Line 0.0.0 LOOPING THE LOOP.

Line 0.0.1 -o

Line 0.0.2 The spectators who gathered at the

Line 0.0.3 Exhibition Building, Melbourne, on Sat

Line 0.0.4 urday evening were treated to a surfeit

Line 0.0.5 of sensations, Diavolo, the cyclist, who

Line 0.0.6 essayed the task of looping the loop,

Line 0.0.7 being* thrown violently off the track at

Line 0.0.8 its hightest point, and saved from in

Line 0.0.9 stant death only by the net. At a pri

Line 0.0.10 vate trial held on Friday afternoon,

Line 0.0.11 Diavolo was thrown out of the loop,

Line 0.0.12 and, as his bicycle was picked up with

Line 0.0.13 damaged forks, it was assumed that

Line 0.0.14 these had given way during his ride and

Line 0.0.15 precipitated him into the net. The loop

Line 0.0.16 (remarks the "Argus") was seemingly

Line 0.0.17 in proper form, and when the musical

Line 0.0.18 programme which constituted the early

Line 0.0.19 part of Saturday evening's show con

Line 0.0.20 cluded, the rider came out, confident

Line 0.0.21 that he would accomplish the circuit.

Line 0.0.22 Diavolo, who is a short, powerfully-built

Line 0.0.23 American, who started his athletic ca

Line 0.0.24 reer as a racing cyclist, stood in the

Line 0.0.25 loop, examined its parts carefully, and

Line 0.0.26 then walked on tip-toe up the steep

Line 0.0.27 slope that terminated at the top of a

Line 0.0.28 high platform, erected on the balcony

Line 0.0.29 under the dome. His bicycle, which had

Line 0.0.30 been taken upstairs, was placed in po

Line 0.0.31 sition, and, the word being given, he

Line 0.0.32 started on his thrilling journey. His

Line 0.0.33 bicycle was provided only with foot

Line 0.0.34 rests, gravitation being relied upon to

Line 0.0.35 give the impetus necessary to carry him

Line 0.0.36 round the immense loop, about 30ft.

Line 0.0.37 in diameter. Dashing down the slope

Line 0.0.38 with increasing velocity, Diavolo success

Line 0.0.39 fully covered what appeared to be the

Line 0.0.40 most dilficult portion of his ride-the

Line 0.0.41 spot where the curve commenced. An

Line 0.0.42 unmistakable bump was noticeable here,

Line 0.0.43 but it did not affect the rider, and he

Line 0.0.44 ran upwards, along the top of the circle,

Line 0.0.45 and was seemingly about to swing round

Line 0.0.46 on his downward journey when the ma

Line 0.0.47 chine left the track. Almost before the

Line 0.0.48 accident could be noticed, Diavolo had

Line 0.0.49 rolled out of the net, and was acknow

Line 0.0.50 ledging the sympathetic applause of the

Line 0.0.51 spectators from the centre of the loop.

Line 0.0.52 After a rest of a couple of minutes, lie

Line 0.0.53 again ascended the slope, and, amid loud

Line 0.0.54 applause, once more attempted his

Line 0.0.55 hazardous feat. On this occasion the

Line 0.0.56 accident was repeated, with the excep

Line 0.0.57 tion that it appeared much more serious.

Line 0.0.58 The bicycle ran off the track at precise

Line 0.0.59 ly the same spot, but in such a manner

Line 0.0.60 that, instead of being merely thrown

Line 0.0.61 gently in the net, Diavolo and his bicy

Line 0.0.62 cle turned a complete somersault, the

Line 0.0.63 machine striking the net near the top,

Line 0.0.64 while the man was sent spinning along

Line 0.0.65 its surface like a ball, to bump heavily

Line 0.0.66 against the floor. "Diavolo is not hurt,"

Line 0.0.67 announced the manager; and, after get

Line 0.0.68 ting his breath the performer explained

Line 0.0.69 that an error must have been made in

Line 0.0.70 the construction of the loop. Owing to

Line 0.0.71 the forces which come into action, it

Line 0.0.72 is necessary to have one side wider than

Line 0.0.73 the other, and, in erecting that plat

Line 0.0.74 form, the aditional space had evidently

Line 0.0.75 been given to the wrong side. Diavolo

Line 0.0.76 undertook to have the alterations effect

Line 0.0.77 ed, and promised to loop the loop with

Line 0.0.78 out fail on Monday. Earlier in the

Line 0.0.79 evening Diavolo gave an exhibition of

Line 0.0.80 trick cycling, and, jaded though the ap

Line 0.0.81 petite of the public is for such enter

Line 0.0.82 tainments, his skill was so great that

Line 0.0.83 none could refrain from applauuing.

Line 0.0.84 Diavolo's tricks are new, and are car

Line 0.0.85 ried out neatly. Of all the trick cyclists

Line 0.0.86 who have appeared in Melbourne he is

Line 0.0.87 undoubtedly the best, and his reper

Line 0.0.88 toire of evolutions seems inexhaustible.

Line 0.0.89 The act concluded with his waltzing

Line 0.0.90 round the stage on the back wheel of

Line 0.0.91 a bicycle he had previously taken to

Line 0.0.92 pieces while in the same position. A

Line 0.0.93 fine exhibition of bioscopic views was

Line 0.0.94 given, and there was an excellent con

Line 0.0.95 cert programme, including items from

Line 0.0.96 Miss Florence Gibson, Miss Emilie Ben

Line 0.0.97 son, Mr. Henri Stevoni, Mr. Robert Wat