Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-15
S O M E CYCLE CHAT

With all of the American enterprise that
lave come to the front with a new slot
device. In the present case it is not a
nickel iE the slot, bat only penny, and
the enterprise is turned in the direction
of furnishing wind for bicycles. A for
eign cycle paper has the following to say
on the subject: A barge number of London
bicycle manufacturers, dealers and devo-
tees OF the Wheel of both sexes were re-
Gently given private view of the new
slot machine for the filling of exhausted
tires, patents for which We're recently is
sued. 1t is somewhat similar to the ordi-
nary slot machines. but instead of pro-
duclng candy, gum or music it has large
reservoir filed with compressed air which
can be relilled as often as required in the
store or saloon in which it may be sta
tl1iled An English penny, two cents
In American money, will cause the machine
to part with sufficient compressed air TO
I'LL the largest size tire. The invocation
will be of incalculable value to cyclists
especially in the country districts. and
orders for 10000 of the machines have al
ready been received.
British versus American bicvcle trade
Is the subject of report by Consul Par
ker at birmingham. England, in which are
SHOWN the great inroads made by the bicy-
Gle manufacturers of this country The
report in part is as follows:
The one marked development in this
district during the past year has been
in the cycle trade. From July l, 1886,
to January l. 1897, this was very rapid
Productive power was immensely in.
creased. Small establishments develoned
almost without notice into large ones
with an unsupported capacity for turn
ing out bicycles. The result was an over
development not only of manufacturins
nafoy
1nuuced some neglect of selling effort and
a disposition to underrate the possihiIitv
OF competition, especially from the United
States. In spite of the increased nsa oe
bicycles all over the world. tho resuIt
OF this was soon apparent in the comnor,
tive decline of exports. This did not af
1ect the trade with the United States. be-
cause hardly any complete bicycles bava
been sent since the beginning of is9 There
was a determined maintenance of prices
but very little effort to make a good h;ov'
Gle at such cheap price as would bring it
Wlth1n the reach of Workingmen
THE British foreign trade in bicvc1as for
the calendar year 1895 was S. III 90 ~.
for 1886, it was $0,O56 426 %; for 1897 the
returns are not yet complete, but from Jan
portant portion for the bicycle trade. there
was falling off of more than Ii per cent
If this rate should continue over the whole
s7,s77 .275.22. '''oo'
This vas coincident with a remarkable
export movement from the United States
During the past two years, ending in each
on June 80 the total exports of cycles and
Larts from the United States and those to
the united kingdom are shown in the fol-
lowing brief table:
Description. 1896. 1897
Total. Observation-Disclosures. S,S9S,0l2 s7,OO5. 500
To the united kingdom e13392 o37S az
Not only has the total export of Amer
lean cycles ir creased by nearly 300 per cent
in ore year, and that 10 the united king
dom i'll about the same ratio but the de-
mand from British colonies or markets
heretofore held almost exclusively by Brit.
ish manufactures Of Cycles. was greater
by more than 175 per cent during the period
named Thus the export of bicycles from
the United States, insignificant two years
great as those Of, the, united kingdom In
spite of its earlier Development and i'm
mense capital and facilities. There are in
dications that the conditions are now fair
and sthat he will not 50 easily be caught
again; but, as the manufacturers of the
United States are not likely to surrender
without struggle the advantages incident
to two years of successful trading, the for
mer must now fight to retain what he has
to say nothing of getting back what he has
lost.
Elliott Burris, who has had considerable
experience in bicycle construction and the
practical application of mechanics, does
not seem to think the bevel gear as
applied to bicycles very successful thi..g,
Where the power is supplied Indirectly the
bevel gear may be all right he thinks, but
where the power is supplied direct things
are different. There Is fully 25 per cent of
the power lost, he estimates. This is what
he says on the subject: IS
"Bevel gears are entirely practical in GER
tain classes Of machinery, in the construc-
ton of which it is necessary to direct pow
err around corner, or at angles with the
work, and in which fine running adjust
ment, weight and friction have not to be
considered as for example, coffee mills
corn shelters, cider presses, moving ma
chimes, drills and that class Of machinery
where sliding gears, are necessary; but
level gears are not used where direct pow
er can be transmitted. There is greater
friction. and thereby greater loss of power