BICYCLE 



713 



BIDDEFORD 



patented in England in 1818, where it en- 

 joyed a brief period of popularity under vari- 

 ous names hobby-horse, dandy-horse, swift- 

 walker and others. Its manufacturer, however, 

 named it the pedestrian curricule. This ma- 

 chine and others modeled on it failed to win 

 permanent favor. In 1855 a French carriage- 

 maker brought out a vehicle resembling the 

 modern bicycle in that it had cranks and ped- 

 als fitted to the front wheels, and ten years 

 later an improved form of two-wheeled veloci- 

 pede appeared in Paris, greatly stimulating 

 interest in cycling and resulting in the intro- 

 duction of the French velocipede into the 

 United States. 



This velocipede, like the high-wheeled bi- 

 cycle which followed it, had the front wheel 

 much larger than the rear, and was propelled 

 by cranks attached to the hubs of the front 

 wheel. Its successor, known as the ordinary, 

 which was developed in England about 1873, 

 was in general use in Europe and America 

 until replaced by the low-wheeled bicycle, or 

 safety. The first vehicle of this type had the 

 front wheel about three times the size of the 

 back one, but the tendency was to increase the 

 size of the former and to reduce that of the 

 rear wheel, until the diameters were respec- 

 tively sixty and sixteen inches. The average 

 roadster of 1875 weighed sixty-five pounds and 

 had a steel frame and solid rubber tires. 



During the next ten years various improve- 

 ments were introduced, including adjustable 

 ball bearings and cushion tires. The "ordi- 

 nary" was popular because it afforded exhil- 

 arating exercise, but it had serious defects. 

 The high seat, more than five feet above the 

 ground, and nearly over the center of the large 

 wheel, made falls, or "headers," as they were 

 called, somewhat frequent and dangerous, and 

 the vehicle was difficult to mount. It is not 

 surprising, therefore, that a low-wheel vehicle 

 embodying the principal features of the mod- 

 ern bicycle was finally brought out in 1884. 

 Of the subsequent improvements, including 

 the coaster brake, adjustable handle bars, 

 cushion saddles and the drop frame for ladies' 

 bicycles, the most important was the pneu- 

 matic tire. Though invented in England in 

 1843, this device was not applied to the bicycle 

 until 1889, and it was the greatest single fac- 

 tor in stimulating the popularity of the 

 "wheel." The cyclist might be subjected to 

 the trouble of mending punctured tires, but 

 whatever annoyance he suffered on this ac- 

 count was more than offset by the freedom 



from jolts, greater ease in running, and the 

 increased lightness of his machine. 



The cycling era was not unproductive of 

 good results, for in moderation it provided 

 very healthful exercise; and the extensive use 

 of the bicycle, together with the influence of 

 the League of American Wheelmen, contrib- 

 uted much to the good-roads movement that 

 has been so greatly advanced by the advent 

 of the automobile. E.D.F. 



Consult Garratt's Modern , Safety Bicycle; 

 Henry's Cycle Building and Repairing. 



BIDDEFORD, ME., an old city in York 

 County, which was for a long time the chief 

 settlement in the province of Maine. It is 

 situated in the extreme southwestern part of 

 the state, on the right bank of the Saco River, 

 six miles from the sea. Portland is fifteen 

 miles northeast, and Portsmouth, N. H., is 

 forty miles southwest. Railway transporta- 

 tion is provided by the Boston & Maine Rail- 

 road, and electric lines extend north and south. 

 For eight months in the year there is water 

 transportation for freight that can be shipped 

 by schooner or barge. The first settlement 

 was made as early as 1616 by people from 

 Biddeford, England, who named the place for 

 their home town. Biddeford was settled un- 

 der a patent in 1630, and Saco, on the opposite 

 bank of the river, was included within its 

 limits until 1718, when Biddeford was incor- 

 porated separately. In 1855 it received a city 

 charter. In 1910 the population was 17,079; 

 it increased to 17,475 in 1914. The foreign 

 element is largely French. The area exceeds 

 fifteen' square miles. 



The development of Biddeford was favored 

 by the abundant water power of the Saco 

 River, which at this point has a fall of forty 

 feet. The manufacture of textiles is its lead- 

 ing industry, about 16,000 people being em- 

 ployed in the two large cotton mills, which 

 rank with the foremost in New England. 

 There are machine shops, making cotton-mill 

 machinery and accessories for cotton mills, 

 and two big saw mills which have an annual 

 output of 15,000,000 feet. The post office, 

 erected in 1914, the city hall, Masonic Temple, 

 Webber Hospital and McArthur Library are 

 the noteworthy buildings. 



Biddeford is located in the heart of a sum- 

 mer resort region and on account of its fine 

 boating, fishing and bathing facilities is a pop- 

 ular resort. Old Orchard Beach, which com- 

 prises several small beaches, is not excelled by 

 any resort on the New England coast. B.M.A. 



