The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-09-05

TON W. WINDER..
PRESS representative talked with him
there.
He said that he left New Orleans on
the 18th of last March. He started there
because of the severity of the weather at
that season in the north He had made a
bicycle tour through the Yellowstone
Park, the year before and his extraordi-
nary tour was the result of wager; that
is, if he gets around this Country, 10000
miles, in 800 days, he will receive house
and lot at Warsaw, Ind, So, 500; also
81, 900 from the company that manufact-
ures the bicycle. : which he rides.
If he doesn't accomplish the feat, he
gets neither house or lot or the 81, 900.
He went westward from New Orleans.
From San Antonio, Texas, to Banning,
Cal, he was obi ed to ride most OF the
way between the railroad tracks, as there
was no road. Most of it was rocks ballast
and was very hard on the tires. He
wore out two pair on that section. Be
tween Houston and Galveston, the track
was ballasted with shells and was good
road. The farthest rode between the
rails in one day was rs miles. He varied
from that to twenty mile. In all he rode
at least 5000 miles between the rails. In
West Texas he crossed. the second highest
bridge in the world that one over the
Pecos river 321 feet Ehigh. Over the Sa-
bine river the boundary between Loulsi-
ana and Texas he rode a bridge and
trestles.four miles long
In New Mexico he travelled many miles
where the only people WERE Mexicans and
half breed Indians. They Were not hos
pitable. Theyswoulds. frequently give him
no shelter..and sell him no food.
On one occasion he was SO hours with
out food. He finally got some soda crack
and a bed on the floor of the section
house. He said he felt pretty gay that
night, while full of crackers. He en-
countered two sand storms in New Mexi
co. The sun was shining brightly, but he
couldn't see yard before his face. He
encountered the worst roads in Wash ing
ton and Oregon. In the former he made
his smallest record for one day, sixteen
miles. Also in that State he walked at
least $50 miles.
He made the best days record in Min
nesota. where over rolling country and
good roads he made 10S miles.
In South Dakota his eyes began to give
out as a result of so much sun and wind.
He got blue glasses and his eyes i'm
proved, but now they are rather sore and
weak
He crossed bridge over Two Medicine
creek in Montana that was in canyon
and was 220 feet high. The wind blew so
that he had to crawl across and drag his
bicycle for an eighth of mile.
He was sick one day in Minnesota and
rested two days in Buffalo, being.that
much ahead of time. He entered Maine
at Bethel and went to Pennington,
Skowhegan, Bangor, Belfast, Augusta
and Auburn, thence..to Portland.
He will, of course, go down the Allan
tic coat and as far south in florida as
Gainesville, thence over to New Orleans
He has now travelled $4,000 miles in TIA
days and figures that hel day and a
half ahead of time. His cap is the only
portion of his original dress that he
started with. He has a new suit all
| through, but it does not look very new.
He has on his fifth pair of shoes. He
is about feet, 9 1-2 inches tall and
weighs 1877 pounds. He had gained two
pounds during his tour thus far. He is
very pleasant, modest man, 80 years OF
age, and very interesting talker. He
| is a journalist and corresponds for the
| Buffalo Express.
He was entertained by Mr.. f. W. Ward
we'll, captain of the Independent Wheel
Club last evening at the Athletic Club
| House He says that he has found the
best country roads in Maine and Yer
mont.