Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-04
A LONG RIDE AWHEEL
Private Weber's Thirty-Eight-Day Trip
From Salt Lake.
Experiences In Crossing the Great
Desert, but None the Worse
for Them.


fantry arrived in this city August 25th after
having Travelled on bicycle from Salt Lake
City, which he left on July Is. The trim
covered 1921 miles, according to the cy-
ciometer carried on the wheel. the actual
| running time being 374 hours, made in thir-
| ty-eight actual running days.
When Private Weber reached this city he
was somewhat tired, but he wrote in his
| diary Myself and wheel o. K" He ad
stopped over but two days during his jour
| ney one day in Chicago and one at Leba-
! non. where he met an old friend and en-
5oyed talk of old times. He was not de-
tanned on account of illness during his trip,
| though he suffered a sprained ankle on his
| second day out.
The soldier bicyclist who made this cre,l-
liable run is not large of stature, of dark
complexion and hair. and an athlete of no
mean order He Is young man of inteli-
gence, courage and endurance of a high Or
der. He had finished the period of his en-
Hstment and started for his home at Ian
caster. Pa, on a three months furlough.
He carried his furloush papers with him,
and this document recommended him to the
good offices of the army.
Some Long Runs Made.
The longest of the thirty-eight runs was
1874 miles, made on the seventeenth day of
ord of his runs and of the cyclometer read
ings. and by these it is shown that the run
of 1871 miles was made in fourteen hours.
Runs of over 100 miles were made on six
days, and an average of seventy-four miles
was made every day which the bicy-
c,ist Travelled. The total expenses Of the
trip until his arrival in Washington was
s4l.57. of which amount 81. 20 was spent for
repairs of the wheel When the wheelman
arrived here his wheel was IN good condi-
ton, with the exception of the tire, which
it was necessary to renew.
Incidents of the Trip.
The first days journey was the most
trying to tine wheelman. On that day he
rode ten hours, not including the stops for
dinner and supper, which generally con-
suned an hour. He recorded in his diary.
Rather sore. Tired. A little discoura ged' -
The second day he had all railroad rid
On that day he sprained his ankle. For
some days he rode either on the railroad
track or the desert and found water very
scarce. On his third day out from Salt
Lake City he slept on the porch of rail-
road telegraph station.
On his seventh day out he followed a
cattle trail over the hills, and records in
his diary that he suffered from want of
food. though he slept we'll in haystack
He had hard work OH an upgrade, and on
the eighth day Of his run was at an alti-
tude of 11,200 feet. He was still on the
cattle trails in the vicinity of Leadvilie
and his ninth day was spent running in an
irch of water. He had lively time with
the long-horned cattle. and was obliged to
put bullet IN one Of them in self-defense.
His troubles were added to on the following
day when he fell and hurt his knee.
Many Miles of Sand.
At Denver Private Weber met Mr.. Gill
leland who proposed accompanying him
on wheel to Cheyenne. On the next day,
however his compar ion gave out and took
train. Then the private being once more
alone got into a lot Of cactus for a num-
Der of miles, and his life was made miser-
able. On the sixteenth day of the run
Weber struck sand and had to walk five
miles. At Council Bluffs his funds were
running very low but he got remittance
at that place and vas able to proceed i'll
an easy frame of mind. Before reaching
Council Bluffs he encountered a great deal
of sand, which made riding difficult
Better Roads, but Bad Weather.
After leaving Omaha the roads gave him
much trouble, and when he came into better
roads the weather got worse, and there
was considerable rain. But hills and the
heat were his great enemies. August 10
was spent in Chicago. In Illinois he met
better roads and made the best five-hour
run Of his trip, making sixty-five miles in
that time.
The condition Of the roads about Wheel
ing w. Va, caused the b.cycler to note
in his diary: The national pike Is not
what it is cracked up to be-
At Hagerstown Weber met very rocky
roads and very hot weather, and recorded
that his tire, as well as he, was giving out
Weber carried his stock of earthly goods
in a gripsack attached 10 his wheel, and
appeared none the worse for his ride under
such rough and lonesome conditions. He
da5 Wit
in this city and left for Lancaster, Pa, in
good spirits.