The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-04
ENGINE
Anderson to Try to Ride a
Mile in 90 Seconds.
The Sanguine Cyclist Is a
Professional Rider.
Locomotive That Will Be Used and
Plans Made for Safety.

clist, will either ride one mile in less than
one minute on Sunday. Aug o, or be
dashed 20 death In the attempt. All the
arrangements have been made for the trial,
which Is to take place near Granite City,
Ills, on the track Of the st. Louis, Chi
cago and St Paul railroad. A fast loco
motive IN the service Of tho railroad will
be used as a pacemaker for the reckless cy-
clist, and the affair will be the most excit-
ing trial of speed the world has ever
known. 1t will not be exactly an issue
between the man and the steam engine.
The locomotive can, Of course, easily dis
tance any living thing. 1t will be used
simply to draw out all the speed the cy-
clist has In him and TO determine just
how fast a man can ride bicycle when
protected from the resistance offered by
the earth's atmosphere.
Master Mechanic Killen of the st. Louis,
Chicago and ST. Paul railroad win look
after the engine, which has already been
selected. 1t is engine No. and was built
especially for speed. II Is a new machine
and is constructed on the very latest
models Three driving wheels feet In
diameter are propelled by piston with an
enormous stroke In a sc by "a cylinder.
The designers gave this locomotive two
smokestacks instead OF the one usually
built into railroad engine. This oddity
of construction gives the engine the high
est possible speed. No. was made by It's
builders to go 80 miles an hour and has
already been pressed 70 90 miles an hour.
The engine and tender together weigh not
less than 80, 600 pounds. This will be tho
pacemaker behind which Anderson will
ride his wheel The bicycle he will use
will nor xxyoi oh N p,uch tha lavor NJ tha
engine.
Two ends are to be served in using the
locomotive as pacemaker. The first and
most important Is the protection from the
air which the great mass of steel will give
the rider, and the second is the superior
speed which, IL is believed, will be drawn
out of the bicycle The resistance offered
by the air has always been the obstacle to
great speed in cycling. In order to more
perfectly protect himself from the atmos-
phere young Anderson proposes to board
up the rear of the engine from the top Of
the tank to within half an inch of the rail
The boards will also extend some distance
beyond the rear end of the tank, and this,
Anderson says, will give him a complete
shield against the air.
That part of the track on which Ander-
son Is to ride behind his mighty pace
maker covers two miles near the little town
of Granite City, about ten miles from St
Louis 1t Is the smoothcst and most solid
two miles of the roadbed Anderson al
lows himself and his engine half a mile
Of track In which to get up speed and an
other half mile In which to slow up The
roadbed between the tracks will be laid in
planking set lengthwise and made smooth
as billiard table No better material for
the purpose codld be devised. The track
is perfectly Straight and perfectly level, so
that In his terrific ride the cyclist will not
be required TO turn corners, pedal up or
down hill or swerve an inch from his
straightaway course.
That the trial wiz be dangerous in the
extreme there can DO no kind of doubt.
Indeed there are those who say that An
derson's chances of coming out of il alive
are not l in so. If the engine should
slacken its speed, the rider will bump into
it and be crushed Should his front wheel
strike pebble thrown into the track by
the air, the rider will be flung against the
side boarding. Should his strength fail
him and the engine pass en- leaving him
behind, tho mighty suction caused by tho
thrush Of the atmosphere on both sides in
TO the partial vacuum left by Its passage
air and kill him before he has n chance to
light on the solid earth.
All these objections TO his plans have
been urged on the young daredevil, but no
claims TO have provided for them all To
obviate q rear end collision he has devised
a board TO act as fender. Should the en-
gine slacken its speed, the front wheel of
the bicycle will run in under this board
and break the force OF the collision. The
boards built up about tho sides OF the en-
gine will prevent pebbles from being
thrown on the track, and Anderson has
sufficient faith in his heart, lungs and
nerves to believe that he will he enabled
to maintain the pace set by the engine and
thus save himself from being killed by the
air suction that would whrl him about as
q feather in case he should fall behind.
Anderson realizes that his attempt will
be perilous, but he is not convinced that it
Is foolhardy. He realizes that the roar and
rattle of the engine will bavcsome effect
upon his nerves, but he believes he can
reduce this element Of danger to nothing
by training He win make several prac-
tice rides with his engine in front The
first trial will he run In about 2:20. Then
he will graduate the time until he follows
the locomotive over mile OF the track in
minute and 20 seconds, and then will
come the supreme trial.
Tho wheel which Anderson will ride is
10 be built especially for tho work. 1t Is TO
be on the lines Of an ordinary bicycle, but,
like Dr. Holmes "ono horse shay" its
weakest part will be rs strong as the rest.
The forks steering head and wheels will
be specially strengthened. The gear will
probably be ITO inches With the air re-
sistancc overcome this enormous gear will
be as easy TO push along as az inch geai
sndcr ordinary conditions.
This will be the first attempt al using
locomotive for paccmaker, and the re.
suit will be Of vast interest not only TO
cyclists, but TO tho world at large Chi.
cago Times. Herald