F. Ed Spooner

Frank Edward Spooner 1867 – 25 October 1936

Nickname

"Well-Fed" Spooner

The Wheel is publishing weekly a cartoon representing the leading class B riders climbing from a soup tureen up a ladder which leads to a big bag of dollars encased in a laurel wreath on the top rung. The positions of the figures are changed weekly, the riders being shifted by the number of points each has acquired over the other as given in Spooner's record tables. Last week Eddie Bald of the Columbia team was shown with his hand on the top rung of the ladder, with a total of 79 points, and the rest of the Eastern circuit chasers bunched far below him at the center, with none of them showing over 46 points. Bald's showing for the season is therefore almost double any one of his competitors. He is unquestionably the man of the year, and his many California friends who met him last spring will be glad to hear he has been so successful, which, I may add, he attributes largely to his training in this State early in the season.

THE WHEELMEN. - The San Francisco Call, 07 Sep 1895

Several big bicyclers arrived from the East yesterday and put up at the Baldwin Hotel. They were: E. C. Bald of the Columbia team, his trainer Asa Windle; Tom W. Cooper and his trainer, James Temple, of the Monarch team; Charles M. Murphy and trainer, W. B. Young, of the Humber team; E. S. Kiser and trainer, H. B. Gleezen, of the Stearns team; Charles S. Wells and W. A. Terrill of the California Giants, and F. Ed. Spooner, cycling correspondent for a number of Eastern papers.

Charles S. Wells and W. A. Terrill of the California Giants 31 Oct 1895, Thu The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, California) Newspapers.com

If there is any man in the United States who is supposed to know things about the national circuit races, that man is F. Ed Spooner. They call him "Well Fed" Spooner where he is best known, because there isn't such a persistent string fiend to be found elsewhere in this country as in the sumptuously furnished office of this journalistic autocrat of the cycle path. Yesterday a letter was received here from Spooner by Art Stackpole, who happens at present to be sojourning in Minneapolis, which let go of a few very pretty little secrets from the inner governmental chambers of the big league.

RACE MEETS A'PLENTY - The Minneapolis Journal - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Thursday, May 13, 1897

View of F. Ed. Spooner at the 1909 Glidden Tour. Caption on photo back: "F.E. Spooner, who took two and [? two thousand photos on the tour."]

Autoist Killed By His Own Car

SUMMIT, Sept. 1 Charles S. Wells, known at the "California Giant" a quarter of a century ago, when he broke professional bicycle racing records, was killed yesterday when he attempted to stop an automobile from rolling down hill after releasing the brakes.

Wells, after a career as secretary of the New Jersey Auto Association and newspaper work, had turned to commercial photography and made, his home with his partner F. E. Spooner of Baltusrol Hill.

Spooner with Wells as passenger had stopped in front, of his home when fire broke out under the hood of the car. Spooner rushed off to get water while Wells smothered the fire. Wells then released the brakes to It th can roll away from a pool of burning gasoline. The car crushed him when ho went to the front in an attempt to stop it. He was about fifty years old and is survived by no near relatives.

Autoist Killed By His Own Car Charles S. Wells 01 Sep 1925, Tue The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey) Newspapers.com

F. EDWARD SPOONER, FORMER BICYCLE CHAMPION, DIES

Held Every Racing Record From 25 to 375 Miles in 1902.

By the Associated Press.

NEW YORK, Oct. 27. - F. Edward Spooner, former champion bicycle rider and a pioneer motorist, died Sunday of cancer at Hawthorne, N. Y. He was 68 years old, a native of Batavia, Ill.

Spooner was founder and former vice-president and advertising manager of the magazine Motor West, published at Los Angeles. He took part in such "pathfinding" motor tours as those from New York to Florida and Detroit to Mexico City via Denver.

In 1892 he held every bicycle racing record from 25 to 375 miles. [Not quite. - MF] Among other feats, he won in 1888 [1889 - MF] the 100-mile road championship at Chicago in five hours, 39 minutes on a high wheel bicycle.

Pages which link here:

• Bearings ‎ (← links)
• THE WHEELMEN. - The San Francisco Call, 07 Sep 1895 ‎ (← links)
• RACE MEETS A'PLENTY - The Minneapolis Journal - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Thursday, May 13, 1897 ‎ (← links)
• F. E. Spooner (redirect page) ‎ (← links)
  • Charles S. Wells ‎ (← links)
  • THE WHEELMEN. - Oakland Tribune - July 20, 1892 ‎ (← links)
  • F. Ed Spooner ‎ (← links)
  • CHAT ABOUT THE CYCLE. - The San Francisco Call - Jul 18, 1892 ‎ (← links)
• "Well Fed" Spooner (redirect page) ‎ (← links)
  • RACE MEETS A'PLENTY - The Minneapolis Journal - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Thursday, May 13, 1897 ‎ (← links)
• CHAT ABOUT THE CYCLE. - The San Francisco Call - Jul 18, 1892 ‎ (← links)
• EASTERN CRACKS COMING. - San Francisco Chronicle - October 30, 1895 ‎ (← links)
• "Well-Fed" Spooner (redirect page) ‎ (← links)
  • A QUIET WEEK IN CYCLING - The San Francisco Call - November 13, 1897 ‎ (← links)
• CYCLING NEWS UP TO DATE - The San Francisco Examiner. October 07, 1894 ‎ (← links)