The sun., 1896-10-11
THE MOTORCYCLE TO-DAY.
PROGRESS UP TO DATE TOWARD
THE HORBELESS CARRIAGE.


and tho improvements EGected-Resuits
OF the Contests Between the Various
TSpes-Prospects or Their General Use.
The automobile vehicles which to-day offer
the greatest prospect OF success are those driven
by the gas engine. Almost as soon as the gas
engine was successfully reduced to its present
simplicity inventors began to apply 1t to road
wagon driving Benz OF Mannheim, Germany,
was one OF the first to produce a successful
"motor waRen." as he named It, about 1891.
Tho Benz wagon has one cylinder, with a large.
heavy fly wheel running at n high speed, the
motion Of the prime mover being reduced once
by belts and again by chain gearing to the driv-
ing wheels Of the wagon. The Benz was tho
FIRST power-driven road vehicle which COM
bined the essential elements uf successful prac-
tice, and 1t is yet an open question whether one
cylinder shall be used, depending on the fly
wheel for motion during three -fourths OF the
time; or two cylinders. or three or four or five
cylinders Five cylinders give q constant i'm
pulse to the shaft, and make the motor always
alive. and so render It possible either to dispense
with tho fly wheel or use q very light ono in
place OF the very heavy fly wheel required in
case only one cylinder is used.
Although the gas engine 10 by It's simplicity
better adapted than any other prime mover for
the driving OF road wagons. 1t has serious de-
feots. In its simple form It cannot be made to
reverse the direction OF crank-shaft rotation;
consequently 1t is needful to provide interme-
diate mechanism for reversing the direction OF
motion II the wagon Is to have the very con-
venient power OF backing. Again, tho high
speed needful to make hy wheel OF any rea-
sonable size effective for driving three -fourths
of the time. necessitates the Introduction of OBJ
jectionable and vexatious reducing mechanism.
which is noisy IL tooth gears employ ed. and
nj d le1 ftept hall al In,
spite OF these things. the gas engine is the only
prime mover now have which gives any
promise of snccessful motor wagons. Benz was
closely followed by Daimler, gas engine con-
structor Of great merit. who brought out q two
cylinder motor wagon about the time of the
Renz. In 1891 or 1892 Pennington in Amer
lea, began work on gas engine-drivcn vehicles.
using two and four cylinders made with ex-
tremely thin walls. and hence so readily cooled
by the admission Of cold air at the outer end.
during the idle piston strokes. as to do without
water Jackets. This Is also the case with some
forms OF the Daimler gas engines in small sizes.
Pennington was and is a man of great conf
dence in his own powers. wholly regardless OF
engineering precedent, and he produced gas en-
gines OF far less weight per indicated horse
power than any before shown. Some of his
most favorable tests gave one indicated
horse power for three pounds Of engine
weight. His original and extremely pecu-
liar work was brought into prominent no.
tice early in 1885, when he showed at Racine.
Wis. a gasolene-driven bicycle in two forms
one driven by q fan air screw. and weighing
only fifty. eight pounds. and a gasolene four
wheeled road wagon which he styled a victoria.
with two cylinders and OF a total weight Of about
400 pounds. or the same as q common American
buggy. Daimler and Benz used ordinary forms OF
carriage construction, Pennington adopted the
bicycle methods sing steel tn be frames and wire
spoke suspension wheels. fitted with pneumatic
tires of enormous cross section four inches in
diameter. On q fair road Pennington made
mile inside OF 2lt minutes with his victoria.
and with his power-drven bicycle he is said
to have made a mile In So seconds in the
city OF Milwaukee,. on an asphalt pavement.
and undoubtedly did make mile In a minute
very little more. Immediately after this
Milwaukee run, made In July, 1895. the writer
met Pennington and became acquainted with
his work. and rode on a tandem much faster
than agreeable. The victoria drove IT.
self through mud and water and SEEM
iEsly impossible distractions in the most sur
prising manner. because OF its great tire diane
ter. Pennington's designs and ideas were Of the
most advanced order. but he did not have shop
at his command In which his work was well
built without close attention on his part; that
ne wOulu not give. anu INC result was tnhJ
through bad workmanship his machines were
subject to breakdowns.
During 1s945 the Benz and Daimler motor
wagons. or Automobiles" as the French
named them. attracted much attention in Eu-
rope, especially in Paris. which was reflected
here In the form of great interest In the various
engineering problems connected with the power
driven road carriage. and there were rumors of
a large number OF new American constructions
In this line. Electricity had many advocates as
n driving medium for road wagon use and Nor
ris & Salon of Philadelphia were said to
have constructed a very fine and thoroughly
practical "electrobat." and successful motor
wagons wero announced In dozens Of diff
erent places. Thare were twc long distance
contests between automobiles in France. the
first from Paris to Rouen. in June. In 1894. and
the second, In June. 1895. from Paris to Bor-
deRnX and return. n distance OF $50 miles. This
distance was covered by the winner. q Rasolene
motor wagon. in AZ hours and SO minutes. total
time from start to finish. After this the Chi
cago Timcs- Herald promoted an American
horseless carriage contest. This race was an
nounced for Nov. Q, 1885, from Chicago to
WaukeeEan and return, total run Of about 100
miles. AT this time the word "motocy ycle ="
was coined. and 1t seems likely to remain in
use. as 1t is better than the French "auo-
mobile" or the British auto car" or the
German motor wagen." Two technical month
lies devoted to the motocy Gle appear ed the Horse-
less Age in Now York and the Motorcycle in Chica-
go. In the American contest one Benz mac hine.
owned by H. Mueller OF Decatur, ILL.,. appeared
on the first day of the exhibition at Washington
Driving Park. Chicago. Morris S Salon were
soon hand with their electrobat. Duryea
followed later with an 1894 machine, his 1895
affair not being ready; Sturgls showed an cleo
tric-drlven machine. and Pennington came in a
day two later with his little victoria and a
g-tired motobcyclo. There was at this time
very little accurate information as to the moto-
cycle and it's performances accessible 10 the pu
lie, and the managers OF the CHICAGO event had
planned to devote five days of the week ending
Nov. Q to thorough dyna mic tests of competing
machines This order of events was not follow
ed because the motorcycles did not appear. Day
by day they were promised and day bv day
they failed to come, so that finally tho race was
postponed TO Thanksgiving Day. Nov. %, 1885,
To help pay exhibitors expenses the Itmes-
Herald made an outside purse of $500 for run
on Nov. to WaukeeRan and back, which was
won by Mueller with his Benz motor wagon as