The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-06-13
THE STORY OF THE
FESTIVE BICYCLE
How Il Was First Conceived and Its
Gradual Development.
INTRODUCTION OF THE vELocIpEDE
IT Was Invented by Two Frenchmen.
The Wheel Turned Down by Louis
XvI..The Paris Bicycle Fad in
ls67..Introduction Of the Bike in
New Y0rk..First Appearance Of
BlOOmers,
From the Philadelphia Times.

BlOOmerS.
From the Philadelphia Times.
In July. 1879. the journals Of Paris an
nounced with much derision the appear
ance Of the first velocipede Of which we
have any authentic account. Two en-
thuslastic Frenchmen, Masurier and
Blanchard. celebrated aeronaut, had
invented a wonderful two-wheeled ma
chine. which was destined to overthrow
within the coming hundred years the
monopoly held through long ages past
by the faithful horse and patient ass.
and enable man to propel himself
throughout the earth at a rate Of speed
only limited by his strength and endur-
ance.
Louis XVI. ordered public exhibi-
tion Of the phenomenon under his own
personal supervision at Versailles, in
the, presence Of Marie Antoinette. and
promptly turned 1t down as unworthy
Of adoption or even respectful atten-
tion. The unfortunate inventors, meet
ing with this chilling treatment in
France. turned their steps towards their
Saxon enemies across the English
Channel. receiving immediate and en-
thusiastic recognition in London and
throughout England by the nobility.
Here this man-propelled machine found
great favor under the exalted patron
age of the Duke of York, who seems to
have been something Of sport. and
whose zeal in behalf Of his inanimate
steed-sired. and likewise damned. In
lot IN rid =
icule and unlimited lampooning. This
mechanical Bucephalus was called a
dandy horse" and was practically u
bicycle. 1t having but two wheels.
Its popularity was Of short duration,
and the remote ancestor OF the modern
safety sank from view for many years;
then reappeared in 1908. and again in
1916. in substantially the same form,
perhaps more cumbersome. under the
sponsorship of Baron Won Drais, Of
Mannheim. who named his stolen device
the "Draisine." The manner Of propul-
sion was. as with the Duke Of York's
dandy horse. by the rider thrusting his
feet upon the ground and pushing with
his toes. directing the course Of the con-
trivance by means Of steering handles.
When going down hill he could lift his
feet from the ground and take a scoot
that usually ended in general mix-up
Of "horse' and rider at the foot Of the
incline.
OTHER ATTEMPTS.
In 1918 Dennis johnson made some i'm
rovements on the Draisine, lessening
che weight and providing a stomach
est. He took the machine to England,
nd there received letters patent for a
pedestrian curricle." The mode Of
.ropulsion was still the same-the riders
still did more walking than riding.
Louis Gomperts In 1921 made some
Sery radical changes by introducing q
drivirg g handle attached to a cog seq
ment fitted in q corresponding socket
on the front axle. by means Of which the
rider could assist with his hands In
Dropelling the machine, while he still
depended upon his legs as before to keep
himself upright
Various other devices built upon the
game lines were introduced at various
times through the next forty-flve years,
none of which added material improve
ments to these primitive machines thus
briefly mentioned. The great problem
to be solved was that Of equilibrium.
The duke Of York's dandy horse, with
cranks and pedals. would have made
a very fair safety. but no one dreamed
that man could drive one Of these con-
trivances along the highways and by
ways by pedaling with his feet and still
maintain an upright position.
The active principle was latent in all
these inventions, but there was no one
who could discover 1t until 1860, when
again a mechanic-loving Frenchman
came to the fore and applied the prin-
ciple Of thsIthen spinning top and roll
ing hoop to the then extant ancestors
Of the present scorchers, and launched
upon the world q twO-wheeled "veloci-
pede" propelled by pedals. 1t might be
mentioned, however, in this connection
that in 1880, a man named Dreuse, like
wise Frenchman, built q machine on
which the rider was to sit free from i'm
pact with the ground and propel himself
by means of handle bars. but for some
reason 1t would not work, and no public
acknowledgements Of its merits was re.
corded.
The machine of 1860, an old naval Of
ficer, M. Salices, being the inventor,
reached solution completely but, sin
gular to relate. created no particular
excitement. Various improvements
were made upon this machine until 1867,
when oil Paris broke out afiame with
the first real wheel craze since the days
Of the duke Of York.
This time the fad became general,
and passing through the gardens Of the
Tulleries. where the prince imperial rode
his veloce de luxe mounted in rose
wood and aluminium bronze. 1t reached
the faunts of the canaille Of the Quar-
tier Papincourt or Rue Mouffetard.
RIDICUL1NG THE CRAZE.
The journals of Paris and France dur.
ing the year 1868 continually referred to
the "new toy" and the caricaturlst
found rich field for his pencils work.
The New York and London papers
looked on askance at first and then fell
into line with paragraphs and items.
editorials and cartoons anent the craze.
The Scientific American Of Sept. 30.
1868, had description Of q velocipede
f s---------------------