The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-11-24
4 Walking Match for $4,000 -Four
Hundred Miles watIltn Five Days
Wcsron's Progress Yesterday.


Edward 7. Weston, the celebrated pedes-
TITAN. Yesterday morning commenced his
grra. and final effort in the art Of walking
II the Empire Rink, Third avenue. The
ict: was mentioned among certain scientific
individuals in New York as being too great
for Weston To undertake; but 1t was no
sooner known by the pedestrian that the
matter was TO receive the assent Of Il GER
tain number Of his supporters than he came
forward. expressing his readiness to under
jlkr the task. The programme is as follows:
fht distance 10 be walked is 100 miles with
in tn, space Of five days, eighty miles each
day being the minimum distance to be gone
over in 0rderto bring the walker within time,
The amount subscribed. and which, if sue
ce~slul, ne Will receive, being & purse OF
$500. After due consultation with his
medical advisers, ii was arranged that
Weston should undertake the task under
their supervision and in accordance with
this agreement he arrived at the rink, pre-
pared o start, at a quarter past II O'Clock
i. Il. Yesterday. Weston is q good-looking
luau. about five feet nine inches in height,
with blue eyes and fair complexion, light
hair and mou>tache, aud is dre>sed in q
SUI; Of black velvet, with sn0wy-white.
iuil dress >h!rt-front, white silk bat. blue
SSH bearing Il Russian inscription, white
kid gloves, top boots, reaching to the knees
On The outside of the pantaloons. and car
WhiN. The six geS-MesSrS. Winans,
Dickinson. Spooner, McDougal. Morris,
and iSaacS---Were present ut the weigh.
jog, when it was ascertained that
Weston, in the costume described,
weighed l29. pounds. The path III
the Rink has been carefully prepared, and
the distance Of one circuit, as stated by Mr..
TaXter. the manager OF the affair, under
oath, il 49, and S4-100 feet, thirty-s six cir
cults being reckoned for each mile. Ac-
cording to his calculation Weston will have
Il walk $500 circuits, within the five days,
in order 10 secure the prize Of 5000. He
commenced walking at 12:l5 y. M..y"stcr-
day. ana walked twenty miles up 10 a.
NJ: he then stopped and rested until 7:oS,
when he started again, and continued walk
M until nineteen minutes past ) O'CLOCK in
the afternoon, when he hrd accomplished
exactly fifty miles. The average time occu-
pied in walking each circuit up to his rest
ingth lust time was one minute and forty
three seconds. To-day he has undertaken
TO walk III miles within the twenty
four hours, and il he can accomplish
this the judges have no doubt as to his sue
cess in doing the entire distance within the
specified time. Fink's band has been en-
gaged. and will continue to cheer the pedes-
trian and the large cOncourse Of visitors
with their appropriate and lively music
until the feat has been finished. 1t was eX-
trcmely exciting to watch Weston Us he
trippcd, with the avidity Of ballet dancer,
over the path III a regular and well-timed
step, turning round on his heel each time
on reaching the judges box, and taking a
reverse course. At the end Of his fittieth
mile he apDcared as lively and as fresh as
the moment when he first started, and each
tim" the band struck up an air he beat the
time with his riding whip, evidently cheer
cd with the melody. A number Of ladies
were present witnessing the walking. with
whom, to Judge by the frequent clapping OF
hands, he is Il great favorlte. He walked
eighty miles up to 10h last evening, when
he retired to rest, and will commence again
al an early hour to-day.