The Portland daily press., 1897-08-30
STRONG MEN THERE.
Ten Thousand Saw the Sport at tho
Polo Grounds.

Wefers Is Still the Worlds Chan,n,o
Sprinter-The Great Athletic Meetina
in New York-A Record Brea,.;n
Day.
New York, August 2S.-Since the in
auguration of the Amateur Athletic
union there never has been such a suc-
cessful series of athletic games for the
national championships as that which
was held today on the track and in field
of Manhattan field, adjoining the milo
grounds.
Notwithstanding the fact that manv
thousand persons were on the other side
OF the high board fence watching the New
York and Chicago baseball teams at
play, there were nearly 1900 people with
in the Manhattan field enclosure. Dead
head Hill and the viaduct were crowded
with spectators who saw part of the
games without pay ing. So it can be safe
ly said that more than 10000 persons wit
messed the field and track events in which
the best athletes in the United States
took part. The track was light and fast
and the infeld as perfect as could be de-
sired.
No championship meet has ever been
more anxiously looked forward to. Chica-
go sent over a dozen of splendidly trained
athletes.
The greatest interest centered in the
meeting of Wefers, the worlds champion
sprinter, with Maybury and Rush of
Chicago. Reports from the west showed
that the Chicago men were up to record
form and many believed that Wefers
would meet in them his Waterloo. De-
spite the fact that Maybury and Rush
We're considered capable of pushing Wef-
ers to his utmost, the lanky runner from
Georgetown college was favorite at odds
OF . to on,and although party of three
New Englanders were on the ground with
money to back the champion, they failed
to secure any important bets from the
friends of the westerners. Maybury won
his trial heat handily in ten aud one
fifth seconds, while Wefers won his in the
same time with little to spare. In the
final of tho hundred Wefers came away
like streak and won by two yaros from
Rush and Maybury who, according to the
judges, ran dead heat for second place.
The time, AS seconds, just equalled the
American record. Wefers and Maybury
met again in the final heat of tba 2.2O
yards dash, which the former won by five
yards in 81 2-5 seconds, while Maybury
was seven yards ahead of Enrich for sec
ond honors. Burke, the worlds champion
quarter miller, won the 40 yard event.
Townsend and Rush of Chicago and Long.
of New York, were his principal oppo-
nents, but after leading all the way the
Boston man won by nearly four yards
from Townsend who secured second place
from Long by dropping head foremost,
over the line. This race was run in 40
seconds and the first three were we'll
played out after they had crossed the fin
ish line. Edward Power of Pittsburg and
George Stephen of Montreal were among
the contestants for the half mile run, but
the best they could do was third and
fourth respectively, as Cregan. of the New
AO1ho oiiN pibhfC4j ulC yOuDf,
from New Jersey, finished first and sec
ond in 1853 3-5.
Young Fetterman of the New Yorks cut
out the pace in the mile walk for quar-
ter of a mile, with Sam Leibgold, the
champion, close on his heels. The latte
then cut loose and for the, next three laps.
kept ahead Of Fetternan, finally winning
by forty yards. Fetterman was second
with Donovan of Jersey third George
Orton, mile runner, was out-paced in,
that event and failed to finish in the first
three. Bredie, the Canadian champion,
ran srlendidly for seven eights of mile
and looked like winner until Cregan
collared him furlong from home and
beat him out easily by fifteen yards.
In the high hurdles great things were
expe cted of J. r. Richards of Chicago.
For the last four days Richards has been
nursing sprained ankle but he insisted
on going over the high hurdles Richards
ran we'll but Thompson out-sprint ed him
and won by yard. When Richards
to his dressing room he was
limping. Kraenzlein won the 2.2o yards
hurdle race by seven yards from Jerome
Buck of the Knickerbockers. Buck stum-
bled badly at the second hurdle and lost
a lot of ground. The one mile relay race
between teams Of four men each fro m
the New York, Chicago and Knicker.
booker clubs, was won in hollow fashion
by the wearers of the MERCURY Foot y
Some Of the other events were closely
contested.
Old Orchard Camp Meeting Ended.