The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-07-04
CRAZE FOR BICYCLES.
Livery Stable Keepers Arc Feol.
Ing the 1deote eoroly.


jared Aifsady-Bieycls Wa9o0s 40
Carriage Ara CensAg.
So widespread has the bicycling crase
become that the livery stable keepera
are beginning to feel the effects Of II
sorely. It is the Sunday trade, the
best paying trade in the livery bust.
ness, that has fallen of chiefly, the
reason being that the young men who
used to take their girl friends driving
every pleasant Sunday afternoon now
take them bicycling instead at much
smaller expense. A horse and buggy
costs about five dollars for Sunday
afternoon, while q pair of bicycles can
be rented all day at two dollars apiece,
or q tandem for about four dollars.
The natural result IL that every Jack
who has bicycle is teaching his Jill to
ride, or if Jill Ia the cyclist she Ia In
sisting that Jack shall purchase or hire
q wheel, so that he can accompany her
on her Sunday afternoon spins, and the
academies where riding is taught are
full of bruised but persevering learners
In the art of wheeling.
Walk along any of the boulevards of
this city or Brooklyn, says the New
York Sun, some fine Sunday afternoon
and you can see the result of this
There will be two bicycles for every
horse and buggy. and good proper
tion Of the bicycling, you will find. is
done in pairs, which means much loss
of custom to the stables. A man up
town who is wise In the matter of
horses said recently in discussing the
matter:
Zone outside the livery business can
hardly believe what q falling of in
trade there has been since bicycling
became SO popular. As long rs It was
confined to men it didn't make much
difference, but as soon as the girls be-
gan to take 1t up our profits went fly
ing. Why, even as early in the season
as this, you can see the machines spin
ming every decent roadway here
abouts, but you see mighty few rigs
with em. If it's that bad now, what
will it be when the dry season comes
and the roads are all easy for the
wheels?
"Why, a fellow whose girl rides
bicycle, and there's an awful lot Of
'em that do. con just take her q spin
ming down to Coney Island, or off in the
Jersey roads, or up the Hudson river.
or down on Staten Island for good,
long ride, and get back before dark,
and we livery men can sit in our
stables and twirl our fingers and won
der how we're going to make business
pay with no trade on Sunday, when
business ought to be the iveliest and
prices the biggest. Why, I'll bet that
fifty per cent or more Of the girls that
used to make the Sunday livery trade
profitable have learned how to ride
wheels tell you, for fact, know
three livery men in this city. all Of 'em
prosperous, and all of EN- old hands in
the business. and they're going to give
it up this summer. l met one OF 'em
the other day and asked him how things
were going, and he told me he was go
ing TO quit.
"'What's to pay?' said. Made your
pile?
"'No,' said he, but don't want to
lose what l have got There's moth.
ing in horses. I'm going into . better
line, where there's money
whats that?' asked.
"'Bicycles,' said he. Don't have to
groom cm, don't have to feed 'em. and
they don't get sick and cost yon ''vet"
bills. Besides that you can get prices
for 'em where your horses won't be
hired out enough to get exercise. There's
no money in keeping borses until they
make q law declaring bicycling GRIM
inal offcnse, for everybody is struck on
the wheels, and II something don't
happen you won't see any horses in this
city few years from now except on
drays and street cars. No more horses
for me. I'm going to get in out of the
rain,' said he, and guess he was pretty
near right.
II know it to be fact that probably
the biggest bicycle company in the
country is now making arrangements
for the manufacture on large scale of
light wagons and carriages, made oD
the bicycle style Of steel wheels and
rubber tires They claim that these
equipages will cost less than horse
and carriage and be only half as ex-
pensive to maintain, and that in five
years they will be seen everywhere, and
in ten years will have completely done
away with the use of horses. I'm wait
ing myself, and as soon as l see one of
those things run I'm going to get out
and get into something else besides the
livery business.