Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-02-27
EARLy nHEELs.
bicycles Made Many Years Ago by McLear
a. kenhnlI.

Long before tho day Of pneumatic
tires, sprocket wheels and ball-bear-
lngs, bicycles were manufactured in
this city. This statement may be
surprise to the younger generation,
for 1T has been nearly a generation
since the bicycles referred TO were
made here, but ii is none the less true,
as some OF The Gazette's older readers
may recall. Yes, real bicycles--they
were called velocipedes then-were
manufactured in tho city OF Whining
ton.
Henry Q. MeLear the president of
tho McLear & Kendall Co., informed a
reporter of The Gazette that it was
the firm OF Mclear ~ Kendall which
made the forerunners of the modern
bicycles at their large plant. 1t was
in 1867, as near as Mr.. McLear places
1t, that the firm began the manufacture
OF wheels from pattern. 1t was then
called the yelocipede
We made a largo number for Calvin
Witty of Now York, who brought the
machine from France and professed to
have control of the patent" said Mr..
Mclean Ii was made of iron with
wooden wheels and the driving cranks
were on the front wheel. But in those
days they had no ball axles, an axle
on the same plan as a carriage axle,
was used, which made it hard to drive.
1t was not commercially success on
account of the pedals and crank being
on the front wheel, which made it
very ugly in turning ="
Were many sold in Wilmington?o
the writer asked.
No, replied Mr.. McLear. 81 don't
think any were sold in Wilmington.
We rode thcm. ] rode them around
here. :"
Mr.. McLear says they were well
enough on level street, but on hill
ii was hard pushing. The firm used
to have clerk who lived in the coun-
try and rode back and forth on wheel
regularly. II is said that a gentle
man in Brandywine hundred still has
one of the wheels.
At the same time that the Whining
ton firm was making the wheels Pick
eripg 81 Davis of New York were also
building them for the same man.
Probably as many as 200 or 800 ma
chimes were made in this city. The
wheels became all the rage in New
York. the craze being almost as great
for Il time as it is now. Manufacturers
crowded to Witty's place of business TO
secure licenses from him to make the
machines. He had his inner office
and his outer guard, and acted like a
king on his throne.
BY and by it was proved by actual
experience that tho velocipede was not
practical success on account Of tho
driving wheel and the whole thing
collapsed and nothing more was done
until the invention of the sprocket
wheel and chain.
Those old wheels weighed something
like 10 pounds according to Mr.. Nc
liear's estimation. The backbone was of
solid iron. The front wheel was "a to Sc
inches in diameter, and the rear wheel
"a 10 2S inches in diameter. The
wheels bad an iron tire, A brake was
put on the machine. The seat was of
leather attached to piece of steel
which was connected with the head of
the machine at one end and a spiral
spring attached to the backbone at
the other The crank hangers were
so arranged that by means of slot
they could be adjusted to suit the
rider.
In those days tho bicycle was a
strange looking object, The great ques-
tion was how machine that coudn t
stand alone by itself could possibly
carry person. One day prominent
citizen of Wilmington. very eccen-
trio man, stopped at McLear & Ken
dall's place and saw a sample wheel
which had been completed and was
awaiting shipment to New York. He
asked what 1t was. And when he
was told that it was a machine per
son could ride. be became very angry
and exclaimed DO you think I'm a
-. fool" lie went away in great
huff and didn't come back again for
several days.
The visitor to the McLear & Ken
dali office may sec a picture of the old
veocipede in a clipping from the New
York Tribune, which is pasted on the
wall. 1t tells of the manufacture of
bicycles in New York City back in the
sixties.
Mr.. McLear believes that bicycling
is more than fad f; that it has come
to stay, and he looks for boom in the
buHineas.