The morning journal-courier., 1907-12-20
wEsroNs AUTOMOBILES.
How They Helped Him on His Fla.
 nous Walk.

Assistance from an automobile was what made it possible for Edward Payson Weston to beat by over 24 hours his walking record of 40 years ago, from Portland, Me, to Chicago. Weston himself admits it and indicates that without motor car assistance he would probably not have been able to make the record breaking time with which he is credited. The part that the automobile played in the feat, import ant as it was, did not savor of the roguish and Weston walked every bit of the way without a lift" but it was a motor car that literally gave light to his feet and provided him with a travelling and ever-present kit chen where he could get hot tea and coffee whenever he wanted it, and warm meals at the regular hours.
 Hard as the journey was for Weston 1t was harder for the automobile that tried to accompany him. In fact Wes- ton put no less than seven cars in suc- cession out of the running. At Roches- ter he was fortunate to get a car that both could and did follow his four mile-an-hour pace for 20 hours at 9 time To follow walking man on country roads up hill and down dale at a pace of four miles an hour re- quires dropping down to q pretty low gear, and few hundred miles of such going will embarrass many good car, either with wear and trouble in the transmission or an overheated engine The car that Weston had as compan- ion from Rochester to Chicago was equipped with two immense acetylene headlights, and these made the road ahead as bright as he could wish. A snug resting place for tea and coffee pots was arranged in the turns of the exhaust piping from the engine, so that the pots and kettles were kept warm for him all the time the motor was running.
 For the men who drove behind Wes- ton as he trudged along during the dark hours of the night the task was a wearisome- one It was George D. Wilcox, general manager of the Gear less transmission company of Glens Falls, N. T., who at Rochester ten dered him a Gearless Greyhound after the other cars had retired from the task, and Wilcox stuck it through all the way to Chicago. When Weston go doing his 20-hour stretches, WilcoY would get so tired that he would have to give up the wheel to his companion in the machine and stretch himsel along the footboard and fender tt sleep, while the automobile continued it's faithful following of the pedestrian Then Wilcox would later relieve hi companion while the latter took pre- carlous slumber spell on the runnin, board No speedy spurts were permit ted, that might have relieved the mo notony. Nights that were pleasant t
 Weston because of the vigor of hi peripatetic exertions were cold an
 chill to the occupants of the car de spite their heavy coats. On approach : ing the big cities, however, into whic
 Weston made his triumphal entrie
 there was more interest in life for tn ] automobilists. When he was showere with glory, they, as his faithful follow CTS, shared 1t with him. The ropes at
 tached to the lamp brackets of tn car would be taken by marching DO licemen and spread out in such wa IS to give Weston roped-o enclos ure all to himself in front of the auto
 mobile, as he walked through tn dense and curious crowds Upon com
 pleting the journey at Chicago, Yves ton paid appreciative tribute to tn
 cars work and spoke his recognitio
 of the part that automobiles ha
 played in helping to break walkin
 reeord.--Motor World.