The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-10

ed to reply, "all bicycles are good, the
only difference is that some are better
than others" I have come TO have pien-
ty Of respect for the foreign bicycles;
they get over the ground at as great a
pace as our own; they are comfortable,
and they are safe.
What / may call my most dramatic
and moving excursion was the dragging
OF a f4got, or clog, down the abrupt
mountain descent on the journey TO the
Grande Charteuse. / had always want
ed to try dragging the fagot. I started
with an agreeable companion. Prof
SAINTS Of Grenoble. We took the dill
gence at five O'Clock in the morning. and,
after five hours climb. alighted on the
Col de Porte, the pass about 4.oOO feet
high. Thence there is a run OF about
eight or ten miles down TO the Hotel du
Desert, from which point you climb
again 70 the Chartreuse. My compan-
ion was a practicable mountain rider, but
he, too had only heard of going down
steep inclines with the aid of a clog. and
had never personally tried il. As he was
a professor of physics. ne was just the
one, I claimed, 10 make a careful COM
putation OF our weights and all the other
conditions, and 50 adjust the clogs We
needed with entire accuracy. We dis
pensed, however, with these elaborate
preparations. A cantonnier, or road
mender, fitted US out with two large
dried branches-we tied them on behind
the wheels, and s;arted.The grade is ex-
tremely stiff, part Of the way as much
as ten per cent; il seemed 10 me good
deal like going down stairs The pro-
fessor OF physics was soon gayly lost 10
sight in front of me. l essayed to go on
more slowly, but my machine carried
much more averdupois than his, and was
soon aware that l was being run away
with, in spite OF my dragging pine
branch.
In the meantime. I may explain, had
had d brake put on my machine, light
graceful one, acting on the rear wheel
1t had the disadvantage that you had 10
let 60 one hand to get hold Of 1t, and be-
sides il was not effectual in a pinch like
the pr5<ant. Such mountain roads are
built only by system of sharp zigzags.
and il you cannot slack up at one or
these sharp turns, You are In danger or
going over and landing on the roof or
chalet in the valley, half a mile below,
to the establishment, no doubt OF the In
mates. However, i had only the bare
intima.ion OF such a romantic fate and
escaped the reality; I got off free from
harm, within few feet of the verge. l
rejoined my sanguine professor or phy-
sics-he added the weight OF his pine
branch to mine, got another for himself
and again we started. But the cords
with which my clogs were fastened on
were only small Irvine; I could not help
being little nervous. from the refiec-
ton that this might snap at critical
moment, and a descent upon the chalels
OF the church steeples below still IN
store II was only on long, comparative
" straight stretches that / really en-
joyed the motion: then it was decidedly
exhiliarating. The trailing boughs oc-
cupied the whole width of the road, and
raised a cloud of dust. We must have
passed like some witches ride. My fagot
too, made great roaring, when l pass
ed along by the cateracts, i was inclined
10 say to myself: ITEMS there's some
thing that's trying TO get up a compe-
tition with me-"
Arrived at last at the Grande Char
treuse, we fell in with French bicyclist
who announced that an edct was out
against riding with the fagot; he had it
from one OF the stage drivers, and was
disconnected in his plans thereby. l sus-
pect it was only the invention OF the
stage-driven himself, who opposed the
fagOt because il scared his horses and
raised such an internal dust.