The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-07-14
THE COMING "CELERETTe."
h Cheapest Of All Bicyoles-An Old Time
Kioker with Modern improvements.

Kicker With Modern improvements.
M. Henri de Parville, the scientific
editor Of The Journal DIES Debats, gives
bicycle. or rather an improved old ore,
which he calls a 'celcrotte." The eel
erette is not intended to do away with
the cycle; its principal advantage lies i'll
the fact that it can be manufactured for
q few cents. Strictly speaking, it is an
improved draisine, the type of bicycle
that came out in the year 1918 and was
invented by Baron Won Drais Of the
grand duchy of Baden, to whose mem
DRY IL monument was erected i'll Carls-
ruhc. his native place. The present ma
chine has no pedals and no gear. 1t is
the invention of NJ. Clerc. 1t consists of
u little wooden frame, a saddle, two
wheels and alhandle bar. In his account
of the original invention Baron Won
Drais says: "On IL good road my ma
chino can travel six or even eight miles
All hour, and down an incline it can go
faster than II g%alloping horse"
There may be a little exaggeration III
that statement, but it is evident that
with this machine IL man can get along
easily ut q faster rate than if he III ut
his full speed, and he can go an immense
distance without becoming fatigued.
To u certain extent it is u funny thing,
and a man may look u little ridiculous
III it; but, after all, a fellow looks funny
OH n wheel anyhow. Little or no train
ing is necessary to enable anybody to
ride this new continuance. Just as in
the case of the old invention, tho rider
ms along the road while seated. The
moment he mounts the saddle he plants
his feet on the ground, starts off with q
few kicks, and away hegoes, giving akick
now and then to keep up speed. With
the cheapest kind of n cclcrette one can
get along very well, but at II somewhat
slower rate than that Of the regular ma
chine. With pneumatic tires, it is claim
ed that this machine can be made to
travel just rs fast as any other wheel.
When the old affair first appeared in
France, at the close of the last century,
the caricaturists killed it, but in Eng
land it was used extensively by the
young people. For them this mode Of
cycling was glorious sport. Already tho
celerettc is laughed ut in France. The
idea of a man flying along the road
kicking like Il mule is rather too much
for the dignity of dandy Frcnchmcn,
but it must be remembered that it took
90 years before French people dared to
show themselves in public astride Il BIZ
cycle.
M. Paul Clcrc's wheel. as we have
already said, costs little or nothing.
One can be bought for SO cents or 81,
and us it costs that much for II carriage
ride the whcclnlan can afford to throw
the thing away ut the end of his jour
ncy II buy II new one whenever he
wants to start out again. a wheel that
along the road us fast as in ordinary
horse can trot, is certainly Il useful ma.
chine. Young people will use it to
amuse themselves OF to 60 OH long jour
ncys, and it may also be used to advan-
tagc by people who wish to
their education in regular cycling.
WCrkmcn might also take advantage of
it going and coming from their work
shops. Children going to school and
peasants going to the market could also
use it. Moreover, amy handy man with
tools can make Il cclcrctte, and it is so
light that it can easily be carried up
steep hills or along the portions of rug
gcd roads where wheeling is we'll nigh
impossible.
Beyond IL doubt the celerettc is anoth-
or machine for the benefit of humanity.