Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-09-22
The Bicycle in Baden.
DOZENS OF THEM wHIRLING ALONG ALI. tn


SMOOTH ROADS.
A recent Baden letter says: Baden from being
the most expensive of summer cities is becoT-
Hg one or the most reasonable. The view
afoot In every direction are among the most
charming In central Europe. The English
make the most OF them, too, as may be 1mag-
every day toward all points Of the compass. It
Is one OF the amusementS OF the German, French
or other cosmOpOlite tourist to see these ardy
pleasure seekers set out, the men In the coarse,
durable clothing which the British of all ranks
cover their big limbs with, and the women not
whit behind them In stuff gowns that shed
rain and don't show Gust or the travel-statns OF
the road: Many OF them come provided with
the big bicycles which are now the mania of the
English youth. These groups are, Of course
compelled to conflne themselves to the valley
there are adventurous spirits who have actually
trayerIed large part OF Switzerland on these
precarious vehicles.
The loDglegs OF the race have necessitated enor.
nous machines. have seen these two wheels
Wh1rllng like express trains along the Baden
roads, even up the hills GU inches In diameter.
Think OF working the treadle Of such circum-
ference? AS now constructed, the bicycle is a
lar different thing from the clumsy "bone shat.
ter" introduced in America about ten years ago.
Great companies have been formed in England
when 90 nothing else but fabricate these ex-
traordlnary vehicles; and you hear young men
Talk about the superior speed OF Coventry"
q "Sparrow" or STANLEY" The fore wheel
being sixty inches, the back-wheel is so small
hardly see 1t. 1t is by regulation, not two feet
In diameter. Indeed, the appearance presented
as these enormous flashing circles dart past on
the smooth road is that OF great hoop OF gilt
tertpg steel with human figure perched on the
top of it. The spokes are thin cords of steel
wire, trend'Dg into the tire from very wide
The general rule is that the vehicles shall be
bigh-tbat is, the saddle or chair of the person
VINO 1loes II. AS a COL sequence, to learn to man.
age one requires about such training as an
In O rf6 fv,rp n1k,nN
this difference OF drawback, that even when
you have mastered the difficulty of keeping
your per1lous seat your are unable to quit 1t, or
having quilted 1t you are unable to remount
without aid. This, ps you will see, neutralzes
the value OF these fascinating motors as me ms
OF JOurDey1ng In strange districts. But. in spite
them by the dozen on all the smooth roads of
the Palatfnate, where the danger OF sharp
accents an 1ncessant traffic do not seem to dis
courage the adventurous BrltOD.
The accidents are not the least interesting
pant OF this charming steed. You may be ad-
n'rlng SIX feet OF flesh and blood perched far
up above you on the high road, when OF sud
rise from the ground and climb the backbone OF
The big one; then you see cow ulstve scramble
Of feet and legs in the air. and your young
handle or the head OF the thing, and lands with
a somersault On the hard roadway in front,
While the machine, moment before so erect
and glisteDing, lies IN mass either on the rider
or Perllously near him. His only care, how
ever, is to save the frail mechanism-for good
machine cost not less than $3.50 and from that
down TO $50. At such price 1t would be natu-
raj 10 suppose that they would be scarce, but. on
the contrary, all classes OF the continental Eng
liSh have them. saw company consisting OF
dozen young Oxford men set out from StraS-
burg for Co!ogne-15o miles away. There was
younger son OF duke, the son OF cabinet
minister, minister's son, and the rest middle
class English The captain OF the palty was
city merchants boy and he gave the command
physical pre-eminence and his mastery over the
bicycle.
But the feminine Briton doesn't believe In her
father and brother and husband having all the
enjoyment OF this ecstatic means OF locOmotion
The staid Deutschers have Eeen edited OF
late by the appearance Of "tllcycle,' ma.
chine with ope fore-wheel and two back wheels
The fol e-wheel is worked by the husband and
and the two back wheels by the wife or sister or
sweetheart or whoever may be seated upon the
back seat. This Is very comfortable and very
easily moved. 1t has the advantage OF much
stronger brake than the two wheels and car
climb and descend hills much more readily. A
stout English couple arrived at Baden the othec
day from journey In Italy! They had Travelled
Thirteen hundred miles on this SWftrmOving
cOntl1Vance, and even the Germans are bethink-
ing Themselves OF calling them into use The
only drawback is that the two sit back to back
which must diminish the pleasure OF CONVEX
sation.
~ woman at Belfast, Me-, habitually pun
ished her little Child by sticking needles into It's
scalp and putting drops OF boiling water on its