Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1910-02-05

from each end a hole should be bored
straight down from apex to base, and
corresponding holes should be made in
the board used for the body and
through the top of the sled Now,
then, this rocker" as it is called is
to be fastened tightly to the middle OF
the rear sled by six three inch lag
screws put in from underneath the
sled, its apex upward and at right
angles to the runners. The board
rests on top of this and bolts are to 60
through the holes and be fastened, but
not tightly-at least an eighth OF an
inch of play is to remain This ar
rangement allows the rear sled to
rock back and forth in the direction OF
its runners, the result being that when
it strikes a hummock it can ride over
it by rocking up and down. and does
not require that large part of your
downward, momentum be spent in lift
ing the whole weight Of the complete
double sled over that hummock
Others things being equal, that
double runner with the longest rear
runners and the most flexible con-
nection will ride the easiest and go the
fartherest. The length of the runners
is important in avoiding jar The lit
the gully that the short runners will
dip into, the long ones will bridge and
go right over. The same is true of
the front sled, of course, but you
don't want the runners so long here,
because it makes steering difficult.
The easiest way to steer double run
ner is to get down fiat on your face
and hang 'on tight to cross bar nail
ed to the tops of the front runners
as long a cross bar as your arms can
reach comfortably, in order to get all
the leverage possible. But this takes
up room on the board, and it is a
| frequent practice to set tiller rod to
the top of the pivot bolt of the front
sled and steer with that sitting up,
right. This also has its disadvantages
l.since the higher you sit and the more
of you there are sitting, the more top,
| heavy you become and the more apt tC
| have a spill going around a curve
/ Moreover, it is difficult to secure the
tiller tightly TO the pivot bolt. and an
accident to the steering gear may well
mean bad spill. Much the better wa!
is to have a cross bar and, if yor
haven't room to lie fiat, steer witt
your feet, in which case you must
have a back to your seat in order tc
in order to get leverage on the cross
bar
Be sure to put your pivot bolt wei
| forward Of the center of the from
sled. Unless you do this the coaster
will steer hard and the forward sic:
can slue around easily. If, however
the pivot is well in front of the cente
Of the guiding sled, it will not jerl
sidewise, even if you take your hands
or feet from the steering mechanism.
There is a little trick in loading III
a double runner which has good dea
to do with it's speed. In the first place
the taller people should be in front, th'
shorter behind, because the wind re
sistance Is less if this is done. II
the second place, the greater weigh
should be behind: the passenger
SHOULD be packed more closely at th'
rear end than in front, because thu
rear runners, being longer, can stanc
more weight than the forward ones
and the friction is more evenly dis
tributed.
With careful boy at the helm
these is no better winter sport thai
letting old Father Gravity speed yo,
down fine hill-in spite of tn
"B-r-r-r-r-r-r!"
a.. L. Fair in February st. .NichoIas)