Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-07-22
BICYCLE FIGURES

some Interesting Facts RegardIug
the Output Of Crescent bicycles inI
1896 by the w estern Wheel Works.
OF Chicago. III.
The idea of this article II to convey to
the reader u conception OF the enormous
amount OF raw material consumed during
q season In supplying the demand ior
one Of the most popular bicycles made.
The Western Wheel Works, Chicago,
makers OF the Crescent wheel, have The
largest, aud without doubt the most COM
plete bicycle factory In the world, and
can turn out, when running TO fullest
capacity, 725 finished Crescents IN twelve
hours. or complete up to date bicycle
The following figures are based on the
actual amount of the principal parts OF
material used by them during 1876 in the
manufacture OF Crescent bicycles, OUR
ing which season they made more high
tories In the country. -.
They used $50 miles of tubing, or
enough to nearly reach from Chicago 70
St. Paul IL placed in a straight line. Inc
spokes were made in their own factory,
and required $50 miles of wire, or enough
to reach from Chicago to Lincoln. NeD. I:
30 miles of brass rod was required Tor
spoke nipples. If the spokes, spoke MP
pies and tubing were placed in straight
line they would reach from Chicago TO
the Rocky Mountains at Denver. Inc
cranks, il placed end to end, would cover
a distance OF y miles. Ihey useu 90
miles of steel for crank axles, wheel axles
and pedal axIes, and 10 miles of steel Tor
seat posts. If the rims that were used In
the manufacture of Crescents in NJ were
placed one upon the other they would
make a pile 1880 feet high. 5000 feet
higher than Pixies Peak and about the
height of Mount Elias in Alaska. whose
summit has never yet been reached Dy
man. If placed in straight line, side by
side, these rims would reach distance
of 721a miles, and If the tires We're fitted
they would make line 17la miles longer
hangers on the '96 wheels weighed. in
the rough, 113 $40 tons, and when fin
ished, II r-10 tons, showing complete
waste of 81 9-10 tons in drilling and nm.
ishng. 1t required 32,OS4 square feet OF
sheet steel to make the Crescent hollow
tooth sprockets, and 21,S!6 square feet
for the steel stampings OF the head and
seat post clamps, or in all enough nat
steel to cover an area of IN acres. There
were used 10 miles of cork grips. 1OM
miles of finished hubs, and % miles of
steel wire to pin frames together before
brazing. The finished chains, end to end.
would reach 20 miles, and the different
pieces of which they are composed would
reach 237a miles, or in all 30I3 miles.
the distance from Chicago to Cincinnati.
The bearings of 1896 Crescents required
1897 300 steel balls. which, If placed
in straight line, side by side, would
reach distance of Ash miles. To lace
the chain and dress guards on the ladies'
Crescents manufactured in 1896 required
434. $50 yards of cord. or 2461h miles.
enough to allow a small boy to stand on
the top of the Auditorium tower In Chi
cago and fly his kite where the people in
Des Moines. Iowa. could see it. To sup
ply Crescents sold in 1896 required 1906,
142 bolts, and 1.4SS,075 nuts. having an
aggregate weight of % TONS Sixteen and
one-quarter miles of spring. steel were
used in the manufacture of saddle springs.
and the saddle and tool bags together
used up III, 1888 square feet, or over
acres of leather. The total weight of the
complete bicycles was 2.3S2,S pounds.
or 1,101 tons To crate these bicycles
required 1926, 740 square feet of lumber
made up in pieces, which would make a
distance of 1,139 miles. or more than the
distance from New York to Chicago: r..
71S,66S separate and distinct pieces en-
tered into the construction of '06 Cres-
cents, and If all were placed in straight
line. end to end, they would reach from
New York to some distance in the Pacific
Ocean west of San Francisco.-Crescent
Bulletin, July 1, 1897.