, 1888-05-22
A LONG TRAMP.
Neil MeCarerty, Who Is on His Way
Across the Continent.

Neil MeCanerty, Who Is on His Way
Across the Continent
Neil P. McCatferty, who is on his way to
Portland, Ore, on foot, having started from
New York April 20, has a long jaunt before
him. The New York Sun says the matter
was arranged as follows:
Jack Styles recently made a bet with John
,O'Brien, of Philadelphia, that a mar could
cross the continent walking at the average
pace of thirty-eight miles a day. He refused
to tell a reporter the amount of the bet, but
it was reported that it WINS 5000. At all
events, Jack is paying Neil McCafferty's
living expenses during the walk on the
strength of the bet, and Neil estimates the
expenses at 5000. McCafferty has walked
the same route before and knows what he is
attempting. In 1886 he did it in three months
and twenty-five days, and won a bet for AL.
Stewart, of Oregon. Returning he averaged
forty-one miles u day as far as Chicago,
where he took a train the. rest of the way.
McCafferty weighs 1853 pounds and is five
feet four inches high, He says he will weigh
40 pounds when he breaches Portland. Before
the start McCafferty told a Sun reporter all
about himself. He said:
"I'm a sailor by trade and n wanderer by
nature. My trade has takenIme all over the
world, and my nature has prompted me to
remain in all sorts of queer places. I've
lived in China, Calcutta, Alden, Muscat and
Zanzibar, and explored most of the east coast
of Africa. 1 was a South Sea Islander once,
and q friend of the king of Happy Mamma
island, one of the Kings Mill group. In
fact, it was generally supposed | was going
to marry the kings daughter. White men
rank high there. But n chance vessel stopped,
and L skipped. l was the first white man
ever received kindly at Tarrawa island. |
saw other white men cooked and eaten there.
My first pedestrian experience was in 1865,
when l made 40 miles in six days in Astoria.
That was n big record in those days.
my habits on the roadl Oh, they are
simple enough. / never sleep more than
four hours at a time, though l will rest eight
or ten hours a day. l take tea and toast for
an early breakfast, say at 9 o'clock, and after
a ten mile go, get some steak and boiled pota-
toes if 1 can. For dinner l always want
corned beef and cabbage, but will take rare
roast beef if l can't get corned beef. For
supper L want chops and weak tea. l drink
beer all the time, and whenever l want to l
take whisky. Smoker Certainly. / smoke
a dozen or twenty pipes a day. My big eff
fort will be at the start. / will make Phila-
delphia in twenty-four hours, and after a
brief rest start out for Duluth at from forty
to forty-five miles n day. That will allow me
to take a little rest Qp the last stretches. 1
shall take a day Off at Chicago and another
at st. Paul, where l have friends. | shall,
whenever practicable, follow railroads. The
hollow between the two tracks makes capt.
tai walking. West of Chicago, on the plains,
the roads are good, too. l hope to make sew
eral thousand dollars besides expenses. In
addition to that l can often make a nights
engagement at museums in the cities on the
roads, and pick up dollars in other ways that
the circumstances suggest"