Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-11-18
In CYCLEDOM.
THE BICYCLE THIEF.
TO Foil Him Ii One of the Serfou,
RrObIemx af the mr.

TO Foil Him Is One of the Serious
Problems of the Day.
The protection of the bicycle against
theft is a serious problem with which
the modern wheelman has to contend.
The similarity of machines and the ease
with which they can be stolen makes the
bicycle an ideal mark for light-fingered
gentlemen, and it is small wonder that
bicycle lifting" has become practical
~ an industry which is making life mis-
cradle for riders, dealers and police de-
partments alike. Against an expert,
armed with a powerful pair OF pliers.
the cheap light locks furnished to
wheelmen are as little protection as
bolts and bars against a determined
house-breaker. Bicycle insurance, too,
is fast becoming an Improbable enter
prise, for at the rate wheels are being
stolen and permanently lost, the insur-
ance companies cannot much longer
afford to do business at the existing low
rate Some of them have utterly failed
to keep their obligations, while those
which have been honest enough to live
up TO their contracts are not piling up
wealth In fact, no wheel is safe when
left within the reach of the ever-pres-
emit bicycle thief. The records of the
police departments in large cities show
that dozens of wheels are stolen daily
and that only a comparatively small
proportion of them is ever recovered.
The great trouble lies in the fact that
wheels are not sufficiently well marked
that they may be identified even by the
owner. The expert thief, as soon as a
machine is taken, files off the serial
number, changes the saddle and handle
bar. and sells the machine to one of the
numerous secondhand establishments
:ound in all large cities. The means of
identification are wholly obliterated.
and it is seldom, indeed, that a rider can
Identify his property. The ease with
which numbers and particular features
of wheels can be altered makes identiti-
cation no easy task, but it is certain that
with very little trouble manufacturers
rould aid in the recovery of wheels to
4 very great extent. Machines could be
marked in a number of places where it
would be almost impossible to destroy
the serial number without dana aging
the machine. For instnce, the head
tubing could be deeply indented with
the number in such manner that it
.ould not be flied out without making a
hole in the frame. Then again. each
machine could be marked in a secret
place where it would never be looked
for, and the mark be disclosed only to
the purchaser of the machine. At pres
ent, comparatively few riders even take
the pains to remember the number of
the machine, and beyond giving the
,olor, style of saddle, handle bars, etc,
the description of the machine given to
the police is so meager that the task of
finding it is almost a hopeless one. A
leading western manufacturer stated,
i few days ago, that for next year his
company had decided to adopt a series
of secret numbers to be recorded at
their Office and to be known only to the
purchaser of each machine. While man.
are not financially inter
ssted in bicycles after they have passed
out of their hands. they can favor their
patrons by providing some means
whereby a machine can be more easily
dentified.-Cleveland Cycling Gazette.