Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-16
HOW TO "SAIL" A BICYCLE.
A Ten.FoOt Mast Rugged ON
Wheel.
From the New York Times.

From the New York Times.
T. F. Hudson of Ellesburg, n. Y, claims
To he the pioneer in running the bicycle
with a SAIL He oonfesses that he can't
tack easily or run close to the w1nd' ana
so when the wheeling sailor has had hne
run down the wind he must push his craft
back. Mr.. Hudson says:
81 rugged a mast of spruce ten feet hlgn
to the frame of the wheel, about -FOUR
inches back of the handle bars. Rlgidlty
was secured by two bolts and a cieat on
the opposite side The sail was made Oh
heavy cotton cloth, with light boom al
the bottom. To this was attached a strong
cord which was passed through hght pull
ley block attached TO the saddle post, ana
through another pulley attached to the
center of the handle bars. This l found to
be an excellent arrangement, as II enapieo
me to hold the sail without interfering
with the steering of the wheel. OF course.
it took some little time to figure this all
out In fact. did not have it all complete
the first time rugged up the sail. The i'm
provements naturally came with exper-
fence.
..It was with considerable trepidation
that 1 mounted the wheel. The towering
mast and Tapping sail disconnected me
Eit and, in order to accustom myself to
their presence on the machine, 1 furled the
sail and rode up and down until became
at home. Then 1 tried the running gear
with one hand while l steered with the
ether. AS the wind caught the sail the
bicycle moved along smoothly, but rapidly
developed an inclination to seek ditch.
Happily was able to correct this within of
the wheel and convert it into a middle-of-
the-roader. l gradually Stacked away at
the cord. and as the boom swung around to
nearly right angles. the speed increased.
''As the wind grew stronger l found my
self skimnling along faster than had ever
essayed as a mere scorcher. How to stop
was question that l had given but little
thought to. But now it doomed up as q
most important factor to the continuance
of my career. I thrust my foot on the
front tire, as I had often done in going
down steep hills, but the only effect was a
strong odor of burning rubber and warm
sensation on the bottom of my foot. 1 had
already covered two miles at a hair-raising
clip, and the speed seemed to increase as I
struck a stretch of open country where the
wind had full play.
Il had no desire to jibe or attempt any
maneuvers of a fancy order. OF course
the sport was exhilarating and there was
Just that dash of danger which 1 confess
intensified the pleasure. But my Waterloo
was In waiting. 1t was an almost abrupt
turn in the road Straight ahead was a
deep ditch with lot of thistles and sharp
stones. 1t was only a fraction of a second
later when l discovered my cuticle lining
the side OF the ditch, but in that moment /
mad thought Of home and all things dear
FINALLY 1 picked myself up and trudged
nome, as sailing against the wind on a
twenty-foot road was not my specially.
Nearly every breezy day since that ex-
ago, have gone a-sailing on my wheel.
ana now find little difficulty in navigating.
men the wind gets too strong I take a
reeI IN the sail or apply the brake"