The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-03-13
feinc:Dpia Notes,

The velocipede has now fairly conquered
the entire world. San Francisco has enter
ed the lists, and we understand has pro-
duced some improvements that will, when
they are made public, reflect credit upon
the ingenuity of its inventors. So much
for the Far West. What of the Far East.
The Shanghai Nsus- Letter states that veloc-
ipedes have ceased to be novelty in the
streets of that city, and even the untaught
Chinese ponies have become so used to
them that they are no longer frightened
A correspondent sends us also copy of
the Japan Gazette, published at Yokohama,
which states that gentlemen well known
in that settlement lately took q trip to
Yeddo on a velocipede and returned in
safety, meeting with no Annoyance on the
way. Rumor says that many persons have
sent home for these locomotives, and that
some are on their way out. Civilization
no longer advances solely with the locomo-
tive and telegraph. 1t has called to its as
sistance the velocipede.
We find in {! Hewitt Visits to remarka-
Places" published in 1S41, description
Of a velocipede seen by the author during
visit to Alnwick Castle, Northumberland
England, as follows:
Among the curiositics laid up here are
also two ocipedes-machines which,
twenty years ago, were for 4 short period
much in vogue. One young man of my
acquaintance rode on one of these wooden
horses all the way from London to Falkirk,
in Scotland, and was requested at various
towns to exhib his management of it to
the ladies and gentlemen Of the place; he
afterwards made a long excursion to France
upon it. He was very adroit velociped-
ian, and was always very much amused
with the circumstance of gentleman
meeting him on the highway by the river
side, who requesting to be allowed to try it
and being shown how he must turn the
handle in order to guide it, set off with
great spirit, but turning the handle the
wrong way, soon found himself hurrying
to the edge of the river, where, in his fur
ry, instead of turning the handle the othe
way, he began Justify shouting 'woh! woh"
and so crying plunged headlong into the
stream. The Dukes horse, which is laid
up here for the qualification Of posterity,
was, | believe, not so very unruly; yet
was told it's FRANKS caused it to be disused
and here stabbed. 1t is said that the Duke
and his phycians used to amuse themselves
with careering about the grounds on these
steeds; but one day, being somewhere on
the terrace, his grace's Trojan steed cap
sized, and rolled over and over with him
down the green bank, much to the amuse-
ment of troupe of urchines who were
mounted on wall by the road to witness
this novel kind of racing. On this accident
the velocipede was laid up in lavander, and
a fine specimen of the breed it is. / asked
the old porter if the story was true, but he
only smiled and said, Mind! l did not tell
you that. Don't pretend to say, if you
write any account Of this place, that you
had that from me.
The Troy Times gives the following des-
cription of a vehicle which has appeared in
that city: 'The latest vehicular invention
(but still like great many inventions Of
the earliest KNOWN is the property Of
Melesian of this city. He calls it wheel
osipede.' 1t has the advantage of only
needing one wheel, and is not only the
most useful of this description of vehicle,
but absolutely the safest. The operator
rests his feet upon the ground, and guides
the arrangement by means Of pair of
ing operations, for the conveyance of earth
sand, and such materials, and will doubt
less suppressed in the end, all the bicycles
and other descriptions of velocipedes."
A machine somewhat like the one des-
cribed by our Trojan cotemporary, has been
seen several times in the streets of this
city. 1t has, however, three wheels, one
in front and two behind. 1t is propelled
precisely in the same manner as the above
but in turning the front wheel is raised
from the ground by the operator throwing
his weight more upon the bars than he does
at other times. 1t needs no bridging of
cutters; in fact, it is capable of surmount-
ing such obstacles as curbstones, etc., and
is coming rapidly into use by porters in
delivery of goods.
But while some laugh as they will at
everything new, there are many who regard
the velocipede in its improved form as
worthy Of permanent favor, and who, like
ourselves predict that it will secure it
Whoever visits one Of the large halls devo-
ted to instruction in the art of managing
these beautiful little vehicles, will, we
think, after beholding the ease with which
they can be propelled at rate double or
treble that at which person could walk,
admit the decided gain in the application
of muscular power attained by them.
Scientific Amsrican,