The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-07-26
Some Queer Cycles.


The bicycle passed through many curious
stages before it reached it's present state Of
perfection. This machine is one that pc
culiarly eXcites the inventive genius of
man, and the designs that have been made
in years past with the view of getting the
greatest amount of speed with the least eX-
penditure of energy are wonderful to be
hold
One of the earliest forms of velocipede
was that invented in the eighteenth century
by one John Viewers, master of boarding
school at Reigate, Surrey, England, Mr..
Viewers had Il large number of wealth.
young men in his school, and he conceived
the bright notion of providing for them a
travelling chaise without horses. The rider
was to be seated in the carriage where he
could manage the steering apparatus while
a servant, hanging on by step behind,
propelled the machine. This "bicycle" did
not meet with much favor, the chief objec-
ton being that it did not run fast enough.
To such obiec, ions Mr.. Viewers replied that
the fault was not with his machine, but
with the propelling power of the servant
IT, he argued, the servant We're as strong as
two ordinary men, the machine could be
made to go twice rs fast, which shows that
Mr. Viewers was as clever at repartee as at
mechanical invention.
Another queer machine was invented by
Frenchman about $780, He went to a
great deal of pains and expense to have the
bicycle constructed, but after it was fin
ished found That he could not ride it. The
reason is plain The machine was driven
by pressing the feet upon projections on
the rim of the forward wheel. There was
no steering gear or brake. 1t would require
a modern expert to ride such bicycle.
Some years before this Scotchman had
devised what he dubbed self moving car
riage The adjective is misleading, for the
carriage was designed to be moved by a
man sitting behind. The machine nevel
got any further than paper and it is doubt
full whether il would have moved at all had
it been built. 1t was calculated to carry
seven persons and was to be propelled by
means Of treaIles.
1t remained for an American to devise
the most remarkable cycle on record The
name and address of the inventor have been
lost, but there is little doubt that he was Il
Yankee, The contrivance consisted of II
sort of miniature dogcart, on which was a
box seat. This was connected by means of
pole with a large wheel in front, so ar
ranged that it could contain two dogs. The
machine was guided by means of a steering
rod, with a handle conveniently near the
rider The inventor reckoned that the
dogs, in their natural desire to escape,
would run forward, thus revolving the
wheel, somewhat after the manner OF a
prisoner on II treadmill. Even supposng
that dogs could be procured which would
perform this service, there remains the
question of weight, which was the straw
that broke the inventors back.
He found tlat, with the clumsy materials
then in use, the carriage complete would
weigh about 300 pounds To this was to be
added the weight of 150-pound lady, fol
the machine was designed especially for
woman's use Considerable discussion arose
as to how heavy the dogs would have to b,
in order to drive this weight, and book
written on the subject said that two 40
pound dogs would not suffice. The invent
or, therefore, deciding that animals OF
greater weight could not be accommodated
abandoned his task.
The first rear driving safety was built by
Scotch blacksmith of the name of Gavin
Dalziel in 1896. The foot power was ap
piled to levers attached to cranks on the
rear wheel.-Ne,o York World.