Aug. H, 1885.] 



♦ KNOV/LEDGE ♦ 



the Junction," said he, "and I am carrying this to 

 Krydun (Croydon) to be-set to rights." 



Then he explained in his own way that one of the 

 tyres had come o& when running down a hill, and, 

 catching in the chain, had suddenly stopped the machine, 

 making it turn several somersaults. The rider was badly 

 injured, and the machine was so bent, torn, and damaged 

 that it could not bo wheeled, and I would never have 

 trusted it again had I been the owner, no matter who 

 might have repaired it. 



Since hollow rims have come into use tyres have come 

 off more frequently than before. This arises from the 

 fact that the rims are shallower than the solid rims were, 

 that the cement runs away through the holes made to 

 receive the heads of the spokes, and that it is difficult to 

 make the rim hot enough to melt the cement without 

 unsoldering the rim. 



The most frequent cause of loose tyres is, however, 

 that the makers finish and paint, or enamel the machines 

 before they put on the tyres, and they are afraid after- 

 wards to make the rims hot enough to melt the cement 

 for fear of blistering or damaging the appearance of the 

 paint or enamel. The rims are mostly only just wanned 

 sufficiently to make the tj-res adhere, and a few miles run 

 over a rough road will soon loosen them or bring them 

 off. 



To ensure the perfect adhesion of tyros, tlu> surface ,.f 

 the tyres should he cleaned with turpentine, or, liettiT 

 still, seared with a hot iron; tlie rims should be well 

 coated with a good tnugli (•cniiiit ( Lomlon's is the best I 

 have tried), and should tlim In' In atcil until the cement 

 runs out of each side cif ihr lim, ;uid the tyre should be 

 well knocked down with tl„' p;i!,ii of the hand while the 

 cement is hot. If the utmost security is desired the tyre 

 .should be bound round, not too tightly, with a broad 

 tape, which should not be taken off for several hours. 



When the tape is removed the superfluous cement 

 should be cut or scraped away, and then, and not before, 

 the wheel should be painted or enamelled. 



Tyres put on as I have described should — if the cement 

 used has been good — adhere firmly until they are worn 

 out. 



The truth is, that the method of fixing our tyi-es on 

 simply by means of cement is a miserable makeshift, with 

 which we ought not to rest satisfied. It nccessitutrs the 

 tyre being smaller in diameter than tin- rim, sn ili.it it 

 shall be stretched on. The result is, Ihut iv.ry ^llu'ht 

 cut Oldens more mid more, until it bfeoiiies a gash, which 

 a,lmost divides tlir lyre. i!y i-iL'lits, the tyre should be 

 compressed into tlic rim, tlirii a cut would go no further. 

 Timberlake tlirr al..l tlir tyiv »\:<<u a, stout wire and com- 

 pressed the t\ n into tlio rim. .\^ 1 liavo srcn t vrcs made 

 on this plan,\vl,h-I, 1 uas asMiivd lia.l rm, ov.T 10,U00 

 miles without mmin- olV, and ul.irh \volv I luai Iml In ii- 

 like worn out, I , mi, not think why this [ilau lias not Invn 

 more generally a.l-pi,,l. 



A few nioiiili, oilier, ^Varwick, of hollow rim faiiie, 

 advertised a s]. . I il run and lyre, in which the t.q. edgrs 

 of the rim wen tuiand over on each side inwards, ;ind 

 these edges fitted into gi'ooves in the sIJi-- of ili.i\rc. 

 Once in the rim these tyres, I am told, o.aiM noi l.r dis- 

 lodged unless proper tools were used for lak im;- i In m on I, 

 but I have not licen able to see any of tliem lu use. Why 

 not? 



ODD SUPEESTITIOXS. 



THERE is, perhaps, no period in a woman's life that 

 so completely changes her whole existence as mar- 

 riage, and for that very reason she is apt to be more 

 superstitious and fanciful at that time than at any other ; 

 and while superstitions are fast becoming a something of 

 the past, there are very few women who will not hesitate 

 before making Friday their wedding-day, or will not re- 

 joice at the sunshiius for " hipjiy is the bride the sun 

 shines on." June .nid ()( tob( r ha-i'e .ihvays been held as 

 the most propitious moTith-, m the twelve— a happy re- 

 sult being rimli 1 1 d d. iill_\ iMl.iin if the ceremony was 

 timed so as to 1 ,N [ I . ," i' the full moon, or when the 

 .sun and moon w,i, m < uim, tion. 



The Rompus w . 1 1 \ , i \ -n] . rstitious about marrying 

 inMay or TMirii ll^ , tin \ ^^ ihd .11 ct lebration days, 

 md idi . f .\,ry month. The 

 h thi I till , f May fell was con- 

 II >i T it^ of ''merry old 



I 1 1 1 h ^(dects her 



1 M ,1 growing 

 1 - I il li.t day of 



lu I, „l I- .1 I 1 nld 



and the caleiid-, 

 day of the wiik 



England," and i 

 weddino-d.iy so 

 moon and a flov 

 the . 



ippn 



fill 





th. 



H]. 



In ViV 



thcu-lunnspubli.shedat thi aid of one and ,, re married 

 at the beginning of another quarter of a year can expect 

 nothing but ends. 



The day of the week is .l^o of . r, it mil . rl mee. Sun- 

 day being a great faM in ' ' ' 

 Ireland. And altln u I 

 marry on Friday, th. I i ' 



in the month partioul n _\ I i' m i \h m >. u■^ ■ i.ow 



the old saying concerning iln \ . llin_-ilay: — 



J[oihI 





all; 



Thursday for ( 

 Friday fur losses., 

 Saturday no luck at all. 



In Yorkshire, when the brido ' : : ■ f , r -.- 



ing her father's threshold, afo ,■ ' . a 



plat-e, containing a few small i ' -■• " 



from an upper window of tho !■ i_ ■ ii.aiivc. 



If the plat., is l,r,.k.a,, slir will be happy ; if not, she will 



In ^■ 



■aj... 



i-vr bread in her pocket, and 



ti'rov aw:ir just SO much 

 ' - !, ro lu.'k to gather 



u. AN Steel.— In 1883 Great Britain produced 

 Bossemor steel than the United States. In 

 reversed, the United States produciDR 74,531 



to marry in green, or while there is an open gi-ave m the 

 churchyard, are all unfortunate, and the bride must be 



