The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1894-12-21
B Ell CTlONSNEWS BYSWHEEL.

Bicycle Corps Collected the Returns in
West 5Yirginia and Ohio. II aFE
. On election night the wheel scored an
other triumph in furnishing election news
from. Ohio and West Virginia ut least
two or three hours earlier than ever be-
fore. Until 1893 and 1894 it was almost
impossible to get. satisfactory returns
from West. Virginia until the day after
tricts and in many Of the principal coun.
ties there is u lack of tclegraphic facil-
ties, and telephone lines are not common.
For years the returns have been taken to
tae,Gounty seats on horseback. The roads
nave been constructed in the crude way
that farmers employ. The virgin soil
IS turned over with the plow. thing
like ditch dug at the roadside, and i'll
the course of two or three months the
road is much worse than it eyer could
horseback is very slow. The horse sinks
III the clay over his fetlocks, and the rider
~ lucky ii he gets the returns to the
county seat before daybreak.
This year some of the papers in Wheel
ing, w. Va, and other large towns of the
state, and other papersin Ohio organized
blcycle corps to >goSafter the<returns and
bring them to the newspaper offices.
There was heavy storm the day before
election, and the roads were in very bad
condition. There is i sidepath however,
along most of the country ro:lds over
which the wheel can be propelled, and Oh
these strips Of fairly firm ground the
cities about & O'Clock, after dark in alt
cases, and hurried as fast as they could
pedal their wheels to the remote pre-
cincts. Along most of the roads there
were high hills to climb and descend. The
riders were generally known as good road
riders, and they were not daunted by the
prospect of hills or heavy wheeling.
finished the 'wheelman took u copy of the
returns and started for the city. Flee
ton night was as dark us Il North Caro-
lima tar bucket. With oily the feeble
light of bicycle lanterns to aid them the
riders picked their way over stones,
through mud holes, past fences whose
snake-line convulsions projected into the
path. up hill and down dale, and not a
single case Of failure was reported. In
one or two instances the men walked the
last mile or two of the way owing to
punctures of their tires. Not one of them
was as late as midnight in reporting with
the returns. Had the compilers of the
returns been Obliged to rely upon the old
method. Il messenger on horseback, the
people of the. East would not have known
before l o'clock in the morning that West
Virginia had elected Republican congress.
men, Or that Ohio had elected Republican
congressman in districts where Republic
ans were never elected before
The wheelmen who brought the returns
into the Offices were sight to behold
They were covered with mud and their
wheels seemed solid. The tough clay that
lies on the surface in some parts Of Ohio
and West Virginia sticks closer than o
brother. One Of the wheels was placed on
exhibition in a town in Southern Ohio
as an object, lesson in regard to the kind of
roads that Che people of a rich and popu.
lous state are willing to put up with during
six months Of each year. incidentally,
the Wheelmen may have made a few
more good road arguments, besides report
ing the election news ahead of all prior