Chapter I: Part 1

THE VELOCIPEDE; ITS HISTORY, VARIETIES, AND PRACTICE

_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS._

NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY HURD AND HOUGHTON. Cambridge: Riverside Press. 1869.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by J. T. Goddard, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY H. O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY.

PREFACE

When the rumor first came across the water, a few years ago, of that wonderful and fascinating little two-wheeled machine, upon which one could so gracefully annihilate time and space, the author of this little book was seized with his first attack of Velocipede Fever.

When, in the spring of 1868, we heard how popular this invention was becoming in France, how much it was ridden in Paris; in its Boulevards, its Bois de Boulogne, and on the smooth paths of the Champs Elysées; how it was employed for amusement in the Garden of the Tuileries, and by the laborer in the suburbs going to his daily toil; how exhilarating to the gentleman, how useful to the messenger and post-boy, we were again seized with the disease with renewed virulence.

We could hardly delay for one from across the Atlantic, and embraced the first opportunity to learn the art of riding. While learning, with bruised elbows and scraped knees, with the bicycle more of the time on us than we on it, we felt how usefully we could employ a few hints of instruction, and how invaluable we should find some little book that would tell us all about the machine.

After we were somewhat proficient, we were amazed that we had not learned before, and saw how easily we could have done so, if we had only been a little informed of the method of procedure.

When we proposed purchasing, we were all adrift, as likely to buy a poor machine as a good one, and anxiously scanned the papers, and inquired of friends concerning the merits and demerits of each patent and make.

So far as we can learn, there has been no book written upon the Velocipede, either abroad or in this country.

It is the design of this little work, not only to give a few simple directions to guide the beginner, but to give the history of the machine from its first origin, to treat accurately and impartially of the strength, lightness, superiority, and inferiority of each important machine and patent, and to collect such facts, statistics, and items, as may be of use and information to any one interested in the subject.

We think it an invention which will not have an ephemeral popularity, but which will, in its way, revolutionize travel for all time. We love the velocipede, and can truly quote, “Amor jussit scribere.”

We wish to thank the various manufacturers for their kindness in giving us information, and to acknowledge our indebtedness to various newspapers that have fallen in our way, to the “Scientific American,” to the “Galaxy,” and to the “Velocipedist,” and its genial and accomplished young editor.

Cambridge, _March 20, 1869_.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

The Velocipede: its History and Origin 7

The Bicycle 17

Patents and the Rights of Manufacturers 27

Hints to Purchasers 35

Advice to the Beginner 39

Construction of the Bicycle 45

Varieties of the Bicycle:
Wood Brothers’ Velocipede 48
The Monod Velocipede 50
Witty’s Velocipede 51
Pickering’s American Velocipede 52
Sargent Velocipede 55
Kimball’s Velocipede 57
The Dexter Bicycle 61
The Chicago Velocipede 62

Four-wheeled Velocipedes:
Bradford’s Velocipede 64
Callahan’s Velocipede 67

The Tricycle 70

Hemming’s Unicycle, or “Flying Yankee Velocipede” 76

Velocipedes for Ladies 85

Velocipede Schools and Rinks 90

“Where shall we ride?” 97

Velocipede Racing 99

Velocipede Literature 103

Velocipathy. The Velocipede from a Medical Point of View 104

THE VELOCIPEDE:

ITS HISTORY AND ORIGIN.

We have spent much time in fruitless and weary researches over old French books and musty journals, and have found that there is but very little about the Velocipede, in the literature, or dictionaries and encyclopedias of ancient or modern times.

In the “Journal de Paris” of July 27, 1779, there is a description of a vehicle invented by Messrs. Blanchard and Mesurier, the former the celebrated aeronaut, which was exhibited on the Place Louis XV., named to-day Place de Concorde, in the presence of many members of the French Academy and a large concourse of spectators. At the head of the machine was the figure of an eagle, with outspread wings, to which was attached the apparatus with which the driver directed its movements. Behind it was seated an individual who propelled the machine. At a subsequent date, the inventor transported the vehicle to Versailles, and exhibited its capabilities, in the presence of Louis XVI., Marie Antoinette, and their effeminate court. At a later date M. Dreuze made an improvement on this invention, which met with some success as a toy. A number of these machines were constructed after his model, and distributed among country postmen, who used the novelty for a time, until a heavy fall of snow rendered them unserviceable, when they were abandoned, greatly to the gratification of a conservative class, who, detesting anything in the way of innovation, had prophesied their failure.

The article upon the Velocipede in the “American Encyclopedia,” commences by giving the well-known derivation of the word from the Latin _velox_, swift, and _pes_, a foot, and defines it as a carriage, by means of which the rider propels himself along the ground, and states that it was invented at Manheim.

In a little old French book called “Dictionnaire de Conversation,” under the word _Velocipede_, we are referred to the word _Drasienne_, on turning to which, we find a description of the three-wheeled arm movement Velocipede, and the credit of its invention ascribed to Baron Charles Drais de Saverbrun, at Manheim, at the early commencement of the nineteenth century. The Drasienne, though a decidedly crude idea, differed very materially from the clumsy structure of Messrs. Blanchard and Mesurier.

Baron Drais de Saverbrun seems to be universally considered the inventor of the germ, which has developed into the present improved Velocipede. He was a man of considerable scientific attainments, and author of several works; son of a lawyer, himself a landscape gardener; and died at Carlsruhe, December 12, 1851. He was master of the woods and forests of the Grand Duke of Baden, and rode about upon the Drasienne, while performing his official duties.

This invention made its _début_ in 1816, in the garden of Tivoli, which was at that time the favorite resort of the _crême de la crême_ of Parisian society. As originally constructed it appears to have been of the most simple kind. It consisted of a bar five feet long, supported at each end upon a single wheel, that designed for the front being so arranged as to turn obliquely to the line of the carriage. The rider sat astride the bar, and propelled the machine by the action of the feet upon the ground. The motion was much like walking upon the heels; as the feet were brought down flat, the heels were the first to touch. The vehicle was never generally patronized, because the pleasure of riding it was counterbalanced by the labor of propelling it. It was called the “Célérifère,” or “makespeed,” and many shafts of ridicule were leveled mercilessly at it. The mode of propelling it was not graceful, and this ridicule was not without foundation. It disappeared from view in France almost as rapidly as its inventor expected it to roll into public favor. This novel vehicle, under the name of “Drasina” was introduced into England in 1818, and, at first, the greatest possible expectations were created, with regard to its usefulness and speed. It was maintained, that it would travel up-hill on a post-road as fast as a man could walk; that on a level, even after a heavy rain, it would average six or seven miles an hour; and that, on a descent, it would equal a horse at full speed. It was described in the advertisements of the day as “consisting of two wheels, one behind the other, connected by a perch, on which a saddle is placed as a seat. The front wheel is made to turn on a pivot, guided by a circular lever or rudder, which comes up to the hand; _the fore-arms rest on a cushion in front_; in this position, both hands holding the rudder firmly, the machine and traveller are preserved _in equilibrio_.”

In 1821 Lewis Gompertz of Surrey, introduced some decided improvements upon the Drasina, as will be seen from the accompanying engraving, extracted from the 39th volume of the English “Repertory of Arts.”

The object of the improvement of Gompertz was to bring the arms of the rider into action, in assistance to his legs. It consisted “in the application of a handle, C, which is to be worked backwards and forwards, to which is attached a circular rack, D G, which works in a pinion, E, with ratch wheel on the front wheel of the velocipede, and which, on being pulled by the rider with both hands, sends the machine forward; and when thrust from him does not send it back again, on account of the ratch, which allows the pinion to turn in that direction, free of the wheel. H is the saddle, and the rest, B is so made that the breast of the rider bears against it, while the sides come around him at some distance below the arms, and is stuffed.” The rider could with this machine either propel it entirely without the feet, or he could use the feet, while the arms were free. The beam, A, was made of beech wood, and a pivot at F, allowed the front wheel to be turned to the right or left at the will of the rider. This must have been, although somewhat clumsily shaped, quite an efficient machine, good for the times--forty-eight years ago. It will be seen that it has many features in common with the one now in vogue, though the difference in the manner of propelling completely changes the character of the vehicle.

Among those who distinguished themselves on the velocipede in England was Michael Faraday the chemist, who frequently drove his machine through the suburbs of London.

The velocipede was cultivated most assiduously for some little time by the sporting gentry of England; but Lord George Bentinck and other persons of fashion finally pronounced so decidedly against it, that it descended to the vulgar level of a plaything for young people, and ceased to be regarded in any other light than that of a toy or hobby. While the fever lasted, a shoemaker of London made much money by the manufacture of a strong shoe, soled with iron, which greatly aided the feet of the “Velocipeders,” as they went over the ground.

William Howitt, in his “Visits to Remarkable Places,” a book published in 1841, makes mention of the velocipede as follows--the passage is taken from a description of Alnwick Castle, the ancient seat of the Percy family: “Among the curiosities laid up here, are also two velocipedes, machines which twenty years ago were for a short period much in vogue. One young man of my acquaintance rode on one of these wooden horses all the way from London to Falkirk in Scotland, and was requested at various towns to exhibit his management of it to the ladies and gentlemen of the place. He afterward made a long excursion to France upon it. He was a very adroit velocipedean, and was very much amused with the circumstance of a gentleman meeting him by the river side, who, requesting to be allowed to try it, and being shown how he must turn the handle in order to guide it, set off with great spirit, but turning the wrong way, soon found himself hurrying to the edge of the river, where in his flurry, instead of turning the handle the other way, he began lustily shouting ‘Woh!’ ‘woh!’ and so crying plunged headlong into the stream. The Duke’s horse, which is laid up here for the gratification of posterity, was, I believe, not so unruly; yet I was told its pranks caused it to be disused and here stabled. It is said that the duke and his physicians used to amuse themselves with careering about the grounds on these steeds; but one day being somewhere on the terrace, his grace’s Trojan steed capsized, and rolled over and over with him down the green bank, much to the amusement of a troop of urchins who were mounted on a wall by the road to witness this novel kind of racing. On this accident the velocipede was laid up in lavender, and a fine specimen of the breed it is. I asked the old porter if the story was true, but he only said, ‘Mind! I did not tell you that. Don’t pretend to say, if you write any account of this place, that you had that from me.’”

The machine was introduced into New York in 1819, where it was given the English name of “Hobby-horse” or “Dandy-horse.” The excitable citizens went into an ecstasy of astonishment and delight, and the manufacturers found it impossible to meet the demand. A place was opened for their exhibition near Bowling Green, and people used to run on them up and down the Bowery, and the hill that led from Chatham Street to the City Hall Park. The rage for them soon extended throughout the country; and we hear of them in Philadelphia, Yonkers, Troy, Saratoga, and Boston. At Troy in the fall of 1819, a firm, Davis and Rogers, manufactured a number of machines, and used to let them to the young bloods about town, at twenty-five cents an hour. In Boston they became quite common, and, moonlight nights, students from the classic shades of Old Harvard could be seen running them across the long bridge into the city.

In a New York paper of those days we find an interesting account of a newly invented velocipede for ladies then building “by a distinguished artist.” “It is to have beams, or bodies on springs, and four wheels which will insure its safety. It is to quarter on the road like other carriages; and with four _impellers_ it is supposed it will proceed with astonishing rapidity; but its peculiar recommendation is to be conveyance of two ladies and two _impellers_ at the rate of six miles an hour.”

The “Ladies Literary Cabinet” (published corner Chatham and Duane streets), of Saturday, August 9, 1819, gives a very amusing account of a hoax which seems to have completely deceived the citizens: “VELOCIPEDE HOAX. Some mischievous wag on Saturday last, caused printed hand-bills to be distributed, announcing that on Monday at five o’clock precisely, a velocipede would start from the head of Chatham Square, and proceed to St. Paul’s Church in less than two minutes, and that it would afterward be exhibited in the Park, etc. Notwithstanding the rain on Monday, the people began to collect at an early hour, so that before five o’clock Chatham Street was literally crowded from one end to the other. Every window from the basement to the attic was thrown open, and filled with the beautiful heads of ladies and children, exposed to the incessant searching mist, which robbed their lovely tresses of every curl which the morning’s industry had created. But female fortitude and curiosity combined, are not to be shaken by wind and weather. For more than an hour did the throng continue to increase, until it was almost impossible to pass the street with or without a velocipede. In the mean time, the Park was also crowded, and the City Hall exhibited the appearance of a gala-day. It is needless to say that no velocipede appeared.”

Since that time down to a recent day, when M. Lallement, of France, took it in hand, all experiments to render the machine subservient to practical purposes appear to have been unsatisfactory, and it has only been used as a toy, with the modification of a third wheel. M. Lallement succeeded in affixing to the front wheel of the two-wheeled machine, treadles which should be acted upon by the feet. His success attending his endeavors to ride it, was beyond his most sanguine expectations. After becoming a thorough master of the tandem team, he appeared upon the Champs Elysées, and created a genuine _furore_. People not only wondered that such a strange machine should run so swiftly, but that it should run at all upon two wheels in a line. He obtained a patent upon his velocipede, and sold it to Messrs. Michaux & Co., of Paris, who have since improved much upon it. M. Lallement, with James Carroll, of New Haven, Conn., obtained a patent in this country in 1866.

The machines now in use are so radically different from those of fifty years ago, so perfect in propelling power, so easy to ride, so swift of motion, so useful as a means of conveyance, that it seems impossible for history to repeat itself with regard to the present mania.

THE BICYCLE.

Of the various kinds of velocipedes, four, three, two, and one wheeled, the bicycle seems to be considered the most artistic, is altogether the most in favor, and steadily maintains its ground against all rivals. Whether it will be the model velocipede of the future remains to be seen. The various experiments now being tried will, no doubt, eventually result in a nearly perfect machine, but it will require a season’s experience fully to develop the ingenuity of our American artisans.

Many have expressed doubts as to the real utility of the velocipede, and the permanency of its use. They seem to think it a frivolous invention only calculated to serve purposes of amusement, and soon to be superseded by some other ephemeral claimant for popularity. Most of these have based their opinions upon the disuse into which rude machines have fallen in former times. But the difference in the construction of the modern velocipede from the primitive one has entirely changed the character of the vehicle. It is no longer a draft vehicle, but a locomotive, and as much superior to the original bar on wheels, as the improved steam locomotive is to the old time stage-coach.

We believe in the utility, convenience, and economy of the innovation, as well as in its capacity for affording amusement, and developing strength and skill; and believe as now improved, it is destined to mark an era in the history of vehicles. It has passed the period of being a mere toy, and although as the novelty wears away, there may be less enthusiasm, it will continue to be used, and in an increasing degree, for street locomotion. With those who live in the cities and require a daily exercise, exhilarating, pleasant, healthful, and free from expense; with those who reside in the country and have long distances to traverse daily in reaching the scene of their labors, or with those who have leisure and wealth at their command, but love such exercises as afford an opportunity for the display of grace, agility, and skill, the velocipede has already become as great a favorite in this country as it is in France and England.

Its want of adaptability to the roughly paved road-ways of our cities, is already, in a great measure, overcome, and experience has proved its facility _in rure_. We have seen the bicycle run with ease on country roads, and dashing with full speed through city streets, totally regardless of curbstones or crossings. In New York, no matter where you go, a velocipede is sure to whiz past you. The school-boy rides up Fifth Avenue in the morning, with his books strapped before him. In Broadway, where stages, wagons, carts, trucks, and carriages, clog the street from morning till night, the iron steed may be seen gracefully cutting its way among the larger vehicles.

The exercise is not tiresome, except to the beginner. We have found twelve miles on a country road no more fatiguing than a brisk walk of two. We believe a man may ride and drive one at the rate of ten miles an hour, with less fatigue than he could walk one quarter of that distance. Some people ride easier than others, as some skate easier. Some people make hard work of anything. Lazy people will never fall in love with the bicycle, because to ride one requires all the faculties to be alive and in action. To keep one’s balance, however, does not require that constant labor and exertion which novices suppose. “Familiarity breeds contempt,” the old adage says. Familiarity with the bicycle becomes a sort of second nature, and a velocipedean, after a fair amount of experience, finds himself almost as perfectly at home astride his two-wheeler, as he does on his feet.

When John Brent rode his horse across the plains in search of adventure, the era of the two-wheeled velocipede had not come upon us. We think the bicycle an animal, which will, in a great measure, supersede the horse. It does not cost as much; it will not eat, kick, bite, get sick, or die. It requires no stabling, no feed, no water, no curry-comb. It never “balks,” or “rares up.” It never needs a halter or a harness. It is light, and little, and leans lovingly against you for support. Its gait is uniform and easy, beautiful and exhilarating to see, and simple to analyze. It glides along with smooth grace, as though it were alive.

Young America is pictured coming in on a velocipede. Henry Ward Beecher thinks the coming man will ride one, and we shall not be surprised to see his prediction fulfilled, and devout worshippers propelling themselves to church on Sunday with all due gravity and decorum. Velocipeding is a hopeful sign of progress. If that man is a benefactor who makes two blades of grass grow where but one grew before, he should come in for a share of praise, who teaches a man to go ten miles as easily and as quickly as he previously went one. “Time is money;” and whatever of it is saved is often so much cash. As the velocipede serves its purpose in this direction, it may be regarded as a good savings institution.

We think that decided good will grow out of this invention. Riding the velocipede affords pleasurable excitement, which is what most men drink liquor for, and it leaves no sting behind. It takes men from the bar-rooms out into the pure air, into God’s light and sunshine, and braces their lungs with the very breath of Heaven. It stimulates them to save what they would otherwise spend foolishly, that they may invest it in a machine which is a source of health and pleasure, as well as of utility. It is an inducement to young men who work in close apartments to spend more time in the open air, and furnishes them a means of healthful, invigorating, and, at the same time, pleasant exercise, such as nothing else can possibly afford.

Serious accidents on the velocipede are almost unheard of, and the predictions that these machines would prove dangerous have not been verified. It will fall down, but the rider need not fall with it unless he chooses. It is no more dangerous than a horse and carriage, under any circumstances, and not nearly so much so, with ordinary caution.

The speed attained by the swifter kind of velocipede on the roads, averages from twelve to thirteen miles an hour. On a smooth, level floor, such a speed can be maintained with but little effort on almost any machine. It is safe to say that a good velocipede rider can travel a hundred miles as quickly as an ordinary horse with an ordinary load. Of course, the more a person rides, the easier it becomes, and the less the fatigue.

In impelling a velocipede, the limbs are not constantly in motion; for on level ground, when the impetus is at the average rate, or when the machine is descending an incline, the feet may be removed from the pedals, and the legs be placed on the bar, fixed in front of the machine for that purpose. A slight impulsion to the vehicle from time to time suffices to keep up the speed. When a rider encounters a formidable hill, he can dismount and lead his bicycle by the hand. He can do this with almost the same ease that he can carry an ordinary walking-stick. A hill, to be insurmountable, has to be, however, of more than average steepness. Though Massachusetts is proverbially hilly, there is no ascent between Boston and Worcester, a distance of thirty miles, that cannot be ridden over with the bicycle. The best speed thus far attained on the road is a mile in a few seconds over three minutes. A gentleman in New Jersey, a few weeks since, travelled fifty miles in four hours and a half. A gentleman residing in 22d Street, New York, goes down town to his business on his velocipede in twelve minutes. Adepts abroad find no difficulty whatever in accomplishing fully fifty miles in five hours, without once alighting from their vehicles. A few months ago, a couple of amateurs, making a tour through a part of France, challenged each other as to which could perform the greatest distance in four and twenty hours. One accomplished eighty-seven miles, the other one hundred and twenty-three. A party of nine quitted Rouen early in the morning on their velocipedes, and arrived in Paris in time for dinner the same evening; having performed the distance of eighty-five miles, exclusive of stoppages, and at a rate of speed averaging between ten and twelve miles an hour. An English gentleman travelled the distance from London to Bristol, one hundred and thirty-five miles, between the hours of three o’clock, P. M., one day, and ten A. M. the next, stopping some hours in Reading.

In Paris, the Americans carry off the prizes for slow as well as fast riding. The slow riding is much the more difficult. It is much easier for the rider to keep his equilibrium while riding swiftly.

Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes once published an article in the “Atlantic Monthly,” entitled “The Human Wheel; its Spokes and Felloes;” in which he treated the act of walking as analagous to the movement of a wheel: the legs being the spokes and the feet the felloes. Had he postponed his humorous and instructive essay a year or two, he would have found himself behind the age.

It is perhaps not generally known to what an extent the bicycle mania prevails, and how rapidly the idea has germinated, budded, and bloomed, not only throughout our own country, but in various parts of the world. In New York some ten thousand pupils are ready to graduate from the schools and appear upon the roads. In Boston there will soon be nearly as many more; while Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, and San Francisco count their experts by the hundred and their novices by the thousand. We hear of the bicycle in the far West and in Texas. We read that New Orleans proposes to purchase velocipedes for its fire companies, and hear of a velocipede military company in Louisville. We play velocipede music, and in our walks velocipede “Livery Stables” and “Velocipedes to Let,” greet our eyes. The shop-windows on our fashionable thoroughfares display Velocipede Hats, Velocipede Gloves, and Velocipede Shoes.

The machines have become so numerous on the sidewalks of Providence, New Bedford, and other New England towns, that the stunned authorities contemplated prohibiting their use, as a nuisance. The various merits of various machines are discussed on the street corners with as much zeal as were ever the diversified merits of horse-flesh; and experts are to be heard talking of these new substitutes for legs as jockeys are wont to talk of the wind, strength, bottom, gait, and “go” of Eclipses, Dexters, and Ethan Allens.

In France, fashion writers and fashion leaders rack their brains for the contrivance of velocipede costumes; velocipede clubs are formed; velocipede championships contested for at velocipede tournaments. There are not less than ten thousand machines running in the streets of Paris. They are used by postmen, government employees, students, messengers, and peddlers; and shopmen send their clerks about on machines covered with flashy advertisements. All velocipedes there are required to carry lanterns in the evening, and though we have no such regulations here, young gentlemen may be seen almost every night, in our cities, riding their velocipedes with head-lights attached.

In Paris they can be seen driving at break-neck speed along the narrow stone parapet beside the Seine, and even down the hundred steps of the Trocadéro, their riders all the time indulging in gymnastic feats that would seem to invite certain destruction. At Rome, gentlemen practice the bicycle in the court-yards, and are seen riding on the Piazza de Spagna. Country trips are taken upon them in Japan, and they are no longer a novelty in the streets of the larger Chinese cities.

PATENTS AND THE RIGHTS OF MANUFACTURERS.

Early in last winter, a great rivalry began to develop itself in the business of manufacturing velocipedes; and the demand became so large, as to lead the principal carriage-makers of the country into making it an important branch of their business. At that time it was generally understood that any manufacturer was at liberty to make the two-wheeled velocipede, in any way he deemed most profitable.

When the _furore_ first manifested itself, Mr. Calvin Witty of Broadway, New York, saw it would be a “big thing,” and very quietly went to work to find out in what way the business of making the machine could be controlled. He ascertained, by careful investigation, that a patent had been recorded, covering the principal features of the bicycle, now in such popular use. He sought out the owners of the patent, found them in moderate circumstances, eager to turn to account rights which had heretofore been of but little avail, and purchased of them for a comparatively small sum. He now claims to hold the right to the exclusive use of the two-wheeled velocipede, with treadle and guiding arms. This patent, however, does not cover the idea of making a two-wheeled machine, or of applying a propelling power.

As soon as Mr. Witty had completed his arrangements, he ascertained the names of parties engaged in manufacturing velocipedes throughout the country, and the majority of them were the astonished recipients of the following notification:--

“No. 638 Broadway, N. Y., _Feb. 3d, 1869_.

“You are hereby notified, that Letter Patent No. 59,915, granted Nov. 20th, 1866, secures a velocipede with the two wheels, treadle, and guiding arms; and that the velocipede you are manufacturing is an infringement upon said patent. The present is to require you to cease the further manufacture of said velocipede, and to settle with me for all past infringements of the rights under said patent.

(Signed)
“CALVIN WITTY.”

The following is a copy of the record of the patent, registered at the Patent Office in Washington:--

“Patent No. 59,915. Pierre Lallement, Paris, France, assignor to himself and James Carroll, New Haven, Conn. Velocipede. Nov. 20th, 1866.

“The fore wheel is axled in the jaws of a depending bar which is riveted in the frame, and turned by a horizontal lever bar. This wheel is revolved by a treadle crank. Claim: The combination and arrangement of the two wheels, provided with the treadles and the guiding arms, so as to operate substantially, and for the purpose, herein set forth.”

Some manufacturers were nonplused by Mr. Witty’s warning, and stopped their work entirely. Others paid no attention to the demand, considering the royalty required worthy of a trial; for if it could be proved that a similarly constructed velocipede had been introduced into the country before the date of application, the inventor being an alien, the patent would be void; or it would be rendered null also, if the patentee had neglected to put into market and continue the sale of the invention, within eighteen months after the date of patent. Others still, including most of the carriage-makers and machinists of note in the country, who had gone into this business, took pains to have legal advice upon the subject. A meeting was finally held by them; and the result was a determination to purchase State and city rights, for the use of his patent, of Mr. Witty.

We give the names of the prominent firms and parties who have received licenses for the manufacture and sale of velocipedes, under Patent No. 59,915:--

Wm. P. Sargent & Co., and John P. Whittier, Boston, Mass., Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire, excepting the cities of New Bedford, Taunton, Fall River, and Fair Haven, Mass.; Kimball Bros., Boston, for the State of Maine; Wood Bros., Connecticut, excepting one shop right; Pickering & Davis, New York City, one shop right; Mercer & Monod, New York City, one shop right; C. Merrill and Sons, Brooklyn, one shop right. G. L. Brownell, New Bedford, Mass., New Bedford exclusive; G. C. Elliott, Providence, R. I., Rhode Island exclusive. J. M. Quimby, Newark, N. J., New Jersey exclusive.

Mr. Witty now has his hands full of business; employs three clerks to write for him constantly, and has fallen upon a mine of wealth, if he succeeds in maintaining the validity of his claim. He charges the manufacturers ten dollars apiece, royalty, for every machine turned out. If a maker, however, obtains a license to manufacture less than a hundred, he pays fifteen dollars royalty; if under twenty, twenty-five dollars apiece.

Sargent and Whittier, of Boston, and many others of the manufacturers, who have purchased State and town rights, have sent out within their limits circulars similar to those of Mr. Witty, but with the following N. B. attached:--

“Those using the two-wheeled velocipedes, not manufactured under a license, and not having the proper stamp, are also liable for infringement upon said letter patent.”

We present an engraving taken from the Patent Office Reports, showing the Lallement patent of 1866. In this _veloce_ the cranks, F, are points of great interest, as the claim is for the combination of these treadle cranks with the two wheels A and B, reach C, guiding arms D, and the fork in which the front wheel is hung. We attribute the unpopularity of the old dandy-horse to its lack of these cranks, while the great success of the modern _veloce_ is due to the crank application. In this _veloce_ it will be noticed that the reach, C, extends over the rear wheel, and a V brace on each side of the wheel connects the axle to the reach. With this style of reach or frame, it was found very difficult to construct a _veloce_ sufficiently steady to run with any degree of satisfaction.

There is still another New York patentee, Stephen W. Smith, who claims that the so-called French Velocipede is an American invention, perfected in this country, and introduced into France by patent, and personally by himself; and that the idea was stolen from him by the French manufacturers. He obtained his patent in 1862, for a “cantering propeller” for children, or hobby-horse mounted on wheels; and considers his patent to include the combinations used upon all velocipedes, and threatens to prosecute infringements.

This patent has lately been reissued for the purpose of widening the claims and to attempt to cover the whole ground occupied by the patent bicycle of M. Lallement. The reissued claim is as follows:--

“1st claim, in combination with a saddle-seat for the rider, the employment and use of a cranked axle, arms, and foot-rest, so arranged that the power applied by the feet of the rider shall give motion to the vehicle, substantially as described and specified.

“2. The combination of the following elements, namely, a saddle-seat for the rider, a cranked axle, for propelling the vehicle by power applied by the feet of the rider, and a steering mechanism so constructed that the direction of travel of the vehicle may be governed by the rider, substantially as described and specified.

“3. The universal joint, in combination with the fulcrum of the vehicle, and the steering wheel, constructed and operating substantially as, and for, the purposes specified.

“4. The hinged legs in combination with the body of the horse, and with the cranks substantially as and for the purposes specified.

“5. The foot-rests upon the arms, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

“6. The double-armed levers, and diagonal cords, in combination with the handle and steering wheel, substantially as described and specified.”

The first and second claims are intended to embrace, and do embrace, as far as words can accomplish it, the essential elements of the velocipede now in use. It remains to be determined by the courts how far the rival claimants clash with each other. The manufacturers have as yet paid but very little attention to the demands of Mr. Smith.

In 1867, the Hanlon Brothers devised an improved style of reach, consisting of a bifurcated bar, or fork, in the jaws of which the hind wheel is allowed to revolve; while the single end of this fork forms part of the swivel, over the front wheel. Not yet satisfied with this _veloce_, on account of the difficulty they found in using the same machine for their in-door performances, and out-door exhibitions, they had the saddle arranged so as to be enabled to vary its position nearer to, or farther from, the front wheel, and at the same time had slots made in the cranks, so that the treadle might be adjusted to various lengths. The alterations were found to be of such benefit, that application for a patent covering these improvements was made by them, and granted by the Patent Office. We know of no velocipedes now being made in this country, which do not include in their construction all these late improvements, and the Hanlons are also notifying manufacturers of the existence of their claims.

The Patent powers in Washington are literally overwhelmed with applications for patents of different models of these articles. In a large room in the Patent Office, there are some four hundred of these models awaiting investigation. Over eighty models have already been examined and patents for them issued; others are now under examination. Some hundred caveats or notices that patents will be applied for have been lately filed. In one week eighty applications and caveats were received. One single agency in New York city has lately prepared seventy patents for improvements.

HINTS TO PURCHASERS.

There is a very general complaint of the high prices maintained by the manufacturers of velocipedes, and it is claimed that they are pocketing immense receipts, at the expense of an excited and incautious public. Though there is no doubt that they can be manufactured at prices much below those at which the best machines are now held, and still yield a handsome profit, a reduction in price will not be probable so long as the demand so far exceeds the supply. And now that it is found that the machine is patented, we will not have the so much wished for cheap velocipede, which would assuredly have followed the competition that had commenced, before it was known that one man only held the exclusive right to their manufacture.

But it must be remembered that as long as materials and labor are so dear, the cost of manufacture must necessarily be great. A manufacturer requires draughtsmen to design his improvements, pattern-makers to prepare models for the foundry, blacksmiths to do the forging, wheelwrights for the wheels, machinists to turn and fit the work, foundry-men to cast the pedals and braces, bolt-makers to make the rivets and bolts, saddlers to prepare the seats, and painters and varnishers to finish the machine for the wareroom. The wear and tear in the ordinary use of the velocipede is so great as to require the very best of material in its construction. There is no other kind of vehicle which receives such severe usage. The weight of the rider and the concussions of the road are not only borne by two wheels, but the necessity of giving the fore wheel a sidewise motion, render it indispensable to connect the two by a frame, whose peculiar form and character make it exceedingly liable to be deranged and broken. This frame and its appendages must be of wrought iron, steel, and brass, and all its work must be of the best quality, or else the machine will soon get out of order and become useless. The fittings of the two wheels, their axles and their journals, must also be of the best workmanship. The same is true of the wheels themselves. No wood that is not perfectly seasoned should be used for them; and the hubs, spokes, and felloes must be built with the utmost care and thoroughness; otherwise they will soon become wabbling and unsteady, so that speed and comfort will be out of the question.

The price of a good machine will not fall much below a hundred dollars, until there is a general decline in the price of all sorts of commodities.

We advise the purchaser, by all means, to get a _good machine_. It is now possible to buy cheap velocipedes; and they will, no doubt, be manufactured much cheaper, and yet be dear at any price. The best are none too good, and are certainly worth more than the difference.

The hall velocipedes are, for the most part, slim affairs; the frame made entirely of cast iron, without metal gearings, brakes, or springs, and useful only for floors. It is uncomfortable for the rider to go over roughnesses without springs, and a well-built machine is required to stand the jar of uneven roads.

It is no better policy to purchase a cheap velocipede, than a cheap ready-made shoe or other article of clothing.

It is a prevalent but erroneous idea, that the larger the bicycle, the greater the beauty and the greater the speed. A machine with a front wheel of a diameter of forty inches, is the largest that can possibly be rendered practicable. Thirty-eight inches is much better; and good riders prefer that of but thirty-six or thirty-seven inches diameter for the road.

Before purchasing any machine, especially the cheaper ones, examine them thoroughly; or if not a judge of good mechanical workmanship, ask a friend to do it for you. Many defects are concealed by the coatings of paint, particularly in the castings and forgings; and a machine that is weak in any point, is a dangerous one in fast riding. Be sure that every bolt is properly secured by nuts that cannot be shaken off; they should be riveted into the bolt, as they will soon work loose if not so fastened. The crank should never be keyed into the shaft, but fastened on to a square head; or, what is better, shrunk into the shaft.

The ingenious way of supporting lanterns on the machine, is a waste of time and expense; better some kind of clamps to secure a light umbrella in front, when the sun shines hot, or it rains; and clamps for fastening a travelling bag or shawl in the rear, particularly if one looks forward to country excursions and summer trips.

ADVICE TO THE BEGINNER.

To those who have never seen the two-wheeled velocipede in use, it seems surprising that the rider can keep his equilibrium. The principle of the thing is the same as that of the movement of a boy’s hoop. As long as the hoop revolves rapidly, its tendency to any lateral movement is almost suspended, and the greater the speed the less the difficulty in maintaining the upright position.

At first sight one supposes it to be a formidable undertaking to mount and steer the bicycle. To learn to manage it, however, requires no more skill, courage, or patience, than to learn the art of skating; and when the art is once acquired, it provides a means of locomotion and a source of enjoyment as much more available than skating, as the number of days in the year is greater than the few bright mornings when one can find a smooth, glassy, and well-frozen skating ground.

“Velocipedestrianism” is fully the equal of skating and horseback riding, in its invigorating and exhilarating effects. The velocipede bears young and old, light and heavy, easily and pleasantly and with equal facility.

In learning the velocipede, it is advisable to use a machine of only moderate height, so that the soles of the feet can readily touch the ground. At the best school we know, where the pupils graduate experts, six different sizes of machines are used. The beginner is put upon one with a guiding wheel of a diameter of only thirty-four inches, and is promoted from one to another, according to progress.

At first start, run beside the iron horse, leading it by the hand, so as to familiarize yourself with its movements, and to master well in your mind the idea of the fore wheel, upon which all depends. This will be an affair of but a few moments only. You will very readily perceive that it will be impossible to balance upon the machine, while it is standing still. You will also see that, without practice, it will be an impossibility to mount the iron horse, and balance yourself upon the seat, while it is in motion. Both these facts lead you to perceive that motion is the first requisite. To get that, and at the same time maintain equilibrium, you must first use your feet on the floor or ground as a means of progression, learning, as you move, to balance yourself by the motion of the guide wheel, to the right or left, whichever way you may lean.

If out-of-doors, it is as well to practice on a slope; and after mounting, let the machine move forward of its own accord, while you occupy yourself studying the effect produced by the inclination which you give to the balancing pole or handle. After you have practiced enough to admit of your going some little way without touching your feet, learn to go the same distance with your legs raised, so as to bring the centre of gravity higher from the base. When you have overcome this difficulty and thoroughly understand the action of the balancing pole, place one foot on the pedal, and follow its movements, without assisting them. Then try the other foot, and accustom yourself to the movement of turning the wheels with your feet. Next, put both feet upon the pedals, and work them alternately with scrupulous regularity. Speed is attained by simply accelerating this movement. You will be surprised to find that you can, all at once, ride your velocipede. After a couple of hours of proper practice, you will be able to accomplish a distance of thirty or forty yards, without running the risk of an upset.

In learning, be careful to keep the shoulders straight and the head back. An erect position upon the bicycle is as necessary for grace and ease, as upon the horse. Avoid looking at the wheels, but accustom yourself to look ahead.

Confidence in your own ability is required, without rashness. If you practice in a public hall, pay no attention to the laughter of spectators, and avoid self-consciousness. If you feel that no one was ever so clumsy before, the feeling itself will be sure to increase your awkwardness. Remember that all good riders have necessarily been through the same experience. It is no disgrace to upset your vehicle. Molière says: “_On peut être honnête homme et faire mal des vers._”

Take things as easy as possible. The greatest difficulty with beginners is to restrain the unnecessary expenditure of muscular power. They ordinarily perform ten times the amount of labor requisite. They use all the force they can, in pressing upon the pedals, and clasp the handle in front, as if hanging on for dear life. Do not strain the muscles of the arms. There is no necessity for it, or for any violent muscular effort. A good rider can obtain the greatest speed upon the road with half the exertion used by the novice in learning the first movements.

If the day after your first attempt you feel a little lame and sore, remember that it is nothing more than you would feel after riding horseback for the first time, or after taking gentle but unaccustomed exercise in a gymnasium.

If you finish your first trial covered with dust and perspiration, with a bumped head, jammed feet, tired arms, and sore muscles, let your faith remain triumphant, and your determination and expectation to master the vehicle increased. But with proper caution there is no danger either of falls or hurt in using the velocipede in the way we have advised. The pedal is constructed so that the foot of the rider can at once leave it; and should the machine incline to one side, it is only necessary to remove the foot from the same side, and place it on the ground. One must not let the handles go; they seem to restore and maintain the balance of the machine after the rider is off it. In alighting, both feet should be raised from the pedal at the same instant, which slackens the speed of the machine, and placed upon the ground simultaneously.

If you learn in a school or rink, you will find a rough pine floor much the best for practice. Floors that are sprinkled with sawdust, or sanded, are apt to cause the machine to slip in turning.

In your first practice, avoid trying experiments, or doing too much; but watch your position in the saddle, and perfect yourself in the balance movement. After that is perfectly learned, try to ride slowly, and practice with your feet upon the rest in front. It will of course require much experience before you are able to dash along the paved streets or country roads, or to try the tricks and fancy movements of an expert. Perseverance, however, makes perfect; and if you persist, you will be able, in due time, to ride side-saddle fashion, to pick up your hat from the floor, to take off your coat while going at full speed, and even to stand upon the saddle. Some learn to ride in three hours, some in three days, and occasionally we hear of a timid and stupid scholar, for whom three months will scarcely suffice. It depends upon the machine, the method of going to work, and the quickness and adaptability of the rider. The knowledge often comes suddenly. We have seen those who have tried to learn for days without success, suddenly mount their veloces and start around a hall, astonished at the ease with which they maintained their balance, and looking as pleased as if they had accomplished the object of their existence. A few hours’ practice usually makes a student quite the master of ceremonies.

As soon as you have acquired the knowledge, you will wonder how amateurs can be so awkward, and be surprised that you found it so difficult.

Should the velocipede upon which you learn be too high to practice in the way we have indicated, you should have some one hold the machine for the first trial, the hands upon the back extremity of the bar upon which you sit, so as to in no way impede the action of the fore wheel.

To those who wish to learn, we would especially suggest the spring, fall, and winter months. It is too warm to learn in summer, that being the season to reap the reward of early exertion. Velocipede riding is the easiest thing imaginable when one knows how to ride properly.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE BICYCLE.

The accompanying engraving will convey to the mind of the reader a correct idea of the French two-wheeled velocipede. The majority of makers in this country fashion their machine upon this pattern in every essential respect. We append a full technical description.