The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1898-12-17
ODD VEHICLES.
Chicagoans Who Get About In
Strange Fashion.
Roller Skates, Motor Cycles, Horseless
Carriages, Mules and Oxen
Employed as Locomo-

|
In these days, when men who would
be at the top notch of style perch
| themselves away above their fellows
and ride in dizzy carts, when women
who adopt equestrianism ride astride
and the common herd that must trust
to the street car rides astrap. eccentric
modes of travel attract scarcely more
than a passing glance.
One day, however, when a farmer and
| his wife ambled down Washington
boulevard behind a mule and an OK
| every one was interested. Faces peered
from windows and doors and people on
| the street turned round and stared in
open-inouthed amazement. But the
! old-fashioned couple paid no heed to the
| attention they were attracting. The
man, a red-faced, sturdy yeoman, stared
straight ahead and fiicked his long gal
on the ox's flank, while his wife sat
huddled up by his side scrutinizing the
design on the lap-robe. Even when a
! big, good-natured fellow on the curb
raised a general laugh by remarking:
Il thought we were shaking horses"
! the couple paid no heed. They either
would not or did not notice any incon-
gruity about their team, and went
about their business like business peo-
pie. j @ hEH
These people were from the country,
but there are people who live in the
city who adopt modes of getting about
that are equally as novel as a mule and
an OK heNlzed together. Every night
and morning residents along Ogden av-
enue see man riding by on a huge tri-
cycle of a most primitive pattern. The
machine is built on much the same
plan as that ridden by little girls. But
instead of being constructed of steel
it is of wood The two rear wheels are
cumbrous. wooden affairs - evidently
ordinary buggy wheels-and the front
one looks as though it had once done
time on country wheelbarrow. The
rider is thrifty-looking man, with an
intelligent face, and his garb is that
of mechanic or laborer of some sort.
Under the seat of tine machine bangles
lunch basket.
Ever since the fall term of the Art
institute opened students coming away
from the afternoon classes have been
interested in nanother peculiar rmethodof
getting home after the days work is
done. Rain or shine, except when the
snow has been on the ground, at the
hour when the afternoon classes are
dismissed for the day this man is to be
found on the curbing in front of the
institute buckl;ng on a pair of roller
skates. Then he will start down Mich
igan avenue at a merry gait. He is
several notches past the prime of life
and wears long black beard, slightly
tinged with gray, which adds to the odd
ity of his appearance. But he makes,
much better time than the people or
foot and pays no attention to the j:bes
that are flung at him as he plunges
along, his beard trailing over his shoul-
der till his head looks like bobtail
comet. Sometimes he has an even
ing paper with him and peruses the
headlines and cartoons as he skates
along.
A motor carriage with a party Of
three or four in it is not an uncommon
sight on Michigan avenue. This is a
very elaborate affair, with pneumatic
tires, highly polished and painted wood
work and gorgeous robes, but its speed
is not such as to put to shame either
the homemade tricycle. or. the man on
the skates.
In Lake View in the vicinity of Hal
sted street and Diversey avenue is the
stamp mping-ground of man who has evi
IDENTIFY invented bicycle which will
run without any exercise on the part Of
the owner other than that of steering.
The machine reseIn bles an ordinary BIZ
cycle except that. the wheels. seem to
be slightly smaller in diameter, while
the tires are larger than those in or
binary use. At the point where the
pedals come in the common wheel is
3 compartment about foot square
and about half that in thickness. This
evidently furnishes the motive power.
and alongside it are fitted rests for the
feet : The speed of the machine is
equal to that Of the cyclist who has not
become a fend on scorching, though
how long it can be made to run is a
matter for speculation.-Chi News. |