The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1897-06-05
BICYCLES IN THE ARMY.
Corps Will Make a Practical Test
Trip Over Rough Western
Roads Under Lieutenant
Moss.
Especial to The New York Press.)


regular army. This is the full significance
of the order issued yesterday by Secretary
of War Aiger, directing Lieutenant James
A. Moss, Of the Twenty fifth United States
Infantry, stationed Fort Missoula, Mont,
10 organize bicycle corps of twenty from
among the men in his regiment, and to
make a trip from Fort Missoula, Mont, to
ST. Louis. Mo-, and return. The assurance
of this order is the successful termination of
long-continued efforts on the part of bicycle
enthusiasts, in the army and out, to have the
wheel recognized as a modern means of
conveyance.
The order directs Lieutenant Moss to or
Eanize his corps and drill his men thorough
ly by making several practice marches over
the mountain roads in the vicinity of Fort
Mssoula, to test the wheels and the
various methods of packing them. When
he has satisfied himself that everything is
all right he is to report his departure from
Fort Missoula and go to St. Louis, by the
most direct route, reporting progress from
time to time to his regimentai commander
and to the War Department IT Washington.
lie is to make the trip without any more
delay than is actually necessary for food
and sleep.
A PRACTICAL TEST.
To ride in all kinds of weather, to
put the bicycle to PsActcal test a
means of conveyance as is possible in time
of peace, is the purpose of the trial. The
corps is to carry tents ammunition, arms,
equipments and food, and will not stop at
hotels, but will camp out each night, renew
ing The supply of food from time to time as
may be necessary. The bicycle corps is to
consist of one lieutenant, who is the officer
in charge Lieutenant Moss,) one surgeon,
one surgeant, three corporals and sixteen
prvates, one of whom is to be 4 bicycle me-
chanic. Each man is to carry on his wheel
a knapsack, which will be strapped on the
h:ndlc-bars the front of the bicycle; one
blanket roll, on the top Of the knapsack,
containing one blanket, shelter tent
half; and the poles; one haversack, either
on the front OF the knaPsack or on the horl-
zontal bar, we'll to the front; one tin cup,
carried under the seat; and every other SOL
der is to carry rifle strapped horizontally
on the left side of his bicycle; soldiers not
which will contain extra bicycle parts, in the
diamond of their wheels. On his person
each soldier is to carry his cantecn and
cartridge belt containing thirty rounds of
ammunition. On the completion of the trip
Lieutenant Moss will make a report to the
Secretary Of War, which will undoubtedly
be used basis of request by the Sccre-
tary from Congress for an appropriation for
money with which to organize bicycle
regiment.
MEANING OF THE ORDER.
The full meaning of the order just issued
at first will not appear to those unfamiliar
with the relative locations of Fort Mis-
soula, Mont, and St. Louis, Mo-, and with
the condition of the Western wagon roads
over which this journey is to be made. 1t
means that while the b,cyclists are to have
their way about the trial of the bicycle by
the army, the wheel is to he subjected to
most severe test. Fort Alissoula is in the
extreme western central part of Montana,
and is distant from St. Louis, Mo-, about
1900 miles. The roads ere for the most
part uncared- for trails, not much used, and
in many cases mere ruts. Streams will
have to be fordcd in many places, as only
the larger rivers have bridges across them
can DC crossed by ferries. The wheeling
across the main range of the Rocky Noun
tains will be an especially severe test of the
bicycle. And across the akali plans of
Eastern Montana and the Bad Lands of the
Dakotas, where travelling in a l.alace car at
the rate of thirty miles an hour seems to the
ordinary passenger he never ending
<lreariness, the wheeling will be most unin-
,cres,ing and will tax the men and wheels
to their utmost.
But Lieutenant Moss does not think that
the prospect of this long and wcarisone
trip is unintcres;ng. On the contrary, he
looks forward to it with much pleasure and
final instructions and will start for his post
in few days. This kind of work is not
entirely new to Lieutenant Moss, for last
July, on his own responsibility and IN ac-
cordance with the spirit of the Recommended
ton by General Miles in his last annual
report that bicycle reg ment be organized,
Lieutenant Moss organized bicycle corps
at Fort Missoula of eight men. They took
part in the annual encampment and prac-
teal drill of his reg nent, acting as scouts
and messengers and advance guard and
in many other ways
RESULTS WERE ENCOURAGING.
The results were encouraging that he
asked and obtained permission to make a
trip from Fort Missoula to and through the
Yellowstone Park. The Yellowstone Park
lies between Montana and Wyoming, and
the roads which it was necessary to
ride were of the toughest and widest.
They carried all of their arms, equipments,
ammunition, tents, medicine and food, stop
ping at various forts for supplies of
food. They travelled in all kinds of weather
and over the whole distance, 1900 miles,
and made an average of six and one-half
miles an hour. TO military men this rate of
travel over the toughest of roads is full of
significance.
They often forded streams, some of them
being three feet deep, and it was only when
in gumbo mud that the wheels were found
to be hindrance and had t., be carried
At all other times when riding was impos-
sible the wheels we're pushed along by hand
The average weight of the bicycles packed
was 70 ITO pounds, and the average weight
of riders was ~ 40 pounds, average