EL PASO DEITY HERALD — FEBRUARY 10, 1900
Latest and Most Original Development of the Automobile Idea.
One of the latest and most original developments of the automobile is a motor wheel which has recently been patented by J. W. Walters, says The Scientific American. The motor wheel consists essentially of a heavy wheel which is journaled in a stout yoke or forks, the head of which turns in a socket. The arrangement is similar to the front wheel and forks of a bicycle except that instead of being controlled by a handle bar the wheel is steered by a band wheel, shaft and gear wheels, as shown in the illustrations.
To the right hand fork is attached a two cylinder gasoline motor, and two gasoline tanks are carried on the other fork. The wheel is driven through a loosely mounted pinion, which meshes into a gear that is bolted to the spokes of the wheel, and a clutch mechanism, the lever for operating which is within easy reach of the driver of the wagon. The two cylinders are carried horizontally, one on each side of the fork, with the crank shaft, upon which is keyed a flywheel between them. The motor wheel is built in various sizes, from one horsepower, suitable to a bicycle, up to four horsepower for a carriage or ten or more horsepower for a heavy dray truck. In attaching the motor wheel to any existing vehicle it is merely necessary to remove the framework of the front wheels and bolt the steering socket to the body of the wagon. When the motor wheel is applied
