclone raged over it a short time back, which served to still further advertise its name, and to screw up the curiosity ot those that had never seen it as to what manner of place this great Ditton might be to the high­ est pitch. Recognizing the fact that amongst our numerous country readers there are to be found many of these want-to-know-you-kuow cyclers we are going to try and satisfy the natural curiosity by a little description of Ditton as it is.

"At the very finish of the suburban portion of the Portsmouth or Kipley road there is a short, gentle rise known as Gig's Hill. At the top of this rise the road suddenly opens out. Straight away the main road stretches, a tempting bit of broad, level excellence; on the right of it the miniature plain of Long Ditton green, sacred to cricket on Saturdays and the Salvation Army ou Sundays, bor­ dered on one other side of its triangle by cosy old-established cottages, and on the fur­ ther side by the dead wall of some park-like grounds, with noble trees visible above it. Sharp ott the road to the left, in a sort of recess, stands the Angel Inn, beloved of the Brave Hearts, with a well-kept bit of road­ way right up to its door anu a little private triangular green, a sort of stray island from the mainland, in front. It is on this bit of roadway and green that the cyclists congre­ gate, and when the weather allows stretch their baked forms upon the somewhat dusty turf. It is not unusual to see the whole space crowded thickly with cycling men and \vomen with their machines. Now let us have a look at the Angel itself.

"When we first knew the Angel it was a

Sicturesque old-fashioned place, two stories igh, with a great bow window ontheground

floor out of which used to be handed the drinks on Sunday mornings. \Vedon't know if it was the bow window, our novicohood, or what it was, but certainly no drinks have

fone down half so well as those that a girlish and used to pass out to us through there.

But the bow window has gone forever and in its place a modern bar has appeared, stuck on to the old white, square-windowed, flat building, and looking about as much in keep­ ing with the fitness of things as a green veranda would round St. Paul's. That bar always suggests to us the picture of a hand­ some old gentleman spoilt by a too promi­ nent set of false teeth. However, this sort of thing does not trouble cyclists much, and they quail' their ginger beer and lime quioe ut the bar without the slightest ill feeling towards it.

"Once inside, entering through the low narrow door in the middle of the house, the modern bur is soon forgotten, and the place is seen to be as delightfully old-fashioned, dark and uncomfortable as the most fastidi­ ous could desire. On the left a small room hung with cycling pictures, and looking out through a deeenl-sized porthole on the little green in front. In this department have prodigies of eating been performed by thin and elongated Brave Hearts, and I51ake, the waiter who is like no other waiter in the rrorld, but we believe a Father Christmas fnllcu on prosaic times and obliged to earn a matter-of-fact living by attending to the ceaseless wants of a lot of modem cyclists could tell a tale or two.

"On the other side of the passage, and be­ hind the offending bar, there is a smoke- begrimed den, to which many a once cyclist now In distant lands throws often hack a re- pretr'ul thought of simple pleasures past. Herein the winter pleasant to gather round the unstinted fire, with precautionary glasses of something warm to ward off the chill, and reminisce with kindred"souls; or w-hen the air throbs with the heat, and the glare of sunlight alaiost bores, pleasant still to seek the eool shade and restful darkness of this crumped, low-roofed little room and hear how So-and-so won and why So-and-so lost at yesterday's meeting. This is the lair of the great Nairn, and it Is here those Ditton pars, for which Wheeling is so justly famous are first conceived, to blossom later into items of absorbing interest in its columns.

Out the back ot the old house ore more modern buildings, with a long plain room where the famous 'Ditton' Sunday dinners aro served the best on the Ripley road. Un­ der is a bowling alley, where the machines are stabled. There are a few hundreds of pounds worth of cycles there very often. Be­ yond it all thsro is a retiring little garden, with well-kept turf and flower beds. 1'or some reason this garden is not much affected by cyclists and it is rarely crowded. It is possible sometimes, even in the height of summer, to tea in the arbor with no more distracting company than a few excited ear­ wigs in a desperate hurry. There are many worse places t» dream away a hot summer afternoon than the yielding turf at the back of the Angel (as we have discovered more than once), and has it not got a river (two feet broad) flowing at its foot, and it is well known what a charm water gives to any scenery. By this time, dear provincial reader you may bavs gathered from our feeble description some sort of idea as to what this much-talked- about Ditton is like.

"We will now briefly trot out, for your critical inspection, some of the leading types that use the place. All sorts and conditions of cycling men and women halt at Dittou. It is a Olapham Junction of cycling humanity. Hither comes tha small maker, with his latest patent improvement, over which he will waste his limited capital, and the repre­ sentative of the big firm, watching the pulse of the public. Here is the winner of yester­ day's big scratch race trying to look as if hs could never possibly do sucua thing, and the winner of th« small-club handicap from limit swaggering round at the head of a troupe ot admiring club friends. There isa flutter of interest a lady cyclist has arrived she aspires to be manly, and is rather loud, and strolls about chatting with all and sun­ dry with perfect coolness, during which time a quiet and well-dressed sister follows her 'About with her eyes andalook of ill-concealed disgust.

"Then there is the dapper cyclist who has more care for his collar than his machine; the jovial cyclist who has no care for any­ thing; the "Arry, 1 always ill-dressed, dusty and untidy, but sometimes well-mounted, and many other type of cycling meu, not for­ getting the ever-present pressmen taking mental notes of it all. It is a wonderful place this Dittoii and one can almost under- Bland and excuse the infatuation that draws the same men to it every Sunday of the year. A place where one is almost sure of meeting a friend, of hearing something interesting, of seeing something new and amusing, of hav. ing a good dinner grows strangely attrac­ tive." Cycle Record.

GTtAPHIS' GR1KP.

Showing How a Puncture Caused It and a Plaster Cured It A New Use For Columbian Blanket Stamps.What is the use of a Dunlop Detachable

when your repair outfit is at home? That is the riddle that forced itself upon the mind of the sub-editor of the 7mA Cyclist last week, when she found herself in a desolate spot near the Giaut's Causeway, alone with a punctured tire, only stray cottages in sight, the nearest town five miles away, and the dusk beginning to come down. Thepeasants working in the fields near were very sympa­ thetic; they crowded round her, offered needles and thread, rags and paraffin(\) for her consolation, and told her that there was not a doctor's or a dispensary (where she had hoped sticking-plaster might be attainable) for miles. Ttie sub-editor, however, objects strongly to walking under such circum­ stances, and determined that, come what might, she would get that tire repaired some­ how. Rumors of a post-office a mile or two ou caused her to hasten forward in the uoce

of getting paste or gum. Alas! there was not such a thing in the place when it was reached. Had they envelopes? Oh yea, and stamps, too. So the sub-editor, with deadly anger and impatience, and a pair of blunt scissors, opened her obnoxious tire, found the punc­ ture, stuck a couple of strips off the flap of an envelope over it, covered up the whole with a halfpenny postage stamp, replaced the cover and found the tire rideablel It carried her home safely over eleven miles of ruts and stones, but for the sake of safety she repaired it again next morning with the orthodox rubber patch.

DOCTOR SAID RIDE A WHEEL.

But the Patient Thought of Stoop Shoulders, Scorchers, Uniforms and Clubs, and He Hesitated What He Finally Did in the 3Iatter.In response to an inquiry from the editor

of Western Athletics, asking why he took to riding a bicycle, a prominent businessman, of Denver, writes as follows: "In response to your request that I address you a letter stating, for the benefit of your readers, 'why I ride a bicycle,' I would beg to say: In the first place, I am a very busy man, not so young in feelingsor years as I used to be,and never have taken much interest in athletics or things of that nature. I am, by disposi­ tion, more or less reserved, and have a deep- rooted antipathy to making myself conspic­ uous by word or deed. When, therefore, my physician advised me to ride a bicycle for a local irregularity that was threatening to be­ come chronic, I laughed in his face.

"The idea was notonly riiliculousbut repul­ sive. If there was one thing or another that jarred against my sense of the proprieties, it was to see a man of years and dignity, gray hairs and corpulence, astride of two wheels, pumping away in the public streets in com­ pany, perhaps,with young men of rather pro­ nounced type, in cap and knickerbockers. At the very words 'bicycle rider' there has always flashed across my mental vision the picture of a lot of loudly-attired young meu who delighted to slip through the streets at a rapid pace, bent nearly double over their

_wheels, as if to challenge remarks for all whom they passed, who would flock together on Sundays and make the road a veritable path of thorns to those who had spirited horses to drive. I had also a vague idea that all riders must join a wheel club aud hob­ nob together.

"This, I knew, was out of the question for me, as I had no friends or acquaintances, or desire to form any, in any of the local clubs I knew of. But, to make a long story short, I had finally to give way to the persisent so­ licitations of family aud physician, and after ihoroiigh examination of different makes, bought me a wheel. I postponed the cap and knickerbockers, and haven't got them yet nor am I likely to. That was one of the fal­ lacies I had been struggling with before I acquired anything beyond a sidewalk ex­ perience. I learned to ride with the usual number of bruises and tumbles, but never hurt myself bad enough to remember it half an hour afterwards. The silent gliding movement of the wheel attracted me from the first, and gave me a feeling of exhilar­ ation that is always present when I ride to this day older riders tell me it will always continue. I first took to (he streets on moon­ light nights, and was fully two weeks night riding before I ventured to ride to my office by daylight.

"Contrary to expectations, and much to my relief, I found that I attracted little or uo notice from pedestrians beyond those of my acquaintance, who spoke to me as usual, with, as I imagined, an expression of mingled surprise and envy, as if to say, 'What! are you riding one of those things too; I would like to try it myself, but ' I have been riding steadily now tor two months. My health has improved wonderfully. My head is clear to think, and my body more vigorous to execute, than since I was a young man. I have outgrown my timidity and I have lone since learned that elubs, and 'scorchers,' and caps and knickerbockers are not necessary to [he perfect enjoyment (to say uothiug of the benefit) that can be derived from bicycle rid­ ing. And it is really surprising to learn how many of my friends are now 'thinking about getting a bicycle.' If my experience, as above jiven, will influence any other as prejudiced as I was to give the wheel a trial, 1 will be abundantly repaid for my trouble, for a trial means d conviction. As for me, I expect to ride as long as I am able to walk."

SCORCHERS.

The Harm They do Cycling and the Danger They Bring Upon Them­ selves Once More Shown."Now this insane practice of club scorch-

Ing is unhappily on the increase; we have heard of instances beyond number where the stately club run of old, has degenerated into a rehearsal of a road race. The mad sprint, the sprawling all over the road, the yells and shouts to one another, jtamp a club as rowdy in the extreme and serve to belittle the sport in the eyes of the world. The mad rush at a seventeen-miles-an-hour bat has little of the elements of sociability about it, but savors only too strongly of that fierce competitive spirit that has entered into our nineteenth century existence. We have seen a company of men sweep by with a mighty rush, leaving naught but a trail of dust behind them, while some distance in the rear, a faithful contin­ gent of less fortunate riders are struggling painfullly along with flushed faces and evi­ dent distress. A fig for yoursociability, gen­ tlemen! The only name one can honestly give to such conduct is rank selfishness, an indifference to the comfort or convenience of any but yourselves.

"But if scorching by daylight is to be de­ cried, it is even more insane when practiced after dark. In the first place the time of'day enhances the danger; darkness covers patches of stones, and hindrances in the way, while the risk of meeting vehicles or pedestrians is proportiouately increased. The man who. with the knowledge of the peril he is en­ countering, yet persists in running the risk, carries his life in his own hands and pursues a suicidal course. The providence that seems to especially watch over the cyclist often pre­ serves him, but there are times when he pays the penalty of his rashness, and with bruised body or broken machine laments his eager­ ness to rush where angels have feared to tread. We would not suggest an alternative of a snail's pace; the safe path lies in the happy medium, but we would plead for greater caution when riding at night. On club runs, for instance, twelve miles an hour is a very fair average; but in addition to a moderate pace, the old custom of riding within some sort of ranks, and on the proper side of the road, might be honored in tha ob­ servance rather than in the breach. If these simple expedients, such as common sense would dictate, be adopted, there need be no repetition of the lamentable accident to which we have alluded. There are more ways of killing a man than by hanging him. It is possible to send him on a cycling club run. Cycle Record. _

LIKES WHEELMEV.

Here is a Horseman Who is Broad Enough and Generous Enough to Have Been a Bicycler.SYRACUSE, April 30. A. E. Aldridge has

made the Century Cycling Club a most gen­ erous otter. He will give the club land enough at Pleasant Beach upon which to build any size bicycle track it. may desire. It has been a long felt want with Syracuse cyclers for a training track and the Beach is a desirable location. It is only a short distance from the city and when the lake boulevard is completed this summer it will be but a short and pleasant ride.

It would be the plan of the club to build a quarter-mile track, fenced in so that races could be given this summer. It would not be necessary to build a grand stand at pres­ ent. A quarter-mile track would have to have a steep banking at the turns aud be per­ fectly smooth, the loam of which the beach is composed would make an excellent top, which, when rolled down, would not only be as smooth as a floor, but would make as fast a quarter-mile track as there is in the United States.

Training quarters could be constructed in the centre of the circle aud could be used

constantly by the wheelmen in training. The expense of such an undertaking to the club would be the first consideration. This, however, will not be great, as all the neces­ sary material can be obtained in the vicinity. The enclosure would be the greatest consid­ eration, as it would require a high board fence.

Mr. Aldridge said to-day: "I bought the land originally, intending to build a half- mile kite-shaped track, with stables for the accommodation of fast horses. I then in­ tended to rent the stables for training quar­ ters and use the track principally for a train­ ing track, but my business for the last two or three seasons has been sa confining that I have not had the time to devote to the matter. I take great interest in bicycle races and knowing there was some talk of getting a track I offered the ground for that, purpose and am willing to do anything I can to help the boys along."___ ___

SCHOFIELD, 8R., DEFENDS HIS SON

The Racer Has Means of His Own, But is Being Made the Victim of Attack by Unknown Persons.If there is one rider in England who at the

present time is creating a more widespread interest than another we should unhesitat­ ingly say that the holder ot the half-mile record is the man. Schofield has several times given us a taste of the fine things of which he is capable. Last year he all but captured the n've-and-tvventy miles safety championship, and there are those who will tell you that had he not "played the goat" he might have held his own to the post in that memorable event.

Be that as it may, however, it Is pretty evidewt that if Zimmerman is to be beaten by an Englishman Schofield is probably the one upon whom the task will fall. A few woeks ago it was suggested to the Birmingham Centre that a few questions should be put to the ex-Southport rider, while ever since the passing of Dr. Turner's beautiful licensing scheme speculation has run high as to what effect the new law would have upon the status of Schofield, among others. These things considered, the following letter from Mr. T. M. Schofield, of Southport, father of the Speedwell "crack," possesses a special in­ terest at the present time. Mr. Schofield pere writes:

"I have noticed lately in the cycling pa­ pers several statements which I consider are to the prejudice of my son's J. W. Schofield standing as an amateur, viz., that his racing last year is calculated to have exceeded £300 iu cost, and that ho had practically devoted himself to raciua alone, with 110 business pursuits, and that he is to all intents and purposes a professional. As such statements are absolutely fulse, I shall be glad if yon will afford me the opportunity of stating the facts.

"First as to the amount of racing my son did iu 1892: As a mutter of fact, he rode in more events and traveled oftener during 1891, and instead of his.expenses being over £300, they were, cost of machine excepted, from beginning to end of season, under £GO; and as uy son,in addition to his earnings, has means

in his own right, I cannot think such can be considered excessive.

"Secondly, as to his connection with the trade: His engagement with the Whitworth Works Cycle Company was, aud is, a purely business one. He wasduly apprenticed to them by me in April, 1892, on account of his and my desire for him to learn the business of tool and cycle manufacture, both practically and theoretically, in the most modern factory we could find, and through my having been previously appointed their agent for this dis­ trict, it was satisfactorily arranged, and, I am pleased to sny, he has passed through several departments with credit to himself and satis­ faction to me.

"There has, unfortunately, been a dead set against my son from some quarters for what reason I cannot tell and it does appear to me both unfair and unsportsmanlike that when a young man is giving promise of be­ ing one of the few likely to make a fight with the foreigners, damaging rumors should be circulated which might, it not contra­ dicted, seriously harm his reputation and standing. I ask that you will insert this letter as an act of justice to him. I need not say that I am proud of my son and feel very strongly, as only an old athlete who bos had his day cau feel, auy reflections cast uponhim."

Thanks, Really.'But though a class of ruffians undoubt­

edly does exist among cyclists a class which obviously finds pleasure in others people's alarm or danger it is comparatively an ex­ tremely small one, and is no doubt detested by other cyclists at least as cordially as by the rest of the public. On the whole, cyclisls deserve the compliment of riding with much consideration of other people's feelings; and it is a matter for general congratulation that this invention of wire and Indiarubber, and its marvellous development, has put such frequent and such extended holidays within the reach of almost every young mau who is willing to exercise a little thrift." London Chronicle.

Far and Wide.Felt handles are extremely cleanly. France has gone in for paper chasing. Sanger's wheel is geared to seventy-two. Wilkesbarre, Pa., mourns a visit of the wheel

thief.The French aristocracy have gone daft on cy­

cling.Cycling U just DOW the popular craze in

Be'gium.Some of the wheeliromon In France ride in

male attire.Coventry, Ens., iblps an an average of 5500

wheels each week.It is the proper caper abroad to have one's

wheel built to order.Keep your tires, the rear one in particular,

pumped thumb hard.The cheeky rider generally gets there, but it

is usually at the expense of the public's good opinion,

A bicycle business left to ran Itself, as « rule, doesn't run very long. The mac who stops it is the sheriff,

A single roadside inn In England on a not overly popular route fed on one day recently 230 wneeluien.

The horse marines will become a "partial fact" when the Russian Davy adopt! the cycle for use on land.

It is painful to see a man trying to edit a wheel paper with a head that nature intended fora pin cushion.

The caddish element of cycling baa almost been frowned out of existence at least ao says a contemporary.

A set of THK SPOHTIKG LIFE'S new illustrated advertising cards can be obtained for a two cent stamp to defray postage.

The latest English cycling cap weighs only one and three-quarter ounces and is ventilated by means of insertions of perforated cork.

At the close of the year there were 2215 drilled and uniformed members of the English volunteers, or militia, mounted upon bioyoles.

Wheelmen are finding satisfaction that the Columbian Fair was opened by President Cleve­ land pressing a golden Victor telegraphic key

Somehow, the dollars that you get for your old wheel when you aim to sell it, never seem nearly 10 valuable u the ones you pay for a new mount.

The Belgian government is using the tax upon wheelmen to build special paths for the riders' lole use on roads otherwise unfit for cycling purposes.

Llewellyn Johnson mourns the !o«s of $12,200 worth of Premiers, which went down in the ill- fated Naronio. Insured, of course; but that don't give anxious customers their wheels.

Miss Edith M. Kenniston and Miss Carrie L. Ilodston, of Manchester, N. H., will sail for England ou May 20 to take a tour through Eng­ land, Scotland and Ireland on their wheels.

The French propose holding annually » wheel market, at which all those who wanted to buy, sell or exchange machines or sundries could come together and best accomplish their desires.

The French lieutenant, Quyot, after severe straggles with roads between Constantinople tad

Philipopolls, has broken the front fork of bis wheel aud ia continuing his journey to Paris on foot.

Wo would not advise the use of rat-trap pedala by ladies. An accidental slip of the foot while riding, or a chance move of the dress in mounting, might prove disastrous to the oos- tuine.

English wheelmen are astounded at an un­ heard of freak of weather. For six weeks fine riding weather has been enjoyed, and so rare is such a thing that all England is now looking for the millenimum.

They s»y women are timid creatures: and yet considering the kind of wheels on which they often attempt to keep up with their husbands and brothers one might accuse them of being brave even unto rashness.

English wheelmen are now called upon to fight the absurd and antiquated liquor laws which prohibit a rider from getting any liquor on Sunday until he can bring proof he has traveled over three miles to get it.

To the great majority of people the New Dun- lop will appear faster than the old, because it i« possible to get it hard with a small pump and it keeps hard. Many will therefore ride a hard- pumped pneumatic for the first time in their lives.

One year »fr.o the Ligue Velocipedique Beige lud less than 300 members; to-day it has over 2000 and a balance in its treasury of $300. The L. V. B. bas only on<> championship each year and that is for a distance of 100 kilo­ metres.

English makers are not, as a rule, famous for striking advertisements, but the labt one of the Premier people, containing the heads of Eng­ land's two most famous "premiers" Gladstone and Saulsbury is distinctly original and catchy.

Nigtt scorching is a most dangerous pastime. Several accidents have been reported from this cause of late. When the extreme risk is eon-- sidered, it is indeed wonderful to think that so many should forget the consequences of this reckless riding.

"Chairman Raymond, of the Racing Board, has invented a literary gem. In a letter to THK Spoimxo LIFE he says: 'Whether you 'in­ tentionally intend* to do me an injury, etc.' Intentionally intend is woj-thy of Ariel." Philadelphia Record.

The Coventry Lady Cyclists' Club has for its president Mrs. Singer, "Mayoress of Coventry." Mrs. Singer is the wife of the builder of the fa­ mous Singer machines. The uniform of the C. L. C. C. consists, so Be are informed, "of a neat brown frock and cap."

A green repairer in Knoxville, Tcnn., who failed to mnke ft puncture escape-proof, finally filled the tire full of bran, and the rider, who was himself green, never found out the difference until a new puncture of larger dimensions than the old one was made.

Bell, lamp and ticket, with name and address are absolutely obligatory on cycles in France. The police are capturing numbers day by day who forget more particularly their labels, as 'amps and bells are considered an ornament and not so likely to be omitted.

An English rider, who had dislocated his shoulder by falling from his machine, visited several doctors, learning from each one of them his charges for replacing the shoulder. When he discovered the cheapest he had the job done and mounted his wheel and rode off.

The Cycle Record says a man wrote the other day to n well known firm of cycle makers, mentioning he was a very good ri'ler ind offer­ ing, if they would eive him a machine, to ride up and down the Riplev road with an advertise­ ment of the mount on his back. England beats America here.

An English firm advertises that its "mail box has been robbed twice within ten days by the good old-fashioned plan of a sticky weight with

string attached," Over here steps would have been taken immediately after the first perform­ ance to prevent an encore, but Englishmen are not so quick to act it seems.

R. J. Mecredy, editor of the frith Cyclitt, sails from Queenstown for America on July 13. He will visit all the cities of importance in the United States before he returns home and will be eiren a hearty welcome everywhere by

heelmen, who know him to be us clever with his pen as he is swift with his pedal.

A tax assessor with the suggestive name of Wheeler, and who attends to the tax business of Lowell, Mass., says that there are 3000 bicycles owned in that town which he proposes to assess and tax, as he sees no reason why the wheels which take the place of horses should not pay the same tax as the animal thev supplant.

An English policeman, in preferring charges against two wheelmen he had arrested for fast riding, swore the men were traveling at the rate of thirty-Jive miles per Kou*. On this testimony the riders were fined. How strange it is that a policeman is the only human being who can tell how fast a wheelman is going!

The Provincial Cyclists' Association organ­ ized last week at Vancouver, British Columbia,

ith four clubs. C. H. Gibbons, Victoria, was elected chief consul. The association will af­ filiate with the C. W. A. A road race was ar- ronged from Ashoroft to Bakervillo, 450 miles along Old Cariboo stage road, built in I860, never yet touched by wheel.

A bill recently passed by the Ohio House of Representatives will impose a tax on vehicles of all kinds, bicycles included. The revenue ob­ tained from this source will be placed to the credit of the fund for tho repairing and clean­ ing of streets. Such a license has for some time been in force in the city of Cincinnati, and the plan has been entirely successful there.

The Earl of Burford has ridden 300 miles in New Zealand from Napier to Auckland in 61 hoars on horseback for a wager, it is said of £400. This, says the Town and Country Jour­ nal, has roused the blood of New Zealand cy­ clists, and attempt1; will be made to ride the dis­ tance in half the time anil thus demonstrate the superiority of the bicycle as a medium for speed.

A French statistician has estimated that a man 50 years old has worked 6500 days, hns slept 6000, has amused himself 4000, has walked 12,000 miles, has been ill 500 days, has par­ taken of 35,000 meals, eaten 16,000 pounds of meat, 4000 pounds of fish, eggs and vegetables, and drunk 7000 gallons of fluid, which would make a lake of 800 feet surface if three feet deep. What an alteration in all these being a cyclist makes?

Rhode Island is going to odd a cycle corns to its militia, and the initiatory in that di­ rection was taken in the House of representa­ tives when Assemblyman Mulholland intro­ duced an act in amendment of the militia laws looking to that end. The amendment author­ izes the brigadier general of the State troops to establish the bicycle corps as an aid to the bri­ gade, and as soon as the bill passes the Senate

" in concurrence its formation will be begun. The corps will comprise not less than 100 riders to start with, and amongst them will be Assem­ blyman Mulholland, an expert rider.

The Philadelphia Inquirer gives the follow­ ing as the recipe of a local wheel club president for the making of the "best club:" Take ten parts of constructive ability,*good-p» ying and managerial capacity, five parts of good taste, a good many dollars worth of proper reading (Inquirer) add a pound of hard common sense, a handful of friendship and a pinch of conserva­ tism, stir slowly over » fire of determination, skim off all old fogy ideas, sweeten to taste, with proper members, start the music box in tune to W. P. 0., paste on the kettle the "Best Cycling Club in Philadelphia," pout off on a good wheel and let her go.

Wheelmen will have a chance to train now at the most famous of American spas. Forty acres of the Hiltou property on North Broadway has been leased by the Saratoga Athletic Asso­ ciation, and grounds will be laid out facing Clinton street. Those grounds will include base ball and foot ball fields, tennis courts, ft half- mile oval track, a quarter-mile cinder path, a straightaway track on grass, and arrangements for pole-vaulting, jumping, shot-putting and all field athletics. On one side of the finish of the cinder path a commodious grand stand with private boxes will be built. Under and back of the stand will be the club house, containing locker rooms, baths, a billiard room, a large elub room, and quarters for the officers. This combination stand and club house will eost *30,00«.

SPEED RALEIGHS

These two words are synonymous. Having made the fastest

time in competition, they are, in cycling parlance,

THE RALEIGH CYCLE CO, LTD,Bank & Greenwich Sts., New York.

SHALL WE ANNEX HAWAII? YES.Shall We Have Our Wheels Fitted With

SEDDON TYRES? YES.Shall We Give Up the Old Fashioned

White Washed Tyres? YES.The New York Recorder of Jan. 29th says: "We ven­

ture to predict that before many months the Red Tyre will be to the front on road and path, and instead of rival manu­ facturers having to distinguish their wheels by different col­ ored rims, other tyre opponents if there be any will hava to whitewash their tyres to make them distinct from the con­ quering 'Red One.' "

The Recorder knows a good thing or two about tyres.

Tb« TOURIST, Tbt Road RACCR,Tb< Patb RACCR, Tb< Record BRCAKCR,

Tbe SULKY Pri^r,Ai)d, IN FACT, All OWQtrs of Wb**ls

Fitted Witb tbc Best Tyre,

THE SEDDONAMERICAN SEDDON'S TYRE CO.,

65 Reade Street NEW YORK.

LIGHT,STRONG

AND EASYRUNNING.

GRACEFUL,DURABLE

ANDSAFE.

MODEL D, S13O.OO. AGENTS WANTED IN UNOCCUPIED TERRITORY,

, OlflSS.SEND FOR CATALOGUE.

Af4TI~FRlCTIOfl Bfllili CO.,

Make the most perfect ball for cycle work. Our men areall skilled ball makers. Nothing but the best material used.

Hear what Wm. Bown, of Birmingham, England, says:"They are very fine,

W. W. Stall, the kies, says: "We buy the best on earth." 2,000,000 per month, prices.

«T. C3rH.-A.KTT, JPr-est.

the best I have seen." maker of Trotting Sul- them because they are Capacity now nearly Write for samples and

Greaa..

"PROOF OF THE PUDDING."

Here is a Sure Way to Settle the Vexed Question of Whether Your New Wheel is Faster Than the Old One."New machines are (lie order of the day fit

present, and most cyclists are trying to make up their minds as to the virtues and capabil­ ities of their new mounts. There is only one way of being absolutely sure of the super­ iority, or otherwise, of the new mount over the old; it is not, of course, applicable to cy­ clists who have not already done a good deal of riding this year. The possessor ot a new- mount probably knows what his best average rate of speed has been, kept up with ease and comfort to himself, over a special road, under favorable conditions. He should take the new mount over the same stretch of country, under similar conditions of weather, and tak­ ing care to use the same amount ot exertion, and note the difference (if any) in the speed kept up. Actual scorching, by way of test­ ing a machine, is not so good a test for arerage road riders. The cyclist cannot be sure that he is using exactly the same amount of 'try;' and it is much easier to compare 'average 14 without getting at all tired, as against 13i ditto,' than 'average loi, with a headache, and frightfully hot, vemit 142, very thirsty and unable to eat."' /mA Cyclist.

THE KI-VI,

OR

Cycle Tourist's GunA few drops of tliluted Aqiui Ammonia from the

nozzle of our Ki-Yi will teach the bioycle ehaaing dog a lesson he will not likely coon forget. It works like a magic. As a rider puts it, "You could hear him howl ten squares." What touriat has not wished for one of these ? The most success­ ful thing of the kind ever invented. Ask your dealers for them, or sent by mail, packed in neat box, nith full instructions.

Price each, 5O cents. Send for CATALOG tE of NEW GOODS.

MANUFACTURED BY

A..U.BKTTS & CO.,TOLEDO, OHIO.