San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-01-20
THE BICYCLE.
A Tourist who Makes IL His Horse
---It Carries Him and His
Luggage Thousands OF

---Lc Carries Him ana MS
Luggage Thousands OF
Miles.
In conversation with Mr.. ]. Elmer
Pratt, the bicycle tourist, who ar
rived last Saturday morning from
Chicago and of whom mention was
made In the LIGHT, . reporter for
this paper inquired how he liked
San Antonio. 1t was in his room at
the Menger that he was seen, and he
answered: "You have o fine hotel
and q fine city. 1 rode 80 miles
around the place Sunday by my CYCLIC
meter. saw the Missions, your subur-
| ban additions, etc."
When asked about his tour, he
said:
IT started from Chicago June 18th
last. Since then / have been over
| % states and have rode 3l6 miles in
Can ada, 200 in New York, $50 in
Peppsyi vania, nearly 400 in Ohio, 200
in Michigan, 800 In Kentucky, in
GLIDING tour to the Mammoth cave,
$50 in Tennessee. Kentucky roads
are the finest for bicycle touring Of
any 1 have found so far in any state,
though in Texas 1 have also found the
roads fine. OF your city will say, II
the streets and roads are rs good
eight months in the year as 1 found
them yesterday, 1 would want no
better place to live in and ride
bicycle"
"What machine do you rider"
"Mine is a light rambler safety,
Gormully & Jeffrey make, and
weighs so pounds. These are the best
in the world. Every piece of metal
is drop forged, no castings being used
whatever. The material used
exclusively is Bessemer and tool steel.
Would you believe there are over 900
pieces in one of these machines? Well
there are, and it requires just 1856
wOrkmen to make one machine.
Every machine goes thorough from 8
to 10 mems hands. Why, the ball
bearings are fitted to the 1000 part Of
an inch, being measured through q
micrometer 80 accurate, that atiny drop
of oil on one of the balls would prevent
it from passing through the gauge,
were it the same size with its more
successful fellows. OF the AZ paten Is
on the Gormully & Jeffrey Ram blers,
IS are Mr.. Jeffrey's own patents and
royalties are hence not in it.
"have you always been cyclist
and toured?" inquired the scribe.
"No, I used to work in carpet
store" he replied. "Once / worked
on q farm, then after going to school.
1 entered the carpet store. / took to
bicycle riding and then went at IL
regularly. / have toured on the high
wheels, or ordinary, and in 1887 rode
from Bay City, Mich, to Johnstown,
Pa, and back, 1870 miles, in two
months ana eight days, including
all stops. 1 road eight one hundred
miles, making one hundred miles q
day, or eight centuries on this trip.
My smallest days travelling was 81
miles.
This year on my tour throughCan-
ada there were sixty-nine people In
the party, three of whom were ladies,
and one, q Miss E. M. Gilmer, was
from Dallas, Texas. 1 never had a
runaway caused by my wheel, and
have not had a fall in three years, and
/ have coasted down Lookout Noun
tain and other steep descents. On my
prominent wheel papers, and il 1 had
descriptions of the country and Incl
dents of my trips.".
would you take any make of
wheels on a tour"
mo, I have tried several of the
leading makes but find that for hill
climbing as well as coasting and gen.
eral wear and tear, the Gormully &
Jeffrey make, being all forged steel,
is the strongest and best. This facto-
ry now has from 10000 to 1900 ram
blers in use and should say a bout 1890
of these were ridden by ladies. They
take very readily to the rambler
patterns, which is made for them as
we'll as gentlemen. Nellie Bly, and
Pauline Hall and other prominent
ladies ride them, and in Pittsburg 80
l.3 per cent of the sales of these
machines are to ladies. Be-
sides, there are plenty of
northern cities where there are
from % to $50 lady bicycle riders.
/ may cay there are plenty of ladies
whom Isaw 2 years, looking pale and
emsciated, whom lately have seen
in the rosiest of health, after riding q
rambler since that time. 1t has i'm
proved my health and improves any
body's. 1t broadens and strengthens
the chest, puts on muscle, cir
culates the blood and reduces en-
bonpoint."
"Ileave here tomorrow" continued
this interesting gentleman, "to go to
Kerrville, where bicycle club has
sent for me. Messrs. France Il Thiele
have taken the agency for these ma
chimes in San Antonio and probably