The evening times., 1896-08-05
|Hls 4 RiILR0lD BICYCLE
Millionaire Eaton Prefers It
to a Pullman Car.
ST. LOUIS RIDERS PLAN
f. e. Anderson VIII Endeavor TO Ride
,~a Mile In One Minute Paced by =
5Locomotive-D Defends the IIump-
back Position hiking Parties In
England-Cyclin. Gossip.

Engiand-CyclinE Gossip.
Howard Eaton, millionaire ranch
owner, near Medona, NJ D., has created.
something of a sensation in the far
away Dakota wilds of late by appearing
on the tracks Of the Northern. Pacific
railroad company mounted on railroad
bicycle. MIR, Eaton owns the Custer Trail
Ranch, and has enough money to hire
a.whole line of Pullman cars, il need be,
to haul him from place to place. His lat
est hobby, however, seems to tickle him
immensely, and he has no use for Pull
mans. The machine which Mr. Eaton rides
is like regular safety, with the excep-
tipn that there $ small side wheel, bound
to the frame byIeHtending rods, and which
fits on the other rail- ALI three wheels
are made Of iroai with the same formation
as the regular locomotive wheels, and they
fit nicely into the tracks.
Mr.. Eaton's appearance every morning
when he makes ready TO take his little
trap down to the nearest town is iiailel
as something of an event, and always
draws a crowd. Millionaire as he is, ne
has secured a permit from the road to use
the tracks, and because of his wealth and
influence, he is treated dcferentially by all
road hands and telegraph operators along
the line as IL he were the President him
setf
For instance, every operator and tower
man along the line from his ranch into town
knows TO q precise moment just when Mr.
Mr.. Eaton is due. They have oil their
block signals set, and once in a while
they hold back freights and specials while
the little machine with Its single burden
goes wbizziDg by. Then the white signal
goes up again. Danger is passed. and the
side-tracked freights and specials puff on
again, obtyious as to what caused the de-
lay
Sometimes, too, when Mr.. Eaton stops
In his mile-a-mnute career down to town,
ifit happens that he is near yard, the en-
ployes come out with their hammers and
test the wheels. Window cleaners, from
sheer force OF habit, rush out to burnish up
his spokes and frame, and once in a while
gates are lowered as he speeds by some
more than usually populated section near
the town.
Mr.. Eaton has no cow-catcher, and he
is rarely ever troubled With tramps at
tempting TO steal rides. For all that he
can tell n good story now and then about
bis railroad bicycle. He has over 700 head
OF horses on his branch, but declares they
are not in 1t with his machine.
All the schemers are not dead yet. From
St. Louis comes the news that on Sunday
next F.. E. Anderson, a st. Louis rider,
iii s.,
onds, having a locomotive as pacemaker.
All arrangements have been made for the
trial, and the locomotive that will set pace
is one OF the fastest owned by the st. Louis,
Chicago and ST. Paul Railroad Company.
Anderson will ride on a board track which
has been built between the rails for dis
tlncc OF two miles. 1t is safe TO predict
that Anderson will not ride a mile in a
minute, but even SO, he will get lots OF
advertising from 1t, and being racing man
ofthe "small-fry class,'' will lie i'll demand,
beca use he raced against time behind a real
locomotive.
A writer in recent issue of the L. A.
W. Bulletin gives the following reasons
why he assumes the much maligned
''humpback" position in riding
..First-It distributes my weight, part on
the saddle, part on the pedals andpartonthe
handles.
''second-It ena bes me by pushing on the
handles to sit back against the cantle of
the saddle. instead OF having my weight
upon the middle OF the suspension top.
thus avoid perineal pressure.
-.'Third-Resting part of my weight upon
my hands pushes my shoulders back and
opens my chest. Sitting erect. reaching
forward and pulling on the handles does
just the contrary.
.'Fourti-When / ride over an obstacle
or q rough road, 1 can shift my weight
from front to rear wheel at pleasure. or
jump one wheel a nd then the other over the
obstruction. Sitting erect, each obstacle
ridden over must Use the rear wheel and
saddle. and the saddle must raise the mans
whole weight, as rigid mass A heavy
beam may safely be hauled over a rough
road, IL it lie lengthwise OF the wagon; but
set it up on end, and it won't take many
bumps to send it through the bottom of the
wagon.
.Fifth-It is an advantage in cutting the
wind, and it is easier to acquire and to
use a correct ankle motion"
Biking parties are all the rage In Eng.
land. They mostly go by night. When the
sun has descended into the west the hiking
party, having finished light dinner makes
ready to start. The route is generally
agreed on beforehand. the final goal al
ways being the house Of some mutual and
gootnatured friend. 1t makes the ride
more exciting and pleasant il there are
several roads and lanes leading to the house.
The. party can then divide itself into sec.
tions: the scorchers can race and the lovers
daily without annoying one another. When
all have arrived an al frcsco supper is
prepared in the garden. and the host and
hostess wait on their guests, and the night
80 90