Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-04-27

y 1Hi - The Bicycle. s-s
Every one is familiar with the appear
lnce of the bicycle and its rider, and
get it is scarcely five years since that in
strument, in its present shape. first Wis
ted this country; The hasty craze of
1869. Tin which the s.sbone shaker
played the principal part, can hardly
be said TO have been more than mo-
mentaTy compared with the present In
serest in the two-wheeled vehicle.
Bicycles probably owe their origin to- a
Frenchman, or German named Charles
de Drais. master of Che forests of the
Grand Duke of Baden, who invented a
machine in 1917, composed of two
wheels of equal diameteF. 1Sne behind
the other and coIfnected bv backbone
or perch. on which was placed a saddle
FOR the Fider.-It was claimed ftat q
traveller with this instrument could
cover eight or nine miles an hour on a
good road. The mode Eof sprepnlsion
ieqnired the rider, whose feet yust
touched the ground, to place histoes on
the ground and push the machine along,
It's said that considerable dexteritY
was necessary to prevent the rear wheel
srom striking the rider heels; and that
the toes were, turned well forward to
overcome the liability to such an aeei=
dent. Baron de Drsis, it seems, was
imaginative as well as inventive. He
was not satisfied to ride only in the
manner described, but proposed TO. rig
sail, and under favorable weather TO
taeks 60 about, sail in the winds eve,
and adopt other nautical mems. of adj
vance, The Germans called this instrti-
meHt the Lrsi fDldShin. Ii does not ap-
pear. to have emigrated from the
Baron's own jurisdiction The bone
shaker of fifteen years ago was a slight
modification of this instrument, but
never met with much favor in this
country because of the unsuitable roads
here. Exhibitions were given in halls
and other inclosed places, but it never
rose beyond, the place of curious toy.
A glance at the present perfected BIZ
cycle gives very little idea of the won
derful skill in construction. or the deli
cate relation of parts that really exists.
Neither pains nor expense have been
spared in order 10 make machine alb
soiutely without objection. The metal
lie portions are constructed of steel, yet
for the different parts. subjected as they
are 10 VARYING degrees of weight and
strain. the metal selected is either rigid
or yielding as Will best. suit the object
desiredsr The wheels are composed of
light but strong rims. with from sfifty
four to sixty spokes of number nine or
eleven wire, firmly attached to the hubs.
Around the wheel is stretched round
circle of rubber held in place by cement.
This Is the principal feature of the mod
ern instrument, and is, indeed, the point
of greatest difference between il, and its
predecessors, removing almost all sof
the jars caused BY inequalities of the
road. 1t Is not too much to say that
without tine tire the bicycle would be
useless in this. country. The rubber
tire is an American invention, and is
owned by accompany, (Which eXactS a roy
atty of ten dollars on ell English machines
drought here.-Another great advance
was made when ball bearings were
adopted. This arrangement provides
Tor the turning of the journals upon the
surfaces of hardened steel balls, thereby
reducing the friction. One company
claims that the front wheel of their ma
chimes has been made to revolye elev-
on minutes from one impetus. Nor are
these the only decided improvements.
Every portion, of. the machine, from the
bolts and nuts To- the wheel, has been
carefully studied with the view of re-
ducing friction and weight and advanc-
ing the possibility of speed.
The results of these inventions per-
init almost marvellous speed. AT Cam
bridge, Eng, III. l.. Cortis rode q mile
in two minutes, forty-One and three
ffths seconds; Hon. Mr.. Falconer,~ 1.-TWO
miles in five minutes, thirty-siX and
twO-fifths seconds, and five miles in fif-
teen minutes, thirteen and two-fifths
seconds. Ten miles were covered in
thirty minutes and forty-five seconds;
twenty-five miles in one hour, nineteen
minutes and twenty-three seconds; fifty
miles in three-hOurS and five minutes,
and one hundred miles in seven hours.
eighteen minutes and fifty-iive seconds.
In six minutes less than twenty-four
hours w. :. Britten rode PIP miles,
and'atsan' exhibition given in London
l,4O4 miles were-coYered in six DAYS.
These records have not yet been beaten
by American riders. The present SUI
periority in England is probably due to
the fact that bicycles have been In act
i've use there since 1870 or 1872, while
with us they date from the latter part of
lS11,-NatioRGk republican.