Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-05-17
A Surprising Runner.
GOING FROM PARIS TO MOSCOW IN LESS THAN
FOURTEEN DAYS.


FOURTEEN DAYS.
The feats Of our pedestrians, though surprls-
ing enough, are cast into the shade BY the re-
corded exploits OF Ernst Mensen, Norwegian
sailor in the English navy, early In the present
century Although for long time known TO
his Shipmates as an extraordinary runner, ne
from London to Portsmouth, a distance OF q
miles, In hours, on wager that he could not
accomplish the feat In 10 hours, and soon after
he ran from London to Liverpool $50 miles n,s IN
had distinguished himself In the battle of Nav
arino In 1927, but shortly after that date he be-
came professional runner. After winning a
number OF lesser matches he was induced to
undertake the great feat Of running from Paris
to Moscow. He started from the Place Ven
dome at O'Clock in the afternoon OF June II,
1881, and entered the Kremlin at 10 O'Clock a.
NJ. OF June %, having accomplished the dis
lance Of 1.76O miles in Is days and IS hours.
This feat, as might be supposed, created
decided sensation throughout Europe, and the
employment Of MelSen as courier eXtraor-
binary by Kings and princes became popular
amusement In european courts. He ran from
country to country, and from court to court,
bearing messages Of congratulations coincidence,
or dispatches OF greater Importance, and when
ever matched against the regular mounted cou-
rieIs, easily succeeded in beating them. He
always carried with him map, a compass, and
as many bis cults and ounces OF raspberry syrup
as there were to be days occupied on the jour
ley. In winter, he took with him pair OF
long. slender Norwegian snowshoes, and i,
travelling he always chose the most direct line,
turning out neither for mountains nor rivers
but climbing the one, and swimming the other
He never walked, but invariably ran, keeping
up long, swinging lOpe for hours at time
without rest. His only refreshment was one
biscuit and an ounce OF raspberry syrup per
day, and two short rests Of ten or fifteen min
utes each in twenty -fOur hours. These rests
he took While standing and leaning against
tree or other object Of support. AT such times
he covered his face with a handkerchief and
slept, and after such a nap, he would pursue
his way apparently as refreshed as though he
had slept for hours.
June 6, with dispatches from the King OF Ba-
var1a to his son OttO King OF Greece. These
dispatches We're delivered at Nauplia at AIN ;,
July l, or seven days sooner than If they had
the employ of the British East India Company,
Mensen was charged with the conveying OF
dispatches from Calcutta to Constant1nOple
through Central Asia. The distance is 5,6i5
miles, which the messenger accomplished In
flfty y n, days, or In third Of the time
delful 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 Inhabitants were savage rob-
fare.
AT last the project was preached to Mensen
to explore the Nile and attempt to solve the
most interesting geographical problem of the
river. He set out from Silesia on May II, 1872,
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 to stop and rest, leaning against a
chief. 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 1t was years before his friends In Eu-
rope knew what fate had befalen him.-[Bos-
ton Journal