| Show 1 THE OLD TOWPATH BICVLC ROADWAY MONO ERIE CANAL i I A Ilim lrm Yew fork lo Mir < at111iYlre iNipriMlnc Ilio lllrr Itord I il esheeelptt < Nrlril for 11 snot lath IAV8 are being j i made for the con ruction of 1 bl c r cycle path from Ct Albany to HtitTaln J along the line of 5 the Ilrle rannl lining f lin-ing the wellbeaten W low path that will Ir 1 loon be abandoned f when electric traction la I Installed I i stalled nay the Now York World The scheme originated In the fertile brain of Frank w Hnwlcy promoter of the many Niagara I electric companies I I compa-nies soon after ho caught the bicycle mania In Its mot Intense form Mr Haw ley has a country place at Pitt ford through which the canal rum I He found the towpath nn excellent place ion i-on which lo ride < barring a few un cipectcd dive Into Iho water while learning The Cataract General nice I bo i Iris company for which he obtained Ibo excluilvo right to operate electric traction on the canal Intend lo have I Hi wire up loon and the path will belittle be-little used then The rising generation genera-tion are on wheel wild Mr Hawley at the Lawyer club and ao ore n goal I many of the present one Now there la I the old tow patll It lanl goIng go-Ing to ho of mueh use in Ira present condition I con-dition and It would nmka the finest stretch of road In thin country for bicycling bi-cycling llcsldcii nothing would ultimately 1 ulti-mately prove of greater benefit to thin states waterway than to permit the construction of cycle paths over every I rod of canal land 1cople opposed to the Improvement of our canal are largely large-ly resident of sections removed l from Its line and little conversant with Ita need or commercial value The bicycle bicy-cle path would make them acquainted Kith the Interior waterways Tho first thing necessary la to so euro the permission of the superln lendcnt of public work for the improvement Im-provement Then the many bicycle aa aoclallona of thin date should unite to raise funds and build the path Its conitructlon need not be costly at the prevent towpath la I In excellent shape To Hart the flnanclal part of the pro gramma I will subscribe U l and I am sure there urn n number of other men In the state who will do thin some Such a path continued Mr Haw loyt I would 1 tend directly lo the Improvement Im-provement > of road throughout the state It would bo Ibo entering wedge towards the construction of public highway worthy of Now York Along the tine of all main road and thoio hereafter built cycle paths should be conatructed I do not urge this aa a favor but ua a right Our Ihouianda of wheelmen increase Inc every day In number are entitled to It not aa mere convenience but aa n necessity Already Iho bicycle outnumber out-number carriage on country roods The allent Iced le l hero to slay and be Inn Indorsed by no large a proportion of Ibo population Ita need mint bo do ferred to and Ita wants respected Tho conatructlon of the canal path would form a fine road for blc > clM from New York to Iluffalo 410 mill long Btartlng from this city the Iloulovard lead to Klngsbrldgo road and then the lludion river la I followed 1 all thcway to Albany Thla old stagecoach line I opened In 1MO has been placed In flan I I condlllon aa far Poughkccpslo by the many wealthy Now Yorkers who kayo built magnificent country place along It The bad la I solid macadam and In many place thin steep grade havo been cut down From Ioughkccpilo lo Albany a bicycle bi-cycle path la to be constructed John Jacob Astor although himself not n rider baa become Interested In this plan and headed the subscription Hit followed by Governor Morion Dumont Clarke the estate of W II Dlnimore I and many other residents < along tho lludton trlnclpally by prlvato sub acrlptlon that part of the road will be placed In fine condition for bicycle riding rid-ing From Tonawandn on the outiklrt of Iluffalo to Niagara Tall ono of the finest paths In Iho country hAl already been constructed The canal end III Tonawanda null lowpath riders could continue on to Niagara Fall thus makIng mak-Ing one of Iho finest trip In the world |
