The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-09-05
A BARROW TRUNDLER.
Who Is Going Around the World
With a Wheelbarrow.
DICK WHITTINGTON REACHES TOPEKA.

At 6:30 last evening a JOURNAL re-
porter stood near the railroad tracks at
the Rock Island ''Y" when he saw a
queer looking vehicle coming down the
track toward him. 1t was running on
one of the rails and small man walked
at its side. A little white bull dog fol-
lowed at the heels of the man.
While he was some distance away the
man passed party of boys who gazed at
him in open mOuthed astOnlshment but
he paid no attention when they called to
him.
A he approached it was seen that the
man was walking at terrific pace. In
answer to the reporters greeting he
merely turned his head and kept on his
way. The reporter gave chase and by
running at lively pace managed to
catch up with the man and his vehicle.
He followed to the Rock Island depot
where the pedestrian lifted his vehicle
from the track and put it in the baggage
room. Then for the first time the re-
porter had an opportunity to study the
man and his belongings.
The Individual was no other than w.
II. Bowen, who is travelling around the
world under the name of Dick Whiting
ton He started from San Francisco
April 5, and was just five months In
reaching Topeka. He is pushing a
wheelbarrow, and that was the vehicle
which attracted so much attention. 1t
is fitted with two wheels. small one
in front and a large one behind. The
wheels are made with fanges on both
sides. so that they exactly tit one track OF
q railroad. A handle extends out to the
side. and that enables the man to walk
in the center of the track and push his
strange vehicle. The wheelbarrow is
large one, but it runs on ex-
cellent bearings, and so is easily pushed
along the smooth track. Tackled to one
corner of the barrow was a small flag,
and covering it was an oil cloth lettered
on both sides and informing the bystand-
er that the owner of the barrow was
Dick Wilmington, the wheelbarrOw
champion of the world. Wilmington is
not over five feet five inches tall, and
does not weigh more than 130 pounds.
When the man reached the depot plat
form there were about twenty people
there to meet him, and he was piled with
all kinds of questions. The dog stretched
himself on the platform painting from
weariEess. The man was bathed in per-
SEPARATION, but he gave little evidence OF
being tired. He had walked from Paxico
twenty eight miles, since o'clock in the
morning, and he said that he had not
hurried; but it would have puzzled the
best pedestrian in Topeka to have kept
up with him.
''Do you walk like that all the timer"
asked the reporter.
Like that; why, I wasn't walking
| fast. | am pretty good walker. I can
make six miles an hour, but I did not
| hurry today"
you seem to stand the walk better
than your dog?"
"Yes. Sometimes I let him ride and
! sometimes l wish that I could ride my
self, but do you know that man can
outwalk any animal"
The man has large blue eyes. His
| head was covered with a heavy growth
of black curly hair which has not been
| cut for five months
sit is part of my contract" said he,
| shat I am not to cut my hair during the
entire trip around the world 1t worries
me some, but l am going to stand it,
some how
Il have three years to make the trip"
continued Wilmington. 81 figure that it
will take me two years and half. This
is not new work to me and 1 know just
what l am going to do. 1 was the first
man to make the circuit of the world on
bicycle. 1 did that when I was but
eighteen years old. That was easy
work and l made it in eighteen months,
but this is no fun. If l complete the
trip I will be the only man who ever &C :
complished any trip of the kind.
'Some people have trouble when
they reach the foreign coun-
tries, but there is no use of it, alb
solutely none. That man Leuz that
was killed short time ago in Turkey
need not have been killed. can under
stand it all He did not know how to
act When a man gets into foreign
country he must be patriotic. I alwa 8
carry a flag of the country through
which am passing and never have
any trouble"
ibid you start with any money!"
mo, I did not have cent, and l was
in bad shape when l left the San Fran
cisco Examiner office five months ago,
bus the people have paid to attend my
lectures along the road, and I have told
them all about myself, so l got along all
right. l started with two dogs and cat.
One of the dogs was killed by freight
train, and the cat died near the state line.
He had been used to a diet of porter
house steak, and when we struck the
plains he had to pick up what he could
get, and the poor fellow died. I am to
forfeit $500 because the cat died"
How did you happen to go on this
trip?'
"Well, 1 went around on my wheel five
years ago for the London Sporting clut
and there was an interest in the matter
revived some time ago and a wager OF
$4,000 was made that I could go around
with a wheelbarrow in three years
accepted the proposition and started
l have lived in America for eight
years and am an American citizen
but by birth I am an Englishman. l in
tend to go from here to Kansas City
| then to st. Louis and from there to Chi
/ I will no tn
Washington, where I will get my pass
ports for the foreign countries"
"Do you expect to pay your way on
the boat?"
'No, will work my way. will have
to travel on a ship where they will allow
me to work for my passage, and I will
have no trouble to find one. I expect to