The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-11-08
MAPMAKERs FAVOR BICYCLING.
Their Business Has Been Greatly Aided
by the Wheeling Mania.

There does not seem to be, at first
glance, any direct relation between maps
and bicycles, but there is, and map pub
fishers report that cycling is RESPONSE
BILE for new and enlarged demand for
road maps, especially those mounted
on muslin. Heretofore the maps in
most general use have been railroad
maps, and the greatest care has been
taken to make these exact, the United
States being far ahead of all other coun-
tries in respect to the manufacture of
maps giving the locations of cities and
towns and the railroads connecting them.
In England, France and Germany the
manufacture of Typographical maps has
been carried much further than the
United States-maps giving the roads,
elevations, grades, water courses and
declivities-due perhaps in a great
measure to the fact that the construc-
ton of such maps is under the direction
of the war department, with abundant
means and ample facilities, whereas in
the United States the market for maps
of all kinds comes from the general pub
lie. f late, however, it has been found
necessary, in order to supply the con-
stantly increasing demands of bicycle
rides for good road maps, to add to the
stock of such publications more espec-
tally such as are on muslin. Those sold
in New York give chiefly the Westches-
ter Long Island, Staten Island and New
Jersey territory through which the best
roads run.
The headquarters of the mapmaking
business of the United States has long
been Chicago, and not until the rise of
the bicycle as the most approved method
of road travel has New York challenged
Chicago's supremacy. Mapmaking has
been carried of late years to point at
which cheapneSS and accuracy may be
said to meet The foundation of an Or
n f, lot nj a a
smeared with ordinary lamp black. Over
this is spread like a film composition
of soft white wax, and the map drawing,
made on engineers firm blue paper, is
spread over the film. Then. with knife
somewhat resembling one of the parts
of a compass, the lines are drawn into
the wax and the tracing is removed.
Mapnaakers have small contrivance
which much resembles what is known as |
a printers stick, except that, instead of
providing for lines of type, it provides
for only one. This line is set" and then |
the type metal, which is copper-faced, |
is heated. AS heated it is applied to the |
wax adjoining the point marked by each |
city, and when withdrawn leaves the |
name of the place clearly marked. After |
the wax composition has hardened it is
suffused with acid, which makes a COM |
plete cast, and from this cast the cleo
trotype is made, from which any number |
of maps may be printed The chief cost |
of maps, therefore. is the first cost, and.
that provided for, the other expenses are
insignificant, paper and wooden or mus
lin mounting being the chief ones.
The increased popularity of maps,
through the requirements of bicycle
riders. has reduced visibly the cost, and
this is one of the beneficial effects which
have followed the bicycle craze. Still
another beneficial effect of the popular
ity of bicycling has been the improve
ment of roads in the neighborhood of the
larger cities.-New York Sun.