The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-09-04
SALT LAkER WILL
"L00P-THE-LEAP"
c. v. Johnson is Building a New
Spine ChiIIer.
TWO GAPS TO JUMP ON BIKE
INVENTOR HAS PATENT AND A
PERFECT WORKING MODEL.

The loop-the-Ioop, which has thrilled
thousands since first Dlavolo turned
the trick at Coney Island, and the leap
lne-Sap, just recently exhibited in
salt Lake, are To be suppianted in the
near future by The hair-Talsing device
Oi salt Lake man, c. V. Johnson, who
IS building 'lOOp-tbe-leap" arrange
ment that includes all the features OF
both old tricks For the past two
Weeks Mr.. Johnson has been working
on his invention, and now the inclined
platform has been completed and raises
itself some thirty-eighJ feet above the
building lot on Franklin avenue near
Second South street.
The loop proper IS yet to be con
structed, and in it are found the ele
ments Of dare and thrill which it's fu-
ture rider must face. As yet little idea
can be obtained as TO just where the
'Ie9pg' or gaps come in. But when
one sees how the little model which
Johnson has at his home, l64 East Sec
Oud South Street, works, il becomes
casy-easy to see where the Saps are
and easy II would seem to get by them
on q bike
\ little agate marble which rolls
swiftly down the model incline and
ever. the one thing that justities this
conclusion But if a marble will do it
an right+why cannot d man come out
unScathed2 And that's just the point
that M. Johnson wants to impress on
the public His spine-cooling amuse-
ment-prGvider is guaranteed 10 provide
the chills without the slightest danger.
Why Because the inventor claims
That it viii be built UPON scientific
plans, strongly, and with the proper
spiral effect.
Men have gone TO their death, he
claims, because the loop upon which
they We're performing was faulty in
construction To this fact he attributes
the fatal fall Of Otto De Ryder at Utah
ma park several weeks ago. He takes
into account the fact that De Ryder
was probably inexperienced, but be
heves that the loop proper was not a
perfect spiral Instead. at the point
where incline and loop met there was
a curve that strongly resembied a
right angle.
Two Gaps to Jump.
Mr. Johnson's loop-the- gap resem-
hles to some extent d regulation loop
the-l0Op- There is this great difference,
however. At the very topmOst point
of the curve there is to be a gap of
from four TO five or six feet. Then aft
er making the curve, the rider. instead
of whirling down TO terra firma via a
small inclined platform, has TO jump a
bigger gap, gap that has been formed
i'm the loop itself by the falling of a
trap. released when the cyclist passes
a certain point in his journey round
the curve
Suppose the trap door" so to speak.
should not drop after the cyclist had
started round the curVe2 Well. then.
W..
some trick rider. But says the in
Ventor, the trap will fall. There is no
reason 10 doubt him after seeing how
perfectly the model works.
Last night in the presence of some
fifty spectators. mostly neighbors who
have watched The strange thing 90 up
steadily day by day. Mr.. Johnson rode
down the - degree incline several
times, striking the hottCm on each oc-
casion with an acceleration that car
ried him far down Franklin avenue
toward Third South street That the
inventor has skill and nerve as we'll as
theory and determination was demon
suated during the few seconds that
elapsed between the start and finish.
Small Bike is Used.
The bike itself is a little forty-sev-
eu-pOunder, about half the weight eff
the wheels ordinarily used. Though
the man behind the bars had no tape
10 guide him during his descent. he fol-
lowed a straight course as truly as
though he were pedaling along a ce-
ment sidewalk Each time he ran
sqUarely over a little bit Of paper at
The bottom Of the incline, his sole guide
Johnson first became imbued with the
idea OF making a worlds STARTER in
July. 1905. while working for the tele-
phone company. \ few months later
he gave up his position in order 10 de-
vote All his attention 10 his Ioop-the-
leap scheme. Two models were made.
and then, last spring, the third was
completed and sent 70 patent headquar-
TcrS at Washington, D. G.. On July Is
1904 the patent was allowed. Mr.. John
son expects 1t viii be finally granted
and issued this month.
IT is the inventors plan To send Il
car. weighing the same as himself and
bicycle. around the broken curve before
The attempts The feat once the car hits
the bottom in safety. Mr.. Johnson will
himself essay the feat. VIII he sue
eeed 10 making himself the principal
'iE The most marvellous exhibition ever
presented TO the public" or viii some
thing 90 wrong at vital minute and
make 1t impossible for the daring rider
10 complete his journey as Tar as the
lC0p-the-gaD Is concerned? An amuse-
mentioning public awaits with inter-
est the issue.