The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-13

trip between Portland and Boston in con-
siderably less time had he not in the mid
night hours of Saturday got onto the
wrong road between Newburyport and
Portsmouth, thus making about eleven
miles of extra distance. He thinks he
must have been nearly asleep when he
took the wrong road, for strange at it
may seem, rider in such long distance
trial often comes very near literally sleep
ing in the saddle. At any rate he at times
finds himself arousing with start of
surprise to find himself on his wheel. OF
course this could happen only on the fine
roads which one finds between Ports
mouth and Boston
1t is 40 miles from Portland to Boston.
This distance MIR. Lang made in eight
hours and ten minutes. The return trip
he completed in q hours and 35 minutes
from the time he started out of Port
land. His triple century of 302 miles he
made in % hours and 80 minutes. All
this he did without sleep and with very
little resting during the time.
1t will be remembered that Friday
night was a very hot night when it was
very difficult to sleep. MIR. Lang rested
very poorly that night and therefore was
not in the most perfect condition when
he arose early Saturday morning, and at
4 q. m. began TO make distance on the
triple century run. His timers here at
the start were Messrs. I. III. Baker, E. E.
Willard and j. j. Mulhern. He started
off for a leisurely jaunt through Deering,
Westbrook and neighboring places, and
in this way rolled up twenty miles with
out any fatigue.
Having put these twenty miles to his
credit, and being well warmed up to the
work, he started out the Saco road on the
way to Boston and to beat the record. He
took the straight and regular road
through Saco, Biddeford, Kennebunk,
York, Wells, Kittery, Portsmouth, New
buryport and Lynn to Boston. At Ports
mouth, where the fine roads begin he was
met by two tandems, brought out to meet
him by Will Clark Of the Chelsea Cycle
club With this cheering and stimulating
companionship the wheels fairly few over
the road to Rowley. The day was cool
and fine, the roads were perfect, and the
wind was in the cyclists back, a fortu-
nate condition which prevailed both 60
ing and coming. At Rowley the--frst two
tandems dropped out, and a third, also
provided by Mr.. Clark's care, joined the
Portland cyclist to cheer him on to Bos-
ton.
At Boston City hail. at 10 p. m. Mr..
A. A. Powell, the timer at that end was
able to assure Mr.. Lang that he had
broken the record. Mr.. Lang spent an
hour and twenty minutes in Boston, eat
ing and resting, but not sleeping. Then
he turned his wheel homeward Mr..
Clark, on the tandem still kept him COM
pany, and did not leave him until Ames-
bury w8s reached. By this time the full
moon had been long risen, and the
bicycles were flashing forward under the
most perfect conditions possible for night
riding. The night passed without event
except for the error in getting onto the
Exeter road by mistake, an error which
added eleven miles to the length of the
homeward trip. AT Newburyport he
stopped long enough to report to Mr.. l..
A. Foote and get checked, a requirement
to verify the perforlnance,Ga nd at Ports
mouth ne stopped again to have Mr.. f.
H. West make similar record.
Thence he sped towards Portland in the
morning hours, arriving here, as has been
before stated, at 8.35 a. m. Messrs. J. J.
Mulhern, E. L. Brown and Charles H.
Lowell were on hand here to take the time
and make the record
The time of the performance with the
circumstances attending it will be for
warded to A. o. McGarrett, chairman OF
the road record committee of the Century
Road club of America. There the record
is put to the credit of the wheelman.
There is no reward, but the pure glory of
the performance.
Although he had ridden 1902 miles, and
had been without sleep for twenty eight