The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1916-08-10
INDIAN. MACHINE
GUN DETACHMENT
GIVEN HARD TRIAL
Notwithstanding Difficulties the Boys
Made A Record. Results Prove
Very Satisfactory

Plattsburg, N. Y, July 28.-Major
General Leonard Wood, accompanied
by one of his aids, Captain Halstead
Dorey, spent two hours yesterday with
the machine gun detachment in a try
out of an Indian armored side-car, op-
Grated by First Lieutenant Philip Cor
don, of the Second cavalry, who is in
command of the machine gun deatch-
ment, composed Of regulars and busi-
ness men.
There was but one motorcycle with
armored side car used and this was
ridden by Lieutenant Gordon and two
privates, the Benet machine gun be-
ing carried, but no swivel alta to
, the side car. The balance of the ma
chine gun detachment accompanied
on horseback. and General Wood and
his aid also rode horses.
Mean Place for Tryout
The location selected for the exper-
iment was three miles west of the
camp, in the meanest kind of soil that
could be found, sandy and full of old
tree stumps and bushes as high as the
men on the motorcycle. To reach the
location the men went out over the
Peru road and when nearing the rail-
road tracks turned into the stumpy
ground, reducing the motors speed
from about so miles an hour to about
20, and at that rate Lieutenant Cor
don. with one man sitting on the rear
Of the motorcycle and one in the arm
ored car, underneath which was a box
containing 600 rounds of ammunition,
picked his way in and around stumps
and over bushes. Reaching a small
stream, where it was feared that the
machine might become stalled, the
party stopped and in 20 seconds had
detached the car from the motorcycle,
taken the motorcycle across, gone back
and pulled the car over and reattach-
ed the two and were on their way.
Bringing the machine to a stop a
little further on, the lieutenant sprang
to the ground and one man followed
with several hundred rounds of am
munition, while the third detached the
armored car and hurried to the rear
quite distance with the motorcycle,
where it was hid in the bushes. The
idea was that if the enemy rushed in
the three men could get away on the
motorcycle, the third man holding on
to the second man and leaving the
armored car to be captured.
Test Was Pleasing.
The speed made in the test was
pleasing to the general and he was
loud in his praise of the work done by
the motorcycle. personally compliment
menting Hal H. Noyes of Springfield,
Mass, who is not only here as the rep
sentative of the Hendee Manufacture
ing company, who make the Indian
machine, but the civilian commander
of the motorcycle corps so far estab-
lished. The company has several ma
chimes at the camp and it is the duty
of Noyes to break in the soldetrs, prin-
cipally regulars, in the riding, hand
ling and care of the machines. There
are about dozen of these men now
who have under his mechanical eve,
become expert riders and men fully
capable of taking machine apart and
putting it together again.
In the test the machine and side car,
with three men. did what would be re
Quired of three horses, one pack mule.
requiring four men and the reader
can judge for himself how quickly the
motorcycle left a point and reached
another IN comparison to what time
would be required for the three horses
and pack mules to do the same thing.
In the first place the machine left
camp covering the three and one-quar-
ter miles in four minutes and half.
Horses could have made a short cut
by going over the railroad bed, saving
a mile. but from 10 to 12 minutes
would be required to reach the same
spot even then.