Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-05-22
A TOUR OF THE WORLD
MADE ON BICYCLES BY TWO YOUNG MEN
NOW IN THIS CITY.
They Spent Three Years Making Trip on Their
Wheels, Having Many Curious Adventures
and Seeing Many Strange Sights.

Thomas G.. Allen, of Ferguson, st.
Louis county, Mo-, and William L.
Sachtlebeu, of Alton, H., were regist-
cred at the McLure House yesterday.
They are just about complaining a
three years tour of the world, made,
so far as land journeys were concerned,
upon their bicycles, comparatively
short run from Wheeling to New York
city, remaining to complete the actual
circumference Of the globe.
Drowned by the suns Of many lands,
the gentlemen looked the pictures OF
rugged health, last evening, as they
recounted TO a REGISTER reporter
brief account Of their long journey,
relating many very interesting incidents
encountered by them oil their tour.
On the 22d OF June, 1890, the gentle
men named graduated from Washing
ton University, ST. Louis, and the next
day they left for New York City, where
they began preparations for trip
abroad, it being their original attention
to make tour of the British Islands on
bicycles, stop for a time In London,
and then return. Arriving in England,
they made tour OF England, Scotland
and Wales on their wheels, extending
over fifteen hundred miles, and on ar
irving back in London, they
for the first time decided to make
the grand tour of the world on
their wheels. Crossing the Channel,
they rode through France, Italy, Greece
and Turkey, to ConStantinople, where
they crossed into Asia Minor, and con-
tinued on through Persia, Turkey stan,
India, part OF Russia and China, reach
ing Pekin after travelling seven thou
sand miles by land, their route leading
through the heart 81 Asia. From Pc
kin they went 20 Shanghai, thence
through Japan, and then sailed for San
Francisco, where they landed on last
Christmas dav. Then the trip across the
United States was commenced, the State,
of California, Arizona, New Mexico,
Texas, Kansas, the Indian Territory and
Missouri being traversed, and after q
STOP in st. Louis, the scene OF their col
lege days, they came on East until
Wheeling was reached, at four o'clock
Yesterday afternoon. When New York
City is reached, the trip Of Thomas
Stevens will have been outdone, the
two men having record OF 1879
miles OF actual bicycle riding to their
credit.
or course, the entire three years was
not spent in constant riding, as many
stops of longer or shorter intervals were
made, seven months being spent in one
place. Throughout the trip many
courtesies and attentions were shown
by officials of the countries through
which they passed, and often they were
royalty entertained.
They say the Turks are like the cow
boys out West. When the two strangers
arrived at quarters for the night in
Turkey, the word would go like wild
fire, that two Americans on Iron
horses" were near, and a terrible jam Of
people would result. At break Of day
the bicyclists would find their stopping
place surrounded, by a yelling, rustling
gang, with big hats, long knives, ETC.,
calling for the men of the Iron horses, "
to come out and ride for their amuse-
ment. If they wouldn't hurry up, the
Turks would pull them out Of bed.
On the 4th of July, 1891, the three
loyal young Americans assembled Mt.
Ararat and planted there the stars
and stripes, and fired their pistols
in salute. They say they were the first
and only Americans who ever assembled
the mount.
BY their journey the wheelmen be-
came almost like Englishmen in their
manners, and having been from home
so long they say they felt like foreign
ers when California was again seen, last
January.
Their greatest difficulty was encoun-
tered in Russia. They were taken for
English spies there, but finally were
acquitted, but the wheelmen were shut
up in Siberia by ice and snow for quite a
time and they were glad to get out OF
that country.
Through the Chinese Empire from
west to east, 5000 miles, on their
wheels was an interesting journey. 1t
was made doubly interesting to the two
wheemen, as they were Americans,
and the first TO traverse the Chinese
Empire, for that distance, in the same
direction, since the time OF Marco Polo,
who made his celebrated tour in the
thirteenth century. The desert Of Cobb
in China was crossed. Here for two
weeks they lived on -four and water and
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