Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-07-22
BICYCLE FIGURES.
Some Interesting Facts Regarding
the Output of Crescent Bicycles In
1896 by the Western Wheel Works,

w
of Chicago, I'LL
The idea of this article is to convey to
the reader a conception of the enormous
amount of raw material consumed during
q season in supplying the demand for
one of the most popular bicycles made.
The Western Wheel Works, Chicago,
makers OF the Crescent wheel, have the
largest, and without doubt the most com
plete bicycle factory in the world, and
can turn out, when running to fullest
capacity, 125 finished CrescentS in twelve
hours, or a complete up to date blcycie
per minute.
The following figures are based on the
actual amount of the principal parts OF
material used by them during 1896 IN the
manufacture of Crescent bicycles, dur
ing which season they made more high
grade bicycles than any other two fac
tories in the country.
They used $50 miles of tubing, or
enough to nearly reach from Chicago 10
st. Paul if placed in a straight line. line
spokes were made in their own factory,
and required $50 miles of wire, or enough
to reach from Chicago to Lincoln, NeD.:
80 miles of brass rod was required tor
spoke nipples. If the spokes, spoke mp.
line they would reach from Chicago, to
the Rocky Mountains at Denver; Inc
cranks, if placed end to end, would cover
a distance of % miles. They, used 80
miles of steel for crank axles, wheel axes
aud pedal axles, and 10 miles OF steel Tor
seat posts: If the rims that were ~ useu IN
the manufacture Of Crescents IN 10 were
placed one upon the other they Woulo
make pile 1880 feet high, 5000 feet
higher than Pixies Peak and about the
height of Mount Elias in Alaska. whose
summit has never yet been reached by
man. If placed in straight line, slde ny
side, these rims would reach distance
of 1919 miles, and if the tires were fitted
they would make a line 1112 miles longer.
The steel forgings used for the crank
hangers on the '96 wheels weighed. in
the rough. 113 $40 tons. and when I'm
waste of 81 9-1O tons in drilling and nm.
fishing. 1t required 32.OS4 square feet of
sheet steel to make the Crescent hollow
tooth sprockets, and 21,SlG square feet
for the steel stampings of the head ana
seat post clamps, or in all enough nat
were used 10 miles of cork grips. lOh
miles of finished hubs, and % miles of
steel wire to pin frames together before
brazing. The finished chains, end to end.
would reach 20 miles, and the different
pieces Of which they are composed would
the distance from Chicago to Cincinnati;
The bearings of 1896 Crescents required
1897 300 steel balls, which, if placed
in straight line, side by side. would
reach distance of 45M miles. To lace
the chain and dress guards on the ladies'
Crescents manufactured in 1896 required
434,150 yards of cord. or 2461a miles,
enough to allow small boy to stand on
the top Of the Auditorium tower in Chi
cago and fly his kite where the people in
Des Moines. Iowa. could see it. To sup
ply Crescents sold in 1896 required 1906
aggregate weight of % tons Sixteen and
onesquarter miles of spring. steel were
used in the manufacture of saddle springs,
and the saddle and tool bags together
used up 1883 square feet, or over 4
acres Of Leather The tot a11 We is of the
or 1:191 tons. To crate these bicycles
required 1854 square feet of lumber
made up in pieces, which would make a
distance of 1,130 miles, or more than the
distance from New York to Chicago; e.
71S.66S separate and distinct pieces en-
tered into the construction of '06 Ores
cents, and if all were placed in straight
line, end to end. they would reach from
New York to some distance in the Pacific
Ocean west of San Francisco.-Crescent
Bulletin, July l, 1897.
"A Deer Takes Its Own Photograph.
Charles Hughes, of Red Bluff, Cal,
has succeeded in taking a most re-
markable picture of deer. He chose
a spot where deer were known to be
plentiful and set up his camera and a
flash-light apparatus in such a way
that deer in passing would press the
button. opening the shutter of the cam
era and firing the f1ash-light
The next day he found that the but
ton had been pressed and on developing
the plate he found an excellent picture
of frightened deer. 1t was taken in
the middle of the previous night, when
no one was within miles of the camera.
70 Hppu