The Press., 1900-05-17
BLOWN TO COLORADO.
HORSELESS WAGON TRIP FROM
KANSAS TO DENVER.

This Prairie Schooner Was Rugged
With Sails and Made Record Time
Years Ago In the Great Race For
the Newly Discovered GOIdfields.
In these days Of automobiles, motor
cycles and horseless vehicles it may not
be embarrassing to know that one of
the early inventions in this country to
do away with animal motive power
originated in Kansas City, Kan. Sam
uel Peppard was the genius who con-
structed a vehicle that carried him and
three companions over the plains from
Oskaloosa almost to Denver. And
with such rapidity, too, that he not
only passed all the white people jour-
neying the same way, but easily dis
tanced Indian pursuers and won his
rig the unstinted admiration of the red
men.
1t was during the time of the excite
ment following the discovery of gold
in Colorado. A great many people had
set out for this Ell Dorado, and long
wagon trains were to be seen every
day moving across the plains. Mr..
Peppard was anxious to go, but there
was one great difficulty in the way
he didn't have the money to buy horses
and wagon. So he sat down and
thought it all over, and then as a result
| he gave out that he was going to build
| a wagon with a sail, which he thought
| would make the trip in about as good
time as any prairie schooner that was
| floating around over the wild and wool
ly west.
When he first began to build the
| wagon, the wise men of the town all
| laughed at him for wasting his time on
such a craft, just as other wise men of
Noah's time scoffed at the good patri-
arch. Mr.. Peppard's advisers declared
that if he attempted to navigate such a
craft he would certainly be killed, and
the people in general looked the wagon
over, shook their heads and called it
"Peppard's folly"
But Mr.. Peppard kept ON saving
wood and turning it into wheels and
running gear and boards. At last 1t
was finished. 1t was made of rough
lumber and shaped like skiff. 1t was
eight feet long from prov to stern and
| LuEec LcSt dCIOSS dl duluSllIpS anu lWO
feet deep. The bed was placed on a
running gear with axles six feet apart,
the wheels all the same size and about
as large as the front wheels of a bug
gy. A ten foot mast was fastened to
the front axle and came up through
the bottom of the wagon box, and to
this two sails were rugged, the larger
II by 8 feet, the other Z by 8. They
were both to be worked by a rope
through pulley at the top Of the mast.
If the wind was high, the smaller
was to be used, and if it was low the
larger was to be employed. The wag-
on had a brake and a rudder for steer
ing. The hounds, instead of having a
tongue attached, came up over the top
Of the bed and were welded together.
A bar was fastened here and extended
| backward three feet. There was q
seat placed at the end of the bar for
the captain, and he steered by pushing
the bar to the right or the left. The
craft rugged out weighed $50 pounds,
carried a crew Of four men, cargo of
500 pounds, the camping outfit and
provisions serving as ballast.
Before Mr.. Peppard started on his
overland voyage he made trial one
mile south of Oskaloosa on the present
site of the Jefferson county fair
grounds. There is a level stretch of
several miles, and a good, stiff breeze
was on. When it struck the large sail,
the craft stuck it's nose down to the
ground and came near capsiZing. He
Stacked sail and set out again with the
large sheet reefed and the smaller full
against the wind, and away it whizzed.
1t went so fast, in fact, that the box
ing in the wheels heated. Then, when
it went over a little knoll, it leaped
about 80 feet into the air and came
down with a crash.
His vessel was a wreck, but Mr.. Pep
pard was not discouraged. He made
new spindles, repaired the damage, and
in a few days he and three compan-
ions were ready to start. Proiting by
his first experience, Mr.. Peppard chose
a day to start when the wind was
blowing only about ten knots an hour
The first day they went SO miles
Their route lay northwest through
Kansas and across the southwestern
part of Nebraska until they struck the
South Platte river, and from there
they went toward Denver.
| sour best time was two miles in
four minutes" said Mr.. Peppard In
describing the incidents of the jour.
ney. 1--WE could not run faster than
that rate. as the boxing would have
heated. One day we went so miles in
three hours and in doing so passed 625
teams" kansas City Journal.