Looping the loop

Around the turn of the century, circus acts began to include bicycles
looping the loop in imitation of roller-coasters:
http://www.imageenvision.com/free_pi...1421-0934.html

You can see the side netting prevented the bicyclist from accidentally
zooming off sideways. Netting was also used sometimes inside the loop.

One of the earliest loopers was "Diavolo" (J.C. Carter), who patented
his act and toured the world with it:
http://www.sideshowworld.com/blowoffLoopLoop.html

http://bp1.blogger.com/_iz9PHlS9nas/...h/diavolo1.jpg

Nice helmet.

The simple loop-the-loop was improved by putting a gap in the loop,
favored by the Ancillotti brothers:

http://www.falconmotorcycles.com/blo...f-defying.html

As that site points out, "Casualties ended up being so high among the
gravity defying performers that the tracks were eventually outlawed."

Sometimes the loop-the-loop riders veered off the painted strip:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...9D946397D 6CF

Sometimes the rider just fell straight down:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...9C946797D 6CF

Two dead loopers in a row:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...6E9C946297D6CF

***

The carnage often became confusing.

The original "Dr. Clarke" (stage name Volo) rode for Barnum & Bailey
in 1904 and included straightforward jumps in his loop act:

"In 1904 Barnum & Bailey introduced a daredevil coalled Volo the
Volitant (C.B. Clarke), whose specialty was 'Cycling the Aerial Arc.'
Volo rode a bicycle down a forty-five degree incline that was eighty
feet long and forty feet high. Then he flew through the air on his
bicycle fifty-six feet, landed on a seven-foot-high platform, and rode
to the ground on another ramp."
http://www.circusinamerica.org/publi...ublic_show/154

After the original "Dr. Clarke" retired, a second "Dr. Clark" (stage
name Diavolo, but not the _original_ Diavolo) was killed in 1905 while
leaping a bicycle in Cuba:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...679C946497D6CF

Unfortunately, the original "Dr. Clarke" was also killed in 1911 while
looping the loop . . . but in an early plane, long after his
retirement from bicycle stunts:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...6F9C946096D6CF

(Go to the bottom of the link above and the wretched text turns into a
nice image.)

The original "Dr. C.B. Clarke" was actually Charles Clarke
Bunting--and he was a real doctor of medicine, as the article
explains, until he fell under the evil spell of the bicycle boom.

***

Confused stage and real names were common in the circus, where new
performers often used the names (both stage and real) of their
predecessors, as explained in this long article about another looper,
Conn Baker, who was originally a world mile record-holder, good enough
to compete with the famous Zimmerman:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...6E9C946597D6CF

If you read the whole article, you'll learn that Conn Baker, pro bike
racer, took over the Diavolo loop act after the original "Diavolo" was
killed while performing. Baker even used the same "J.C. Carter" as his
"real" name.

Baker crashed and hurt himself badly, breaking several bones on a
failed loop, but he kept on coasting down the ramp into the loop for
the money.

In contrast to these doctors and bicycle racers, with their
devil-costume and Italian pseudonyms, here's a dreadfully prosaic
looper. Mr. Robert B. Vandevoort, an electrician from Brooklyn:
http://i35.tinypic.com/213n9rb.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/17fhg2.jpg

("Shooting the chutes" was just riding a roller-coaster car down into
a long water tank for the splash--it's still popular.)

***

The bicycle loop-the-loop acts were popular enough to be used on
magazine covers as editorial cartoons:
http://tinyurl.com/yjfg8st

The loop act showed up in vending machines:

"The Maniken Vendor Co. made a series of clock work mechism machines
including the Baker Boy, which had a baker that would pivot to take a
gumball out of an oven and deliver it for a penny. Loop The Loop,
featured diavolo, the bike rider who looped the loop and dispensed a
stick of gum."

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Antiqu...w-a01073979324

And the loop act even appeared in the kind of literature that appeals
to RBT:
http://tinyurl.com/yg8d3rg

A more modern and often-pirated physics lecture uses Diavolo as an
example:

http://physics.ucsd.edu/students/cou...ents/Lec12.pdf

***

Back to Conn Baker, the racer who claimed to have replaced the
original Diavolo in the loop act.

Baker may have been the original Diavolo, not the replacement that he
claimed to be in the long interview--replacing someone killed while
performing the act sounds better.

Baker liked to hang from rocks and lived a long and happy life:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...GRid=38975903&

Naturally, Baker preferred a proper bicycle in his old age:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&PIpi=19168746

Bet you didn't think I could sneak a highwheeler in, did you?

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:14:16 -0700, wrote:

Around the turn of the century, circus acts began to include bicycles
looping the loop in imitation of roller-coasters:
http://www.imageenvision.com/free_pi...1421-0934.html

You can see the side netting prevented the bicyclist from accidentally
zooming off sideways. Netting was also used sometimes inside the loop.

One of the earliest loopers was "Diavolo" (J.C. Carter), who patented
his act and toured the world with it:
http://www.sideshowworld.com/blowoffLoopLoop.html

http://bp1.blogger.com/_iz9PHlS9nas/...h/diavolo1.jpg

Nice helmet.

The simple loop-the-loop was improved by putting a gap in the loop,
favored by the Ancillotti brothers:

http://www.falconmotorcycles.com/blo...f-defying.html

As that site points out, "Casualties ended up being so high among the
gravity defying performers that the tracks were eventually outlawed."

Sometimes the loop-the-loop riders veered off the painted strip:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...9D946397D 6CF

Sometimes the rider just fell straight down:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...9C946797D 6CF

Two dead loopers in a row:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...6E9C946297D6CF

***

The carnage often became confusing.

The original "Dr. Clarke" (stage name Volo) rode for Barnum & Bailey
in 1904 and included straightforward jumps in his loop act:

"In 1904 Barnum & Bailey introduced a daredevil coalled Volo the
Volitant (C.B. Clarke), whose specialty was 'Cycling the Aerial Arc.'
Volo rode a bicycle down a forty-five degree incline that was eighty
feet long and forty feet high. Then he flew through the air on his
bicycle fifty-six feet, landed on a seven-foot-high platform, and rode
to the ground on another ramp."
http://www.circusinamerica.org/publi...ublic_show/154

After the original "Dr. Clarke" retired, a second "Dr. Clark" (stage
name Diavolo, but not the _original_ Diavolo) was killed in 1905 while
leaping a bicycle in Cuba:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...679C946497D6CF

Unfortunately, the original "Dr. Clarke" was also killed in 1911 while
looping the loop . . . but in an early plane, long after his
retirement from bicycle stunts:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...6F9C946096D6CF

(Go to the bottom of the link above and the wretched text turns into a
nice image.)

The original "Dr. C.B. Clarke" was actually Charles Clarke
Bunting--and he was a real doctor of medicine, as the article
explains, until he fell under the evil spell of the bicycle boom.

***

Confused stage and real names were common in the circus, where new
performers often used the names (both stage and real) of their
predecessors, as explained in this long article about another looper,
Conn Baker, who was originally a world mile record-holder, good enough
to compete with the famous Zimmerman:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...6E9C946597D6CF

If you read the whole article, you'll learn that Conn Baker, pro bike
racer, took over the Diavolo loop act after the original "Diavolo" was
killed while performing. Baker even used the same "J.C. Carter" as his
"real" name.

Baker crashed and hurt himself badly, breaking several bones on a
failed loop, but he kept on coasting down the ramp into the loop for
the money.

In contrast to these doctors and bicycle racers, with their
devil-costume and Italian pseudonyms, here's a dreadfully prosaic
looper. Mr. Robert B. Vandevoort, an electrician from Brooklyn:
http://i35.tinypic.com/213n9rb.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/17fhg2.jpg

("Shooting the chutes" was just riding a roller-coaster car down into
a long water tank for the splash--it's still popular.)

***

The bicycle loop-the-loop acts were popular enough to be used on
magazine covers as editorial cartoons:
http://tinyurl.com/yjfg8st

The loop act showed up in vending machines:

"The Maniken Vendor Co. made a series of clock work mechism machines
including the Baker Boy, which had a baker that would pivot to take a
gumball out of an oven and deliver it for a penny. Loop The Loop,
featured diavolo, the bike rider who looped the loop and dispensed a
stick of gum."

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Antiqu...w-a01073979324

And the loop act even appeared in the kind of literature that appeals
to RBT:
http://tinyurl.com/yg8d3rg

A more modern and often-pirated physics lecture uses Diavolo as an
example:

http://physics.ucsd.edu/students/cou...ents/Lec12.pdf

***

Back to Conn Baker, the racer who claimed to have replaced the
original Diavolo in the loop act.

Baker may have been the original Diavolo, not the replacement that he
claimed to be in the long interview--replacing someone killed while
performing the act sounds better.

Baker liked to hang from rocks and lived a long and happy life:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...GRid=38975903&

Naturally, Baker preferred a proper bicycle in his old age:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&PIpi=19168746

Bet you didn't think I could sneak a highwheeler in, did you?

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Contemporary article with photos about Vandevoort looping the loop:
http://tinyurl.com/yg2xyfh

No pedals, just footrests, on a 60-lb frame with solid tires instead
of pneumatics. With no brakes, drag-ropes were used to stop the bike
on exit.

Cheers,

Carl Foge

http://www.speedace.info/speedace_im...d_marriott.jpg

On Nov 3, 3:14*pm, wrote:
Around the turn of the century, circus acts began to include bicycles
looping the loop in imitation of roller-coasters:
*http://www.imageenvision.com/free_pi...1421-0934.html

You can see the side netting prevented the bicyclist from accidentally
zooming off sideways. Netting was also used sometimes inside the loop.

One of the earliest loopers was "Diavolo" (J.C. Carter), who patented
his act and toured the world with it:
*http://www.sideshowworld.com/blowoffLoopLoop.html

http://bp1.blogger.com/_iz9PHlS9nas/...AADg/y9-t8_I0M...

Nice helmet.

The simple loop-the-loop was improved by putting a gap in the loop,
favored by the Ancillotti brothers:

http://www.falconmotorcycles.com/blo...orcycles/159-t...

As that site points out, "Casualties ended up being so high among the
gravity defying performers that the tracks were eventually outlawed."

Sometimes the loop-the-loop riders veered off the painted strip:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...950DE1D71E3BE7....

Sometimes the rider just fell straight down:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...9D00E1DE113EE7....

Two dead loopers in a row:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...7D71739E433A25....

***

The carnage often became confusing.

The original "Dr. Clarke" (stage name Volo) rode for Barnum & Bailey
in 1904 and included straightforward jumps in his loop act:

"In 1904 Barnum & Bailey introduced a daredevil coalled Volo the
Volitant (C.B. Clarke), whose specialty was 'Cycling the Aerial Arc.'
Volo rode a bicycle down a forty-five degree incline that was eighty
feet long and forty feet high. Then he flew through the air on his
bicycle fifty-six feet, landed on a seven-foot-high platform, and rode
to the ground on another ramp."
*http://www.circusinamerica.org/publi...ublic_show/154

After the original "Dr. Clarke" retired, a second "Dr. Clark" (stage
name Diavolo, but not the _original_ Diavolo) was killed in 1905 while
leaping a bicycle in Cuba:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...ED7173AE733A25....

Unfortunately, the original "Dr. Clarke" was also killed in 1911 while
looping the loop . . . but in an early plane, long after his
retirement from bicycle stunts:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...1D81531E233A25....

(Go to the bottom of the link above and the wretched text turns into a
nice image.)

The original "Dr. C.B. Clarke" was actually Charles Clarke
Bunting--and he was a real doctor of medicine, as the article
explains, until he fell under the evil spell of the bicycle boom.

***

Confused stage and real names were common in the circus, where new
performers often used the names (both stage and real) of their
predecessors, as explained in this long article about another looper,
Conn Baker, who was originally a world mile record-holder, good enough
to compete with the famous Zimmerman:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...1D71E3BE631A25....

If you read the whole article, you'll learn that Conn Baker, pro bike
racer, took over the Diavolo loop act after the original "Diavolo" was
killed while performing. Baker even used the same "J.C. Carter" as his
"real" name.

Baker crashed and hurt himself badly, breaking several bones on a
failed loop, but he kept on coasting down the ramp into the loop for
the money.

In contrast to these doctors and bicycle racers, with their
devil-costume and Italian pseudonyms, here's a dreadfully prosaic
looper. Mr. Robert B. Vandevoort, an electrician from Brooklyn:
*http://i35.tinypic.com/213n9rb.jpg
*http://i37.tinypic.com/17fhg2.jpg

("Shooting the chutes" was just riding a roller-coaster car down into
a long water tank for the splash--it's still popular.)

***

The bicycle loop-the-loop acts were popular enough to be used on
magazine covers as editorial cartoons:
*http://tinyurl.com/yjfg8st

The loop act showed up in vending machines:

"The Maniken Vendor Co. made a series of clock work mechism machines
including the Baker Boy, which had a baker that would pivot to take a
gumball out of an oven and deliver it for a penny. Loop The Loop,
featured diavolo, the bike rider who looped the loop and dispensed a
stick of gum."

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Antiqu...hines+-+An+Ove...

And the loop act even appeared in the kind of literature that appeals
to RBT:
*http://tinyurl.com/yg8d3rg

A more modern and often-pirated physics lecture uses Diavolo as an
example:

http://physics.ucsd.edu/students/cou...aged/physics2a...

***

Back to Conn Baker, the racer who claimed to have replaced the
original Diavolo in the loop act.

Baker may have been the original Diavolo, not the replacement that he
claimed to be in the long interview--replacing someone killed while
performing the act sounds better.

Baker liked to hang from rocks and lived a long and happy life:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...47137674&GRid=...

Naturally, Baker preferred a proper bicycle in his old age:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...8975903&PIpi=1...

Bet you didn't think I could sneak a highwheeler in, did you?

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

VERY interesting, Carl, thanks for sharing.

I made a fool of myself however when I looked at this link:-

http://www.sideshowworld.com/blowoffLoopLoop.html

I soon realised that I was scrolling down to find a video link. :-)

Oh, well, its early in the morning here.

http://english.unc.edu/creative/tws/...as%20Wolfe.jpg

On Nov 3, 2:14*pm, wrote:

Two dead loopers in a row:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...7D71739E433A25....

Gotta love the description of a patient's condition - which seems to
have fallen out of favor these days.
" ... only to be carried away a bruised and bloodstained form, to a
hospital, where he is now in a dying condition"

DR