linen blouse and trousers, because the knit goods cling to the form and
keep the muscles warm. The trousers should never reach the knees, which
have to be kept free. The feet are encased in shoes made of
kangaroo-skin, laced in front like running shoes, and are worn without
socks. The left shoe is made several ounces heavier than the right, and
is about twice as heavy as a sprinter's foot-wear. The heel is made of
quarter-inch sole leather, and has two spikes. Some men jump with one
spike in the middle of the heel, but this is very bad, because when the
jumper alights his heel bone pounds on the spike and soon raises a stone
bruise. If you have two spikes fixed at the extremities of diagonals
drawn through the centre of the heel this bruising is easily avoided.
There are no spikes on the heel of the right shoe, but the heel itself
is made slightly thicker. In the toes of both shoes there should be six
spikes.
A great many athletes who have gone in for high jumping have abandoned
the sport after a few weeks of training because of sore heels. They
should remember that the heel must be toughened as well as the other
muscles, but as soon as it begins to feel sore, rest until it is in good
condition again. A good way to avoid soreness of the heel and ankle is
to keep that part of the foot thickly painted with iodine all the time.
Keep the ankle absolutely black for several months, until the muscles
there have become so tough and strong that there is no danger of
straining or bruising. For the leg muscles, rubbing with alcohol is
good, but do not resort to this too frequently. And in order to have the
leg muscles in the best of condition, do not indulge in the frog motion
and other exercises for a week or two previous to a match.
For practice the jumper should have two square posts about two inches
thick, made of almost any kind of wood, and bored with holes one inch
apart up to five feet eight inches, and half an inch apart above that.
The pegs should be three inches long, and the bar, made of pine, should
be about twelve feet long and one inch square. The posts are placed
eight feet apart, and it is usual to hang a handkerchief over the centre
of the crossbar, so that it can be seen better. A jumper must _always_
keep his eye on the bar from the time he starts to run until he lands
safely on the other side. The runway should be eight feet wide and about
forty feet long. It should be made of cinders, well rolled, and ought to
be kept dampened so as to make it springy. Beyond the posts the earth
should be turned over and raked, so as to make a soft landing-place.
There is no rule about how far off from the bar a jumper should start to
run. The nearer the better, because less power is then wasted on the
approach. In No. 1 the jumper has just started. He takes an easy gait at
first, with his eye fixed on the bar, and he regulates his speed and his
step so as to come to the "take-off" with his left foot. In jumping all
the work is done with the left foot. A good way for a beginner to
determine how far from the bar to take-off is to stand before it on one
foot and lift the other until he can touch the cross-piece with his
toes. He takes-off as far back as he can thus place one foot and touch
the bar with the other. This distance from the base line between the
posts to the take-off is usually equal to the height of the bar from the
ground.
As the jumper approaches the bar he runs as fast as he can, and in
picture No. 2 he reaches the take-off with his left foot. His heel
strikes first (as may clearly be seen from the heavy mark underneath
it), and gives the power for the jump. The toe merely gives direction to
the motion imparted by the heel and the big shin muscle which connects
with the heel. The leap has now begun, and with the right foot rising
the jumper begins to sail over the bar. His line of travel is a perfect
semicircle, beginning at the take-off, and ending in the soft ground on
the other side at exactly the same distance from the base-line of the
posts. No. 3 shows him still rising from the ground, his right foot
giving the direction of the leap. The muscles of the arms and back are
now just coming into play to raise the torso and the left leg--and all
the time the eye is firmly fixed on the bar. In No. 4 the right foot is
just passing over the handkerchief, and the arms and back are seen
straining with the exertion of bringing up the left leg. Notice that
muscle of the neck. It connects with the muscles of the side and
abdomen, and these harden like steel to force the quick motion that has
to be made to lift that side of the body. The strain on this neck muscle
and the working of the back and arms are even better displayed in No. 5,
where the left leg is almost up, and is about to clear the bar.
Considerable practice is required for this motion, because it has to be
done very quickly. The left foot has to be brought in very close to the
right thigh, and yet the sharp spikes must be kept from tearing the
flesh. Note how the eye is constantly on the bar.
In the next picture, No. 6, the bar has been cleared, the whole body is
over, and the right leg has dropped. It is now no more used, except as a
balance to the body, the entire work of the jump, as before stated,
being done with the left leg. The jumper's eye is still fixed on the
bar, and not until he is well over it, as shown in No. 7, does he remove
his gaze. As he clears the stick his back muscles give a twist to his
flying form, and his right arm thrown into the air aids him in turning,
so that he will fall facing the bar. The left leg has now passed the
right, and is making ready to sustain the weight of the body on landing,
while the right is thrust slightly backward to sustain a proper
equilibrium. The strain on the back and arms is relaxed. In No. 8 he is
just about to land, and the camera has given us a beautiful display of
the looseness of the arm muscles, showing the right arm still in the air
and about to drop as soon as the feet strike the ground. The body is
lying along the curve of the semicircle through which the jump has been
made.
The bar in all these pictures was at 5 ft. 8 in., and each photograph
necessitated a separate jump. This alone is enough to show in what
excellent form the young athlete worked, for a kinetoscope could not
have caught his separate actions in one leap to better effect than these
photographs have shown them in eight different leaps. The ninth picture
is a portrait of the clever young athlete, who is shown in action in all
the others. He is S. A. W. Baltazzi, of the Harvard School of this city,
who holds the interscholastic high-jumping record not only of the
N.Y.I.S.A.A., but of the United States. At the Interscholastics last May
he cleared 5 ft. 11 in., but since then he has covered 6 ft. in
practice, and I have no doubt that he will defeat the Englishman who is
coming over to represent the London Athletic Club at the international
games this fall. Baltazzi is seventeen years old, and weighs 135 pounds.
He began jumping while at St. Paul's School, Garden City, in 1891, and
won first in a school competition with 4 ft. 9 in. At the school games
of 1892 he took first, with a jump of 5 ft. 1/2 in., and in 1893, as a
member of the Harvard School, he established the in-door scholastic
record of 5 ft. 3-1/2 in., at the Berkeley School winter games. The
following year, at the same games, he raised the record to 5 ft. 6-1/2
in., and subsequently took first in the Wilson and Kellogg games with a
jump of 5 ft. 5 in. At the Interscholastics of 1894, Baltazzi and Rogers
tied for first place at 5 ft. 9 in., breaking Fearing's Interscholastic
record of 5 ft. 8-1/2 in. In September of that year he won first at
Travers Island, jumping 5 ft. 7 in., and later in the winter he took
first in the Barnard games with 5 ft. 8 in. Having taken first in the
Berkeley, Poly. Prep., and Columbia College handicap games of 1895, he
lifted the Interscholastic mark up to 5 ft. 11 in. at the Berkeley Oval
in May. The following week, at the Inter-city games, he cleared 5 ft.
10-1/4 in., and took first at the N.Y.A.C. spring games with the same
figure. Baltazzi expects to enter Columbia College this fall; and if he
does, there are five points sure for the New-Yorkers at Mott Haven for
some years to come.
[Illustration: G. B. FEARING'S FORM IN HIGH JUMPING.]
The picture printed on this page is a reproduction of a photograph taken
of G. B. Fearing, the Harvard high jumper, in 1892. Fearing held the
record of the N.Y.I.S.A.A. until Rogers and Baltazzi broke it in 1894.
His form was entirely different from Baltazzi's. As he clears the bar in
this picture, both his feet appear to be curled up under his body, and
his head is thrown forward and down. He seems to be almost reclining on
his side, whereas Baltazzi makes the leap with his body practically
perpendicular, although he necessarily bends forward in the motion which
lifts the torso over the stick. Fearing's form as displayed in this
photograph does not give the same idea of power and assurance as that
shown by Baltazzi.
The prospects for record-breaking in the N.Y.I.S.A.A. next year are not
very bright, for most of the record-breakers are leaving school. Besides
Baltazzi, Tappin, the mile runner of Cutler's winning team, will go to
Columbia. Yale will get Meehan, who is a clever half-miler, Ayres, the
hammer-and-shot man of Condon's, Powell, the bicyclist, and Hackett, the
mile walker. The first three in this last group hold United States
interscholastic records in their events. Princeton's track team will no
doubt secure three of Barnard's best athletes, Syme, Simpson, and Moore,
whereas Harvard will only get one good man from the N.Y.I.S.A.A.,
Irwin-Martin. Cowperthwaite, broad jumper, and Beers, who holds the high
hurdling record, will also leave school for college. This will make room
for new men, and ought to be a good thing for the association.
A correspondent suggests that the schools of New York--and I don't see
why it would not be just as good an idea for schools of other
cities--hold an interscholastic bicycle meet this fall. At first thought
this sounds like a very good scheme. There are few scholars,
comparatively, who are strong enough, or who have the inclination to
play football, and now that use of the bicycle has become so universal
these could devote the fall season to preparation for a bicycle contest.
Far be it from my intention to suggest to even the weakest
football-player that he give up the gridiron for the bicycle; but I have
seen so many young men standing around football fields watching the
game, with no ability or desire to participate in it, that I welcome the
suggestion of making the autumn a bicycle season too.
It is very probable that the inter-collegiate association will do away
with bicycles at the Mott Haven games next spring. If they do, the
interscholastic associations will no doubt follow suit, and then the
wheelmen will find themselves, to a certain extent, out of it, if they
have not already prepared for separate contests. It is right that
bicycle events should be excluded from track and field meetings, because
a running track is not the proper place for a bicycle race. Bicycle
races, however, ought not to be given up entirely or left to
professionals, because such racing is productive of good sport. The best
course to pursue under the circumstances, then, is to have a meet
especially for bicyclists. I am sure there are enough wheelmen in the
schools to make it worth while, and the fall season with cold days and
bracing air is just the time for such sport.
If a bicycle field day cannot be gotten up this fall, there is no reason
why there should not be an interscholastic road race. The executive
committee of the N.Y.I.S.A.A. could easily arrange such a contest, and
offer a pennant to the winning school. Let each school of the
association enter two riders, and let the managers of the race adopt a
course. This can be easily done by looking over the back numbers of
Harper's Round Table, and choosing a good road from one of the many
bicycle maps of the vicinity of New York that have recently been
printed. This would be a novelty in the way of school contests, in this
section at least, although it is quite a common event with the
California school associations.
THE GRADUATE.
[Illustration: STAMPS]
This Department is conducted in the interest of stamp and coin
collectors, and the Editor will be pleased to answer any question
on these subjects so far as possible. Correspondents should
address Editor Stamp Department.
Thirty years ago there were probably fifty coin-collectors where there
is one to-day. As a consequence coins have now little value unless they
are, first, coins of great rarity; or, second, scarce coins in
absolutely uncirculated condition, or "mint state."
Dealers in coins whom I have questioned say that there is very little
demand, and that in many instances they sell coins now at a lower price
than they would have paid for them a generation ago. Further, if coins
could be sold as quickly as stamps, they could afford to sell them at an
even lower price. As it is, the interest on the capital locked up in
stock and the cost of doing business are so large, that they make very
little profit. The common obsolete coins (except U. S.) are bought by
the dealers at the price of old metal. There is no money in collecting
coin, but lots of fun.
JOS. GOLDSMITH.--The green 5c. Confederate unused is sold by
dealers at 50c. The value of common stamps by the million depends
on the assortment. If there is a fair quantity of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 8, 10, and 15c., etc., they bring a good price. For 1c. and 2c.
only there is little demand. Dealers' addresses are not given in
this column.
HELEN MACKAY.--The used 3d. Canada unperforated is quoted in
catalogues at 20c. on wove paper, $1 on laid paper, $1.50 on
ribbed paper.
L. M. I.--The current blue special-delivery is printed from the
same dies as the previous blue, but the lines have been deepened
and two cross lines added under the words TEN and CENTS.
WILLIE K.--No premium on the coins. The stamp is the 3c. blue 1869
U. S.
G. TARLETON.--U. S. fractional currency has no value beyond face
unless it is absolutely uncirculated. There ought to be a demand
for these interesting war relics, but practically there is none.
Dealers sell them at a small advance over face.
D. R. O'SULLIVAN.--There is no premium on the coins mentioned.
Rare coins if worn by use have very little value. High prices are
paid for rare coins if in "mint state," that is the condition when
the coins are new and uncirculated.
A. E. BARRON, Tarrytown, N. Y., wants to correspond and trade with
stamp-collectors. He has the beginning of a good collection.
H. B. THAW.--The Bloods Penny Post is catalogued at 50c. There are
three varieties of the Bloods Despatch worth from 15c. to $4 each.
The Adams Express is not a stamp. It is probably a trade-mark.
R. CRAIG.--State Revenues, as a rule, are collected only in the
State using them. General collectors do not buy them, and
consequently they are not catalogued.
A. LOWKOWSKY.--The letter-sheets will no longer be made. There are
eight main varieties--series 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and the first
issue without series number. They are not classed as stamps, but
as envelopes, and envelopes are not collected as generally as
adhesive stamps. I believe you can buy the $3, $4, and $5
Columbian stamps at face from the Washington, D.C., Post-office.
R. G. HUGHES.--It is a Colombian revenue stamp. These stamps are
not generally collected except in Colombia, and hence no value can
be given. Your sketch is admirably well done.
R. MOODY.--The stamp is the 3c. 1869 U. S., and is sold by dealers
at 2c. The coin has no premium.
LEWIS E. B.--If the coins are in mint condition the dealers will
probably buy at a premium. If not uncirculated they are worth face
only.
L. KENTON.--The coin and bank token do not command a premium.
P. B. EVANS.--The 10c. U. S. you mention is the 1861 issue if not
grilled. If grilled it is the 1868 issue. Your questions as to
values have been answered several times in this column. You can
get a late catalogue of any dealer at a small price.
M. N.--If in mint condition the dealers will buy, otherwise they
are worth face only.
ROBERT CRAIG.--Not worth more than face.
G. L. MURPHY.--Not generally collected in the U. S., hence no
value can be quoted.
A. MITTEL.--The coin is probably the William III. of England. The
stamp is the current 2c. postage-due.
A. BEE.--The unused U. S. and British North American Colonies
stamps issued before 1865 are all advancing in price rapidly. The
used stamps are also advancing, but slowly.
J. WOLFERT.--If the stamps you mention are in good condition I
would advise you to sell them by auction. Rarities bring a higher
price when all the big collectors compete for them. Common stamps,
on the other hand, do not bring catalogue price at auction.
W. J. HOLBECK.--The Mobile 5c. blue is quoted at $7.50. If on the
envelope do not take it off.
J. ADAMS.--The present $1 black U. S., it is said, will soon be
printed in another color. The 8c. with triangular ornaments is on
sale at many offices. No copies have yet been seen with the
white-framed triangular ornaments.
FRANK T.--Almost any dealer can supply you with a complete set of
the U. S. stamps (cancelled) showing die varieties between
1870-1882. It consists of the 1c., 3c., 6c., 7c., 10c., and 12c.,
and, counting shades, numbers about twenty stamps. Prices vary.
M. C. WRIGHT.--The best way is to go to responsible stamp-dealers,
look over their stock, and take no damaged stamps at any price,
however low.
ROUND TABLE.--I do not know to what "1894 penny" you refer. The
dimes have no premium.
S. T. DODD.--Yes. The present issue of U. S. will probably all be
printed on water-marked paper.
PHILATUS.
War-time Memories.
My grandmamma is an old lady, and lived in Atlanta, Ga., at the
time Sherman and his soldiers, on their famous march to the sea,
took possession of that city. She buried her plate and valuables
under the house. Her husband was away in the service of the
Confederate Army, and she was left alone with two or three little
children.
One night two young officers came and knocked on the door,
demanding admittance, which she refused. They grew angry and made
some terrible threats. Grandmamma had an army musket in the house.
She told them if they didn't desist she would fire through the
door at them. After some further parley they left. But they
returned the next morning and told her she was the spunkiest
little woman they ever saw.
One day grandmamma received some fresh sausage from the country.
Presently in entered a man wearing the blue. He took those sausage
and stuffed his pockets full. On the table was a large sugar-bowl,
filled. He picked it up and carried it away, dipping the raw
sausage in the sugar and eating it.
Finally, grandmamma obtained guards to protect the house. One cold
night one of the guards was dozing in front of the fire when in
stalked a huge Indian. Planting himself in front of the fire, he
began to act and talk in a shocking way. The guard promptly
ejected him.
Such were a few of the many experiences of my grandmother during
the "times that tried men's souls."
Correspondents wanted.
HARRY R. WHITCOMB.
UMATILLA, FLA.
On the La Viga Canal.
I will tell you about our big canal, La Viga. At the park called
the "Zocalo" one takes the tram. After going through a good many
dirty streets the tram lands you at the "Embarcadero," a clean
spot, where you get into flat-boats that look like barges. The
first town you come to is called Jamaica. Here there are lots of
canoes filled with vegetables, which are very cheap indeed. Along
the route you usually meet women in canoes selling tamales. These
are made of corn boiled, crushed, some "chile" added, and then the
whole put into cornhusks. They are good eating. The next town you
come to is Santa Anita, where you get off, if you wish, eat some
tamales, and drink some pulque. Leaving Santa Anita, you reach, a
little way out, what used to be floating gardens--now delightful
places for picnics.
R. L. MILLER, JUN.
CITY OF MEXICO.
ADVERTISEMENTS.
Highest of all in Leavening Power.--Latest U. S. Gov't Report.
[Illustration: Royal Baking Powder]
[Illustration: If afflicted with SORE EYES USE Dr. ISAAC THOMPSON'S EYE
WATER]
HARPER'S NEW CATALOGUE,
Thoroughly revised, classified, and indexed, will be sent by mail to any
address on receipt of ten cents.
[Illustration: Copyright, 1895, by Harper & Brothers]
[Illustration: BICYCLING]
This Department is conducted in the interest of Bicyclers, and the
Editor will be pleased to answer any question on the subject. Our
maps and tours contain much valuable data kindly supplied from the
official maps and road-books of the League of American Wheelmen.
Recognizing the value of the work being done by the L. A. W. the
Editor will be pleased to furnish subscribers with membership
blanks and information so far as possible.
The map this week shows the macadamized and asphalted streets in
Philadelphia and its vicinity; and for all bicycle-riders who live near
the Quaker City, or who think of going there, this map will prove of
great value. It will be very easily seen that Philadelphia is eminently
adapted to bicycling. In the first place, Broad Street runs from League
Island entirely through the city, and out to the Willow Grove turnpike
on the north. To get in and out of Philadelphia either to the south or
the north, therefore, one needs but to take the shortest route to Broad
Street, which is kept in admirable condition. Furthermore, one can get
with the utmost ease to the river--_i. e._, the Delaware--by turning
from Broad Street either down Chestnut, Walnut, Locust, Spruce, or Pine.
The Market Street ferry is perhaps best reached by taking Chestnut
Street, and then turning a block north just before reaching the river.
In making this map it has been found advisable, for the better clearness
of the reproduction, to omit a good many unimportant streets in the
heart of the city. Every asphalted or macadamized street in Philadelphia
is given, but in many cases other streets are omitted, or every
alternate street is given. The wheelman who studies the map may very
likely count a certain number of blocks on the map to the place where he
wishes to go, and in that case he would be somewhat mystified in making
this map agree with his count. Names are given in the case of macadam or
asphalt streets, and you have only to watch for those names on the signs
to find any place in the city and to keep the situation before your
eyes.
Within the next few weeks we intend to publish certain of the best trips
in the vicinity of Philadelphia, and it will be important to study this
map, in connection with those, to discover the best method of getting
out of the city in different directions. For example, to get out to
Fairmount Park from the public buildings, run north on Broad Street from
the buildings to Spring Garden Street, thence turning left, proceed to
or across the river--the Schuylkill. In either case, turn to the right
immediately before or after crossing, and the run is direct to the park.
By not crossing, and following the river up through the park, you will
come to the Wissahickon road. By crossing, and running out Belmont
Avenue, you get into Montgomery County, and so out of the city.
Germantown may be reached by the Wissahickon road or by keeping straight
to the northward on Broad Street until you reach Tioga Street. Turning
left into this, you soon run into the Chestnut Hill road, and can keep
to this until entering Germantown at School Lane. All through
Germantown, and out to the north and westward there are beautiful roads
of macadam that it is a pleasure to ride over.