The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-05-17
WAR MOTORCYCLES
USED BY MEX|CANS

/ With war motorcycles already In
/ use by Mexicans. and Uncle sam wide
/ awake to their utility, actual warfare
1 below the Rio Grande would bring
! about real test Of the wheel
err" in the field. Brigadier-General
! George r. Scriven. of Washington,
/ D. C., declares that the motorcycle
| is as valuable In the army as an air
ship and much more practicable /.
| cheaper and faster than horse; ex-
| cellent for delivery of telegraph mes
/ sages. and could be used To advantage
/ in general field work.
| For some time test Of motorcycles
4 for use in connection with field, ar
! tillery has conducted Fort
| Riley, kans. A number of motorcy-
! c!es are also used by the Second di~
! vision of the reorgan.zed army while
4 stationed at Galveston and Texas
| City After several tests in which
/ every available means of communi-
| cation between the different regi-
ments was used, the Second division
| decided upon the motorcycle as the
/ most efficient. One of the tests ma de
! in this connection was the delivering
| of an order from division headquar-
| quarters to the various brigade
! commanders The distance was about
/ FIVE miles, Wireless instruments We're
| provided and the message was sent
| by telephone over ground wires which
| had been laid: an Orderly mounted
| on a horse carried an order: the mes
:, sage was relayed by wigwagging 1t
! To the brigade commanders. But
none Of these messages reached the
| destination as quickly as the one car
! ried by an orderly mounted on a mo-
| torcycle.
| A motorcycle corps Is being organ
/ lied In Nashville, Tenn by Lieuten-
ant A. j. Bright who saw service In
| the Philippines. Lieutenant Bright
/ says that the total strength OF the
! corps will be about one hundred.
and that they will be prepared to go
to the border II ordered to do so.
| Many of the varied tests have been
made. both in this country and n
I Europe, as to the speed, economy.
1 reliability and practicability of the
| two-wheeler for army use. and as a
I result OF these tests, motorcycle squad
/ rons have been added-te many of
/ the army posts. But up to this time
/ the use OF the two-wheeler in actual
/ battle has been very limited.
\ General Francisco villa, the Next
| can rebel leader. has adopted motor
i cycles for the use of his army mes
4 sengers Villa realizes that quick
messenger service often decides a bat
\ tie, and he says that with the four
4 motorcycles now In use, he Is able to
\ keep in closer touch with the various
4 divisions of his army. Then, too, he
1 finds that the motorcycle is not SO
/ easily brought down on the battle
\ field as horse.
/ A band of motorcycle dispatch
I riders has proven of material SER
4 vice to the Ulster volunteers. To
| this squadron belongs one woman
Irider-Miss r. Kingsborough--wh
was the first woman to volunteer her
! services to the Ulster cause.
At the time OF the Balkan trouble.
| in 1912. two large moving picture
concerns supplied their representa-
tives with motorcycles. by the aid OF
I which they were able to get very
! complese picture OF the activities.
/ The cameras were mounted on the
front OF the machines and as the tide
OF battle shifted. the operators were
enabled to change their positions
| quickly. and thus get the best posi-
Bile view
About this time. also. was the mo-
| torcycle frst used for transporting
| an X-ray outfit on the battle field,
| A dynamo, coils and all other APP
raratus necessary for operating an
tn x-ray outfit on the battlefield
two-wheeler. A belt can be attached
| on the motorcycle motor and dyna-
1 mo and electric current produced.
1 This power will produce the X-ray
10 used by physicians for
| examining persons injured on the bat
tleneld.
with. these exceptions there haa