The results of the military bicycle trial on Long Island were most satisfactory.
The company started out with thirty-two men, and arrived home with twenty-eight, three having been sent back on business, the fourth man being the only one whose wheel was too badly damaged to be ridden.
The company travelled three hundred and ninety-eight out of the five hundred miles planned. The rest of the distance could not be made on account of the dreadful weather.
It rained every day of the trip, and the soldiers had to contend with muddy roads from start to finish.
In spite of these drawbacks the expedition was a complete success, and it is said that it will prove of the greatest value from a military standpoint.
The bicycle ambulance had to be abandoned on the second day out, as it was unsuited to the heavy roads over which the troop had to travel.
The accidents to the wheels were: ten rims broken, seven tires punctured, twenty spokes, two bearings, a handle-bar, and a pedal broken.
Happily there were two bicycle machinists in the party and they were able to make the necessary repairs, so that all the wheels were usable throughout the entire trip except one, which was so badly broken that the rider had to leave the company.
Captain Lyon, who was in command, says that it has been shown that the bicycle can be of great service in military operations. He says that under the very worst conditions a wheel can accomplish much more than a horse.
He thinks that the weight carried on the machine has very little to do with its endurance, but at the same time in future trips would recommend that a carbine be carried instead of the musket, which he considers too heavy and cumbersome to carry on a wheel.