Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-01-13
No. =, :,
DEERrOOT.S RECORD BEATEN.
An English Hummer Takes the Place
HalH nv nm American Indian.

An English Runner Takes the Place
Held by American Indian.
Fully $4,000 spectators attended the
Rochdale Athletic grounds TO witness f.
L. Bacon's attack upon Deerfoot's long
standing record of 4 miles 970 yards in
the hour made in 1868. The proprietors
of the Sporting Chronicle offered the
amateur ex-champion 250 and half the
gate receipts should he be successful,
and in case OF failure he was to receive
G 100 and half the gate receipts for hav-
ing made the attempt II was nearly
5:45 o'clock when he set out on his jour
ney, paced by Mullen and McFern, the
latter on his bicycle. The first mile oc-
cupied minutes ~ 2-5 seconds; two
miles were reeled of in minutes SO
seconds, equaling Deerfoot's time. Just
before this Ansted joined in, and Mullen
retired. Three miles were covered in
Ii minutes IS seconds, four miles in 20
minutes 1 3-5 seconds, and at 4h miles
Mullen gave way TO Watkins as PAGER.
Five miles were done in e5 minutes IA
seconds, six miles in 80 minutes rs 2-5
seconds, and at seven miles Bacon just
got inside W. G. Georges time, doing tt
in s5 minutes so 2-5 seconds. From this
point the champion began to improve,
covering eight miles in 40 minutes As
seconds; nine, As minutes sc seconds;
ten, 81 minutes i seconds (only five sec
onds outside Cummings worlds rec
ord.) Eleven miles were recorded in SO
minutes 2s seconds, and, amid loud and
enthusiastic cheering. Bacon finished
the hour with IL miles ,243 yards to his
credit, breaking the record by 273 yards.
Watkins ran from AZ miles to the finish.
all the pacemakers being on the track
in the last 300 yards. Bacon was
naturally done up at the finish, and fell
on the track, but he was soon up again.
The timekeepers were j. Cation, j. II.
Hardwick, G.. Sugden, j. Gorton, and j.
Haggerty.
The record of II miles oT0 yards in the
hour, which Deerfoot set up, and which
Bacon shattered at Rochdale, was made
by the Seneca Indian at the old West
London grounds, In 1869. Many at
tempts have since been made to pass
those figures, but until Bacon's, noneof
them had been successful. W. g.
George, when he was an amateur, had o
great ambition to break 1t, and In 1854
made a grand attempt. He was then
considered to be the fastest ten-miler
living, and n special 12-mile handicap
was framed, to give him chance Of low
ering Deerfoot's record. The race took
place on the London Athletic club
grounds, and George. who ran exceed
ingly we'll, just failed. his distance be-
ing II miles o32 yards inches. Bacon.
who holds the amateur mile record OF .
minutes II seconds, has long been n
runner Of note. In 1894 he won the one
mile and four-mile championships. tho
only two in which he competed and he
also secured 36 first and IL second prizes.
In 1898 the mile championship at Stam-
ford Bridge fell TO his lot. and previous
ly he tied Georges four-mile record In
10 minutes 80 seconds. Among others,
he has defeated Sid Thomas, Watkins,
Pearce, and Grassland. Last year, with
other prominent runners, ne Joined the
ranks of the professionals, and his per-
formances since then have further en-
hanced his reputation.-London Teler
svy.oynb