The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-11
| F | It's Fl E K E
IT'S RIGHT
HUNDRED YARDS
IN NINE FLAT
viii Man Every Be Able to
Perform this
Feat?

"WilI any man ever run the hundred
IN s seconds flat" has been question
often asked, but it is safe TO say that
man viii never reach this speed. 1t
must be remembered that the differ
ence to the runner between 10 Is and
10 flat is not a tenth as great as be-
tween 10 and As. Ten seconds for
the hundred has occurred many times
in Utah, especially during the last
year. McCallister has repeated this
trick in every race this season. The
time of As has only been made once
I'm Utah and Utah is one of the few
states which has this distinction. Brin-
ton, the crack university man, ran
the hundred in this time in the meet
against Boulder, but the fans must
bear in mind that when the fleet
footed Cottonwood lad made this re-
markable time, there was a strong
wind behind him. 1t was, however, u
creditable feat and it is more so con-
sidering that il was the first 100 yards
Brinton ever ran in competition.
When one is bordering on the pOssi-
bility of a man covering 100 yards in
o9 it must not be forgotten it was not
many years back the question OF d
man doing the century in 10 seconds
was bothering sport followers. 1t was
not till 1870 that the 10 Is mark was
reached. A. J. Baker turned the trick
In that year and it was not equaled
until 1879. It was several years later
that the 10-second mark was reached,
and it was not till 1890 that 10 seconds
was beaten.
To be sure, professionals were cred
tied with sensational performances be
fore that time, but the authenticity of
the timing was doubted. AS far back
as March 4, 1870, F. S. Hewitt is cred
tied with running 100 yards on the
grass at Melbourne, Australia, i'm
3-4 It is said by some II. NJ. john
son covered century in 3-5 at Cleve-
land on July 81, 1880, and that Harry
Bethland eQualed the time at Sioux
Falls, S. D.. on August %, 1888.
In the above instances the time IS
doubted. but Piper DonOvans 9 3-5
at Boston on September ?, 1895, may
have been correct.
Johnny Owen, however, is probably
the first amateur who ever officially
coursed a century faster than 10 sec
onds. Under competent timers Owen
broke the tape in a 1OO-yard dash at
Washington on October IL, 1890, in
9 3-5. That time was not equaled till
September q, 1895, when Bernie Wefers
turned the trick. Wefers is thought
by many of the experts to be the
greatest sprinter the world ever saw.
Twice afterward Wefer equaled that
record under authentic timing and his
record of q LIS for 220 yards made on
May 80, 1906, has never been equaled.
The only other men who have official
ly run the 100 yards in As are:
Archie Hahn, J. II. Rush, w. A.
Schlick, Clyde Blair, w. D. Eaton,
Arthur Duffey, Charles L. Parsons and
Dan Kelly.
Duffey's Great Record.
The record for 100 yards stood at
As till Arthur Duffey astonished the
sporting world by speeding the dis
lance in 3-5 on the Berkeley oval track
at the intercollegiate championships
on May 81, 1905. Since that time Duff
fey's name has been stricken from the
A A. q. record book, but, in all jus
tice to the great Splinter, he should
be credited with the remarkable feat.
No matter what action the A. A. L.
took on Duffey's case, his name VIII
go down i'm athletic history as the first
man to cover 100 yards in 3-5 under
authentic timing.
The only other man to equal Off
cially Duffey's record is the copper
haired marvel from the sunset slopes
of the rockies Dan Kelly, who, fly
ing the colors of the Multnomah Ath-
letic club. ran the century dash in
8 3-5 at Spokane, Wash, on July %,
last year.
Unofficial records by amateurs from
the 100 are: Bernie Wefers, Lowell.
Mass, July 5, 1897, 3-5, and T. N.
Sears, Buffalo, June i6, 1901, s..
BY some authorities w. p. Mcpherson
is said to have covered the century in
Auckland, Australia, on February Z,
1891, in As, and it is also claimed
that J. II. Maybury ran the 100 in
As at Chicago on June ), 1897.
1t can be seen how the spriaters
have increased In speed since the sos
OF course, there must be a limit some
time, but it seems highly probable thar
the record viii be lowered to 8 sec
onds before the init is reached. Dan
Kelly is still comparatively young in
the game. Interest in athletics is
growing by leaps and bounds and the
number of athletes is constantly in
creaSing, and the next five years
should bring forth great changes.