Bicycle Baggage Bill(s)

It seems than in the late 1897s, cyclists lobbied their state legislatures to get laws that would allow them to take their bicycles on trains as luggage for now cost - apparently railroad companies were charging almost as much for the bike to ride as the passenger.This article from the Louisville Bicycle Club describes the situation in Kentucky, for example~

Cyclists used to get around the worst stretches of country road by getting on a train, and trains seem to have been plentiful in the late 19th century. But some of the railroads levied a heavy surcharge for taking bicycles on board, and cyclists resented it bitterly. A Louisville group headed for the Kentucky Division’s annual meet in Cynthiana in 1897 encountered heavy rain at Versailles, and proposed taking the train on to Lexington where they’d stop for the night. The fare on the Southern Railroad was 36 cents. But it was another 25 cents for each bike. And as they stood there considering, a salesman took two 75-pound trunks on free. They rode on through the rain and mud rather than knuckle under to slimeball railroads. The next year’s session of the legislature passed a “baggage bill,” making bikes free baggage. Gov. William O. Bradley, Kentucky’s first Republican governor, vetoed it.

"Whirls of the Wheel" (1897)

In the 1890s many newspapers had coverage of cycling in the sports section as well as elsewhere, since much of what was discussed wasn't that sporty (that is, having to do with competition - but that's true today, I suppose).

Here is an example, a column titled "Whirls of the Wheel" in the Scranton Tribune of 1897.

One finds a laundry list of items:

The French Touring club has 50,000 members.

A low gear is a slow gear. A high gear is a fly gear.

Harry Tyler denies that he is about to resume racing.

Jay Eaton will follow the southern bicycle circuit from Nashville.

There is a rumor that J. V. Parsons has married an actress in Melbourne.

When buying a bicycle it is a good thing not to forget to take a receipted bill.

A bill for the taxation of bicycles has been defeated in the Vermont legislature.

The Louisville Track association is planning a match race between Bald and Kimble.

The bicycle has developed another deadly characteristic. An Ohio man has killed his wife by sand-bagging her with a bicycle tire.

During the week ending April 1, 1,359 new members joined the League of American Wheelmen, making a total membership of 60,029.

A visit to a second-hand bicycle shop is the best thing in the world for a man who wants to study the advances made in blcycle construction.

Tom Winder, the around-the-coast cyclist, is to repeat his trip this year. This time he will do it in search of new material for his course of lectures.

A bill has been introduced in the New York legislature for the prohibiting of the propulsion of baby carriages on the cycle paths of that state outside of the cities.

Jacquelin, the speedy Frenchman, has asked for a two weeks' furlough from army service, so he may compete in the Grand Prix, tho greatest race of the year in France.

The duty imposed by the German government on American made bicycles is only $1, and in consequence large numbers are sold there. Evidently the German finds no trichinae on the American bicycle.

John V. Clendenning, of Louisville, the new treasurer of the League of American Wheelmen, has been given a surprise. The executive committee has named a New York bank as the repository of league funds.

Five months ago A. P. Black, of Brooklyn, was run over by a truck while riding his wheel and injured, so badly that he has been confined in a hospital over since. Through the League of American Wheelmen he has brought suit for $10,000 against the owner of the truck.

This is the way the states stand on the bicycle baggage bill question. For Arizona, California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina 8. Against Kansas 1. Doubtful-Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan-3. Non-commtttal all the others.

What, one wonders, was the "bicycle baggage bill" being considered before Congress???

Article describes Annie Londonderry Progress

Text of newspaper article from 1895. Article titled "Nervy Miss Londonderry."
From The Evening Times. (Washington, D.C.) September 16, 1895.
chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024441/1895-09-16/ed-...



Here it says that she only had to ride 10,000 miles to fulfill her wager to travel around the world "by bicycle" - and that she had done that by the time she reached Chicago (on her way to Boston). So the article notes she was still considering finishing her trip by train.

99 Cycling Posters from the Past

Very nice set of bike posters on Flickr. Unfortunately not set up so I can embed easily here.

1895 Cartoon Lampoons Women Cyclists' Attire

From The Evening Times. (Washington, D.C.) September 16, 1895.
Follows a short article about Annie Londonderry's trip by (or with) bicycle around the world.
chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024441/1895-09-16/ed-...

Cyclists in Deadly Accidents

This news item is like many that I see now that I set up a Google news alert on "bicycle" - there is an item like this almost every day!

The president of the Wisconsin Cycling Association has died from injuries suffered when he was struck by a car while bicycling Friday in Waukesha County. Jeff Littman was also a well-known bike racer and co-owner of a bike store. Authorities said the driver of the car, who wasn't injured in the crash, said the sun blinded him and caused him not to see Littman and another bicyclist.

Have to remember to be careful out there.

Women Cyclists of the 1890s

Annie Londonderry, who rode around the world on a bicycle, also made a bold (for the time) fashion statement.

From the St. Paul Daily Globe, April 14, 1895



Generally in 1895 women's cycling attire was more conventional, as shown here. (San Francisco Call, June 1, 1895)