Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-15
DAN KELLY'S POOR SHOWING
CLOUD CAST ON HIS CLAIM TO A
~ 49, RECORD.
Finishes Fourth in 1OO-Yard Sprint
at Jamestown-Must Prove
His Ability.
By e. r. Bushnell.

Eastern track athletes are very glad that
Dan Kelly. the Portland Ore, youth to
whom the Amateur Athletic Union two
years ago gave a record Of 900 3-5 for the
LOO yards, participated last Saturday in the
national championships at Jamestown. This
was the first important set of games in
which Kelly has competed since he received
his record and the first time that he ever
came this far east. Kelly failed most lam
entably to measure up to the standard
which had been set for him. Indeed, his
showing in the sprints was so poor that very
few competent critics can ever be con-
WINGED that Kelly actually did OO9 3-5. or
that he came anywhere near this mark.
Although he had trained faithfully for this
meet Kelly could get no better than fourth
in the 100 yards, which was won in O1O Is.
while Kelly's time was considerably worse
than OlO2-5. His work in the 22O-yard
dash, in which he has been credited with a
record of OBJ Is around a curved track.
was even poorer. for in this event he could
not even qualify in his heat. which was run
in the slow time of O.23.
Western men have shown disposition to
resent all the attacks on Kelly's records
which have been made in the east, on the
supposition that they were inspired by jeal-
ousy of the vests prominence. II is very
easy to say this. but 1t is far from the
truth. The whole east is ready at all times
to acknowledge a real champion, no matter
from what section of the universe he halls.
But few who saw Kelly perform at James
town will concede that he is in the same
class with Arthur Dufey, the only one who
ever had clean title to a record of O.O9 80.
OF course Duffey's amateur standing has
been taken from him and his records ex-
plunged from the A. A. U. book, but that
does not alter the fact that under the tim
| ing Of the best men In the United States he
actually covered 100 yards at the intercol-
n ln ,.,1 TN,,P
| fey received this record but once, he
has done 0.O9 As on countless occasions
| But as for Kelly. he has never beaten even
! a ten-second man, and according to west
ern men has always shown disposition to
| dodge a meeting with sprinters Of certified
| ability to do even time.
| Of course there Is now no way to dis
| prove the correctness of 'Kelly's time OF
| OO93- at Spokane, Wash. We only know
| that he has never been able to approach
| that time since and that the timers at this
\ meet were incompetent for 1t takes years
! Of experience to learn the art OF timing
! sprinters.
! The most regrettable part Of this whole
| business Is the slipshod methods Of the A
! A. L. in granting records. There are scores
Of records given official sanction IN the
van which are founded merely on newspa-
| per reports, and ought never to have been
| allowed at all. The writer knows of more
than one instance in which these alleged
| records were never made, and were, in fact
| impossible, yet they are published as ofh
| ciaT' in the A A. u. books.
| A very good reason. in addition to his de-
| feats at jamestown, for believing thai
! Kelly never made the time credited to him
| Is his work in the broad jump. That Kelly
| Is a great athlete and a splendid broad
! jumper there be do doubt Any mar
| who jump % feet II inches is In the
| championship class But If Kelly was in
shape to jump at his best it follows that he
| was also in shape to sprint at his best. II
Kellys sprint records were really bona t1de
| he can prove it by beating some of the rea
| ten-second men in the east and middle west
| II he can even beat some men of ability In
ten seconds fiat the whole east will be will
ing to retract what 1t has said regarding
his alleged records. But, like the man from
| Missouri, the east must be shown.