, 1874-11-15
PEDESTRI ANISM.


Daniel OLeary yesterday attempted to walk )
distance Of 50 miles in eight hours and forty-dye
minutes for wager made with A. a. Libby, a
local sportsman. The conditions Of the match
were that il O'Leary accomplished the task be
was to receive a100 from Mr.. Libby, and II ho
lost he forfeited a siuia1 amount, the winner to
dcfray all expenses
O'Leary is about 26 y',ars OF age, Of prepos-
sessing countenanco, and built for An athlete.
He stands 5 feet 915 inches, and his carringc is
erect His extraordinary powers Of endurance
and epeedi walking were developed N that pre-
carious manner OF lying-book~se selling-which
circumstances obliged him to adopt. Early and
late he toiled at his Calling and his fare meantime
WAS net, as may bo supposed, luxurious. Try
ing to exc out an existence, ,ho braVely continued
his rounds of the city every day, and thus he ac-
0uired that strength of muscle and long -wntleti-
ness,-',ecessary qualities in pedestrian. His
style Of walking is the purest; there is no de-
ceit in it, heel and toe. straight on. He steps a
little more than tho military pace, and with such
regularity and elasticity that hls movements
though quick, seem smooth. In TINT he differa
from Weston, the Eastern walkist, whose gait il
most uneven, sometimes deEenerating to the
shuttle.
This match against time attracted good deal
Of attention. O'Leary WAS said to have per-
they are not Of record, no regularly-appointed
rofo,ees to watch his gait and measure tho
course, and no recognized limt.ieepers being
present. But, on this occasion, it WAS known
that the most essential Of these particulars would
be seen to, aud many who doubted his ability do
termiued to be present.
The trial TOOK place at the West Side Rink, on
Randolph street. One o'clock Was the hour set
for the start, but it Was not effected until 2:30
p. m.
Mr.. v. B. Curtis, . well-known sportsman,
whose connection with athletic games has ever
been marked with distinction and fairness, acted
as tme-keeper, and also satisfied himself that
the course was properly measured. The attend
ance was not large at the outset, but toward
evening admirers and conjecturers focked in
until At one time tue spectators numbered close
on 500.
OLeary failed Of his task, but not to his dis
honor, for there il not on record better time for
the distance covered than he made And he
should be as the Inventive god Hho never fails
his part did he succeed, for 10 man ever I'M
dertook so heavy task under such dissdvanta-
geous circumstances. In the first place, the cir
c,lit Of tho rink Is shozt, which obliged him to
make IS Is rounds to complete mile, or
ego rounds to finish secondly, the flooring was
bad, and out OF joint at places thirdly, the hall
WAS cold, cheerless. damp. and altogether 90 dis
leartenlng that one should possess t. heart Of
oak to successfully withstand it's depressing
influences; fourthly, the light-it is mockory to
80 name twas just sucl as an odd penny
CANDLE sprouting from the neck OF pop
bottle and placed at wide intervals, afforded;
and lastly the track WAS not kept CLEAR aud
every ecalawag who thought he could '' do some
walkin" trotted On the course, to the annoy
auce Of O'LearY.
The start was made ut 2:30 and tho finish At
Ills p. m., he having then travelled 4S miles and
about one-quarter Of mile, or 638 circuits of
tho Rink. HIS best mile WAS the eleventh, which
he walked in minutes and II seconds. On the
thirty fifth mile he was 10 minutes and 20 seconds
behind. It was known then that fatgued as he was.
he coudnot make up for the lost time, Jet he kept
on boldly aud b1avely. On tue 42d mile be put
in killing squirt and kept it up, amid cheers
from the srectators, for four circuits. After
ward he seemed much distressed. When he
ended the 45th mile b had only 81 minutes and
Al seconds to finish. He knew it was hopeless,
yet plucklly he continued until Mr. Curtis called
time at the expiration of the hours and IS
minutes. O'Learv then approached the
time-keeper. surrounded BY great
many friends. He expressed q dlsinclinaton to
finish the distance. and said: "Gentlencn, I
have done all could" That statement, which ap-
pearancas would warrant one to believe. diesi-
pates the insinuaton that he did not want to
win. 4r. Libby then called for three cheers for
OLeary. and luis call WAS responded to with
vigor. He then said: " Gentlemen. Mr.. OLeary
hns accomplished . feat which has never
heretofore been approached nearer than
an hour. In consideration OF his performance,
I will hand over to him the entrance moneys,
which amount to about $780," This little speech
received its me1ited applause, and all then sep
arated.
Tho opinion OF men who hsre long been pa-