Omaha daily bee., 1897-02-28

bats and who are still on the stage, appeared
in the Union Square theater and did what
was then considered some marvellous trick
work on the wooden velocipede was
boy then and the sight filled my soul with
great desire to be aDle 10 rue ohe Vi lhoss
crazy velocipedes.'
Not long after that velocipedes were made
by Calvin Witty, Demarest, and other car
riage builders in this country, and schools
for instruction were opened In vacant halls
in all the big cities of the country.
APPEARANCE OF THE VELOCIPEDE.
or the velocipede of this time the frame
and forks were of handmade steel forgings'
The wheels wers of wood, with fiat iron
tires, such as are now used for bugSies.
The boom was not lasting one, notwith.
standing the fact that the makers turned
their attention to producing them Especially
in England) with hollow steel frames, wire
suspension wheels, and solid rubber tires. so
that by the year 1872 the use of the wooden
velocipede in this country was practically
extinct.
In 1876 there was exhibited at the Cen.
tenrial exposition a model OF the type OF
bicycle known to this day as the good old
ordinary" 1t was exhibited by the firm of
Baylis. Thomas & Co., Coventry, England.
1t had the regulation suspension wire
wheels. hollow backbone, solid front and
rear forks, and open head, and in fact, was
| the model from which Colonel Albert A.
Pope afterward, in 1875 copied his first
Standard Columbia. The firm of Baylis,
Thomas G. Co. is still engaged in the trade
in England and they may be justly con-
| sidered one Of the pioneers of the sport.
Some Boston importing house about that
time-1S77-imported q few English bicycles.
| In 1878 the Standard Columbia was
marketed by Colonel Albert A. Pope. 1t
was made at Weeds Sewing Machine works
in Hartford, Conn. And this action can be
| regarded as a forerunner of the immense
number of sewing machine companies that
| have since entered into the trade. Since
| that time the entire Weed Sewing Machine
Company plant has been absorbed by the
Pope Manufacturing company.
CORNERING THE PATENTS.
Colonel Pope. with an eye to the future
bought up all the old velocipede patents
The bulk of these patents had been issued
during the years 1866 to 1868, and, as they
had seventeen years to run from that time
they were still valuable Pierre Lallements
crank patent was at that time owned by
the firm Of Richardson, Mckee & Co.
makers of baby carriages and children's
velocipedes in Boston and New York. They
sold this patent to Colonel Pope for thu
sum of $500 and shopright to make
children's bicycles, the diameter of the from
wheel not to exceed forty-two inches, and
one Standard Columbia bicycle" Shortly
afterward the firm of Richardson, Mckee &
Co.. dissolved, and the New York end o.
the business was taken up by new corpora
ton under the style of Mckee & Harrington
They decided to manufacture the moderI
bicycle, and to that end bought out the
plant of poor. but skilled mechanic, Rober
j. Hodgson, who was then building
bicycle called the Union at Newton Uppe
Falls, Mass.
Nj, awhile Colonel Pope had been collect
ing $40 royalty from every bicycle i'm
ported into this country and from ever!
bicycle made here. Mckee & Harrington
refused to pay this royalty, and soon foun
their entire plant and product tied up will
a permanent injunction restraining then
from using these patents. They lost in tn