Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-04-25

A WoNDERFUL RUNNER. feats of our
pedestrians, though surprising enough, are
cast into the shade by the recorded exploits
of Ernst Mensen, a Norwegian sailor in the
English navy, early in the present century.
Although for a long time known to his ship
mates as an extraordinary runner, he first at
tracted public attention by running from Lon
don to Portsmouth. distance of 73 miles, in
nine hours, on wager that he could not &C
complsh the feat in 10 hours and soon after
he ran from London to Liverpool, $50 miles,
in 80 houts Mensen did not quit the sea
until he had distinguished himself in the bat
tie of Navarino in 1927, but shortly after that
date he became professional runner. After
winning a number of lesser matches he was
induced to undertake the great feat of run
ming from Paris to Moscow He started from
the Place Vendome at o'clock in the after
noon of June IL, 1881, and entered the Krem-
lin at 10 o'clock A. NJ. of June 25, having ac-
complshed the distance of 17GO miles in
thirteen days and eighteen hours.
This feat, as might be supposed created
decided sensation throughout Europe, and
the employment of Mensen as a courier ex-
traordinary by kings and princes became a
popular amusement in European courts. He
ran from country TO country, and from court
to court, bearing messages of congratulation,
coincidence, or dispatches of greater import
ance, and whenever matched against the reg
ular mounted couriers, easily succeeded in
beating them. He always carried with him a
map a compass, and as many biscuits and
ounces of raspberry syrup as there was to be
days occupied on the journey. In winter he
took with him a pair of long slender Norweg-
inn snow shoes, and in travelling he always
chose the most direct line, turning ont neither
for mountains nor rivers but climbing the
one and swimming the other. He never
walked, but invariably ran, keeping up q
long, swinging lope for hours at time with
out rest. His only refreshment was one bis
cult and an ounce of raspberry syrup per day,
and two short rests of ten or fifteen minutes
each in twenty-four hours. These rests he
took while standing and leaning against a tree
or other object of support. At such times
he covered his face with a handkerchief and
and slept and after such nap he would pur-
sue his way apparently as refreshed as
though he had slept for hours
In 1888 he started from Munich at l p. NJ,
June 6, with dispatches from the King of Ba-
varia to his son Otto, King of Greece. These
dispatches were delivered at Nauplia at .
A. NJ. July l, or seven days sooner than if
they had been sent by the regular post In
1876, while in the employ of the British East
India Company. Mensen was charged with
the conveying of dispatches from Calcutta to
ConstantinOple through Central Asia. The
distance is jGl5 miles, which the messenger
accomplished in 80 days, or in one-third of
the time made by the swiftest caravan. On
this wonderful journey he made his way
across terrible deserts, awful salt swamps,
where for hundreds of miles he saw no living
being and through countries whose inhabit-
ants were savage robbers and who lived in
state of continual warfare.
At last the project was broached to Mensen
to explore the Nile and attempt to solve the
most interesting geographical problem of the
age, the discovery of the sources of that
great river. He set out from Silesia on May
IL, 1912, and ran to Jerusalem, and thence to
Cairo and up the western bank of the river
into Upper Egypt Here, just outside the
village of Syane, he was seen on the morning
of January %, 1913, to stop and rest, leaning
against palm tree, with his face covered by
a handkerchief. He rested so long that some
persons tried TO wake him, but they tried in
vain, for he was dead. He was buried at the
foot of the tree, and it was years before
his friends in Europe knew what fate had be-
fallen him.