THE ICECYCLE.
Turning from these two pieces of Young America's ingenuity, you could easily find some remarkable examples of the skill of older Americans at the show. There was one wheel that looked like a huge grasshopper. It had a system of cranks which permitted a man to ride with a gearing of 100 as easily as the ordinary wheel carries him along with a 60 gear, but of course he covered much more ground at every revolution. Still another machine had a frame in the shape of a triangle, instead of a diamond, with the seat at the apex, and one wheel at each end of the base. It was a strange-looking affair, but, of course, it could be built much lighter than the ordinary bicycle, while the frame is said to be stronger. Still another and very interesting novelty was a bicycle for use on the ice. Everything about it is much like any bicycle of to-day, except that runners instead of wheels are used. There is a rear wheel which is fitted with a tire of spikes that catch the ice through a slit in the rear runner, and in this way the "icecycle" is sent ahead. When a good velocity has been attained the rider can shift this spiked wheel by a movement of his foot in such a manner as to raise it off the ice and allow the machine to coast. But an icecycle must be a very slippery affair, and rather inclined to slide in any direction, as easily sideways as forward.
THE GIRAFFE.
Further on in the show was the giraffe bicycle, which looked about as much like a giraffe as it did like a bicycle. It is used only in trick riding, and would naturally be useless as an ordinary roadster. It is 9 feet 3 inches high from ground to the top of the handles. But if the giraffe is useless as a practical affair, the cannon bicycles certainly are not. These wheels are made to carry a Maxim gun or a howitzer on a "duplex," or double bicycle, and a single bicycle can carry one of the Colt's new automatic guns. There seems to be no reason why this use of the bicycle in war should not be feasible. At any rate, the armed wheels looked very symmetrical and ship-shape.
A MAXIM GUN ON A DUPLEX.
A still more practical use of the pneumatic tire and other bicycle features, especially for a city paved with asphalt, were demonstrated by some of the tricycles for delivering parcels or carrying baggage of any light kind. One, a picture of which is given with this article, was for invalids—for use in the parks of a city. Indeed, why should not nursery girls ride around on tricycle baby-carriages, with places for the babies in front or behind? And why should not old ladies who are timid about horses go out in little bicycle landaus and broughams? But all these will come in time.
