The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-23
BICYCLES AND THE ARMY
CLAIMED THAT EXPERIMENTS HAVE
BEEN IN WRONG DIRECTION.
Mr.. Sherwood Makes Some Sugges-
the Signal Service Branch.

The many recent experiments with the
bicycle as a factor in military affairs has
caused a considerable amount of discussion
in this city among men of military expert
ence OF this class Wallace Sherwood. chief
consul of the Indiana division of the
League of America, is probably as well in
formed as any man in the United States.
He has ridden a wheel of some sort al
most continuously for seventeen years, get
ting his first experience on the old veloc-
pede advancing with the ron-rimmed
ordinary riding with the rubber-tired
ordinary then laboring along with the old
sod-cutter variety of the safety and finally
mounting the up-to-date 81 model bicycle.
And in this time he has also had thirteen
years experience in the military service,
five of which were spent in the signal serv-
ice of the regular United States army He
has read with interest all the newspaper
accounts Of the experiments of military
men with the bicycle down to the latest
attempt of Lieutenant Maus, of the Twen-
ty-ffth United States Infantry, being
trip from Missoula, Mont, TO st. Louis,
and the trip of Major r. 3. Davidson from
Chicago to Washington with his small COM
pany of cadets from the Northwestern
Military Academy
Mr.. Sherwood Is of the opinion that the
bicycle is destined to cut no small figure
in military maneuvers, but is as firmly con-
WINGED that the experiments thus far made
have been directed in the wrong manner.
He thinks the bicycle in the signal corps
would be an invaluable auxiliary 10 the
military department, but has poor opinion
of it q part of the regular formation OF
regiment. Speaking of the subject yes
terday he said:
The methods pursued to demonstrate the
value q the wheel for military service are,
however, unfortunate and do not touch on
the points where, in practical service this
vehicle would prove of most value
Right after the Apache campaign of 1886,
in the Department of Arizona, where few
Of us demonstrated the limit limit Of Of service cf
the heliograph In signaling messages
across country, officers at various posts en-
gagged in quite an extended series of ex-
Deriments as to how far the heliograph
flashes could be read. Now every expert
signalman in that campaign knew that
found there the curve of the earth's surface
was the only limit to the range Of flash.
The value of these experiments Tor prac{l-
cal application may be- imagined when the
servicea bility of a line of signal stations
is measured as it must be exactly as the
strength of a chain-by its weakest INK.
Let the sun become obscured and the next
resource for signal communication is the
swing of the flag and torch. While nave
seen the fash of a heliograph using mir
ror 312 inches square over sixty miles with
out the aid of a glass, to read q nag ten
miles distant, even with q good telescope,
is often difficult. The experiments We're IN
terestng but the ultimate value doubtful.
The present tests of the wheel are on much
the same lines.
Every old rider knows pretty accurately
the capacity of his wheel for getting over
ground under the circumstances which
Lieutenant Maus will be likely to meet We
have ridden over rough roads, muddy
roads, sandy roads and almost every com
binaton and style in which our American
highways get themselves up. We have 1t
fixed firmly in our minds that as a means
of rapid transportation for troops the wheel
occupies a position between the horse and
the railroad train. This decision has been
arrived at after a series of experiments
covering a long period of time, and under
test circumstances such as the present one
must fail to meet. Let the government call
for troops and $4,000 men, every one an ex-
pert rider. will willingly take their places
in the ranks of the cycle brigaGes and peat
L. nlr.rr ont fNrrfA to q