Historic Article
Snakes in his Wheel
An Ohio Bicyclist’s Terrible Race with Reptiles
By Remarkable Presence of Mind the Wheelman Finally Disposes of His Dangerous Traveling Companions
Port Townsend Leader, January 12, 1895
A most peculiar and interesting snake story is told by a bicyclist who rode one of the relays in the race across Ohio from Sandusky to Portsmouth recently. It will be remembered that the entire distance of two hundred and fourteen miles was covered in twelve and one-quarter hours, and from this it will be seen that at no time could the speed have been slow.
The rider declares, according to an eastern exchange, that while wheeling at a good gait he reached the top of a long slope which gradually dropped to the bed of a stream. When near the bottom of the hill his speed must have been nearly a twenty-five-mile gait. While going at this speed he discovered what he took to be a limb lying across the road. As he came closer and when too late to turn out he discovered that the supposed limb was a snake about ten feet long, and just beyond a second reptile of nearly equal length.
His wheel struck the nearer snake and went over easily, but the reptile in some way gave warning to its companion, which raised its head and struck savagely at the shimmering spokes. The snake’s head passed between the spokes near the hub, and the snake fastened its fangs on the spokes at the opposite end of the wheel.
The effect of this was to slacken the speed of the bicycle, and the rider was almost thrown from his wheel by the sudden stop, but maintained his seat and kept his machine going straight ahead. It was remarkable that the knifelike revolutions of the spokes did not cut the snake in two, but the long body of the snake was drawn within the wheel, and the centrifugal force threw it close to the felloe, [sic] where it lay curled around the circumference of the wheel and was quite safe.
The rider dared not stop for fear of being bitten and was afraid of increasing his speed lest the snake should slip from the wheel and becoming entangled throw him to the ground. He noticed, however, that his speed was becoming gradually less, but attributed this to the fact that he was now going uphill and to the weight of the reptile. But as he reached the top of the hill he heard a scraping and hissing noise behind him and turned to ascertain the cause; he was horrified to see that the second and larger snake was also caught in his bicycle and was holding on by its tail.
The wheelman now decided to increase his speed, in order to shake his second enemy, and strained every muscle to attain a higher speed, but the dead weight of the snake dragging in the dust behind proved too much for his already tired muscles. With two miles to go before he met the next relay, he was in a quandary as to how he would escape, but, glancing back, he saw that the snake had twined its tail around the little step by which a rider mounts a bicycle.
The step was of the patter called a “rat trap” because of its sharp teeth on the upper side. The wheelman, taking in the situation, reached back with his left foot and brought the heel of his shoe down forcibly upon the snake’s tail, completely severing it and causing the snake to drop off.
The reptile hissed and started in pursuit, but the bicycle was easily kept in the lead. A farmer came along and being attacked by the snake killed it. The bicyclist a short distance further on finished his run. Arming himself with a club, he examined his wheel and found the other snake was dead, and not only that, but it was literally cut into small bits. The centrifugal force had been so great that it had forced the body of the snake deeper and deeper into the apex of spokes, and the reptile was cut into chunks and had to be removed bit by bit.
The rider declares, according to an eastern exchange, that while wheeling at a good gait he reached the top of a long slope which gradually dropped to the bed of a stream. When near the bottom of the hill his speed must have been nearly a twenty-five-mile gait. While going at this speed he discovered what he took to be a limb lying across the road. As he came closer and when too late to turn out he discovered that the supposed limb was a snake about ten feet long, and just beyond a second reptile of nearly equal length.
His wheel struck the nearer snake and went over easily, but the reptile in some way gave warning to its companion, which raised its head and struck savagely at the shimmering spokes. The snake’s head passed between the spokes near the hub, and the snake fastened its fangs on the spokes at the opposite end of the wheel.
The effect of this was to slacken the speed of the bicycle, and the rider was almost thrown from his wheel by the sudden stop, but maintained his seat and kept his machine going straight ahead. It was remarkable that the knifelike revolutions of the spokes did not cut the snake in two, but the long body of the snake was drawn within the wheel, and the centrifugal force threw it close to the felloe, [sic] where it lay curled around the circumference of the wheel and was quite safe.
The rider dared not stop for fear of being bitten and was afraid of increasing his speed lest the snake should slip from the wheel and becoming entangled throw him to the ground. He noticed, however, that his speed was becoming gradually less, but attributed this to the fact that he was now going uphill and to the weight of the reptile. But as he reached the top of the hill he heard a scraping and hissing noise behind him and turned to ascertain the cause; he was horrified to see that the second and larger snake was also caught in his bicycle and was holding on by its tail.
The wheelman now decided to increase his speed, in order to shake his second enemy, and strained every muscle to attain a higher speed, but the dead weight of the snake dragging in the dust behind proved too much for his already tired muscles. With two miles to go before he met the next relay, he was in a quandary as to how he would escape, but, glancing back, he saw that the snake had twined its tail around the little step by which a rider mounts a bicycle.
The step was of the patter called a “rat trap” because of its sharp teeth on the upper side. The wheelman, taking in the situation, reached back with his left foot and brought the heel of his shoe down forcibly upon the snake’s tail, completely severing it and causing the snake to drop off.
The reptile hissed and started in pursuit, but the bicycle was easily kept in the lead. A farmer came along and being attacked by the snake killed it. The bicyclist a short distance further on finished his run. Arming himself with a club, he examined his wheel and found the other snake was dead, and not only that, but it was literally cut into small bits. The centrifugal force had been so great that it had forced the body of the snake deeper and deeper into the apex of spokes, and the reptile was cut into chunks and had to be removed bit by bit.
Other historic cycling articles:
A Burglar, A Bicycle, and A Storm (Fiction—1896)
A Cycle of the Seasons: A Bicycle Romance in Four Meets (Fiction—1883)
A Cycle Show in Little (1896)
A Header (?) (Poem—1883)
A Modern Love Sung in Ancient Fashion (Poem—1884)
Bicycling and Tricycling (1884)
Cycling for Women (1888)
Cycling's Value As An Exercise (1879)
Is Bicycling Harmful? (1897)
The Evolution of a Sport (1896)
Foreign [Bicycling News] (1884)
On Wings of Love (Poem—1884)
Rosalind A Wheel (Fiction—1896)
Snakes in his Wheel (1895)
The Work of Wheelmen for Better Roads (1896)
Woman's Cycle (1896)
Back to Historical Articles Index
An article about us in Bicycling magazine:
"How To Bike Like A Victorian"
http://www.bicycling.com/culture/people/old-doesn-t-mean-bad-modern-conversation-victorian-era-cyclists
A few of Sarah's accounts of our Victorian cycling adventures:
The Flower Fields of the Skagit Valley:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/my-recent-trip-to-the-skagit-valley
A Trip to A Lavender Festival:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/sneak-peek-into-a-future-book
The Tricycle's Maiden Voyage:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/the-tricycles-maiden-voyage
The Chilly Hilly ride:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/chilly-hilly
Port Townsend to Port Gamble:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/port-gamble-wa
Sarah ALWAYS wears a corset—even while cycling. Here's an excerpt from her book about it:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/cycling-in-a-corset-a-short-excerpt-from-victorian-secrets
Rebuttal of an erroneous article:
http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/a-rebuttal-to-a-recent-article
In a seaport town in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, a group of friends find themselves drawn together —by chance, by love, and by the marvelous changes their world is undergoing. In the process, they learn that the family we choose can be just as important as the ones we're born into. Join their adventures in
The Tales of Chetzemoka
To read about the exhaustive research that goes into each book and see little vignettes from the stories, click on their "Learn More" buttons!
The Wheelman's Joy
Victorian Cycling Poetry and Words About Wheels
There is something inherently romantic about cycling, and there has been since the first riders set their wheels to the road. This collection of nineteenth-century poetry, prose quotes and bon-mots about cycling reflects both the ardent passion and the innocent affection cycling inspires. From the glory days of high-wheel cycling through the boom of the safety bicycle, riders were falling in love with their wheels, with new-found freedoms, and above all with each other. This delightful little collection tells of those days in their own words, and evokes sentiments which every cyclist will find timeless. Compiled edited and introduced by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of the charming Tales of Chetzemoka cycling club series, This Victorian Life, Victorian Secrets, and others.
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