The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-09-08
In CYCLEDOM.
TEST WAS A SUCCESS.
Value of the wheel for Army Use
Clearly Proven.

VaIue of the wheel for Army Use
Clearly Proven.
Many Chicago cyclists will remember
lhe trip made by Lieut.. Abercrombie and
two soldiers from Fort Omaha to Chica-
go and return last year. The report has
just been published in the Army and
Navy Journal, and is as follows:
"United States soldiers made bicy-
Gle reconnaissance in June of last year,
upon which full official report has
only just been made. 1t appears in the
Army and Navy Journal, and is as fol-
lows:
Lieut.. Abercrombie, accompanied
by sergeant and private soldier,
each man carrying on his machine
blankets, half-shelter tents, revolver,
cartridges, rations, and spare apparat-
US, so that the weight of each machine
was brought up to As pounds, rode from
Fort Omaha to Chicago and back. The
journey eastward was made in almost
constant rain, over roads so flooded and
muddy that it was necessary for part
Of the way to abandon them and take
to the railroad track. The two soldiers
were new men at the business, having
never made long bicycle journey pe-
tore.
with these and other disadvantages,
Lieut.. Abercrombie and his men made
the round trip-a distance of l, 142 miles
in 13 days of actual travel, averaging
81 miles day on the eastward trip, and
90 miles a day on the trip westward,
when the roads were somewhat drier
"The riders frequently had to dis
mount to lead their machines through
sand. On one occasion they were obliged
to fell a tree to make foot bridge
across a river,and on another they had
to cut brush and lay it down to make
foothold on the bottom of an expanse OF
water, through which they waded up to
their knees, carrying their wheels
above their heads. On the first day the
detachment made So miles, over roads
which, Lieut.. Abercrombie says, .
horseman could not have traversed in
sny length of time. On the second day
the party were forced to take to the
railroad track.
"The shock of bouncing from one tie
to anotherwas quite severe; and when,
the lieutenant says, "a trestle presented
itself, new complication arose. To
dismount and walk meant to lose time
and to cool off and stiffen up; so the
trestles were ridden, although the vi
bration of the handlebars, where the
sleepers were more than the regulation
distance apart, was terrific. could
scarcely realize that such a delicate
looking machine as bicycle cou!c
stand such rough usage. But we aver
aged on the railroad track over nint
miles an hour.
"The party reached Gen. Merritt''
headquarters in Chicago, having made
the distance from Omaha, 5SS miles, il
seven days, over roads as rough as rair
and sun could make them.
"The return was made more easily
and with less railroad track travel. Al
result of his experience, Lieut.. Aber
! crombie declares that the practica
value of the bicycle as a means of trans
portation for scout, connecting
, patrol, or an infantry screen o
, mounted picket is demonstrated.
, "'There are he says, two condi
tions, and only two, where bicycle i
| vaIueleSS aS q means of tranSDOrta tiOI
to a trained rider, and those are in sand
levoid of vegetation, and in soft, un
: | nacked snow'n