Evening star., 1896-12-26
HIS TRAMP BEGUN
Weston Returns to the Track After
Many Years.
SHOWING HlS POWER OF ENDURANCE
Peter Mayer Quickly Knocked Out
O'Donnell.
CURRENT SPORTING NOTES

Edward Payson Weston, the famous old
time pedestrian, started at 10 o clock last
night at the Ice Skating Palace in New
York to attempt to walk liz miles in
twenty-four hours The New York Tribune
today says:
Mr. Weston was the first, and certainly
one of the greatest, ng-distance walkers
which the athletic world ever produced,
and 1t was his initial effort which long ago
gave such an impetus to walking that
many six-day and other long-distance
walking matches resulted. Mr.. Weston has
always been an abstainer from alcoholic
drinks, and the encouragement which he
gave to healthful outdoor sports made him
many friends, which he retains to the pres
ent time. In fact, it was the expressed
wish Of many well-known citizens that
tempted him to try once more his speed
and powers Of endurance at this time. A
short time ago Mr.. Weston astonished the
people of Albany by an exhibition of his
marvellous powers as a pedestrian, and he
was then invited to give an exhibition in
this city.
Weston's record as pedestrian is one
that any athlete might well be proud of.
1t was in 1867 that Mr.. Weston started the
famous walk from Portland, Me-, to Chi
cago, ,326 miles, in twenty-four days and
twenty-five hours and forty minutes, be-
tween noon Of October 20 and 10:4O am,
November IS.
In October, 1868, Weston made the first
record in America of a walk of 100 miles
within twenty-four consecutive hours, by
walking the distance over an accurately
measured road in Westchester county, this
state in twenty-five hours and twenty min
uteS.
twenty-one hours and thirty-nine minutes
in this city, and in May, five years later,
he walked 115 miles in twenty-three hours
and forty minutes, without making a stop.
This feat Mr.. Weston also performed in
this city. In June, 1879, he won the Ashley
belt by walking $40 miles in 141 hours and
n minutes. defeating his three competitors,
two of whom were Englishmen, by 100
miles.
In 1884, under the auspices of the Church
Of England Temperance Society, weston
walked distance of fifty miles day for
100 days, without walking on Sundays,
making distance of 5000 miles over the
country roads Of England. In January.
February and March, 1886. In contest
with Daniel O'Leary, he covered distance
of $500 miles by walking twelve hours each
day for period of five weeks, and beating
O'Leary 200 miles.
The track on which Mr. Weston is now
| walking is built around the skating floor in
| the Ice Palace, and is 164 feet short of be-
| Ing eight laps to mile. To accomplish his
! task he must make 926 laps within the
given time which will be exactly 1913 feet
| over 112 miles To make the scoring easier,
| the first thirty miles were scored at nine
| laps to the mile. The remaining eighty
| two miles will be scored at eight laps to
| the mile, which Will give the result as
stated.
| Weston came on the track a few minutes
| before 10 O clock the time Of the start. and
| was introduced to the audience, who cheer
ed him to the echo He is fifty-seven years
old. and his hair has turned white, and
| bald spot has appeared on the top of his
| head since he last walked in public in TINS
/ ,.lyob1 yr-nn a
was accompanied to the track by Dr. Rob
ert Taylor of Greenwich, Conn, VINO mas
| attended him In all the great races IN
| which he has ever taken part Inc track
| on which Weston is now walking Is MADE
of boards, with heavy paper covering them
| The track IS about four feet wide
| At 10 O'Clock Miss Sadie ]. Bones, the
| little tvelve-year-old daughter OF the treas
| urer of the palace, said Go" and Weston
| started. AS in former days, he walked with
| the same sprightly tread and carried
| vi hin AS he made the first circle around
the track he was loudly applauded. He
| made the first lap In one minute and forty
seconds, and the second lap in one minute
| and fifteen seconds. He completed the hrst
4 mile in eleven minutes and twelve SECONDS
| and the secood in eleven minutes and nifty
s.x seconds He finished the first five miles
| in fifty-eight minutes and twenty seconds
| and when this announcement was gwen Out
| he was again literally applauded.
| At the end OF the first hour Weston told
Dr. Taylor that he felt exceedingly well,
| and that his legs below his knees had gone
| to sleep. He looked upon this, however, as
| a good sign, as the same thing happened to
| him in his great championship walk in Lon
| DON In fact 1t was this which caused him
| to carry a whip, and the spectacle Of Wes-
| ton whipping his legs was a familiar one
| in the days of the great walking matches
At IL o'clock the skaters left the floor Of
| the palace, but Weston continued to reel
| Off the miles, stopping now and then to
| greet an old acquaintance, who had prob
| ably come a long way to give him encour-
| agement. During the night Weston ran
| and walked alternately, and now and then
| When Weston formerly walked. he said
| that 1t was to demonstrate that the great
est physical endurance is possible without
| the use of alcoholic or other artificial stim-
| rlation, and If he is successful in accom-
| plishing his present undertaking, his tenn
| perance friends will be prouder of him
than ever.
| DR.. Taylor said last night that Weston
| would probably not leave the track until
| he had completed seventy-five or eighty
| miles, and that he would then probably
| rest for a few minutes. The GOODNESS of the
| atmosphere in the Ice Palace did not ap-
| pear to trouble him in the least In fact
| DR.. Taylor said that 1t just suited him.
| although he was walking in his shirt
| sleeves. Weston will have to average about
| four miles and three laps an hour to COM
| plete his task IN the appointed time.
| At midnight, just two hours after the
| start, Weston had walked ten miles and
| four laps.