The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-24
THE ARMY BICYCLE.


Though the experiments in the United
States date back TO the spring of 1889, it is
only within the past three months that the
seal of official army approval has been set
upon them Lieutenant William H. c. Bow
en-, Of the Fifth United States infantry,
visited Camp Watson at Mantle, Conn, on
tour of inspection of the Connecticut Ma
tional Guard lasting from Aug. Is to %.
Major Charles l., Burdette, engineer and
signal officer of the First brigade, had
placed the signal corps of the First regi-
ment Zone officer and nine mem on wheels.
Lieutenant Bowen said in his report:
Under its commanding officer, First
Lieutenant Howard a. Giddings, this
corps of wheelmen have reached high de-
gree of proficiency. Major Burdette was
the originator of this plan. The men were
armed with the Colts repeating carbine
and with the revolver. A man mounted
on bicycle can go many places where it
would be impossible to take horse, and it
can beat the flag in sending messages in
nearly every case. As a fighting force it
may not be favored, but as messengers, pa
trolls and advance guards, in my opinion,
it would be invaluable. l would recon-
mend to the serious consideration of the
war department the ACCESSIBILITY of expert
menting with the bicycle.
Speaking of the utility of the wheel in
actual warfare, General Wolseley is re-
ported TO have said: There are few coun-
tries in the world where you cannot use
cycles. | do not remember one
days march or any one fight in which we
took part where cyclists could not have
been used with the greatest possible ad
vantage
THE principal duties of the military
cyclist are those of carrying dispatches,
skirmishing and accommodating. AS ap-
piled to the signal service, the wheels. in
my opinion, would almost double its lsse-
fulness."
At the camp at Mantle the several regi-
ments each performed a tour of outpost
duty. A line of front a mile in length was
thrown out two miles away and then at
tackled The wheelmen were detailed as
couriers TO carry messages back to camp.
Signal stations were also established, and
exact time comparisons made.
The two cyclists covered the two miles
of sandy road from front 10 camp In seven
minutes. The messages tagged required
seventeen minutes for transmission. 1t
was also found that the wheels stood every
portion of the weeks hard service up hill
and down dale without once needing re-
pair.
Another interesting evolution was the
deploying of the cyclists as mounted in
fantry. They were sent across open and
broken country without Inconvenience,
and made TO rally behind the inverted
wheels for defense. aud FIRE from this pro-
tection. This movement is known as a
''zereba." /, was also discovered that the
bicycle could make shorter turn than the
horse and dodge many q saber cut.
1t may be safely said that Connecticut
has been the first state TO actually test the
military bicycle question BY mounting
number OF its militia on wheels for
tour of duty in camp But Connections
was not the irs- in the fed in cycling eN-
perjments. That honor goes 10 New York.
and the experiments there have been CON
fined TO the Tnjrteeslth regiment.
The idss Is said 2, lave originated dur
ing the Th:rteenJh's trip 70 Canada ia
1850. + n years the project Was talked
about, but nothing definite was donG-
Captain Charles II. Luscomo, himself
faEous wheelman, and Captain George q.
Cochran voiced the sentiments OF the ea-
thuSi2sts. On May -. 1889. companies
and Of the Thirteenth. under the CON
maud c: Captain Cochran biyoaackei a.
Richmond Hill, l. l. Seveu or eight
army bicyclers headed the line Of march
The comp2ny orders. dated May u. con
tain a paragraph Is follows. Outpost duty
will be performed by corps OF twenty
four 0ieyciists acting IS cavalry" But
less than dozen could oe secured