Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-24
CRIPPLE RACE IN NEW YORK.
One Leg verses No Leg-A Novel Elk.
Inhibition at the American Institute
Fair.

IFrom the New York Times, October Isl
ARTIFICIAL LEGS,
per sc, are a great blessing to the world !;
their inventor deserves more thanks and
gold medals than he received, and he who
improves upon the current limb does a
good deal, for which words are a very in
adequate .r~ecompense. Wooden legs,
those of olden TIME, are useful but not
ornamental; they were clumsy, heavy
and stubby; their unfortunate wearer
could not, with reason, hope to conceal his
mutilated condition from the gaze of a
curious world, and we are informed that
that kind of a leg renders M an extreme
ly unpleasant roommate.
The present style of artificial leg is an
entirely different affair. Several kinds
are on exhibition at the tair this year, and
last night were subjected to a very excel
lent test. John j. Austin is the exhibitor
and inventor of the improved double-step
leg, one of which he wears himself. His
invention consists first, in sinking the
parts of the thigh or thigh-socket, on
which the hip bone rests, so as to make it
match all the points of such hip none, and
to render the operation of fitting the same
" AlG oluL4p GuSlCE Iudul Will dTIlutlal
legs of the ordinary construction; second,
in the application cf double-stops to the
kneejoint, as well when the leg is stand
ing as when in a sitting position, in such
a manner that the swapping of any part of
the knee!oint is prevented, and a strong
and substantial leg is produced; third, in
the use of an elastic segment which, COM
bined with the action Of a spring, produces
a soft cushion, when the leg is bent, and
the operation of strengthening the leg is
facilitated fourth, in new and peculiar
apparatus forthe contrsctions of the ankle
john applied in such a manner that the
neel is varied by steppingo or ~springing of
the foot, and the motion of the natural
foot is initiated.
Mr.. Jewett, patentee, exhibits another
pattern of an artificial leg, for which he
claims superiority Of strength, lightness,
perfect finish, simplicity of mechanical
arrangements, and graceful and noiseless
movements. He Rffirms that in favcra-
bic cases, so closely does it initiate the nat
ural motions of the foot and limb that its
use is not betrayed.
Still other patterns of limbs are exhi-
bited by Gustavus G. Kirchmann and A.
A. Marks.
The announcement in The Times that a
CRIPPLE RACE
would be run in the evening, drew many
hundreds of people to the fair, so that by
eight o'clock the place was uncomfortable
filed. Three contestants only appeared,
as follows:
Calvin Bates-A two-legger.
H. Ausberger-A one-legger.
Frank Stewart-A two-legger.
The crowds were divided, a lane being
thereby made up and down in whichthese
unabashed and incomplete gentlemen
were to exhibit their points and try their
mettle. Manager Carpenter, watch in
hand, rosette on breast, and excitement
beaming from every feature, superintend-
ed the arrangements. Mr.. Chambers,
with pen and paper, squared himself to
make a full report; and other bedecked
and official individuals rushed here and
there, very red in the face, and apparently
in a needlessly affected frame of mind.
All this time the three cripples sat rumi-
mating at the upper end of the lane.
Nj. Carpenter announced that the