The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-20
JOHN GlLPIN OUTDONE.
An English Investors Adventure
With a Runaway Motorcycle.
BROKE ALL KNOWN RECORDS

Flashed Over Two Hundred Miles OF Indi-
ana Roads at Breakneck Speed and
Aroused the Whole Countryside-
ing Termination of tile Mad Ride.
John Gilpins fearful rldo was never in
itwith tho narrowing adventure of an Eng
lish speculntor on IN Americans motocy-
ole. 1t was worse than that. Sheridan,
Putnam and John Gilpin rolled into one
neither made tho timo nor suffered tho
awful effects of mind and body, In tho
homo of prominent manufacturer in
Pittsburg tho victim Is lying. His hair
is white from the awful mental strain,
three of his ribs arc fractured, an ankle Is
spraincd, and both his arms IRE paralyzcd
to tho elbow For 6 hours and 20 min
utes he rode a motorcycle, travelling Mt rail-
road speed, sweeping over goo miles of
quiet Indiana roads in that time and set
ting the whole country into an uproar.
This modern Gilpin came here some
time ago with party of English manu-
facturcrs, says the Pittsburg Post. Their
avowcd purpose was TO buy up promising
inventions from unsophistcated Yankees
and make fortune from them. Others
had done it before, and several of the party
had turned n pretty penny that way. The
ono who bit off more than he could chew
is known in England as keen business
man and dead game sportsman. Ho
OWNS u hereditary estate and writes him
self Baronet" with u big d.
Shortly after landing the party went up
into the Mosaba ore ranges near Lake SUI
perior. While there they happened to full
i'll with an agent of Il Pittsburg manuf;c-
turer on the lookout for just such party
OF spectators. Tho agent knew they
would be interested in bicycles with tho
latest features and told them of the invcn-
ton of Byron Chaplin, n young minister
ut Laportc Junction, Ind, who dabblcd
In mechanics Chaplin, he said, had sew
eral bicycles fitted up with remarkable
motors. The result was that the party
ran down to Laportc with tho idea of buy
ing tho patents.
The clew developed better than they OK
pected. Chaplin turned out to lie IL pleas
ant faced young fellow, and he showed no
hesitation in trotting out his wheels The
wheels in appearance were like ordinary
bicycles. They had % inch wheels, with
patent nonpuncturablc tires also of Cha
pins invention. His motor was tho most
essential part. The machine was fitted
with storage batteries of a new principle
and an exceedingly compact generator or
dynamo. When run 800 feet, enough ell
ergy would be stored by tho momentum to
Keep tho bicycle moving on ordinarily level
ground, Mt tho same time remarkable
amount of electricity being stored up 70
avoid an excess II switch to ground the
current Mt Will was arranged to lot off tho
surplus electricity. Tho whole arrange
mcnt fitted in easily within tho diamond
frame, being geared from there to the hind
axle.
The prospective purchaser saw u good
thing and sized up the minister for oasy
game. 1t ended with tho party mounting
bicycles for u test about s O'Clock d. m.
Through Marshall County, Ind, the
roads are cycler's paradise. Tho invent
or and the party of Englisfmen took the
one following tho line of tho Michigan
and Lake Eric railroad for the trial Tho
Britishers wero in ecstasics A push of
800 feet and they felt the power undcr
them. With feet on the footrcsts and pipes
III their mouths, tho inevitable fleldglnsscs
thrown over their shoulders and u flask of
spring water on the other side, they sailed
along, kicking up tho dust ut IS milo
gait, showing their rear wheels to every
cycler on tho road
Everything went swimmingly, and thoy
began to dicker. The switches let off tho
surplus electricity nicely and tho inyen-
ton was pronounced blooming" sue
cess. Tho Earonct especially was tiokled
to death. He began to experiment on tho
capabilities of the machinc, drawing ahead
and then falling back, but suddenly ho
seemed to t,iko II notion to run away from
the party, and II faint shout came back to
them and tho sound of n terrific hum.
All they could SEQ of tho bnronet was a
cloud of dust, with halo of tobacco
smoke over it. They got scared and lot
out their wheels to Il dangerous speed but
couldn't get near him, and he disappeared
around bend. Tho inventor timidly sue-
gcsted that tho switch may have got out
of order, and then they were scared.
The switch had broken off. The bar
onet found himself astridc his hobby and
gaining momentum every moment. His
recollections of that whirlwind ride ara
far from definite as yet, and his physicians
will not let him talk of it. What his
friends know has been ekcd out gradually
and is judged from the terrific state of
tho country through which the baronet
carecrcd. The whole county was excited
as it never had been before.
The party FASTENED on rs fast as they
could go. Country people lined up along
tho road, joercd and whistled at them,
yelling:
"Git move on! Yc're gettin beat"
FROM which they inferred that their
friend was still going.
IInporto is about go miles from Laporto
Junction, and tho dusty party hove in
sight about dusk. a gang of whcemen
met them OH the outskirts with inquiries
rs to the start and destination, and rs.
surances that they stood no show. The
baronet had gone through like full
blooded meteor 40 minutes before.
He made the run in | x hours. They