The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-10-24
THE DEMON WHEEL.
BY LUKE SHARP.

! am not sure that l ought TO write
about the demon bicycle, at least until
my acquainta nee, NJ. Rataplan, has
had time to get back to Paris and
patent his marvellous invention all over
the world Still he spoke in the most
open way about this miracle, and did
not seem to care who heard him, SO
perhaps he has protected his different
contrivances as he went along, after
/ the Edison manner. for it is well known
that Thomas A. Edison cannot sleep at
nights unless he has taken out at least
sixteen new patents during the day.
met NJ. Rataplan at mountain re-
sort five thousand feet above the sea
in the Jura range, the most western
part of Switzerland. / thought at first
he was a war veteran, for his breast
was covered with medals of all sorts,
but closer inspection showed that
they were badges of various bicycle
clubs in all parts OF the world. He
told me that he was member of every
cycle society in the world SO far as he
knew, although of course some of
them might have escaped him.
Are you a record breaker?" l asked.
think ! did break the record across
France"
And you are here resting after your
rider" | ventured.
We'll, yes, in a measure. Actually
had no intention of coming to Switzer-
land, but l could not rightly help my
self 1t all came about through the
greatest invention the world has ever
seen. Talk about pneumatic tires!
They're not in it compared with my
invention"
You talk English" said, with
colioquial fluency somewhat unusual
in Frenchman. Where did you learn
the language?'
"Oh. Tm not a Frenchman. My
names Macguire and I'm from Phila-
delphia. | came to France and changed
my name to Rataplan because |
couldn't get fair show in America"
Il thought the states was the best
place in the world for an inventor"
$50 it is, if you don't start from Phil
adelphia. You see, Philadelphia is a
slow town. New York men speak of
having their country residence there.
Then Philadelphia has always been an
unfortunate city for inventors There's
the Keely motor man. He is enough
to Gomorrah any town. You see, had
no capital, and the moment l invented
anything and tried to interest man
with money in it, he made fun of the
thing as soon as he heard | was from
.Philadelphia-.sl1e me if | was a
friend of Keely's, and all that, till l
got tired of it. Then other fellows
got to hear of my inventions and pat
ented them before me, and so | never
got a chance. When l became NJ. Rata
plan, of Paris, l got rich Americans
over here to listen to me and I've
made money But this invention beats
them all"
SIS it secret?"
You're not an inventor, are you?"
''ln u way. Pm newspaper man. !"
''Oh that's all right. like news
paper men. 1t doesn't matter my tell
ing you, for if you did write it up,
you'd get it all wrong, and nobody
would understand it,
Then let me hear about it"
''Do you know anything of cleo
tricity?"
"A little. know you will burn
your fingers if you don't let go a live
wire mighty suddenly"
Quite so You have been accurately
informed. Well, you know what a
storage battery is?"
yes 1t is like certain kinds of in
vestments. You put in sum of money
and get out only part of it."
Exactly. That's the ordinary stor-
age battery of commerce. You get out
only fraction of the electricity you
put in. Ever heard of the Mcguire
storage battery? No? 1 thought not.
It's small pocket battery-I won't
enter into particulars-but by a certain
interior arrangement of the plates, it
actually increases the E. M. f. of the
fluid put into it"
And what does E. NJ. f. stand for?"
Electro motor force. / see you
don't understand ever the rudiments
of electricity Now it struck me the
Macquire storage battery might be APP
piled to bicycle. 1t worked beauti-
fully-small and compact, you know
but it always ran out just when you
were in some part of the country
where you couldn't get it charged
again. So put my wits to work and
invented a little portable dynamo
which could be attached to the driving
wheel of bicycle and which would
keep replenishing the storage battery.
Thought that the force going down
hill would run the dynamo enough to
keep the battery reasonably full and
so transmit the force to the bicycle
when going up hill"
And did it work?"
did it work? 1t did work, my boy
in a way that would have made your
hair stand on end, and nearly ruined
my constitution, but as soon as | have
that invention under control I'll para
iyzc the world. | took my machine
out of Paris for a trial spin before
had everything completed. | live in
the southern part of Paris and so rar
lown toward Fountainebleau to try
now it would go. | had the dynamo
in one pocket-it is very small but
,owcrful, as told you-and the bat
try in The other About twenty