The morning call., 1892-12-25
FROM TIE TO TIE,
He Walked Across Thirteen
States.
Lurid Adventures of Actor Fountain,
Who Foots il From New York
i'm Ninety-Five Days.

Donvale Fountain, q New York comic
elocutionist has accomplished in one grand
tour de force what many other Etheophians
are credited with having performed by In
stallments
He has crossed the American con-
tinent on foot. stepping from one rail-
road tie to another.
AT least this is the story Mr.. Fountain
tells.
To some extent the comic pedestrian Is
corroborsted by the Eastern press, which
has related that Fountain left Cortland
stEeet tFerTy-slip. New York, on September
20 last, after 5000 had been deposited by
Frank Fuller, well known sporting man.
In the Bank of the Metropolis, New York.
backing Donvale TO foot it TO San Francisco
by II o'clock noon, December a.
Yesterday was December "a. but 1t was
p. NJ. before the young pedestrian arrived
at the ferry slips IN this city.
"I have crossed thirteen States and 3s11
miles," said Fountain TO a CALL reporter
shortly after. land merely to lose 5000 by
eight hours en- account Of this exceptional
storm OF yOuTsV
Young Fountain. who Is about % years
OF age. is very lightly built and seems the
last person In the world TO have performed
the feat in question. he WAS clad in light
suit, fore-and.aft cap, leggings and carried
sword stick and light satchel.
us that the suit you started in p
This! my goodness exclaimed the
elocutionisi, who seems eIcitabe, this is my
sixth suit and this my eighth pair o. boots.
'One suit was cut all to pieces In the AL
leghany Mountains. West Virginia, by two
negroes with rsZors, who robbed me of SIS
and carved my stomach for lite.
Another suit was spoiled By skunk
thought he had been killed by train and
went 10 poke him, but lie was alive. When
| i tried for admittanee at ranch house that
| night they ran me oil with dogs, and / had
| 10 walk all night to town, where they sold
me new suit and made me change before
/ came within town limits.
Adventures? Well | should say so.
| why In Dodge City, in Kansas. L was at
tackled by some steers. which, understand,
are highly dangerous animals.
They came at me. People atterward
said that l stampeded them.
Anyway, | thought 1t best to climb a
! telegraph pole and count the steers.
II was up there three hours, and when
! the cowboys came TO get the steers | told
! been surrounded by an acre of hide.
"They seemed amused.
ain Eastern Colorado l was followed by
what thought was dog, but tie came at
me and | struck him with my steel cane and
found / had killed gray wolf.
"a mountain lion followed me in Black
| Canyon, eighteen miles west of Gunnison,
| far three hours. and yelled till was as
white az chalk. 1t was horrible.
Near the Rocky Ford in East Colorado
was nearly always stepping on rattle
| snakes, but they couldn't get through my
leggings.
"But the watch-dogs In the western part
| Of Colorado!
They collected portions Of my clothes,
| and the rear portion OF my retreat from
faTmnOUgp a mn rti
| They we're worse than having my feet
| frozen IN MarshalPs Pass, Colo, and hav-
| Ing 10 walk three days with my pedal OK
| tremtes done up In rags and gunDy sacks.
weather? / only had eight days of rain
on the trip and three of snow. The snow
was In Colorado, crossing the Waschat
Mountains and the Sierras.
Going through Nevada was the worst
experience, the section-honses are so far
apart / often slept on section-house
| floor, where there was no stove.
Il have slept in tents. log cabins, farm
! houses, barns, havstacks, dugouts, and Oc-
casion al hotels. have been robbed three
times By Iramps and have camped out eight
times, twice with Indians. At one time in
the Sierrast / walked forty-three miles
through snow sheds, and never saw day
light once.
| I'm all, took 81 meals with some 5000
people, including all nationalities.
"On the whole, found people very socIa-
BILE and curious to know about me.
THE cities passed through were: New
ark, n. j.; Philadelphia. Pa; Baltimore,
| Md; Parksburg, W, Va; Cincinnati, Ohio
Indianapolis, Ind; st. Louis, No.; Kansas
| City, Mo-; Topeka, Kan; Pueblo, Colo.
Salt Lake City, Utah; Ogden; Reno, New.
| Sacramento, Oakland TO San francisco.
There was no one checking my per-
| fOrmances. but / had to follow certain
| route and send in notes every night detail
ing the names Of stations and sidetracks
TT was estimated that $500, 0O0 is pending
On the result Of the walk.
81 would have won had IL not been for
the storm, as was at Sacramento by lO
O'Clock on Thursday, and only had ninety
miles to make by to-day at noon.
ost of the money wagered, however,
was that would or would not make the
trip In thirteen weeks, |. p, by January /,
and, therefore, l have won a good bit OF
money for some OF my friends"
The comedian pedestrian sighed when
asked where he personally came off and
what plans for the future he had formed.
He said he WAS out $1,000 in expenses
alone, and intimated that he had some
ideas about hiring hall and giving lesson;
In stepping ties preparatory to chaperon.
ing return walking tour to Gotham.