The Wheeling Wheelmen: Bicycling in 1886
-From the Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, June 25, 1886, p.4
WHEELING WHEELMEN
ARRANGE FOR A GREAT EVENT.
The Road Race and Hill Climbing Contest on July 13 and 14 -- A Large Number of Visiting Bicyclists to be in the City on that Occasion -- The Prizes.
The Wheeling Wheelmen held a well attended and very enthusiastic meeting last evening to make arrangements for the grand bicycle meet, road race, hill contest and general good time that the club proposes to have here on July 13 and 14. Every member of the club has entered heartily into the project, and the outcome is sure to be as great as a success as could be wished for.
The programme is, to have two races on the 13th. One is to be a fifteen mile road race, from West Alexander to the McClure House, and the other a thirty mile road race, from the McClure House to West Alexander and return, both races over the National road.On the 14th it is proposed to have a hill climbing contest on the Fulton grade. Between times, entertainment will be the order of the day.
Invitations have been sent in all directions and already enough acceptances have been received to know that there will be present large delegations from Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Brownsville, Washington, Greensboro, Waynesburg, Barnesville, all the local points and from many other localities. Many of them will come to enter the races or climbing contest, while others will merely come to see the fun. No one can enter in both races, but the climbing contest is open to all. There have already been nearly twenty entries for the various events from among the members of the local club.
The invitations are to be followed in a few days by a pamphlet giving all information about the little details, a list of the prizes, names of officers, pointers about the routes, regulations under which the events will be conducted, etc. The main prize will be a $20 gold medal offered by the club here to the winner of the thirty mile race. There will be a number of other prizes, donated by firms and individuals; about a dozen of these have already been secured and there are many more promised.
The Wheelmen have receive[d] encouragement on every hand, and backed as they have been and are, they propose to make the affair something that will be highly creditable to the town. On one of the days there will probably be a grand parade, with something like one hudnred wheels in line.
At the meeting last evening a committee on arrangements, composed of Capt. W. L. Wright, Lieut. R. H. Bullard, Color Bearer R. J. Smyth, jr., L. A. Beall and F. J. I. Hupp, was appointed. Also one on prizes, consisting of S. O. Carothers, S. I. Singleton, and A. Allen Wheat. The club will form a committee of the whole on entertainment. Mr. C. R. Tracy has been selected as starter for the thirty mile race and Mr. Henry Sonneborn will drop the flag for those in the fifteen mile race. Mr. S. B. Harrison will check for both races. Messrs. I. G. Dillon and F. J. Norton will keep the time for all the events. Messrs. W. C. Beans and Will S. Faris have been selected as judges of the climbing contest, with Mr. A. A. Franzheim as referee. In the races L. A. Beall will be the guide at Fulton and W. H. Cassell at the Park.
