The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-08-28
FERROUS BICYCLE FEATs.
Men Who Have Ridden Down the Steps
 of the Capitol.


 steps of the capitol has been accom- plished several times in the past, anC Twill doubtless continue to be performed at times by expert and enthusiastic cyclists who delight in astonishing the public by their foolhardy ventures The risk incurred is very great and the man who makes the attempt virtually | takes his life in his hands The feat
 has only been performed when the cap- i ital policemen were out of the way. Ii
 is needless to say that the daring ride
 requires a steady brain, expert knowl- | edge of the wheel and a certain dash of | recklessness
 Two of the men who have ridden
 down the steps are William Shields and
 William T. Robertson Shields has &C.,
 quired a wide reputation throughout
 the country as a trick rider. He trav-
 els under the name of "Rube," and
 dresses in the conventional stage fash
 ion of "hayseeds." His countrified 1 clothes, however, do not interfere in | their awkwardness with the marvellous agility of their Wearer. It was down [ the steps of the west front of the Cap | ital that Shields rode, the flight that | faces the entrance to the botanic gar dens These steps are "A in number,
 broken at intervals by landings, the
 middle landing being 20 feet wide and the other two 10 feet wide each. In
 order to get some practice before at tempting his astonishing feat, Shields went to another government building and rode down it's steep flight, finding the task easy on account of the absence
 of landings, which might pitch him off
 his wheel Then on April 1, 1897, &C.,
 companied by few friends and a
 photographer, he prepared to descend
 the steps of the capitol.
 Watching his opportunity when the
 watchman and visitors were out of the
 way, the rider sprang into his saddle,
 his bicycle resting on the edge of the upper step. While coming down the topmost flight he lost his pedals, and, unable to recover them he gripped his handlebars fast, and kept his eyes fixed on the steps before him. He came down with inconceivable rapidity, and when he reached the last landing his wheel had acquired such momentum that it leaped over the final sixteen steps at one bound without touching one of them. Both rider and wheel fell in a heap at the foot or the steps, and the spectators thought Shields was killed But he had escaped without a bruise, and not bolt of the wheel was loosened, the only injury being twist ed handlebar.
 In 1885 Robertson made his famous descent of the east steps of the capitol on an old-fashioned Star" machine. Robertson was at the time champion rider of the district, and he determined to ride down the east side steps, which number forty-two, each ten inches wide and eight inches deep. The wheelman applied to the authorities for permission, but was refused, on account of the great risk involved, The feat, therefore, had to be perform ed candestinely, and, in the dull light of the early morning, when few were stirring and the watchnen were else- where engaged, the event came off When the news was circulated, aston ishment was general, and many people said that such a feat was impossible. But that it actually was done is suffi ciently attested.
 One of Shields remarkable achieve ments was performed recently in Cin- ,innati. He rode down a ladder ex- tended from a second story window to the street below The angle was at east 60 degrees, and the ride was .wenty- four feet above the pavement. | Shields appeared at the window and | lis cries to the crowd to keep out of | lis way only brought them closer. At | | word he jumped on his wheel and | 'hot down the ladder like a streak. 1t the bottom a crash came The ex- ited multitude thought that he had ,een thrown against the curb and filled, but in a second he was on his eet, safe and sound.
 The first man to ride down the east teps of the capitol on safety was ,harles Fitzpatrick, the famous one egsed bicyclist. Fitzpatrick also ac- the feat of standing with is wheel on the top of the power house himney. He is also reported to have tood on the top of the great Lapey lheel, in the Isle of Man. This wheel over a hundred feet high, and it's is covered with buckets lto which the water flows, one revo- ltion being made every forty seconds ~ilpatrick obtained permission to have
 photograph taken of himself standing n the platform at the top of the wheel his. of course, presented no feature of anger, and was probably used by Kill atrick as mere pretext for very airing act. He had timed the revolu ons and decided that he could jump ( ut upon the wheel, be photographed nd get back within the forty seconds,
 feat which he safely accomplished. he performance terrorized the onlook ' 's, who thought every moment Kill atrick would be dashed to the ground. Kilpatrick, it would appear has a eritable passion for risking his life. 1me time ago. when he was in South I< frica doing his one-legged bicycle act ith a travelling circus he climed up l the back of an elephant and stood l the animals head It was risky, id the keeper of the elephant, for ere was no knowing what "Old Ben" ould do. But when Fitzpatrick got fely down he was not satisfied and ,ked the keeper to show Ben the bi- -cle to see what he would do with it. he elephant calmly examined the heel then held it up in his trunk for oser inspection, and, with Fitzpatrick his head, was snapshotted by the ,iquitous camera Washington mes.