Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1915-07-19
MOTORCYCLE RIDERS
ELKO FRIDAY NOON
Transcontinental Relay Race Started
From Washington at Ten O'clock
This Morning

Much interest is being shown in
the motorcycles relay race which is
to pass through Elko from New York
TO San Francisco.
The schedule shows the riders are
due to pass through Elko Friday noon,
July 23rd.
Illustrated Motorcycle of New York
says, 1T is believed the feat can be
accomplished in six days" But the
dispatches say the riders will try TO
beat the train time of four and a half
days.
1t promises to be an exciting race
against time and the progress of the
riders will be watched with keen in
terest.
The fact is also significant that the
riders have chosen the Overland Trail
instead of the Lincoln Highway. The
Lincoln highway will be followed TO
Salt Lake. The riders then take the
Overland Trail because this is tie best
route through Elko.
The following Chicago dispatch to
the Ogden Standard Saturday gives
full particulars:
CHICAGO, July Hilary Sawyer,
Edward Hawkins and George Rhen-
tasel are the three riders who have
been selected to carry message
from President Wilson to the presi.
dent OF the Panama-Pacific Exposi-
tion and which is to be relayed by
motorcycle from Washington TO San
Francisco, on the relay race from
Chicago to Sterling, Illinois.
The Chicago boys, according to
schedule, will receive the message
Tuesday at 8:45 p. M. They are en-
pected to hand it to the next relay at
Sterling, ia miles distant, five hours
later.
It's never been done before-per-
haps it will never be done again
that all depends. At any rate, III
Merry. speedy. enthusiastic, motor
cycle riders are going to attempt 1t,
and if nerve will carry them through
they will do it.
They are going to beat the train
time from New York City to San
Francisco on motorcycles They are
not going to ride In bunch, they are
going to ride three at time, one to
relieve the other when fatigued, or
when mishap, OF perhaps something
worse than that puts one fellow
"hors de combat" Riding night and
day, over good roads and bad, in wet
weather and in dry, these boys ex-
pect 10 better the time of Az days
necessary for the Unied States mail
to cross from ocean to ocean.
II is not merely prank: they are
not going to all this trouble simply
to satisfy the whim of some motor
cycle enthusiast. The! are giving
the war department a. washington,
practical demonstration of the real
worth of the power driven two-wheel-
er in dispatch service. That's why It
Is called Dispatch Relay. The first
rider will be provided with a message
by President Wilson in front of the
capitol at Washington. This mes.
sage, which is addressed to the Major
general at the Preside in San Fran.
cisco will be rushed by motorcycle
relay on to New York, where the real
start will be made from the military
station at Governors island
Ten o'clock on the morning Of
Monday next, July 10Th, is set for
the start at Washington. Three re-
lays Will be employed to get the mes
sage to Governors Island. Changes
Will be made at Baltimore, at Phila.
delphia, and again at New York,
where according to schedule the boys
are due to arrive at 4:20 In the after
noon.
Quite rs a matter OF course, Chair
man John Donovan of the Competi
ton committee of the Federation of
American MotorcycliBts, who has
worked out the entire details for the
relay, has been sure to select the
best possible route from the Atlantic
to the Pacific. This includes roughly
the Central New York, Lincoln High.
way route, straight through, with the
exception of a couple OF dctours made
necessary by stretches of road now
under repair The route In question
carries the riders through Poughkeep.
sic, Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Buffalo.
Erie, Cleveland, Toledo, and South
Bend TO Chicago. From Chicago the
route leads through Davenport, Des
Moines, Omaha, Cheyenne, Salt Lake
City, Ogden, Elko, Reno and Coalfax
Into Sacramento, where the boys are
due to arrive while the 1915 National