Monday Blues 1895: Smashed His New Wheel

 If it's not one thing, it's another: "Another scorcher came to grief while riding on Aliso street yesterday, just beyond the Alameda crossing. This time it was a small boy named Willie Carr, who resides with his parents on Griffin avenue, and he was mounted on a brand new wheel. As he whirled down Aliso street he was met by George J. Peterman, a farmer, who was driving in from Whittier behind his best horse hitched to a cart. Willie attempted to cross in front of the approaching vehicle, but he was going too rapidly to control his machine. The horse was also coming at a good rate and could not be stopped before he thrust his fore leg through the wheel of the bicycle. Then a lively mixing up ensued. Wheel, rider and horse all fell in a heap, the horse on top of the wheel and the cart on top of the boy. He crawled quickly out of the tangle, and it was found that one arm was badly scratched and bruised. The wheel was totally demolished.

Farmer Peterman succeeded in getting his horse once more on his feet, very little worse off for the encounter, and he proceeded on his way rejoicing in the advantages of driving in the good old-fashioned way as compared with these flimsy bicycles. And Willie picked up the unrecognizable remains of his new wheel and went his way also, but not rejoicing.

(Los Angeles Herald, 11 August 1895)

The Monday Blues has been an occasional feature here at the blog since inception; the blues, an emotion, a color, a genre of music, with a cycling twist.