The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Tankoes Beating, John Bull ut Bicycle
Making Tables Tu-nea-Fivo
Nurdrcd Factories.
Especial Correspoudenco.]

cycles, call them now, though IL years
ago my highest ambition was to own
one. And when Owned ono my ambi-
tion was to own m English wheel. Tho
bicycle craZo had started i'll France and
been DEVELOPED in England. Here wo
were only Beginners. To rido had not
become craze. And all of us who rotlo
American wheels wanted wheels of
English make because we thought they
wero better wheels than those made by
the American firm which had u monop.
oily of tho business.
Moro Than Five Hundred Factories.
How things have changed tho London
Times showed i'll Il recent article review
ing tho export trade III English wheels
Prior to 1883, it said, nearly all the
cycles used in tho United States were
imported, mainly from England. Tho
number Of domestic manufacturers was
only six, who i'll tho year mentioned
turned out about IL, 900 bicycles, which
We're probably fewer than the impcr:a-
tons 1t was not until 1890 that the
manufacture assumed anything like fair
proportions. III that year there were II
factories which produced about 10,
cycles, and ior tho first time the foreign
manufacturer began TO feel the erect of
domestic competition. Iii 1894 the num-
Der of factories had Increased ut Il rapid
rate, and bicycles 20 tho number Of 100,
coo or 10000 wero turned cut. In
1895 the production bounded up with
something resembling magic. amount
Ing to about GOO, 600 cycles Of various
grades. The number of manufacturers
has now grown until there are moro
than 500.
Millions Invested.
The capital invested in tho plants of
these 800 largo factories is placed ut
500, 600, 000, and tho lowest estimate Of
the output for the present year is / 00O,-
600 completed bicycles, worth $50, 600,
600. This production is not limited to
ono part of tho country. Centers of the
industry arc found in New England,
New York and Pennsylvania, and in
Ohio, both at Cleveland and Toledo,
there are large groups Of factories. The
Same is truc i'll Indiana, i'll both of
which states, as we'll as i'll Pennsyl-
wanna, the manufacturer has the advan.
tage, i'll some places, of natural gas.
But tho industry has moved still farther
west, reaching q large Development not
only in Chicago, but i'll many small
places i'll Illinois. Michigan. Iowa and
Missouri. In one town i'll Illinois there
| are lG factories, which turned out last
year $4,000 complete bicycles, and
| which, it is expected, will put forth
this year 210, 900.
1t would be idle to make predictions
about the future development of what
is really a new industry, says The
| Times, but in any event it is plain that
whatever tho result may be the United
States must be reckoned with as an ele-
ment IL IT. Unless there is some check
i'll the demand it seems likely, from the
activity shown by transatlantic manu-
facturers, that from 10000 to $4,000
| cycles OF high quality and of American
make throughout will be offered i'll the
! English market in 1897.
! We Have Three Million Bicycles.
| When it is remembered that, less
| than II years ago, there were only six
| firms here engaged in the business, with
an output Of ~ few thousand bicycles,
where there are now more than 500
| 'OAu''iS iit4-4Hi Nilsl lltOtluCl Ol l,ODU,
! 600, and innumcrable smaller ones,
which Will probably add 200, 900 moro,
comment seems hardly necessary. As
! nearly as can be known more than
5000, 600 bicycles are already III use III
| the United States, and some trade au-
thorltlcs make the number greater than
| this by nearly 100000 Even the
smaller estimate shows that nearly 1
| person out Of 2l of the 10000, 600 Of
| people has already taken to u cycle as 4.
matter OF business, amusement or health
| In France, where the number is
known because of the collection Of Il
tax, the proportion is thus far only in
each 250 OF the population. AS the
| mountainous districts of the United
! States arc not generally thicl,ly popu-
| lated and tho country as whole is
| more level than III Europe, it is not diff
| cult To understand the rapid develop
| ment Of tho bicycle rs Il method Of travel
! On the other hand, the fact that in
| many parts the roads are i'll adapted 20
| the use Of bicycles during a considerable
| part Of the year would seem to havc Il
dlscouraginG effect upon this develop
| ment. One result ha; been tho starting
I Of an agitation, widely distributed, for
tho Improvement OF rouds, movement
which is likely to do much good.
On tho Railways.
The bicycle has also reduced tho de-
mand for horses and carriages and for
| everything that contributes to the fur
| nishing OF either. In some cities it has
| affected tho income Of cars and cabs and
| has even reduced the volume of short
| distance or Local Irnynl OH rnilMayS