The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-05-03
CAPT. PEppARD'S LAND SHIP.
Part of the Way at Thirty
Miles an Hour.


may not be uninteresting to know that
one of the early inventions in this
country to do away with animal mo-
tive power originated in Kansas City,
Kan, saya the Kansas City Journal.
Samuel Peppard was the genius who
constructed 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
iourneying the same way, but easily
distanced Indian pursuers and won
for his rig the unstinted admiration
of the red men.
1t was during the time of the ex-
element following the discovery of
gold in Colorado. A great many peo-
pie 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
wayne didn't have the money TO
buy horses and wagon So he sat down
and thought it all over, and then as
result he gave out that he was go
ing to build a wagon with SAL,
which he thought would make the
trip in about as good time as any
prairie schooner that was floating
around over the wild and woolly 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 craft, just as other wise
men of Noah's time scotfed at the
good patriarch Mr.. Peppard's adj
visers declared that II he attempted
to navigate such craft he would GER
tainly be killed, and the people in gen
eral looked the wagon over, shook
their heads and called it "Peppard's
folly"
But Mr.. Peppard kept on saving
running gear and boards. At last It
was finished. 1t was made of rough
lumber and shaped like n skitf II
was eight feet long from prov to
stern and three feet across at amid
ship and two feet deep. The bed was
six feet apart, the wheels all the same
size and about as large as the front
wheels Of a buggy, 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 eleven by eight feet,
the other seven by five. 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-
ing. The hounds, instead of having
tongue attached, came up over the
| top of the bed and were welded to.
gether. A bar was fastened here and
| extended backward three feet. There
was seat placed at the end of the
bar for the captain, and he steercd
by pushing the bar to the right or
the left, The craft rugged out weighed
$50 pounds, carried crew of four
men, cargo of 500 pounds, the camp.
ing outfit and provisions serving as
ballast.
Before Mr.. Peppard started on his
overland voyage he made a trial one
mile south of Oskaloosa, on the pres
ent 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
col ha OF n
to the ground and came near capsiz-
ing. He slackened sail and set out again
with a large sheet reefed and the
smaller full against the wind, and
away II whizzed 1t went so fast, in
fact, that the boxing in the wheels
heated. Then, when it went over II
little knoll, it leaped about 80 feet
| into the air and came down with n
| crash.
His vessel was a wreck, but Mr.. Pep
| pard was not discouraged. He made
| new spindles, repaired the damage,
and in few days he and three com
parions were ready to start. Profit
ing by his first experience, Mr.. Pep
pard chose day to start when the
wind was blowing only about ten
knots an hour. The first day they
went 50 miles. The route lay north
west, through Kansas and across the
southwestern part of Nebraska, until
they struck the South Platte river,
and from there they went toward Den
yer.
"Our best time was two miles IN
four minutes" said Mr. Peppard in
describing the incidents Of the jour
! ney. I'VE could not run faster than
that rate, as the boxing would have
heated. One day we went 80 miles
in three hours and in doing so passed
| G2j teams"
Not on His Trolley.
a Scottish paper tells an anecdote
| In couupctio with the new electric