Show ASTRIDE THE WHEEL The Approaching Big Cycle Show j in Chicago THE FORERUOE R OF THE CYCLE I The lociiJcile and How it Was Invented Some Curious KolationsTlie FljiiiR Dutchman and the Unicycle j i f N May 13 will begin be-gin in Chicago at the Exposition 1 building a cycling exhibit and tournament tourna-ment which will lost for five days r The huge building Jc has been divided into sections for convemenoo and practical use In tho center of the building ore theY I the-Y tracks ono for amateurs and ono I for professionals I These tracks have been built under the xrision of racing men of experience Th spare insido tho tracks is reserved for tho hKx uitors also ono section on tho side Them are also sections sot aside for exhibits an art gallery and a restaurant under tho charge of an expert cook There will bo in all twenty five races I eaguo of American Wlieclmen rules to govern Tho managers intend to make tho onemile handicap the principal evcat oC the meeting Nine pries will be awarded in this event and in the following manlier Imagining for example that thero nro forty entries they will be run in five heats each winner to contest in tho final the first three men in which will take tho first three prizes The thirty five men beaten in tho first round of heats will then bo run in five other heats the winners of which will contest con-test in the final for a second series of three prizes And so on with the thirty men who ore beau in tile second round of heats Tho men who fail to win ono of the nine prize will n eeu o a silver souvenir of value Exhibira fLaraurant Art Galiaryt Spectarovs i x SpecflWra Ezhtbte Exhibits n tace SLAY OP TilE CnlCAOO TOOTWAJIENT OEOUNDS Entries have been pouring in of lat and the outlook for a grand success is very pleas m Experienced wheelmen from all parts of the country will be present and tho managers man-agers will use every means to make the meeting meet-ing as nearly perfect as possible TilE EVOLUTIOV OF TIlE BICYCLE Tho history of tho bicycle is quite Interesting Interest-ing and at the present tune an account of its yention and growth may not be out of rplaca Of all tho various lands of amusement as moans of recreation and muscular development develop-ment there is nono more popular than bicy cia riding though it is only within tho last few years that bicycles have como into common com-mon use and it Is not so manyyears ago too tho first one made its appearance Baron von Drais a native of Mannheim in Germany constructed in 1810 a machine consisting of two wheels one before the other and connected by a bar about five feet long Tho front wheel was so attached that it could be turned to tho right or left like the wheels of an ordinary carriage The rider sat astride the car and propelled the machine l I h I TUB ORIGINAL VELOCIPEDE by striking his feet on tho ground Tho im lotus given to tho machine by ono vigorous pull of tho foot van quite enough to carry it over a good deal of ground before the next push was given This machine was called tho Drnisine and was founded on tho correct principles that tho cause of weariness in walking was duo largely to the weight of a mans body on tho legs and feet If tho feet were relieved of that weight locomotion would be an easy matter Tho claims made by Baron Drais concerning concern-ing tho speed of the machine were Ilri > t That it would travel up hill on a I good footway as quick as n man tho man r could walk Second That upon level ground even after a heavy shower It would go as fast usa us-a post horse Third That upon a level and dry footing it would travel as fast as a horse could gallop gal-lop FourthThat down hill it would travel as fast as a horse going at full l speed EARLIER MACHINES Though Baron von Drais is popularly supposed sup-posed to have been the inventor of the velocipede veloci-pede tho fact is In evidence that he was preceded pre-ceded by ft number of ingenious men who invented in-vented various artificial aids to pedestrian e t t Tins CRUTCH BICYCLE 11 t In 1779 two Frenchmen named Blanchard and Masmer used a four wheeled machine which was driven from the axle and by tho foot Then again in 1803 a gentleman ap 6 poarod in the gardens of the Luxembourg palace bestriding n velocIpedo which was pro f bollod by tho feet somewhat similar to the hraidno One might imagine from this that Boron von Drais was indebted to the gentleman i gentle-man of tho Luxembourg gardens for his idea unless It could be proved that tho elocipedist of 1808 was the baron himself At any rate It was but a few years afterwards that tho Dralsino came Into public notice It found a I roady sale in England were it was called the Pedestrians Hobby Horse or Accelerator The clumsiness of the machine was too obvious obvi-ous for it to ever gain success It was soon laid aside and men began to rack their brains for new ideas The idea of increased speed k I with little exertion was a popular one A few of these endeavors may be noted f In 1823 l amechomo named John Daumbell of the supposed by many to be the Inventor iff instruments of exercise which bear the sam I < In t thA 1 I 1L to a riding machine and met with somo success suc-cess I cessIn 1833 sailor appeared on tho streets off of-f York city on or rather in a machine of which a cut accompanies this article It consisted con-sisted of two good sized wheels fastened to a padded ring of Iron in which the driver stood himself Attached to the ring were two padded supports or crutches which camo up under tho shoulders Dr Cartwright the inventor of the power loom made a machine in 1845 which was fitted with two alternate treadles Another man invented a machine which he called tho Flying Dutchman and of which a cut is bore given from a sketch made from memory mem-ory His idea was to invent a one wheeled machine and in order to preserve an upright position ho made the felloo about twentyfour inches wido and without spokes The rider TilE UNICYCLE was to sit insido the wheel hisseat beingsup ported by a frame resting upon three bearing bear-ing wheels one of which was also a friction driver The power was to be communicated to tho driver by means of an endless chain or belt running on a pulley driven by stirrup cranks The inventor patented his machine and claimed he would biJ able to attain a speed of thirty or forty miles with it One machine of this sort was made some fifteen years ago but it never became popular In 1SC5 a enchnnn applied cranks to the fore wheel of tho Draisine In 1SCC Pierre fjallement canto to America and took out a patent for this improved Draisme Tho machine ma-chine attracted little notice until 1SC3 when it became suddenly popular Everybody began be-gan to use it riding schools and depots of supply were opened in all the largo towns Like all other crazes it soon collapsed and two years later the bone shaker as it was popu larly called was a thing of the past The bone shaker was the parent of tho modern bicycle It had two wheels of nearly equal size made of wood with HOT tires tho saddle being l placed midway between tho wheels An Englishman enlarged tho sizo of the front wheel brought the saddle more direct rein THE FLYING DUTCHMAN 11 over it and decreased the rear wheel proportionately pro-portionately Another Englishman invented the suspension wheel and an American the rubber tire All these improvement were made in 1SOS The first bicycle wa imported from England into this country in li7C and put on exhibition at the Centennial exposition exposi-tion tionSince Since that time tho improvements have been rapid and wonderful results have been reached until now wo have almost the perfection fection of mechanical skill and genius in the bicj lo of today A bicycle although seem ingly a simple contrivance is in reality a complex structure and embodies some of the finest results of modern mechanics and as ordinarily constructed contains nearly throe hundred pieces Since tho bicyclo has come into popular favor and use many great records have been made and broken Among the notable achievements is tho trip of 10000 miles through Europe and Asia by Thomas Stevens SOME WHEEL HFCOIIDS William A Rowe has made tho following records against time 410 Yards03j l5s at Springfield Mass Nov 5i8S3 830 Yardstm 12 45s at Springfield < Mass Oct 131S33 1320 ards laiS01Os at Springfield Mass Oct 19 ills 1 Mile 2m i9 45s at Springfield Mass Oct C21ESO 2 Miles Sai 11s at Springfield < tau Oct 11 Ills 3 Miles 7m 43 4 3s at Springfield lass Oct 14 Isis 4 Miles 10m 41253 at Springfield Mass Oct 2318SC 5 MIles13m 23 4 5s at Springfield Mass Oct 23 Ills The greatest distance ridden in ono hour in America is 20 miles 1012 yards by W A Rowe at Springfield Mass Oct 2518S6 The best English records at these same distances dis-tances are 440 Yards 3j 45s IL G Crocker Leicester July 10 ISSi 830 YardsOt 14s W A Illston Coventry July 9 18S7 ISJO ardslm 03 t 45s P Furnirall Long Elton Aug 231680 1 Miler m 31 45s F J Osmond London Sept 13 ISoa J Miles 5m 13 2594 S G Whittaker Long Eaton Sept 12 1BSS 3 MUes7m 59s S G Whittaker Long Eaton Sept 12 1883 4 Miles 10m 40 1 5s S G Whittaker Long Eaton Sept 12 1S8 5 Miles 13m 22 155 S G Whittaker Long Eaton Sept 12 IS3 Amateur performances |