New-York tribune., 1896-12-26
WESTON ON THE TRACK
THE VETERAN PEDESTRIAN STARTS ON
HIS TWENTY FOUR HOURS WALK.

lie COVERS ABOUT TEN AND oNE-HAIF MILES N
THE FIRST TWO HOURS AT THE ICE sKAT-
ING pALAcE-TRyING TO EoUlL HIS
FEAT OF a QUARTER OF
A CENTURY AGO.
AT exactly 10 o'clock last night the unique spec
tacle OF an athletic cd man Of nearly 'h'ecS'o'o
wears irving to duplicate feat which ne accom-
plshed n quarter Of a century ago was W''lV''
In the Ice Skating Palace at One-huhureo"""-
seventh-st and I.exington-ave.. In TINS ci'y WIZ"
Howard Payson Weston the famous olu-'i'e ~
destrian started off his attempt 10 VAIN
miles in twenty-four hours. MI weston W. a.,
first and certainly one OF the greatest io"s'''
lance walkers which the athletic world ever p'o-
duced and 1t was his initial effort which iohs aso
gave such impetus to walking thal man! ~
days and other long ngdistance walking matches ~
suited Mr.. Weston has always been an apS'"'"'
from alcoholic drinks and the cncourase"'ii'
which he gave tc heathful outdoor sports maui
him many friends which he retains to the preseh,
time. In fact II was the expressed WIS" VI
many we-known citizens that tempted nun 10 "S
once more his speed and powers OF endurance "'
this time.
ebort time ago Mr. Weston astonshed the
peope Of Albany by an exhibition of his marvel
lous powers as a pedestrian, and he was 'h'h III
vited 10 give an exhibition in tins city. Aiho"S
those who attached their signatures 10 'he hNi-
tation were Mayor Strong thauncey NJ b'P'"'
Hermann Oclrichs. David Banks. Thomas T. row
Ior Joseph Howard. jr Chester s. Lord. H. H.
Browne j. Edward Simmons. Serene ;. Pratt
Cornelius Van Cott. T. Ellery Anderson Iheod"r'
Roosevelt Charles Lanior StuyVesan; Fish, FRANK
Tiiford. Thomas l.. James. H. g. Du VAL w. j. Van
Arsdalc Thomas C. Acton and General tmhons
Clark. Many Of these were present at the
start last night
Westons record a pedestrian Is one that any
athlete might well be proud of 1t was III ls'' 'n"t
Mr. Weston started the popular interest in walking
by making his famous walk from Portland Nc
70 Chicago l326 miles. n twenty-four days ana
TWENTY-FIVE hours and forty minutes. between noon
of October % and 1910 a. m. November D.
In October 1865 Weston made the first record III
America of "a walk of 100 miles within twen'y-iour
consecutive hours. by walking the distance over
an accurately measured road in Wes'chesier Coun-
~ this Stale I'm twenty-five hours and twenty min
utes.
In May 1870 Weston walked Il" miles in twenty
one hours and thrty-nine minutes in TINS cly ana
I'm Nav five years later he walked llJ miles in TWEEN
,y-three hours and forty minutes. without making
, sion This feat Mr. Weston also performed IN
this city In June 1879 he won the AstleS peit pS
walking miles in ln hours and ~ minutes dei'''
ing his three competitors. TWO OF whom wti' Eng
lishmen. by lv) miles
In 1854 under the auspices Of III" Church of Eng
land Temnerance Society Weston walked distance
OF fifty miles day for l0o days without WAKING Oh
sundays making distance OF 300 miles over '"e
country roads OF England. In January rfpr""'S
and March 1856 In a contest with D"nei y ''e''S'
he covered Il distance OF 2Jop mics Wy ""'"e
twelve hours each day for period Vi NV WIN
ard beating O'L,ary 20 miles
The track on which Mr. Weston IL now wa'k"s
ls built around the skating hoor IN III" i''
and IS 1s4 feet short OF being eight laps 10 ''e'
TO accomplish his task he must make 40 iaPs
within the given time which viii "" "rac'N '''
f,. over l12 miles To Ike the scoring easier th'
first thirty miles were scored ~ MN" laps 10 III,
mile The remaining cighiy-two miles VIII p' S''''"
M eight laps 10 the mile. which VIII give 'h' result
| a. stated
"a. New-York Pres. CLUB. acted as Judges last
,tyh, President Roosevelt 0f tine Polio board
r,s IN have started Weston on MS lonE Jou'"'''
| I'M, he was detained at dinner party ana ''d Ho'
reach the Ica Palace IN time Weston came o" '''
track A few minutes before % O'Clock. the Nm' "'
tho start and was introduced 20 the audience VINO
no.ro, him 20 the echo II, is nfy-s"ven years
! old and his hair has turned white. on" " '''' s''
has appeared on the toy of his head since ''' Ia
walked In public ia this cii, h'' ''' oo"'u
m,rk,blv well lie WAS accompanied 10 Inc ""'H
| -, nr pobert TAYLOR % Greenwich Conn VINO
| has attended him IN all the great races in ""''"
/ he has ever taken par. The rack on "h,n N'@'o"
/ * now walking j. made oi boards. WIN "''',
| ,,.r covering them IN. track is an'H' '""r ''''
wide. ...,,. ,.,.,
v.,-.olA dsughic~ % the treasurer of ih" f'l"'''
s,id 90" and Weston started. As 'n former ""f''
! -, ,.,ll,d with fh. same sprigati} tr'Ac ana car
| e., .,, A. n. made rhr nfs, circle around ih'
| ,r,cl N. was loudly appiaud'd. lie mao" 'n' "''
Ian in nno minute aud forty seconds. ana me ~ ''"
| ~, &, on. minute, and nfiren seconds ne COZ"
pletcd the first mile IN eleven nilu'', ,,.. " and
sss,%ndx rconds lie finished the hrs' nsc MILF
! in 'nffV-cgnt minutes ana i"'ny 7" ~. -
when ,ihar,ty ns "sppndcd & hat Tine the toow
| ing wel-knOwn propr WI. ., iforI Thomas f.
Theodore Roosev', s rf'sS s,,,rtrvant Fish samuel
rrerncn;er Thomas e. Acton. Thomas J." ''Se'T
| and others. -, d., ,our Weston tOi Dr.
,rH.'tor MAJ ne felt exceedingly well ana INA '
Iees below his knees had gon" to slr'i ',r oon ''n
| unon this however. as "A E0ou .''.' t.,,r,forshiu
Hing happened 10 him IN MS SI'f' t, ,,.sd
INN, lnl,h T., nrdon In fact 1t thi@ whlcn ,.'u-'u
"i,n "a carry A whip. and the spec pl ",S
nhi,.i,p his legs WAS familiar one III ,n' ""'
lle W -, ga, anor OF the palace. hut Weston conu.-
| ned TO reel of the miles. sioppls ii"~ "o,atJv como
| greet an old acquaintan'' "i'' .,,cn, ,., During
| :. long way TO give HIM enc, u' ,,I
- ionh Ives,on ran and walked alt"Tnht'Y- an"
nov, and then reversed his way Oh s"ins ~ LA
~" NM tVbon Weston formerly walked n' S"i"
tIack d.n,nsfro,r hat the greatest phy~-
% ha' II is possible without the use OF aco-
hoc or other artificial siiInu",lo. an" nder,.t
successful in accomplishing N,,, N, nd,.r ~ him
| ss 80 ,emuerancc friends VIII be prOu"'i o' "'"'
'i1 nr ravlor said last night that M"Ston .i won'd
nrobab not leave the track uniil ne Ia. ,xo,Li
p,n,,,v ~ ave or eighty miles ana tiat h' % M%ouiu
,,.n nyohably rest for few minutes ~ '
W., ,,nosnhore in the Ice Palace dd not hpI"n
TO trouble him in me least ,b ,n & he was walking
tbat II lust suited him: although ne WI - ""ns nan
tn"h ~ IT,, shirt sleeves Weston will have 10 hverae'
| about four miles and three iapS an hou' 10 'o''
| "ie,c his task ia the appointed tiin' ,,-. w..
P's,,' u,drrhi lust two hours after the start Nes-
Ton had walked ten miles and four laps
| Q