The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-04-21
BELGIUM'S FUTURE KING
Interested in the Manufacture ID
bicycles, Visits the Columbia
Works.

Albert, Prince of Belgium, and its
future king, spent Friday of last week
inspecting Americas largest bicycle
factory, that of the Pope Manufacture
ing Company in Hartford. He is trav-
cling in the United States under his
minor title of Comte De Rethy. Tbs
Hartford Courant in speaking of the
prince and his visit describes him as
very democratic appearing young fell
low, % years old, of stalwart frame, six
feet tall, and having a development OF
a large man in his general makeup. He
Ii very much interested in mechanics
and appears to thoroughly understand
machinery, and during the afternoon
spent in the bicycle works asked many
questions about automatic machines,
and frequently picked up parts of the
bicycle as they came from the machine,
and did not seem to care about the
soiled condition of his hands, using the
mechanics towel, a bunch of waste, to
clean them. He seemed perfectly at
his ease, and made every one with whom
he came in contact feel the same way.
at the station with the Columbia Motor
Carriage, and with his suite taken to
the Pope Manufacturing Company's of-
fees where a delightful luncheon was
served in the officers dining-room.
After luncheon the party began the
tour of the allied interests of the Pops
Manufacturing Company.
Tho first of tho mach pioo1 5anarf-
ments visited was the test department.
where all steel stock bought by the
company undergoes test of it's tensile
strength. A round bar of nickel steel
was in the testing apparatus and pres.
sure was brought to bear upon it. The
registering dial was watched very
closely by the prince, and when the
figures indicated over 10000 pounds he
asked how much more the bar would
stand.
at will break shortly" said Mr..
Souther, the engineer in charge Of
tests, and sure enough it did, swapping
like a pipe stem at omething over &c..
600 pounds pressure.
This evidently pleased the prince, and
as he left the department he said: Il
have been very much interested in
this"
The party, consisting of Prince AL
bert, his suite, Col. Albert A. Pope, Col.
George Pope, George H. Day, general
manager of the Company; Secretary AL
bert l.. Pope and other officials of the
Company, then began the tour of the
bicycle shops under the immediate di-
rection of Superintendent A. p. Day,
who personally assorted Prince Albert,
and explained to him all the automatic
operations of the bicycling-making
machinery. In the room where gears
ire cut for the chainless wheels the par
ty remained for long time, the prince
being greatly interested in the process.
The big drop forging machine, that
strikes a bicycle hub from hot bar Of
steel at one stroke and can make hun
1reds of them in a day, was another
special thing that interested the dis
uinguished visitor. The assembling of
the wheel and the shipping room were
Inspected, and in the former the infia-
ton of the single tube Hartford tires
was of interest to the prince. He was
little skeptical about the repair of
'ingle tube tire and after the tour of
he factory he received an illustration
Of the repair of a puncture while the
machine was on the road with the Or
binary repair kit. His skepticism van
shed.
The party went from the bicycle
.hops to the motor carriage factory,
Jol. a. A. Pope accompanying the
prince in a motor carriage and manipu-
ating the vehicle. The prince was so
delighted with this sort of locomotion
that he manipulated the carriage him.
self on the return trip, taking Col. Pope
along as a passenger.
At the motor carriage works and at
the tube works Lieut.. Harold H. Eames
escorted the party and explained tbs
machinery and the objects for which il
was constructed. The tube works, with
| its automatic feeding boilers and the
self-regulating engines, adapting the
exercise of power to the requirements
| Of the tube drawing machines, were
| evidently something new to the visitor
| and the members of his suite, and they
| remained for quite time watching the
big engines in motion.
At the Hartford Rubber Works the
prince was escorted by J. c. Wilson,
manager of that department., and the
mysteries of rubber grinding, the maxi
ing. vulcanizing and joining of the tires
were explained to the visitors, the visit
ending with an inspection of the i'm
mense storage room for tires which APP
parently had enough tires in it to make
the world go round on an inflated rim.
On taking his departure from the fac
tories, Prince Albert cordially thanked
Col. Pope and all the officials who had
shown him about, and declared that he
had passed a most enjoyable afternoon
inspecting the manufacture of wheels
King Who is a Hotelkeeper.
| According to lie journal DIES Debata
of Paris the most prosperous hotelkeep-