St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-12-04
IN CYCLEDOM.
THE BICYCLE THIEF.

r. Foil Hin 10 One Of the Serious /
Problems u the nay.
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-hngered
gentlemen, and it is small wonder that
bicycle lifting" has become practical
w 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 a. little protection as
bolts and bars against determined
housc-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 ut 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-
ent 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 he identified even BY the
owner. The expert thief. as soon as
machine is taken. files of the serial
number, changes the saddle and handle
bar, and sells the machine to one OF the
numerous secondhand establishments
found in all large cities. The means OF
identification are wholly obliterated.
and it is seldom, indeed, that rider can
identify his property. The ease with
which numbers and particular features
Of wheels can be altered makes identifi-
cation no easy task, but it is certain that
with very little trouble manufacturers
could aid in the recovery of wheels to
q very great extent. Machines could be
marked in number of places where 1t
would be almost impossible to destroy
the serial number without damaging
the machine. For instnce, the head
tubing could be deeply indented with
the number in such q manner that 1t
could not he filed out without making q
hole in the frame. Then again, each
machine could be marked in secret
place where it would never be looked
for. and the mark be disclosed only to
the purchaser Of the machine. Atpres-
cnt, comparatively few riders even take
the pains to remember the number OF
the machine. and beyond giving the
color. style of saddle, handle bars, ETC..
the description of the machine given to
the police is SO meager that the task of
finding it i. almost hopeless one. A
leading western manufacturer stated.
u few days ago, that for next year his
company had decided to adopt series
Of secret numbers to be recorded ut
their Office and to be known only to the
purchaser of each machine. While man
ufacturers are not financially inter
ested in bicycles after they have passed
out of their hands, they can favor their
patrons by providing some means
whereby 4 machine can be more easily
dentifed.-Cleveland Cycling Gazette.