A Bicyclist Encounters a Phantom in Brooklyn's Prospect Park
One night-not Halloween but it should have been- in 1896, a young woman cyclist went for a ride in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. Her encounter with a phantom cyclist helped her immediately appreciate her bicycle and peddle it as fast as she could peddle.
The Brooklyn Eagle version of the phantom cyclist story begins one balmy spring night in June 1896. According to the Eagle, the young woman stood on the veranda of her Brooklyn home and decided to take a spin through Prospect Park on her bicycle. The Eagle story follows her through her ride and her encounter with the phantom bicycle rider.
The Complete Bicycling Costume
It took the young woman several minutes to put on her bike cycle riding costume. The Godey’s Lady’s Book recommended that the female cyclist of 1896 wear a straight, side pleated skirt of serge over one underskirt, and full trousers lined with flannel and made of material to match the dress. A warm jersey and jacket trimmed with fur with a matching cap completed the outfit. In Bicycling for Ladies, published in 1896, Maria Ward recommended a lightly boned blouse without a corset, a serge skirt, low shoes with spats to keep out the gravel, and a walking hat. Mrs. M. Cooke favored a cycling costume known as the "Londonderry." It was made of gray green hopsack which was a coarse, loosely woven cotton or wool fabric. The coat had long, full sides and it was worn over full knickerbockers with either a shirt or a double breasted cloth, wool or leather vest.
The Cyclist Dresses and Gathers Up Her Bicycle Gear
The well-dressed woman cyclist also wore leggings, a hat, doeskin gloves and a pair of the rubber soled cycling shoes that had first appeared on the market in 1891. She also wore a bicycle belt, complete with a small leather purse. Mrs. Ward urged women taking a bicycling trip or expedition — any trip over an hour — to outfit her bicycle with a lamp and to carry matches, tools, a repair kit, a sewing kit and a first aid kit.
The Young Woman Cyclist Enters Prospect Park
Eventually, the young woman cyclist finished dressing and wheeled her bicycle down Flatbush Avenue, turned into Fort Hamilton Avenue and entered Prospect Park through the Ocean Avenue gates. The balmy night had enticed hundreds of other female and male cyclists to take a spin and the main drive in the park that ran parallel with Fort Hamilton Avenue was crowded with cyclists.The female cyclist hadn’t anticipated such a crowd and she steered her cycle to the west drive which led to the more secluded parts of the park. She soon found the privacy that she sought in the more secluded section of the park and breathed a sigh of relief as she cycled down deserted roads and paths.
The Cyclist Chooses a Secluded Path and Regrets Her Choice
By this time, the moon had climbed high in the sky. The Brooklyn Eagle story sets a sinister mood when it describes the female cyclist spinning along the road to the top of the hill. She glanced to each side where the inky blackness of the woods pressed against the road. Her heart fluttered and she speculated that anyone could be lurking in those inky woods and jump out to ambush her. As she considered the possible phantoms lurking in the woods, she pedaled faster so she could get back quickly to the more crowded paths. She turned into a road leading south that she thought would lead her out of the park. Quite matter-of-factly the Brooklyn Eagle account continues. Suddenly she noticed a bike and a rider bent over it like a racer draw alongside her. The cyclist’s heart gave a leap of joy. She felt quite relieved to see another person on the lonely trail.
The Young Woman Meets the Phantom Cyclist
It's said that the young woman took a second look at the bicyclist and almost fell off of her bicycle. The Brooklyn Eagle story described the phantom cyclist as wearing a flowing white transparent robe that plainly revealed the skeleton underneath. The phantom bent over in a double curve and the place in the skull where the nose had been almost touched the handle bars. The skeleton’s bony hands held the handlebars with a firm grip. The phantom’s bones rattled as it approached and shot past the female cyclist. Then the phantom rider slowed down as if to show the shivering female cyclist that she couldn’t escape by fast riding. The Brooklyn Eagle story graphically describes the terror of the female cyclist. She felt her blood freezing in her veins, but she pedaled as she had never pedaled before. She would escape by fast riding if she could! The phantom rider effortlessly kept pace alongside her. The female cyclist closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at the phantom rider, but she felt a mixture of terror and fascination. She peered through her lashes at intervals to see if the phantom rider still kept pace with her.
The Phantom Cyclist Leads the Way, Wins the Race, and Vanishes
According to the Brooklyn Eagle story, the phantom rider led the young woman in a ride around the park as if she had no will of her own. Utterly exhausted, finally she found the Prospect Park gate where she had entered what seemed like a lifetime before. The female cyclist peered at the phantom rider through her lashes one more time and discovered that it had vanished. She lost no time in speeding her bicycle home through the dark streets of Brooklyn.
References:
Brooklyn Eagle, June 14, 1896.
Frances Willard, Wheel Within a Wheel, Applewood Books, 1997.
The Brooklyn Eagle version of the phantom cyclist story begins one balmy spring night in June 1896. According to the Eagle, the young woman stood on the veranda of her Brooklyn home and decided to take a spin through Prospect Park on her bicycle. The Eagle story follows her through her ride and her encounter with the phantom bicycle rider.
The Complete Bicycling Costume
It took the young woman several minutes to put on her bike cycle riding costume. The Godey’s Lady’s Book recommended that the female cyclist of 1896 wear a straight, side pleated skirt of serge over one underskirt, and full trousers lined with flannel and made of material to match the dress. A warm jersey and jacket trimmed with fur with a matching cap completed the outfit. In Bicycling for Ladies, published in 1896, Maria Ward recommended a lightly boned blouse without a corset, a serge skirt, low shoes with spats to keep out the gravel, and a walking hat. Mrs. M. Cooke favored a cycling costume known as the "Londonderry." It was made of gray green hopsack which was a coarse, loosely woven cotton or wool fabric. The coat had long, full sides and it was worn over full knickerbockers with either a shirt or a double breasted cloth, wool or leather vest.
The Cyclist Dresses and Gathers Up Her Bicycle Gear
The well-dressed woman cyclist also wore leggings, a hat, doeskin gloves and a pair of the rubber soled cycling shoes that had first appeared on the market in 1891. She also wore a bicycle belt, complete with a small leather purse. Mrs. Ward urged women taking a bicycling trip or expedition — any trip over an hour — to outfit her bicycle with a lamp and to carry matches, tools, a repair kit, a sewing kit and a first aid kit.
The Young Woman Cyclist Enters Prospect Park
Eventually, the young woman cyclist finished dressing and wheeled her bicycle down Flatbush Avenue, turned into Fort Hamilton Avenue and entered Prospect Park through the Ocean Avenue gates. The balmy night had enticed hundreds of other female and male cyclists to take a spin and the main drive in the park that ran parallel with Fort Hamilton Avenue was crowded with cyclists.The female cyclist hadn’t anticipated such a crowd and she steered her cycle to the west drive which led to the more secluded parts of the park. She soon found the privacy that she sought in the more secluded section of the park and breathed a sigh of relief as she cycled down deserted roads and paths.
The Cyclist Chooses a Secluded Path and Regrets Her Choice
By this time, the moon had climbed high in the sky. The Brooklyn Eagle story sets a sinister mood when it describes the female cyclist spinning along the road to the top of the hill. She glanced to each side where the inky blackness of the woods pressed against the road. Her heart fluttered and she speculated that anyone could be lurking in those inky woods and jump out to ambush her. As she considered the possible phantoms lurking in the woods, she pedaled faster so she could get back quickly to the more crowded paths. She turned into a road leading south that she thought would lead her out of the park. Quite matter-of-factly the Brooklyn Eagle account continues. Suddenly she noticed a bike and a rider bent over it like a racer draw alongside her. The cyclist’s heart gave a leap of joy. She felt quite relieved to see another person on the lonely trail.
The Young Woman Meets the Phantom Cyclist
It's said that the young woman took a second look at the bicyclist and almost fell off of her bicycle. The Brooklyn Eagle story described the phantom cyclist as wearing a flowing white transparent robe that plainly revealed the skeleton underneath. The phantom bent over in a double curve and the place in the skull where the nose had been almost touched the handle bars. The skeleton’s bony hands held the handlebars with a firm grip. The phantom’s bones rattled as it approached and shot past the female cyclist. Then the phantom rider slowed down as if to show the shivering female cyclist that she couldn’t escape by fast riding. The Brooklyn Eagle story graphically describes the terror of the female cyclist. She felt her blood freezing in her veins, but she pedaled as she had never pedaled before. She would escape by fast riding if she could! The phantom rider effortlessly kept pace alongside her. The female cyclist closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at the phantom rider, but she felt a mixture of terror and fascination. She peered through her lashes at intervals to see if the phantom rider still kept pace with her.
The Phantom Cyclist Leads the Way, Wins the Race, and Vanishes
According to the Brooklyn Eagle story, the phantom rider led the young woman in a ride around the park as if she had no will of her own. Utterly exhausted, finally she found the Prospect Park gate where she had entered what seemed like a lifetime before. The female cyclist peered at the phantom rider through her lashes one more time and discovered that it had vanished. She lost no time in speeding her bicycle home through the dark streets of Brooklyn.
References:
Brooklyn Eagle, June 14, 1896.
Frances Willard, Wheel Within a Wheel, Applewood Books, 1997.
