The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-24
A REMARKABLE RIDE.
The Task a Russian CaTdlTYmal Accomplished
TO The Surprise Of His Comrades.

A Russian officer was li0niZed in Paris q
few months ago for his feat of riding FROM
st. Petersburg to the capital of France in
fairly rapid time, though he did not equak
some previous performances in that line.
The European newspapers recently have re-
corded number Of exceptionally long and
very rapid journeys on bicycles. The world
is just now particularly interested in feats OF
this sort One of the most interesting Of these
long Journeys was accomplished by Rus
sian soldier named Assieiev during the Paris
Exposition in 1885, when he travelled from
LOubny in Russia to Paris, a distance OF
1852 miles, in thirty days. He was a eOrnet
in the Twenty-sixth Russian Dragons.
Not one of his comrades believed that a
member of the regiment or any OF its horses
could make this long journey in thirty DAYS.
The young officer who undertook it believed
the feat could be accomplished easily il the
horses were properly treated. 1t was mis-
theory that the soldiers did not get out
of their horses all the work they could
easily accomplish If they were handledAin a
rational manner. and he promised to prove
that he could take couple Of horses from
the regiment, leading one Of them, and ae-
complish this long journey without the
slightest injury to either animal, and with
out having given them previously any train
ing for the task.
Assieiev left Loubny on April II, 1883,
with two animals which had not had par
ticle of previous training. One was bay
mare years old, reared in Little Russia
The other was his own brown mare, DIANA
three-fOurths English blood. Every day he
mounted Diana in the morning, aHd rode
her until 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when
he saddled the other mare. This is the way
he undertook to carry out his plan OF prov
ing the endurance of his horses and of ac-
complishing rapidly long distances during
many successive days.
he started IN at very gentle pace. Ills
early marches were only twenty-nine miles
a day; but after a while, and notably be-
tween Longwy and Paris, the distance COW
cred daily was from ffty-five to seventy
one miles. He was only thirty days in
travelling the 1852 miles between LOubnY
and Paris. He would have made the
distance in twenty-eight DAYS if he had
not been victim Of Russia's remarkable
police system, which detained him for
two days at Novgrad VOlyvsk, on suspi-
eiOn During his journey he Travelled
HeSse Darmstadt Oldenburg and the
Rhine province in Luxembourg. The
weather was fine, except at the
start, and he was obliged to swim only one
river. He was very glad OF little rainy
spell in Bavaria, Tor the journey had thus
far been mostly very dry and hot. By the
time he reached Paris he made up his mind
that the steel hOTseShOes used in the Rus
sian army were better adapted for long
journeys than anything he found on the
way. One Russian shOeing CARR his
horse distance of 600 miles, and after that
he had to renew his horses shoes every 300
miles, The Russian shoes proved to be-
twice as useful as any others.
During the thirty days of the journey the
animals Travelled 339 hours 20 minutes, or an
average of IL hours a day, during which
they covered an average distance of over 81
miles. The last 200 miles were accom-
plished in three days.
Having successfully performed his feat,
he was received with great attention in
Paris, was presented by General Fredericks
of the Russian army to the Minister of War
of Russia, who happened to be in Paris.
who cOmplimented him in the name of the
Emperor. He was the hero of a number OF
enthusiastic ovations, and every one seemed
to think that his courage, energy aud skill
entitled him to great credit. Soon after he
received a promotion from the Gar. A
fine photograph of the young cavalryman
was shown in the Russian section OF the
exhibition, land his horses for some time
figured on the exhibition grounds.-N. Y.
Sun.