El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-01-07
ODD VEHICLES.
Chicagoans Who Get About in
Strange Fashion.
Roller Skates, Motor Cycles, HOrseless
Carriages, Mules and Oxen
Employed as Locomo-
tiyes.

In these days, when men who would
be ut the top notch of style perch
| themselves away above their fellows
and ride in dizzy carts, when women
who adopt equestrianiSm ride astride
and the common herd that must trust
to the street car rides astrap, eccentric
modes of travel attract scarcely more
| than a passing glance.
| One day, however, when a farmer and
his wife amblcd down Washington
boulevard behind mule and an OK
every one was interested. Faces peered
from windows and doors and people on
the street turned round and stared in
open-mOuthed Amusement. But the
old-fashioned couple paid no heed to the
attention they Were attracting. The
man. a red-faced, sturdy woman. stared
straight ahead and fiicked his long CAD
on the OX's flank, while his wife sat
huddled up by his side scrutinizing the
design on the lap-robe. Even when a
big, good-natured fellow on the curb
raised a general laugh by remarking:
Il thought we were shaking horses
the couple paid no heed. They either
would not or did not notice any incon-
gruity about their team. and went
about their business like business peo-
pie.
These people were from the country
but there are people who live in the
city who adopt modes of getting about
that are equally as novel as a mule and
an OK hooked together. Every night
and morning residents along Ogden av-
Cnue see Il man riding by on a huge tri-
cycle of most primitive pattern. The
machine is built on much the same
plan as that ridden by little girls But
instead of being constructed of steel
it is of wood. The two rear wheels are
cumbrous. wooden affairs evidently
ordinary buggy wheels-and the front
one looks as though it had once done
time on n country wheelbarrow. The
rider is n thrifty-looking man. with an
Intelligent face, and his garb is that
of mechanic or laborer of seine sort
nder the seat of tine machine bangles
n lunch basket.
Ever since the fall term of the Art
institute opened students coming away
from the afternoon classes have been
interested in neutrality-suspicious. met bod OF
getting home after the days work is
done. Rain or shine. except when the
mud is too deep or of late when the
snow has been on the ground. at the
hour when the afternoon classes are
dismissed for the day this man is to be
found on the curbing in front of the
institute bucllling on a pair of roller
skates. Then h will start down Mich
igan avenue At Il merry gait. He is
several notcheS past the prime of life
and wears Il long black beard. slightly !
tinged with gray. which adds to the odd
ity of his appearance. But he makes |
much better time than the people on |
foot and pays no attention to the iibes |
that are flung at him as he pIunges |
along. his beard trailing over his shout |
der till his head looks like bobtail |
Sometimes he has an even |
ing paper with him and peruses the |
headlines and cartoons as he skates |
along,
\ motor carriage with Il party of |
three or four in it is not an uncommon |
sight on Michigan avenue. This is Il |
very elaborate affair. with pneumatic
tires. highly polished and painted wood |
work and gorgeous robes. but its speed |
is not such as to put to shame either
the homemade tricycle. or the man on
The skates.
In Lake View in the vicinity of Hal
sted street and Diversey avenue is the
ground of a man who has evil
IDENTIFY invented a bicycle which will |
run without any exercise on the part of |
he owner other than that of steering.
The machine resembles an ordinary BIZ
cycle except that the wheels seem to
be slightly smaller in diameter. while
the tires are larger than those in or
iinary use. At the point where the
pedals come in the common wheel is
a compartment about n foot square
and about half that in thickness. This
evidently furnishes the motive power.
and alongside it are fitted rests for the
feet; The speed of the machine is
equal to that of the cyolist who has not
become a fiend on scorchng. though
how long it can be made to run is
matter for speculatiOn.-Chicag News.