Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-08-17

seemingly prospecting, FOR the failure OF a
bicycle concern Is rarely heard OF. Il o
proof that there Is "A mint Of money IN
the business. Where there are Ss'
factories I'm the country to-day, there
will probably be 45O AT this time ne%I
year.
WHY THEY COST SO MUCH
one Of the reasons nat the prices OF
wheels have not declined 10 any extent
is the incessant race betwee the COM
petiIg concerns 10 produce the strong
est and a. the same time the lightest
machine. Here are some facts which
will Hitter explain the matter; All me-
| chanical products have what is called
the safety factor, Thus liz the great
high-prcssure modern guns the safety
factor ia twenty, or. in other words. the
gun is made twenty times stronger than
the strain TO be put upon Ii. Ordinarily
guns have a safety factor OF ten; boilers
have six, bridges five and other mechan-
ical products about four. n bicycle
OF the old style weighed sixty pounds;
the high-grade machine OF to-day
weighs eighteen pounds. and the SAFETY
! factor has been reduced TO l2o.
With this narrow margin, the various
| narts Of the bicycle must be absolutely
perfect ard capable OF standing exactly
their proportion OF the VINO, stIalh'
There are 500 parts In the bicycle, count
ing each spoke separately, and the 100
and odd miniature steel bal. IN the
| bearings. The rlvets OF the chain. the
links, nuts and bolts number i3s sepa-
rate pieces. The old saying of a chain
being only as strong as It's weakest link
holds good In the bicycle. Any little
imperfection In any OF its parts might
cause an accident n do much to hurt
the name OF the maker.
HOW THE TEST Is MADE.
In one OF the factories visited there
was "A machine which had been made
expressly for the purpose Of testing the
various parts of the bicycle. This ma
chine was kept in constant operation.
and was about the hardest worked thing
In the place. AS rapidly as the other
machines turned out spokes, rims,
sprockets, frames, ETC., they wefs
brought into the testing-room, kach OF
these parts had 10 sustain a strain that
had been figured out 10 d nicely. rms
machine could make a tension or COM
preston OF from a few ounces up 10
la 900 pounds. When the full power
was turned on It's great jaws could tear
| apar a solid bar OF steel as easily as q
child peels a banana
Each spoke has to stand SO many
pounds the frame must do he same.
the rim, the chain. the sprockets. hub,
the front fork, pedals, ranks, handle.
bar and even the ball bearings must
show that they are absolutely right.
The coasting ability OF a bicycle depends
mon the true character OF the bear
ings. To show how finely they are
measured II will only be necessary to
say that In one shop there is a machine
which makes all the parts true" down
TO one-ten t~housandth OF an incn. Tep
Is getting bicycling down 10 a fine point,
but the race for precedence among the
big makers Is fierce, and seemingly out
d keeping with the general hilarity of
COST OF A MODERN PLANT.
TIE plant of a big concern repre-
scnts an outlay OF 100000. Bicycle
machinery IN a comparatively new
thing, and IL costs a great deal or
money. Improved machinery Is con-
stantly being invented. and. as soon
as its utility IL proved. II is troduce
In the plant OF the big concerns. fhs
old dealers say that the new men nave
a certain advantage over them because
they "A begin with the improved ma.
chinery without tyin5 up a LOT OK
money IN machines which the march
of Improvement has made use. 81.
Six hundred men IL the usual num-
Der employed in the large factories.
Some of these are now running TWEEN
ty-two hours out OF the twenty-four,
with two shifts OF men. and turning
our the parts of 100 bicycles q oay'
rhis. of course, Is an exceptioha' 49,
sut il goes 70 show what a big thihs,
n a commercial way. the bicycle mas
friHfRTY MEN TO MAKE A Wheel
II takes thirty skilled
each skilled In a different way, TO !ulh
| out the complete bicycle, aided py me
most Improved machinery. the pis
machine-shop Is divided into a dozen
| different departments. In one OF the
spokes are cut out Of the bars OF steel.
| In another the steeftubing used In the
frame IL cut. The making OF the rims
In still another department Is an inter
esting process. Sheets OF steel four
| feet wide and twenty feet long are run
| into the cutter. which slices them up
with nice accuracy into the required
| widths and lengths. Another machine
curves each strip. and u third bends
them into the required shape for at
taching the rubber tire. The ends are
then braxed together. Castings have
gone out OF date for the fastening or
h~s-'~y tei-- he met-
~ used nov. When this has been
done, holes are made for the spokes,
and then the rim passes on TO the
department where the spokes are adj
tusted.