Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-29
FL00RED BY WHEELS.
An Amateur in Wheels Has Some
Terrible Experiences.
nc Thought to be an Agent But Now n,
Doesn't Think.

zeal line, from threading a needle TO
putting together steam engine. but
he mas been tioored by a bicycle.
1t S no difficult task to be noored bv
bicycle, any member of the army of
noVlces who are known by their wounds
ana scars, can tell how easy it is to be
floored by bicycle. The manner in
winch Henry was floored, was not in
the regular line of fall or rather falling
styles, but it was in the care of the
Wheel
Everyone knows that old familiar
Saying about the turning of the thoughts
IN the spring, and recently it has been
'ransposed to read, In the spring
youths fancy. lightly turns TO thoughts
OF wheels" This is just Henrys case.
HIS mind turned so far to thoughts of
wheels, that he bought several think
ing to use one. and to sell the others.
NO one but himself knows the agony
OF mind he has suffered since that fate
full day when the wheels arrived.
Wheels are apt to get out of repair
ana many stay out of repair all the
time. This was the kind he had-some
that We're made out of repair, and al
ways remain 50.
Before he had owned the bicycles
long. he made a discovery that NAV
reVoiutionize the wheel world, espec-
tally the surgical part of it. He dis
covered how to determine when the
chain is tight enough One day while
trying to unscreW the crank axle, he
accidentally caught his first finger be
tween the sprocket wheel and the chain
and the sprocket was going fast
that he could not stop it, The pain
was awful but it was for the good of
science. for he discovered that never
was the tension Of chain nearer per
lection. than that one, therefore he
wrote down as a matter Of reference:
To test the chain when adjusting it,
run a finger between the chain and the
sprocket, and if the finger isn't badly
damned. though it must be hurt. the
tension is correct"
He kept the wheels in the press room
of his coat manufacturing establish
ment,W where there are usually employed
several men. whose chief business
seems to be to play practical jokes.
and to work what other time they get
after fully attending to the jokes.
The bicycles We're excellent vehicles
of their jokes, and they took fun ad-
vantage of the fact.
The wheels had been in the room but
short time. when one gentleman dis
covered that the tires were leaking
badly. and what he told Henry about
the poor quality of his tires. more than
half convinced him that he had made d
mistake in ordering that make.
The morning after the conversation
regarding the demerits of the tires, the
eviI-minded man who arrived long
time before HusseY. let about all the
air not of the tires. Upon arriving
} Henry saw their condition, and pro-
ceeded to blow them up again. Through
the day from time to time, some Of the
evil-minded men would let little air
out of tire, and every time the i'm
posed upon owner would visit them. he
would find them leaking. or so he sup
posed. Every kind of a test known was
tried by him to locate the leaks. and
during the next few days he worked as
he had never worked before, in his
vain endeaVors to stop the leaks in the
mutinous tires, yet ali the while the
Villains who caused all the trouble,
kept on in their fiendish career that
was costing their employer so much
money, time, patience and sleep.
Finally the villains hearts would not
let them go further and so the tires
were all in good order. much to Henry 5
! relief.
He sold a bicycle and never since
the days of his extreme youth had he
been 50 happy no not even on the day
of his marriage. He danced about in
- his li9htnesS of heart. and even treated
his crew. but his happiness was Of
short duration. for the next day the
I wheel came back to be repaired, as the
saddle post refused to stay out of the
frame, and persisted in Slipping down.
Then beside both wheels had sprung
out of true Only a couple of hours
were passed in repairing these petty
irregularities.
The next day, and still the next, the
wheel. like the proverbial cat. came
back. and day after day it continued to
come until the owner of the wheel be-
gan to pass about two-thirds of his
time at the coat shop, while Henry pun
h.. n N condition all the WF1lD