THE OAKLAND CLUBS. - San Francisco Chronicle 05 May 1894, Sat Page 10

San Francisco Chronicle 05 May 1894, Sat Page 10

THE OAKLAND CLUBS.

Reliance Members Meet the Assessment.

W. H. Quinn Again Elected Captain.

Acme Directors Reduce the Initiation Fee - A Speedy "Biker."

The members of the Reliance Club of Oakland are meeting the assessment which has just been levied with good will. They realize that the debt of the club must be reduced so that the heavy interest the club has been playing can be stopped. President R. M. Fitzgerald has sent out circulars to all the members of the club explaining the condition of affairs. Mr. Fitzgerald says:

J. H. Ames

Many members have not rendered the assistance they might in the matter of paying their dues promptly. As shown by the treasurer's report we find that there is due from members three months in arrears, $167; from members two months in arrears, $128; from those who owe over three months, $1021; from those who owe only for the present month of April, $166: unpaid assessments, $260; due from football tickets obtained by members and not accounted for as yet, $279. This makes a total due the club of $2121. There has been collected in dues during the year $7695.50, being a monthly average of $644.50, while there has been paid out and incurred for rent, salaries, insurance and light $7651.50, being an average of $637.60 per month. This leaves nothing for sundry expenses or entertainments or anything to promote or encourage outdoor sports. It must be borne in mind, however, that monthly average for dues collected will be somewhat larger for the ensuing year than for the past, for the reason that we now start in with a much larger membership than we had one year ago. However, it was apparent that the dues had to be raised to pay the actual running expenses of the club and enable the directors to provide entertainments and encourage athletic sports.

[This was a lot of money back then; $7695.50 in 1894 would be $212,174.70 today. The athletic clubs had a lot of support in the community. The Acme Club in Oakland winked out due to a financial crisis, not long after this article was published. - MF]

Myron A. Whidden.

The treasurer's report, which has just come from print, shows that the total indebtedness of the Reliance Club is $5,832.37. The sum of $2500 is due the bank and is secured by the individual indorsement of the members of the board of directors.

W. H. Quinn Jr. has again been re elected captain of the gymnasium at the Reliance Club. He is very popular with the boys in general and takes a great interest in the club, Captain Quinn joined the Reliance Club in 1887 and has been a prominent member ever since. Some time ago he won the club medals for wrestling and club swinging. He is a thorough athlete and takes an interest in all the departments of the club. Besides taking a great interest in gymnasium sports he is also an advocate of the wheel. He has made the trip to Yosemite and the Blue lakes on his wheel and this summer he intends to take a ride to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

W. H. Quinn Jr.

The entertainment committee of the Reliance Club held a meeting Wednesday night and talked over the matter of holding an entertainment the latter part of this month. The committee proposes to give the entertainment of the season on May 29th, which will be the first annual celebration of the club in the new clubrooms. The programme for this occasion is already being arranged.

The athletes of the Acme Athletic Club of Oakland are alive to the times and are preparing for a number of contests in the future. At present the wheelmen and the trampers enjoy a run into the country every Sunday. Last week the boys went to Redwood canyon, and now they have arranged for a trip to Tamalpais.

["Trampers" was slang for either hikers or trail runners. From what I can tell, they did both what we'd call hikes ("tramps") and trail runs. Redwood Canyon encompassed both what is now Redwood Regional Park and, before it was flooded, the valley all the way to Castro Valley. The Redwood Road used to run along Redwood Creek before 1925. - MF]

A. P. Swain

The directors of the club feel proud of the record made by O. L. Pickard, a prominent Acme man, who takes a great interest in wheeling. Wednesday morning Pickard left San Francisco on a nineteen-pound wheel and made the trip around the bay. He tied the American record of 100 miles, making this distance from San Francisco to Oakland via San Jose in the remarkable time of 6h. 37m. 30s, During the trip he only dismounted twice, once at San Jose and again at Centerville. He rode from San Francisco to San Jose in 3h.14m. In order to be sure that he would cover the distance of 100 miles he rode through Alameda. The record is not an official one in any way, but it has been accepted as a club record and has been posted at the Acme Club.

The directors of the Acme Club have decided to reduce the initiation fee for the summer months, so as to secure new members to take the place of several who are going to secure a leave of absence during their summer vacation.

A. P. Swain, the Acme biker who won the annual handicap road race on the triangle at San Leandro, is making a trip through the southern part of the State on his wheel. He left Oakland with a complete trip planned out, and has just sent word to the club that he has crossed the Mexican line. Swain is a very good rider, and is also a splendid athlete. He will make the return trip on his wheel, and take his time coming back to Oakland.

The Acme boys are now figuring on a proposition to enlarge their gymnasium. The increase in membership makes it quite necessary that they should have more room.