Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-08-27
WHOLE NUMBER 1854.
KLOND1KE A-WHEEL.
THE BICYCLE FINDS A NEWWORLD
TO CONQUER.

Heavy wheel Proposed 10 Weigh
50 Pounds with Tires of solid
Rubber Sustaining 500 Pounds
TO be Used for Freigh ghling to the
Mines.
One of the most novel of the many
schemes to obtain a share of the
wealth of the Klondike region has
been developed by a syndicate of four
wealthy New York business men, who
are planning to establish trading
posts and stores in the mining
camps and also to purchase all promis-
ing claims on the market. They will
transport their men and supplies to
the gold fields on bicycle specially
designed for the purpose. The men,
bers of the syndicate prefer that their
names should not be made public.
They have no stock to sell and will
furnish all the money required them
selves. Their attorney is Henry F.
Granger, of No. As Broadway.
AS Mr.. Granger outlined the plan to
New York Herald reporter, the en-
terprise will be undertaken on an ex-
tensive scale. He will meet a mining
expert in the West, and will dispatch
him at once to the gold fields, we'll
supplied with money to buy up all the
promising claims in the market. The
attorney will also talk with returning
miners and gather all the information
obtainaRle. If it is possible to buy or
charter freight steamers on the Pa
cific coast at anything like their true
value he will invest in two or three. If
the transportation companies have got
control of all available vessels, how
ever, boats will be bought here on his
return and dispatched at once around
the Horn.
They will be laden with a general
cargo ofdry goods, clothing, provisions,
tools, whisky and tobacco, and, in
fact, everything that a miner needs,
and their destination will be Juneau.
Then the Klondike bicycle comes into
play. 1t will be used to transport the
supplies over 100 miles between Juneau
and the gold fields on the Chilcoot pass
trail.
Every miner who goes to the gold
fields must take with him about 1000
pounds of supplies, and the only way
to transport them is for him to carry
them on his back. The most that q
man can carry for any distance is 200
pounds. The method now in vogue
is to carry one load about five miles,
hide it so that it will not be destroyed
by animals, and then 60 back for
another load. In this tedious way
the goods are finally transported to
their destination.
The Klondike bicycle is especially
designed to carry freight, and is in
reality . four-wheeled vehicle and q
bicycle combined. 1t is built very
strongly and weighs about 50 pounds.
The tires are of solid rubber, one and
q half inches in diameter. The frame
is the ordinary diamond of steel tub
ing built, however, more for strength
than appearance, and wound with raw
hide, shrunk on, to enable the miners
to handle it with comfort in low
temperatures. From each side of the
top-bar two arms of steel project, each
arm carrying smaller wheel about
IA inches in diameter, which, when
not used, can be folded up inside the
diamond frame.
Devices for packing large quantities
OF material are attached to the handle
bars and rear forks, and the machine
it is estimated, will carry 500 pounds.
The plan is to load it with half the
miners equipment, drag it on four
wheels 10 miles or so. Then the
rider will fold up the side wheels, ride
it back as bicycle and bring on the
rest of the load.
A sample machine has already been
made and patents have been applied
for. As soon as Mr.. Granger returns,
if his reports be satisfactory, a large
number of these bicycles will be manu-
factured.
Another device for Arctic comfort,
which the syndicate will control, is a
portable house of thin boards and felt
which can be folded up in small
compass and which, when erected, will
be perfectly air tight.