The evening times., 1896-04-30
HISTORY OF THE WHEEL
Rapid Growth Of the Popularity
Of the Bicycle.
OUTLOOK FOR ITS FUTURE
of wage-Earners Employ
ed in the Various Establish m ents
Manufacturing Bikes-What the
Late Mrs. BloOmer Thought of the
Exercise Obtained by u Ride.

Exercise Obtained by u Ride.
Visitors to the Centennial Exhibition in
1876, and who there saw the first specimen
of a bicycle brought to this country from
England, would have found it difficult
TO picture the part that odd-looking machine
was destined to play In the manufacturing
interests of the country, in changed methods
of transit, in the Improvement OF highways,
in outdoor sports. in politics, in military
operations, and in that thing harder than
any of the others to change-the convention
alities of woman's dress. And yet the
bicycle has been powerful factor In all
of these, as well as in many OF the other
OF the affairs OF State, buniness and home.
The machine then shown was. of course,
of the ordinary type, and weighed Just
nfty-two pounds, but few persons could
have been induced to trust themselves on
that fraiI structure. 1t is amusing to note
in catalogue of recent inventions" shown
at the exhibition that the machine is re-
ferred to as "a type OF velocipede with
two wheels. having rubber tires. the for
ward wheel being about four and one-haif
feet In diameter. and resembling cobweb
IN appearance ana weight
Among the visitors to the exhibition was
Albert A. Pope, then interested in the manu-
facture OF air pistols in Boston. and when.
two years later, few machines had been
imported by thosewh had the hardihoo to
appear in public on them, he became con-
vinced OF their future popularity, aud gave
cont ract to sewing machine factory for
300 bicycles. This was the foundation OF
the present Pope Manufacturing Company.
other firms followed, but for several years
machines OF English make were preferred
to those made in America.
FROM SMALL BEGINNING.
From this small beginning the business
has grown until, in less than twenty years,
the trade is one OF the prom inent manu-
featuring interests of the country. Mil
lions OF capt. al are invested; probably 1OO.-
900 workmen are engaged in the actual
manufacture of machines in addition to
those Interested in the retail trade, and
what is always indicative OF prosperity,
il is recognized as among the heaviest ad-
ycrtising Industries in the country.
A prominent advertising agency cal
culates that in S95 over $40, 100000 were
thus expended. and a careful estimate by
the leading cycle trade papers places tire
plumber of bicycles made at 10000. In
this city alone there are between $50 and
800 business concerns making or selling
bicycles or bicycle accessories. and there
are firty-,hree clubs of bicycle riders. A
single firm in Hartford, Conn.,, employs
| about 1900 hands i'll the manufacture of
its machines.
What was at first used as a mere amuse-
for fe " bns hernAle
recognized vehicle of outdoor recreation
and a means of transportation which has
supplantcd, to at least some extent, every
| other method known. Speed, economy
and convenience are added to all the ad-
vantages embodied in the delivery OF mer-
chandise by horse and wagon, except the
ability to carry goods of considerable weight
and bulk. and the number of carrier ma
chimes seen on the streets is growing with
amazing rapidity.
THE WHEEL IN ENGLAND.
In England, where the y have had the adj
vantage of us IN the matter of roads and
streets, it is said that 100000 OF these
machines are in constant use. For mes
senger service il promises to very soon ell
tirely supplaDt the messenger boy on foot,
and ii has already been introduced into
the suburban mail service of nearly all the
larger American cities. A recent invention
converts two tandems into fire engine,
and in nearly all OF the eastern cities, nota-
bly, in Philadelphia, there are regular street
and park bicycle police corps.
IL has been said that when a man rides
a bicycle he begins 10 study the face of
the carth,'' and it is this fact that has
made the cycling population the most active
factor in the present agitation in favor of
improved highway The League of Amer
lean Wheelmen, which includes nearly 5O,-
900 members, was the pioneer Organization
in this movement. and in the sixteen years
which it has been n existence, it has spent
nearly 81 $4,000 in thai cause. So powerful
has this movement become that the wheel
men vote"is now sought by the great poIit-
ical parties and good roads pianks" have
been Inserted in the platforms OF the, most
| important political conventions held recent
ly. largely with the idea of securing the
support of wheelmen.
Bicycling, as sport is unique in the fact
| that while nearly all other outdoor sports
have their alpha and omega in compe tition,
the vast majority of the votaries of cycling
know nothing whatever regarding racing
beyond what they learn from the daily
papers or from the spectators seats at race
meets. With comparatively fe " exceptions,
the thousands of riders who on any pleasant
day ma be seen on the streets of Philadel-
phia and adjaccntroads have neverdreamed
disappearing on the race ira ok and are using
their machines as delightful. he ath-giviug
exercise, or as an economical, quick and
pleasant means OF transit.
The advent OF the safety bicycle and the
pneumatic tire has bee II largely responsible
for this gro with and popularity, for the for
mer robbed the sport OF all the terrors of
headers and the latter gave ease aud
comfort tordcrs on roads which a few years
ago were put down In L. A. W. road books
as ''unridablc." They also made cycling
possible for women, aud it is doubtful
whether any single has contributed
| SO largely toward breaking down artificial
barriers to rational exercise and rational
dress as has this little machine.
THE LATE MRS BLooMER.
The late Mrs. Amelia Bloomer, origina.
tor of the style of women's wear which
bears her name, stated a few months before
her death that i'll the previous two years
| the bicycle had done far more to introduce
reform in women's clothing than all the
lectures which had been delivered In the