THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL — AUGUST 9, 1896
There is a likelihood that the problem of rapid transit has been solved by Hiram Mikerson of Stoughton, Mass. He has invented an apparatus that he calls the “aerial bicycle,” although it travels on a rail.
The rail for this apparatus is on a post that curves outward several feet at the top, and the rider sails along beneath the rail. Two wheels run on the rail. They are connected by a tiepiece, to which is fastened a framework that extends downward.
At the end of this framework is a propelling mechanism, seat and handle being very much like the ordinary bicycle. The pedals are driven in the ordinary way, and power is communicated to the wheels above by an endless chain that passes along the framework and over one of the hubs.
Such a railway should be very cheap to build, and it has the advantage of not taking up any ground to spent of, as crops can be grown between the posts. Considerable speed ought to be developed with very little power.
From—The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]), 09 Aug. 1896. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
