The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-18
WHEEL FOR TWENTY nEN.
zimmerman Predicts a Multicycle to


Cover Mile in Forty Seconds.
cannot see how the speed of the
bicycle can be increased unless by
combined power. writes A. 4. thinner
man in the New York World; that is,
By. building larger machine and
putting more men on it. 1t does not
seem improbable or unlikely that in the
near future wheel Will be produced
capable OF seating 20 men. On such
wheel the gear could be made of i'm
mense size. and the combined leg
power of all these men would be able
10 drive IL to a speed which now seems
Utmost impossible. The time is in the
leighhorhood of one minute and half.
u very close 10 that of a running
.orse. BY constructing this wheel and
lutting on ii the best professionals in
ne country l figure that the time for
/ mile would he reduced to under one
minute. probably about 40 seconds.
mile behind g railroad train has been
travelled at nearly this gait. Why. then.
ihOuld this machine. that could be
cared to nearly 300 and driven by
immense power, fail in such an under
aking?
The leg power of a man on each
downward drive is approximately 400
pounds. and the gear and mechanical
levices increase this TO at least 500
,ounds. With 20 men pushing the
edals. the resulting motive power
mounts to 10000 pounds of fierce and
ocular rotation. The progress of such
-r-ne delivered in unison n,ust he ns
the fastest pace. No living person can
overtaX his imagination as to the re-
suit. With each man bending low. to
put every atom of energy and strength
into each movement, breathing almost
one breath and each encouraged by
the efforts of the man in front, what
force could be applied to this monster
wheel, Starting gradually and gained
49,. 9. $50. ..--o.-l ---..i
me man seem to cut the air at light
ling dash. 20 faces in the agony of
Utmost effort and determination. make
ip a picture to impress uDon the
memory the possibilities of the bicycle,
would accomplish more than horse
= engine. powers for speed that have
'redominated for nearly a century:
&c. il would Guido the wind and send
it back to its cave Disguised with the
inventive genius of mortals
The possibilities of a break in any
art of a bicycle of this description
an only be thought of with horror. A
broken bolt. loose screw. an injury
U dHy VI the Nlldl paris nlcdBS lndt ~
nen would be mangled beyond recog-
,ition. Not even the recent Long
STAND railroad disaster could scatter
leath more swiftly or crush human
Jones with more certainty. To be sure,
he exhilaration of hurting through the
sind at such wonderful speed tends TO
rive such thoughts from the riders
minds. Like cavalry men in charge.
heir blood is up and devil-may-car
ceiling prevails. The fact cannot be
est sight of, however. that death
urks in the air and needs only little
irging to appear with awful sudden
ness.
How soon the record smashing de-
vice viii appear cannot be foretold
but the fact that Americans demand
he fastest and best in all departments
If speed indicates its early advent. It !
'nly needs a manufacturer with the
'ecessary pluck and energy to start
This giant wheel a-rolliug. The riders |
an easily he found. Put Michael in |
front followed by Bald. Cooper. Sanger. |
Johnson. the Buffers and perhaps N.Y. |
self. Such an aggregation could fairly !
lift the monster on its way, and |
could pedal themselves into the fame |
Of having made the fastest mile in the /
history of the world. No other 7
or human device could |
compete with such a wheel in its mad /
flight against time.