A Curiosity
“A railroad
velocipede, the first ever seen here, will be brought here from Weldon (Halifax Co., NC) tonight.”[1] After the curiosity arrived in Raleigh , the News & Observer further commented on
it: “It is in charge of Mr. Doyle, linesman. He made the run from Raleigh to Cary
in twenty-five minutes. The odd looking machine attracted much attention there,
as well as at the depot here. It is now at Merry Oaks[2]
but will be brought here in a day or two.”[3]
The History of the Velocipede
“After a
long work week, George Sheffield didn't really want to walk home. But it was
the 1870s, and trains didn't run on the weekend when he needed to make the
10-mile commute from his job in Three
Rivers , Michigan
“The answer came in his invention of a ‘velocipede’ or three-wheeled, hand-powered vehicle made for travel on train tracks. Without the railroad company's knowledge,Sheffield began driving his velocipede between work and
home.
‘One night while driving, he discovered a broken rail and alerted railroad officials in time to save a train from derailing. His unique mode of transportation, now known to the officials, piqued their interest and they requested he build several more.
“The velocipede proved useful for track inspection and maintenance and in 1879Sheffield
patented it.”[4]
“The answer came in his invention of a ‘velocipede’ or three-wheeled, hand-powered vehicle made for travel on train tracks. Without the railroad company's knowledge,
‘One night while driving, he discovered a broken rail and alerted railroad officials in time to save a train from derailing. His unique mode of transportation, now known to the officials, piqued their interest and they requested he build several more.
“The velocipede proved useful for track inspection and maintenance and in 1879
 |
| The velocipede was propelled by the rider who pulled the handle back and forth.
http://www.radio-guy.net/website/vehicles/vehicles_1_image_html/vehicles1b.html
|
A Tale of a Velocipede Journey
“Capt. Wm.
Clarkson, the veteran conductor of the Charlotte, Columbia & Augusta
Railroad, found himself in charge of his train at Statesville (Iredell Co., NC),
last Saturday night, and desiring to spend Sunday with his family in Charlotte (Mecklenburg
Co., NC), he decided to mount the railroad velocipede and run down. “His friends remonstrated with him and tried to
persuade him from undertaking the journey, but he insisted upon it, and taking
his seat on the three wheeled concern, took a firm grip on the crank and waved
the boys adieu. The distance before him was 44 miles and he calculated on
making it in six hours. At the expiration of eight hours he made the depot here
a few minutes before the 1:15 A.M. train came in.
“It was
noticed that his lantern was smashed all to pieces and the skin was torn from
the palms of his hands in pieces as large as gun wads. The Captain did not like
to talk about it at first, but by and by let it all out to the boys and told
them of his hardships. The velocipede jumped the track once and shot him down a
fifteen foot embankment, landing him in the briars and breaking his lantern.
“(Back on
the track,) he soon pegged out entirely, the skin commenced pending from his
hands and he was about to founder, when he met an able bodied darkey, who
accepted his offer of 50 cents to get on the thing and pull him to Charlotte .
“Captain
Clarkson rode back to Statesville ,
but he didn’t ride the velocipede. He took the cars and went via Salisbury . To a man who is
not practiced in the art, riding one of those velocipedes is like standing at a
pump and working the handle all day, and Captain Clarkson says he believes that
if he had his choice, he would take the pump next time.”[5]
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