The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-02

The latest and admittedly the most
eccentric of bicycle ideas is now being
given practical form in Stuttgart, by
Franz Steuben, an inventor whose &C.
centricity has caused his neighbors to
heretofore make sport of him. This
strange idea is an electromagnetic
bicycle, which, Steuben claims. will be
possessed of magnetic power sufficient
to draw to itself any other bicycle
within a radius of fifteen feet.
This bicycle freak is a machine with
a highly charged magnetic frame. In
stead Of the usual hollow steel tubing
of which the ordinary bicycle is con-
stituted, this electrical frame will be
made of soft iron, closely wound with
fine copper wire. Attached to the back
of the frame, short distance from the
bottom will be small, very powerful
dynamo. Two wires, electric feeders.
connect the dynamo with the copper
wound frame. The dynamo is located
over what in the ordinary machine Is
the small Sprocket Wheel attached to
the rear axle. Instead of this sprocket
wheel, however, there will be large
cog wheel firmly attached to the axle.
Just at the left of the big cog wheel
is a smaller wheel. which acts as a
medium for the Sprocket chain to pass
over AS the rider causes the pedals
of the machine to revolve the sprocket
chain communicates motion to the
main cog wheel This causes the small
er wheel to revolve, and this in turn.
by meeting the cogs of the dynamo,
puts the delicate machinery within in
to operation and thus generates the
electricity.
"You see," said Steuben to the writer,
"the faster the sprocket wheel revolves
the greater will be the amount of
electricity generated. This electricity,
passing from the dynamo through the
two feed wires, is carried to the wires
which are wound around the soft iron
framework of the machine. This con-
meets the frame and the bicycle with
the powerful electro magnet. and it's
drawing power of attractiveness Will
be felt by any piece of steel within
radius of fifteen feet. l intend, In
order to guard the rider of the machine
thus magnetized from any accident
through electrical shock, to insulate
the saddle, handle bars and pedals.
The nature of the electrical attrac-
ton will be such that it's effect on
other wheels will not injure them nor
prevent the riders thereof keeping
their seats easily. All that it will be
necessary to do is for those mounted
on the wheels drawn toward the ir-
restible force to restrain from trying
to become immovable objects.
If the rider of the electro magnetic
wheel should take a slip down Inter
den Linden, for instance, with the
electrical current glancing out on all
sides with full force, he would be fol-
lowed by a procession of machines as
eagerly as the children once followed
the Pied Piper of Hamelin long years
ago. Steuben claims that the electri-
cal attraction of his machine will not
be of sufficient strength to cause other
machines to collide with him, provided
he exercises that skill of which any
wheelman should be possessed. 1t is
always the case when a piece of steel
is drawn to a magnet that the con-
tact of the two is sharp, but Steuben
claims to have mastered principle
which will enable him to so construct
his machine as to avoid this danger.
The inventor claims that within the
next month he will furnish practical
demonstration that his invention is
not a chimericaI affair.