Subdeacon Joe Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 Utter disregard for safety! "On this day in 1899, police gave out the first automobile speeding citation in U.S. history—to a New York City cab driver who was traveling 12 miles per hour. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Sunday, May 21, 1899 reports, "Bicycle Roundsman Schuessler saw German making twelve miles an hour on Lexington Avenue early last evening ... pursuing the man he saw him round the corner of Twenty-third street, an always crowded place, at the same break neck speed." German was arrested and locked up for the night, and according to the newspaper report, both he and the electric cab company he worked for were "surprised."" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 “Break neck speed”! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Brown Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 5 minutes ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said: “Break neck speed”! Yes, It would break my neck to drive that slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 In 1899, how could the cop determine 12 mph? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 They called them Scorchers. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-bicycle-craze-flashback-0427-20140503-story.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassnetguy50 Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 47 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said: In 1899, how could the cop determine 12 mph? Same as airplanes do today, time it between two points of a known distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted May 22, 2023 Author Share Posted May 22, 2023 Some things don't seem to change: "They were "selfish, reckless, impudent transgressors of the law and trespassers upon the rights of others," the Tribune harrumphed. The newspaper described scorchers as cyclists "who delight to whirl around corners without warning and sweep down upon the unwary on a crossing, with a laugh at the alarm they cause and only a very slight fear of the police."" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 1 hour ago, sassnetguy50 said: Same as airplanes do today, time it between two points of a known distance. Must’ve had a lot of time on his hands, given the dearth of cars then. Or maybe he clocked carriages and other 4-legged conveyances too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 You can go faster than that on a horse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 I have a picture somewhere of my dad, ca about 1926, dressed as a motorcycle cop in a school play called "Forty Miles An Hour". It's a story about a man in his Kansas town who was terrorizing the people by racing around until Dad ran him down and arrested him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted May 23, 2023 Author Share Posted May 23, 2023 1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said: You can go faster than that on a horse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 just imagine a cop in that day encountering a viper at speed ..............they had no idea what break neck speed really was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 7 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said: Some things don't seem to change: "They were "selfish, reckless, impudent transgressors of the law and trespassers upon the rights of others," the Tribune harrumphed. The newspaper described scorchers as cyclists "who delight to whirl around corners without warning and sweep down upon the unwary on a crossing, with a laugh at the alarm they cause and only a very slight fear of the police."" ............ sounds like some kids on push-bikes from down the road these days .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 10 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said: In 1899, how could the cop determine 12 mph? He was on a bicycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 6 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said: He was on a bicycle. Did they have bicycle speedometers in 1899? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted May 23, 2023 Author Share Posted May 23, 2023 32 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said: Did they have bicycle speedometers in 1899? Of a sort: "In 1895, Curtis H. Veeder invented the Cyclometer.[1][2][3] The Cyclometer was a simple mechanical device that counted the number of rotations of a bicycle wheel.[4][5] A cable transmitted the number of rotations of the wheel to an analog odometer visible to the rider, which converted the wheel rotations into the number of miles traveled according to a predetermined formula. After founding the Veeder Manufacturing Company, Veeder promoted the Cyclometer with the slogan, It's Nice to Know How Far You Go.[6] The Cyclometer's success led to many other competing types of mechanical computing devices. Eventually, cyclometers were developed that could measure speed as well as distance traveled." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Joker Posted May 24, 2023 Share Posted May 24, 2023 On 5/22/2023 at 11:15 PM, watab kid said: just imagine a cop in that day encountering a viper at speed ..............they had no idea what break neck speed really was Imagine taking a viper at speed on 1890 roads... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 good point , untill the 1950s id not want to take a viper out and open it up , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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