The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-25
SOME FADS IN BICYCLES
Some Inventions That Have Recently
Been Made Known.
CALDWELL CYCLE LAWN MOWER
Has Been Devised by Resident or POugh
Leepsic. y. I.-riOrida Mans Idea
of Increasing the Power Of pro-
pulsiOn of a bicycle.


on giving to the world novelties IN tne
line of silent steel steeds. says the Bur
falo Enquirer. More men oil lhNehtNe
turn of mind are today wrestling Win
the. problems of gearing, sprockets' peu-
ais. tires and "rigldity of frame, thah
ever turned To washing machines,
churns, or automatic freight car coup
Iers The crank is also at work anu
startles the cycling world daily WIN
the. weird combinations or the Wheeis
within his own head.
In all this whirlpool of invention there
must be some merit. The bamboo bi-
cycle, that is IA cycle the frame OF which
is bamboo instead of steel tubing, which
was Scoffcd at a year ago, Is To-Day III
England given respectful considera-
ton 1t may be the cheap bicycle that
optimists have all along predicted the
coming of. Many true words are spoken
in jest, and the dreams OF romancers
are often found realized in the model
room of the United States Patent Office.
Jules Verne's Nautilus was only u few
years ahead of the submarine TORPEDO
boat \ comic sketch artist showed
man who stored compressed gas in the
tubing of his machine with which to
feed his lamp. A practical man seized
the idea. made some experiments. got
letters patent, and the plan works to
perfection
The cartoonist made merry over the
WntclIlen on the ice.
for service on the ice are now on the
market. The latest device is a canvas
band with creepers of special design to
grin the ice on the rear wheel ana TO
insure safe steering of the front wheel.
The skating device is APPLIED over the
ordinary inflated tire, and is to be used
with the every day bicycle. \ speed
of II miles an hour can he maintained
ON this steel shod wheel.
The jokesmiths and cartOonsts STUN
bled on to n practical idea when they
depicted old Farmer Oatcake riding
wheerthat propelled II moving machine.
Thomas Caldwell of Poughkeepsie, N.
Y, who has taken out more patents on
lawn mowers than any one else in the
world. laughed at the picture at first,
then retired TO his workshop. and in
few days sent his application to Wash
inetOn. In due time he secured patent
ON the cycle lawn mover.
The machine Is made with the ordi-
nary rear wheel of n bicycle and a 20
inch mower in the place of the front
wheel The mower wheels have pneu-
ma ti. tires and run as smoothly as a
bicycle. itself The mower is attached
with long steel prongs or forks, and
may be adjusted to cut high or low. The
pedals are placed directly ON the large
wheel shaft dispensing with the chain
sprocket wheels and crank shaft or
The bicycle
The strain of pushing the mower is
taken off the frame and head of the
machine by two rods. one on each side
Of the large wheel. one end of which is
attached 10 the frame at the center of
the wheel, and the other TO the mower.
The machine turns more readily than a
bicycle. in fact, may be turned around
in At siX-foot circle. 1t takes no more
power to operate 1t than to propel an
ordinary tricycle..
And stillanothcr joke has gone wrong.
as n joke, and suggested the practical
development of II quadrucyclc, II family
machine, calculated TO add to the gay
ETY. of nations. Ii is the invention of a
Denver man, Krug by name, and he has
taken his wife and two children out
daily for several months The quad
rucycle has many interesting points.
the chief one being the steering gear.
which the inventor says can be applied
to any four wheeled vehicle The ma
chine is substantially built on the lines
of high-grade wheels. and is propelled
with Il minimum of labor. The tires are
made extra strong and the machine
easily travels on any road on which a
wagon can he drawn.
THE HORSEIESS IIANSON.
The "horseless hanson" is of English
invention. 1t is expressly designed foi
invalidS. and is an improvement upon
an early effort to produce n cycle bath
chair. The inventor describes the draw
ing as being one of a proposed veloci-
pede arrangement for carrying u pas
senger, or passengers. and i'm general
form and appearance similar to a han
som cab, either a complete hansom cal
or an open or uncovered body which
would virtually constitute the lower
part of a hanson cab. This body is sup.
ported on light frame made of iron ol
steel tubes. on which is supported al
the back part a seat for one of the per
sons supplying the motive power and a
the front part another seat for supply
ing the remainder of the motive power
and having the control of the steering
The illustration is a side elevation o
the vehicle wherein the body in genera
Is in the form Of o hanson cab, and tn,
crank axles rotated by the persons oc
cupying the front and back kseats re
spectively are both connected by chail
gearing with the main or driving axle
n seemingly practical thing in th
line Of handle bars has been placed or
the market 1t may he raised or low
cred by hand without slackening speed
to meet the eXigencies of travel.
\ Florida man has applied the fly
wheel idea to the bicycle for the pur
pose of increasing the power of pro
pulsion." He claims that the powe
generated by the flying wheel proper
tionately lessons the muscular eNertiol
on the part of the operator. The sec
tional view given of this machine rep
resents the mechanism and its work
ing.
By rotating the crank shaft, as II
driving the ordinary bicycle, the gear
are made to also revolve the fly wheel