The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-04-04


there can be but little doubt that there fingered IN
his side By side with the picture OF the
putting locomotive, recollection Of some story
he had heard Of the two.wheeled velocipede Of
France. For although it Is but within the past
year or two that this novel species Of rapid self
propulsion has come into general notoriety, IL b
nevertheless an established fact that seventy years
since the Place de Ia Conccrde, then the Place
Louis XIV, was the scene Of the exhibition OF the
first two. wheeled velocipede on record. II was
the invention of two gentlemen, Messrs. Blanchard
and Masurier, 1.-THE former an aeronaut Of great
fsme,) and required two persons to manage it.
one to propel, the other 10 direct its movements.
Somebody has discovered Of late in an issue OF
the Journal de Paris, dated July ~, 1893. an
enthusiastic description of the speed with which
the machine was driven before the astonished
eyes Of the members Of the French Academy and
o large conoourse Of spectators. II was subse-
quently exhibited to Louis XVI and Marie An
toinette, and their court at Versailles, but after
ward dropped out Of note and was no more
heard of.
Nine years later, however, an inventor e.
hibited in the garden of the Luxembourg the first
recorded bicycle for use by a single person. This
machine, called the celerifere, was mounted on
low Wheels the rider being obliged, tits said, to
walk and carry his steed with him, circumstance
which, eminently contradictory OF the pretentious
name bestowed by the inventor, caused the
as he had expected 1t TO propel itself into popu-
larity. The pleasure of riding was more than
overbelanced by the labor OF propelliDg, 30 peo-
pie failed TO appreciate the invention and some
even carcatured it, one cartoon representing It
struggling in deadly combat with an improvised
locomotive, then also an object of ridicule. And
so il followed that for twenty years and over
the invention remained unheard OF until In 1880
q Mr.. Dreuze. connected In some way with the
Bureau de Poste. proposed that the celerifere,
with some few improvements. be adopted for use
by the postmen in the suburbs. Upon this sug.
gestior machines were constructed, the riders
were thoroughly drilled to their work, when,
unfortunately, the setting In of winter, with its
snow and ice, put stop to the undertaking,
although il Is difficult TO account for it's not
having been resumed In the following spring.
Such vicissitudes in their early days have all
prsctical and ultimately useful inventions en-
countered. Steamboats,, railroads, and the ocean
telegraph could not to. day be Offering us regular
and reliable means of travel and communication
had the tendency 10 laugh them down been met
by aught save fixed conviction OF the correct
ness of the deductions on the inventors part.
Time has wrought that result which the inventor
long since gone must have pictured IN his waking
dreams, and now to-day on two continents the
velocipede is becoming daily more popular and
And why not, Has II not in al the worlds
history been one of the great problems. that of
discovering On apparatus by which man, applying
only his own inherent physical strength, may At
tain the easiest and most rapid locomotion? Per-
baps there was some truth in that story Of the
wax wings. which sent poor Icsrus into the sea,
with the miserable compensation OF having IL
named after him for Gil time. Perhaps Bellers-
phon, the Centaurs, Proteus and the LspiiLse were
no such great neurological humbugs after all.
Whether they were or not, they could not, in
bodily semblance, have presented 10 the unscous-
toned eye o more wonderful appariton than that
which the provincial sees In velocipedestrian
wbizzng along at fnil tilt with little apparent ex.
ertion, and with speed equaling that of racer.
THE vELocIPEDE ABROAD.
II is the rage at Paris. and, in fact. throughout
the French empire. Messengers, peddlers, clerks
and school boys manage 70 have and have 70 man.
age their velocipedes. sportsmen and artists
make their tours upon them, while at the country
chateaux hosts and guests substitute for the time
honored hofsersce trials OF skill and speed on the
bicycle. Every advertisement bearer sends
through the streets on velocipede; the CON-
positors employed on Galignani and other jour
nails use them regularly In going to and from their
work learned limbs of the law do not dIsdain 70
exercise their legs upon them, aud government
employees living in the suburbs, all ride the new
is beautifully described by a recent writer. He
ssys: At night, in every crowded thoroughfsre,
scores of the graceful vehicles, with lighted Ian
terms swinging before them, may be seen deity
riages, some driving madly toward the outskirts,
some with Illuminated advertisements borne like
banners above them.. gliding swiftly and noise
lessly up and down where the crowd is greatest
and, in the daytime hundreds intersecting the
avenues Of the Bots de BouogDe, and whizzing
over the smooth pavement of the Boulevards and
the level ways Of the Champs Elysees. They are
queerlooking affairs these uet0ces or bicycles, as
they are called In Paris. and when q score or
more bowl along in the Sunday race at st. Cloud,
Vincepnes and elsewhere, or when they are driven
at break neck speed on the narrow stone parapet
ct the east side Of the Seine, and even down the
hundred steps of the Trocadsro. their riders all
the time indulging IN eymnastic feats that would
seem TO invite certain destruction, the sight Ii at
once novel and inspiring"
On festival days there are exciting veocipede
races in many OF the suburbs of Paris, calling TO-
gether immense ccnco1rses of people. the average
length Of the course being 1900 metres (l9o0
yards.) The village in which the race is to take
place Is always in holiday guise banners Haunting
gaiy, eagles and flower wreaths may be seen in
every direction, and the mayor, in his red, white
and blue scarf, the emblem Of his office, usually
favors the races with his presence. The racing
ground is marked out with large cluster Of BAN
ners flying at the starting place.
The riders wear jockey caps and silk jackets,
and of the moment Of starting they are drawn up
abreast The fair sex mount their chairs, and
wave their hands and flourish their pocket hand.
kerchiefs at the signal their favorites start off,
Spite Of the exertioDs OF the gems ddyn1es the
soon lost TO sight. After the lapse of few min
utee, however, distant shouts and cheers announce
their return and the crowd opens to allow the pas
sage of the victor, who, drenched Ia Precipitation,
and with his legs working up and down with equal
regularity and greater speed than the piston Of q
steam engine, passes the winning post, amidst the
applause Of the crowd, who enjoy the sport more
than they would the finest horse racing.
A two-wheeled velocipede made the distance
mentioned, in 4:S0 at Enghien, and at Vincennes,
In five minutes, while, at st. Cloud, course Of
2400 metres, (2640 yards) with an incline Of to
loo metres, was made In 4:50. Two level miles,
less sixty feet, were covered another time at Vim
cennes in 9:l0. The average speed attained.
however, by adopts. is from twelve to thirteen
miles per hour, although the average decreases
necessarily In proportion as the rider becomes
fatigued by length of time. party Of nine lefI
Rouen one morning last September, and reached
Paris, Q distance Of eighty.fve miles, in time to
take dinner there together. Given q good and
unbroken road and think Of q man doing the same
thing In the same time between New Orleans and
Biloxi On another occasion. an amateur Is said
to have accomplished eighty-seven miles in TWEEN
ty four hours, In q race with a competitor, who
made Us miles in the same time.