The herald., 1895-07-07
BICYCLES OF NO
USE IN THE ARMY, GENERAL
MERRITT THINKS

Major General Merritt does not succeed
to the enthusiasm concerning the use C
bicycles in the army that was felt by Gen
era, Miles, his predecessor in command o
the department. of the Missouri. There
is now on the road, somewhere between
New York and Chicago, bicycle courie
carrying messages from General Miles t.
| General Merritt. Just where he is Gen
eral Merritt does not know. or how. he il
travelling or anything about him. In fact
the general does not think that the bi
cycle wouli add any strength to any
branch of the military service, and he il
not going to worry at all about it, say
the Chicago Tribune.
Il have given the subject of bicycles il
the army very little consideration. says
General Merritt land l have never beer
where l could give them practical test
in the service. So far as | know anything
about bicycles, however. they are not
necessary and would not be particularly
useful In the army. AS couriers for long
distances it seems to me that bicycle rid
ers would be useless. There is a courier
coming with messages to me from New
York, you say. l cannot see that his ex-
pedition will have any value except as a
test of the mans endurance. What is the
practical use of sending a message by q
bicycle courier who will take many days
to deliver it. when it can be sent by mail
in one day or by telegraph in a few
hours? l don't see any,
"Supposng the telegraph wires were
cut down and the trains were blockaded
by hostile armies?'
THE telegraph could be restored much
faster than any bicycle rider could travel,
and the blockade to the railways could be
relieved where it would be safe for a BIZ
cycle rider to venture. do not see how
such courier could be of any value to
the army for long distance service. 1t
would not be safe for him to attempt to
travel through hostile country. About
the only use to which bicycles could be
put in the military, l think. would be in
carrying messages back from the advance
lines of a moving army to the rear. There
they would save horsef1esh and relieve
the necessity of calling for messengers
from the cavalry. which branch OF the
service especially like and which hate
to see fIttered away in that sort OF work.
LAS couriers in any established camp
wheelmen are rendered useless by the per-
lection of the telegraph apparatus with
which most every army is supplied. By
means of the telegraph one wing of an
army can communicate with another
much more quickly than could be done
by means of bicycles"
served shssw hbs oily y' snssa lyss
IDa6 tDe llutle COuslueTatiOii hS loo S'tcii
to the subject of bicycles had not dis
posed him at all in their favor. General
Miles. on the other nand, was enthusias-
tic about all things pertaining to the
wheei and seemPo to want to encourage
its use in the army wherever it was possi-
lbe. General Merritt was disposed to
raise the question whether it was Cen
eral Miles belief in the value of the bicy
Gle or his indulgence of the bicycle ri iers
that caused his interest in them. Which,
ever it was though, General Miles re-
peatedly consigned to bicycle couriers
messages to be carried with all possible
speed to General Howard, who preceded
HIM in command at Fort Hamilton. He
was greatly interested in the relay races
between Chicago and New York and did
what he could when IN this city to pro-
mote wheeling, both as an exercise and
as possible aid to the United States
army Now from Fort Hamilton he has
sent out a wheelman to see how quickly
one man alone can make the run between
the two cities.
Private Albert Matthey, Of the First
United States artillery. is the courier who
is carving General Miles dispatches to
General Merritt. He Is "A years old and
membe of the Prospect Wheelmen's
club of South Brooklyn. Matthey became
one or Uncle Sans troopers eighteen
months ago and was assigned to Fort
Hamilton. He was born in South Brook,
lyn and has many friends in that city.
Several years ago he took to riding the
wheel He left in light marching order.
carrying with him two blankets strapped
over his shoulders. He wears the regu.
lation uniform while en- route.