The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1905-09-22


pictured by many as being driven
speedily along the Roman roads,
crushing beneath them the forms of
the common and lowly subjects of the
Empire. 1t remained for the rich Of
the modern world, however, to
develop great speed, and still greater
speed from some self-propelled vehicle.
While to some poor inventor might be
ascribed the origin of our "speed-toys,"
still the world owes to the rich every
advance made, through their financial
encouragement.
The Earliest Bicycle.
At about the time when the Thirteen
Original Colonies were ringing with
shouts of freedom, a French balloonist,
named Blanchard, invented what was
known as a ''straddle-wheel" for his
own amusement. This was nothing
more than two wheels connected by a
simple framework, with no pedals. The
rider straddled the machine and
pushed 1t along with his feet or
coasted down grade. The dandies OF
Paris and London took up this toy and
had great sport. with 1t, but 1t was too
hard work and the speed was not great
enough,
Following this, Ia about 1928, Cug-
not. a Frenchman, and Trevithick, an
Englishman, and Oliver Evans, an
American, experimental with a sort
Of carriage propelled by steam. Moth
ing so fast had ever been seen, and the
carriage became quite the fashion with
gentlemen who had money to spend
and whose aim In life was enjoyment.
But these carriages were noisy, clumsy
and very dirty affairs and were dis
carded.
The Wheel of the Last Century.
The bicycle with the high wheel in
front and little wheel behind came
next. and being fairly comfortable,
speedy. clean and creating no noise,
quickly sprang into fashion, but there
was always an element of danger. TO
the aspeed-seekers' through concealed
stones In the path, which meant q
header so that something even more
speedy and safe was called for.
The safety bicycle was an evolution
coming some twenty years later,
whose high price at first placed 1t as q
luxury much to be desired. Bicycles
were for long time placed In the
same category as pianos and carriages,
though they were of little use other
than for pleasure. The safety was,
as Its name implied, safe. swift and
noiseless. BY 1895 the bicycle boom
rose beyond any proportions assumed
by the previously demanded speed
TOYS. In the United States four hun.
dred factories, representing a capital
of something like $I5,O0OO0O. turned
oft nearly million machines year.
Half a Mile Minute too Slow.
The fad lasted Eve years, when
demand arose for something ever
faster than the speed of a mile In two
minutes or so, attained by the blcy
Gle and more comfortable seat thar
that afforded on the bicycle frame
Inventors were already at work, ant
while 1t may not be true that out O.
the bicycle developed the automobile
vet the two-wheeled conveyance, will
its pneumatic tires, created TIT
demand for something better.
Men like w. X. Vanderbilt, Jr.
John Jacob Aston, and Albert G
Bostwick were among the pioneer
in America to bring over from Europa
the speed toys of the rich, and thei
machines were the targets for thou
sands of pairs of eyes In the street
OF New York.
a Mile In Thirty Seconds.
When one Of these men made T;
record Of mile in something like 5