Popular Science Mout/ily 



571 



support when desired, as in an ice-skate. 

 This is supposed to l)e of \aliie in 

 performint; fan(\' e\-oIiiiioiis. The axes 

 of the r<jliers are not all in the same 

 plane hut follow a ciir\e, so that by 

 tilting liis foot the operator can ride on 

 any pair of rollers he likes. One won- 

 ders wliai \\(iul<l hapjien it a tat man 

 unexpectedly struck a downhill stretch 

 of slippery sidewalk. Sometimes sim- 

 I)licit\-, and e\en hard-running features 

 are Hea\en-sui^gested \irtues. 



Another skate ( Fig. 6) i.s of the simpler 

 sort. It is propeled by taking strokes. 



A gasoline 

 equipment 

 with a chain drive to 

 the rear wheel and a 

 gasoline tank under 

 the instep and heel 



Fig. 10. A rack-and- 

 pinion arrangement 

 to utilize the down- 

 ward pressure of the 

 heel as a means of 

 rapid propulsion 



5lft£ Vlf*^ SHOU- 

 INC, <UHVl WH£US 



ni'.uMe, rNfftcBy 



LIMtT/NO THl NUM- 



8fft IN ACTUAL CN- 



QliiieMlUT A7 AfJY 



Ofje TIMf^ 



PLAN VIEW 

 SHOIlVING 



ARRANG£M£N. 

 OF 9 WHEELS 



Fig. 9. A mechanical centipede with nine 

 wheels arranged in single and double rows 



JACMABLC 

 CASINO 



Fig. 8. The descending heel makes a pawl 

 catch in a cogwheel and drives the skate 



in the usual way. Skates somewhat 

 similar to this are also made with four 

 wheels each. Fig. 5 shows a type 

 making use of a single, large wheel, 

 fastened to the leg of the rider. By 

 tilting his toe forward the rider can get a 

 hold on the ground and thus bring about 

 "energetic propulsion," to quote the 

 inventor. The large size of the wheel 

 makes it eas\' to ride over irregularities 

 in the street. But the idea of proceeding 

 down the street with a bicycle-like wheel 

 strapped to each foot does not seem 

 exactly conventional, either. 



