A Spring Attachment

Edison has invented a little attackment for a wheel that may come into general use, and that iu the near future. It having been "reported at various times of late that Tilomas A. Edison had invented an eleclric attachment for propelling bicycles, the "wizard" was interviewed by a newspaper man a few day's since, and denied that he had even tried to do sucli a thing. "I know how the story started," he said. "I liave been experimenting witn an attachment to abicycle for my o vu personal use and for special conditious. My house in Llewellyn Park, Orange, is about one-sixth of a mile from my laboratory and 80 feet high up on the mountain side. So, in order „to save rnyself a heavy pull when I went home in the middle of the day I desigaed a heavy spring just large enough for the purpose, which was to be wound up by power from the laboratory engine and attached tothe bicvcle before I start up the liill. I wanted this spring to supply most of the energy for the ascent. Of course, there is nothing eleotrical about ital all; itis a purely mechanieal construction. "The device is to be so arranged that when riding down hill, or even ou the level, the rider can at will throw the spring into gear and by degrees wind itup to its limit. Thenwhena hill ie to be climbed, or the rider wishes to stop working for i short diátance on the Level, he can turn on the power and Jet the spring givo back some of the energy stored up in it. It can be arranged so tliat the spring can be wqund up gradually so as not to make pedaling much heayier when on the leyel, and should, I think, be of suflieient power to earry a rider a thousaud feet or so on a good road with no up-grade without his doing any work."