The sun., 1903-08-30
UiGONS THAT BOYS MAKE.
Wheels for Soap-BOy Carts n Regular
Article OF Commerce.

| Every child likes to have wagon of some
sort; and toy wagons and wagons for larger
children are, in these modern days. made in
practically endless assortment. Some are
made of steel, bodies, wheels and all they
are modern to the limit. But not every
! boy, by any means, can afford to buy such
a wagon as he wants, so lots Of boys make
| their own wagons.
There are now sold, for use in making
boys wagons, great numbers Of sets OF
wheels. They are simply wooden discs,
with hole bored in the centre for the axle.
| They cost only few cents a set. Provided
with set of such wheels, the boy buys or
begs of grocer an empty soap box, and in
| its simplest form the soap-box wagon con-
| sists of the box with the two sticks serving
for axles nailed rigidlv across tho bottom
But the older boy is not satisfied with this
| He wants a wagon with forward axle that
will turn. like the axle of any ordinary
vehicle. and he nails on the bottom OF his
soap box a strip of board projecting in front
of the box. and in the outer end he bores
a hole, through which he thrusts into the
forward axle kingpin on which the axle
will turn. That is the soap-box wagon in
fits highest primary development, and there
are myrads of such wagons, with hardwood
discs for wheels, to be- seen in the streets
to-day.
The enterprising boy, however, let's slip
no opportunity to provide his soap box
wagon with better wheels. He gets, if he
can, for the hind wheels a pair discarded
from a baby carriage. still carrying the
two little wooden disks for wheels forward.
In these days of general Improvement
baby carriages are made with higher and
better wheels than they uaed to have, and
| in many cases with skeleton wheels Of
steel. The soap box wagon may some
times be seen with two baby carriage
wheels Of skeleton construction and in good
condition or it may have wheels of different
; kinds and different heights on its rear axle,
SO that it Says behind on one side like a
short legged man.
Other wheels used nowadays for the SOAP
box wagon are the discarded metal wheels Of
brokendown velocipedes. The knowing boy
building soap box wagon goes very likely
to the Junk dealers for his hind wheels and, -,
perhaps. for his forward wheels, too. He
may pick up, there, such wheels as he wants
very cheap, not perhaps all from one old
vehicle, but mated up from two or three.
Since the bicycle came into general
use more than one pair Of the tireless
wheels of worn out bicycle have come
finally to be used on saop box wagon.
With their thin curving wooden rims they
are yretty frail for this use, and they don't
wear long in il, but their height commends
them while they last.
Boys put to this use the discarded wheels
of broken down wheelbarrows. These
are pretty heavy for the purpose; but with
n suitable axle they do very well. They
are higher than the wooden disk wheels
and they don't break. A soap box wagon
rD,
down and discarded hand trucks. These
made a wagon almost too heavy to draw
with facility: but doubtless the boy owners
there were two of them-of the wagon
thought they had great outfit.
SO almost any sort of wheel can be made
to do; and more than one soap box wagon
has been seen--moSt curious wagons these
with no two wheels alike'
The hard wood disk wheel is consider
able item Of manufacture in factories
turning out wares of wood, and it is reg
ular article of trade. Many thousands
of sets OF such wheels are sold yearly and
the greater number of the soap box wagons
seen here and there and everywhere are
running on them. But the bigger boy
runs to bigger wheels and gets them as
soon as he can.
And the Use of the soapbox wagon in its
higher development il not confined to
children Of parents in circumstances too
pensive wagons, Many boy who could
afford to buy a regularly manufactured
wagon puts together a soapboxer for the
JOY of making it.
In its common usc the soapbox wagon
is, so to speak, a pleasure vehicle. Chill
dren push and pull one another about in
them, and have fun, but there is many a
aoapbox wagon that is used as we'll for
purposes of utility, for hauling home for
firewood refuse STUFF cleaned from the
wreckage Of torn-down buildings. It is
fair to presume that, this work done the
children that have thus hauled the fire.
wood home turn loose and race their soap
box wagons around with the rest.