CHARLES B. WARRING. 157 
under the influence of gravity varies as the square root 
of the height from which it has fallen, irrespective of 
the character of the path it has described, I find that in 
case the rider’s seat is, for example, 60 inches from the 
ground, and the machine has inclined 6 inches from the 
perpendicular, it is at that instant, if free to fall, moving 
laterally at the rate of only 14 feet a second, or 4,500 feet 
an nour—much less than a mile. But six inches isa 
large amount, a good rider does not tilt that much; we 
will suppose him out only 3 inches, then his lateral 
movement will be at the rate of only some 2,200 feet in 
an hour. If the tilt is less, the falling rate will be less. 
To keep the centre of gravity over the base, the bottom 
of the wheel needs only to move to the right or left— 
which ever way the machine is leaning—somewhat faster 
than these slow rates. 
There is no great difficulty in doing this, for if the bi- 
cycle is going 8 miles an hour it is necessary to change 
1ts course only about 7 degrees; if 4 miles, then only 
about 14 degrees ; if 2 miles, then about 28 degrees. The 
angle grows smaller as the speed grows greater; at 16 
miles an hour, the wheel would need to be turned thro 
an angle of less than two degrees. From which follows 
the fact well known to ’cyclists, that the slower the ma- 
chine is traveling the more the handles must be turned, 
and the more difficult to keep from falling. 
From the fact that the bicycle keeps up by keeping 
its supporting point under it, like a pole standing verti- 
cally on one’s finger, some curious, and to most people, 
quite unexpected results follow. The higher the machine, 
the less the danger of falling sideways ; and, as the load 
is in the saddle, it is the height of the saddle and not 
the size of the wheel, that affects the lateral stability. 
Everybody knows that it is easier to support a long pole 
than a short one. I have here three rods, respectively 
one foot, three feet, and seven feet long. I balance the 
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