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Show A NOVEL CONTEST. The Utility of the Bicycle in Military Service Ser-vice to be Demonstrated. Special Dispatch to The Times. Chicago, May 18. A few seconds before 12 o'clock today, A. E. Lumsden and E. C. J3ode, two of Chicago's crack wheelmen, mounted their wheels, settled themselves comfortably in their saddles, adjusted their feet to the pedais and with a friend supporting support-ing them on either side, awaited the stroke of noon, at which time Major General Gen-eral Nelson A. Miles, commander of the department de-partment of the Missouri, was to hand them a message addressed to Major General O. O. Howard, commander of the department of the east. Prompt to the second, General Miles stepped forward and thrust the missive mis-sive into Lumsden' s hand. In a jifry it was safely stowed away, and, with a friendly push and a cheer from the crowd, the great 10 ay road ride was started. The object of me ride is to demonstrate the utility of the bicycle in military service, and if the message is delivered in New York City within the time agreed upon, four days, this object will certainly have been accomplished. accomplish-ed. The run has been cut up into eight di-tySSlons, di-tySSlons, and each division into from tour to 11 dozen parts according to the condition of the roads and the number of riders available. avail-able. The men will go in pairs, there being about one hundred and forty of them altogether, altogeth-er, and the distance to be covered by each pair varying from seven to forty miles. The ap. proximate time that will be occupied in covering each section of road has been carefully care-fully estimated, and the men are all under orders to be in readiness to receive the message from the previous man to bear it forward to tho next without delay. The rotds in some places are simply atrocious at-rocious on account of the recent rains, but the military feature of the enterprise has been impressed upon the riders and their orders are inflexible to push forw ard through mud and water, rain and shine, regardless of everything but getting there. Wheelmen are enthusiastic over the idea, and claim that a record will be made that will make the fabled stories of the pony express dwindle dwin-dle into insignificance. |