Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-12
sIXTY-FOUR MILES AN HOUR.
How the Representatives of the Corcoran
Gallery Went to the Paris Sale.

Messrs. Fred. B. Mcclure and C. C. Glover,
who attended the Secretan sale in Paris as rep
resentatives Of the trustees of the Corcoran
gallery OF art, arrived in New York Saturday
evening from Europe on the Etruria. Mr..
Glover went to Newport to join his family and
MIR. Mcclure made a brief stay in New York.
As representatives of the Corcoran gallery, as
has been stated in the news dispatches, they
made bid of 51l 900 francs for the Angelus of
Millet, which has finally been awarded to Mr..
Sutton of New York on his bid of 553, 900 francs.
Messrs. Mcclure and Glover, however, secured
number of rare works for the gallery, which
are expected to arrive in September. Their
advent In Paris on the morning of the sale and
the means they took of getting there was the
talk OF the town for day or two, and the story
OF the rapid enterprise of the Americans as it
grew in the telling became exaggerated.
Messrs. Mcclure and Glover sailed for Eng
land on the Etruria, because she was one of
the fastest Atlantic steamers and ought to have
landed them at Queenstown in time for them
to get to Paris by the regular trains before the
great sale began. AS the steamship stokers
were on strike and the ships boilers were
hred by green hands the vessel was several
hours late. The two gentlemen hurried by
regular train and boat from Queenstown to
Holyhead and there discovered that it was i'm
possible by the regular trains to reach London
In time to catch the Dover train and Calais
boat. They astonished the railway officials by
asking them to telegraph to Chester to have a
special train ready for them there to go to
London in time to catch the Paris train. An
order like that is SO unusual on an English rail-
way that the officials were at first inclined not
to have anything to do with men who were APP
parently mad.
Il don't know" Mr.. MCGUIRE said to STAR
reporter, ''but that they took US for two Ameri-
can forgers In haste to get into France and out
OF reach. The two gentlemen, however, soon
convinced the railway authorities of their
earnestness and responsibility. When they
reached Chester they found train with five
coaches waiting for them and paid
s4OO for it. They needed only one coach, but
the other four were put on to keep this one
coach from flying the track. Every preparation
was made for fast run. Il never expected to
reach London alive" said Mr. Mcclure My
hair stood on end all the way. l never trav-
eled 50 fast in my life.' The run of 1870 miles
to London was made in three hours. The train
stopped on the way three times to change loco
motives, and was delayed two minutes at one
point because the draw of bridge was up. The
actual average speed made was ga miles an hour.
The two travellers reached London in time to
catch the Paris train. They arrived in Paris at 7
O'Clock the next morning. The sale began at
10 O'Clock, and they were ready for it. In Paris
the story became exaggerated into statement
that they had come all the way in specially
chartered fast steamers and trains, and the feat
was put down as another instance Of the way
American do things