Show FIRST OF THE WHEEL CRAZE It Began to Rage In United States as aa Long Ago as Year 1869 1869 ri Velocipedes First Mr Frank H. H tells Tho The Story of the Wheel in St. St Nicholas Mr says The spring of at 1869 found the wheel craze universal Car Car- builders were led to add to their factories plants for the manufacturing ing of ot velocipedes Over one thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand of these machines were turned out every week while orders were pouring in by the tens of thousands To quote from a newspaper of about that time As an Indication of the extent to which the manufacture of oi velocipedes was carried on It may be mentioned that Mr Calvin Witty the purchaser of the Lallement patent employed employed employed em em- the tho resources of seven large makers carriage-makers and kept their establishments busy day and night He had bad seventy men at work In one establIshment establishment establish establIsh- ment meat In New York and he also kept kepi m men men n actively employed in two factories factories factories fac fac- fac tories in Connecticut one in WashIngton Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington Del and one In Newark N. N J. J But few people had expected that thai the mania for this new style of wheeled vehicles would be so great Among the earliest who exhibited their skill shill on the velocipede In public were the Hanlon brothers They used a somewhat hat clumsy type of w wheel eel from France These at b best st were but he things t w were r soon improved Im Improved im- im proved upon upon by American an maker Schools for teaching learners to ride were were- quickly opened and that of ol Frank Pearsall the well known New NewYork NewYork York photographer was perhaps the I first of these His school was on the corner of Broadway and Twenty sec ond street Together with his brother brothen broth broth- er en he be turned out upwards of three hundred well taught riders within two months Three months later nearly fifty schools bicycle-schools thrived In New NewYork NewYork NewYork York and Brooklyn These schools vied one with the other In sound high ing names One was the another the etc The cost of tuition was fifteen dollars each but this amount carried with it the right to to use a velocipede and to practice in the I hall ball for one month |