Wheelmen On A Jolly Trip

Pedestrians who were spek Ing fresh ai rearly last evening on the Boulevard unywhere between Jerome Park and Kiverside Park saw a hu dred bicyclers. mounted. wearlng eostumes whtch remlnded the beholder of Italian band lts, and rldtng Into New York city at a break neck pace. They were the BIk F.iur lourlsts. Big Four means the four large ritles, New York. Boston, Chicago and Buflhlo They have been comli k (Tam Húrtalo to New York by blcy Ie chiellv lluoe Ibe üih lnst., alter the slxih annual meeting of the League of American Wheelmen In Buiralo They disbamled last nlght. Their cosiumes dl flered but on every bieycler's bead soared an Alpine crown stiaw hal, wlth an extra pinch lo the top of the crowu tomake it more pea lied. itüiluinN wlth all thehuesoftheralnbow were wound around and across the peaked hats, and the euds floated behind on the breeze. Big gilt letters denotlng the club of whlch the wearer of the nat was a meiuber was stamped on the floatlng libbons. Sorue of theyoung men spentStóon hatdecorallon. TheBoston men wore black tlghts, fourteenth eentury style, and red, white, and blue perpendicularly-strlped Jackets whlch looked Ukejerseys. The New Yorkers wore modest wlilte flamiel JerseyR and blue knee breeches The Butt'alo riders wore nu regular nnliorm Twenty-flve New York wheelmen of tiie Citizens' and the Ij Ion clubs went to Fordhain yesterday afternoon to welcome the Big tour to New York and relurned wlth thein. strangecavalcade burst llke an apparitlon on tne pollcemen In Rlverslde Park and so paralized them that they didnoiaskto see the boy's authorlty for desecratlng a public park and vlolating the regulatlons, whlch forblds blcycles exerclslng In the parks Manager Burley B. Ayers, who rode ahead had lu liih pocket a wrltten permlsslon from the New York Park Comintssloners. The blcyclers expected to be guyed lor tbeiroutlandlsh appearance, hut they say they heard butone comment. That was from a glrl In Klghlh avenue, who crled In a shrill volee, " Snoot the hats ! " The wheelmen poured Into Flfly-elghth street and alighted In front of the Cltlzens' Club House, a prettyone story brlck bulldlng at 313 West Flfty-elghth street. Three cheers wereglven at thecompletlon of the longride. Then the hlcycles were stored. The wlieelmen cume from West Polnt yesterday where they had passed the previous night. A suecial Mramcr took them to Irvlnglon on the Hudson, whêre they beslrode their machines and started for New Y'ork,. The wheelmen are nearly all slenderyoung fellows, and the trip Is their tammer vacatlon from tanks, stores, and "offices. They have developed enormous appetltes, and are tanued to the color of so e lealher. All wear on the lefl breast a badge, round and black, wilh ameuil -4" inlald, whlle around the badge is a cord, colored yellow for the Chieagoans red for Boston, blue for ISuttalo, and whltefor New York. Allspeak enthuslastlcally of the excurslou. It was arranged In Buffalo by B B. Ayres of Chicago, FreQ. O. Bourne, (Jeorge U Bldwell.and Frank H. Tayloi of thls city, w. U. JE. Plerce of Chicago, K. O. Wlntney of Boston, and W. S Buil ofUufralo. The route was from Buflalo to KocheHter, to Charlotte on Lake Ontario and by steamer to Cobourg Ontario, to Kingston, Ontario, by steamer through the Thousand Islandn, Clayton lo Lowville, Utica. Albany.and down tue Hudson Bi ver on one side or thKOther.as 1 1 pleased theinselves, to this city. They rode on their maclilues on an average forty miles a day. A bagKage wag'm and an ambulance- not for wheelmen, but for broken machines- followed the party. It usual ly followed too far behind to be ot any use, for the young men's good clothes were In the baggage, and It was their custom to arrange lor a ball al every hotel at whlch they stopped for a night The Boston wheelmen had a pleaslng custom, llke that of the Seventh Regiment of thls city, of anuouncing ihelr opinión of passing evenU In concert. At tbeCatsklll Mouni i, I ¦ I f . L . . . . . L „ _ ti. i ¦ _ miu many ïauies liad come a long dlstancetosee the cavulcadc. The young men in front oí the holel at a slgnal criedaltogether : " Ladles, we are very sorry. Wc have no baguage, so we can't tenoe," When passing through vlllages the bold youngraeu would remark in chorro, Ladles, howd'ye?" and on siiiling oiu of town, "Ladles. tata!" At Albany they went to hear the opera of "The Hohemian Giii " TheBandit raaiiaged to oupture before tlie pertormanee olie of the wheelmen's hata. and he wore iton the stage. Oeciisioiially the bandit varled nis part by blowing one of the bleycler'8 wlilHtli's. He becamo so popular tliat the young men ceased to guy liiin. Tlie eirect on the bar-rooms In Miiall towns through whlch the Big Kour rode wusdlsastroUH They went behlnd Ihe bar and helped themselves- to lemperanco diinks. When they deserted the place It would look as thougli a party of cowboys liad fallen in love wlth It The proprietor was always repaid sometlmea twice over, for the value of hls liquors. Thoswlftest time made in the trip was In Canada on a dlrt road. It was a hard. smoolh, and elastlc roadbed between Brlghton and Trenton shortly aaer qultllng Cot)ourg A road rare of 100 miles, wlth a gold med;il t the winner, was rldden by Qeorge Weber of Smlthville. N. J., N. H. Van ficklen oí ChlcaO, 1'. VV. Westervelt ofSpringfleld Mass., II. 1). Corey and Cola E. tone i.f Concord. N II. Mr. .stone entered Kingston twenty mliuitON nlieail of Mr. Weber In 8 (iurs'7 minutes To-day lli wlieelmen wlll reinain In New York to enjoy an Informal "smoker," as a dlnner with clears Is called by them, In the C'ltlzeii's Club House.