The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-06
TWENTY-FIVE MILE WALK.

EXCITING STRUGGLE AT MADISON souARE CAB
DEM. n. CLARK rHE WINNER.
An exciting twenty five mile walk for the amateur
championship of America took place at the Madison
square Garden last evening. the start being made ~
five minutes past seven O'Clock. 1t was the tnird
annual contest for the championship and was under
the auspices OF the Knickerbocker Athletic Club. at
their regular winter meeting. Only small audience
present not five hundred persons being in
the building at any time. among whom
wero dozen ladies. But the walking was
good enough to have drawn q crowd, II tho
peripatetic fever had been raging at the time in
the city. Thirteen entries made for the race.
Budd How. tho winner Of last year. being No. on
the list The others W. B. Ccngdon. New York
city; Alfred varian. Knickerbocker Yacht Club;
Thomas NJ. Buckley. Of the Adelphi A. c.; Daniel
Leblanc. Pastime A. c.. Charles Pfaf. Jr.. Knicker.
booker A. c.; George A. vandenhon Jr.. Ravens
wood A. c.; c. A. Davenport. Adelphi A. c.; William
O'Keefe. Manhattan A. e.; A. Rehage. Clinton A. c.;
]. D. Clark Eclipse A. c.; I. F. smith. MONTGOMERY
A. c.. and John Macauley. American A. @. Prizes Of
silverware were offered for the hrst, second ana
third In the race.
The start WIS made in good style. but almost in
cluster OF four-Smith. Clark. O'Keefe and Leblanc
broke away from the rest and kept close together.
vas How who favorite at the start fe!l behind
half dozen, but after walking couple OF miles ct
he ar Up ana 80
and to one who did not know his record
it seemed good , evidence s. that io ne would
body seemed double and every muscle seemed
to be working both ways to its utmost limit. His
arms swung like fails and each hip seemed thrown
OF joint ut every other STEP His features were
as active ms his limbs. and photographs, even =
barely a family resemblance. Notwithstanding this
apparently reckless expenditure of force he hs
WORK anu sropt by man after mn. man t ne TOOK NJ
IL took saa' and tspt
been impossible for him to have made any apparent
extra exertion. The first i've miles were hnshed In
clark third and Smith fourth. The field was still
struggling one but none of tho thirteen gave up the
was done in III, 27m.. Clark coming IN frat. Smith
second. How third and Vandenhof fourth. At tho
end Of fifteen miles Smith had won the pc
apparently ''withns himself" easlly and grace
fully and without squirting he had picked up pl.ce
winner. The fifteen miles were done in 2h. 1sm:.
Smith first. How second and Clark third. Tho gait
one. and congdOn Lshane and PfaG had retired. The
others kept ut their work. and the twenty
c %s pss now eaass ba led smith
by few feet. and the race was apparently between
them alone for nrst place. buckley va. third ana
staggered. and the audience knew what his friends
had known AL the evenina-that he was sick man.
A friend by his side ana supported him ~ he
seemed about to fall. For nearly half minute no
rested. with his arm across his friends shoulder.
and then strengthening up he stepped out at the
same gait he had been in for three hours. burst
OF applause followed and be- hurried after CLARK. .
good second. with diminished chance for nrst
place. It was only for few minutes longer. how.
ever. that he could keep at work. and when he
retired the race looked virtually settled. Unless
one OF the three broke down-and there was no
prospect OF it-Clark. Buckley and O'Keefe stood
terest whether the best record would be beaten.
which not impossible. The best English record
is minute and odd seconds inside Of four hours,
and this 1t was soon seen. would stand the best
The best American record was mSds by Armstrong
in Al. ON. 1885,, and this beaten. Clark making
Q squirt the last mile and finishing the race IN Al.
SIM. and $751; Buckley finished second and Okseeo
third.