The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-05-15
WILL SPRINTERS
RUN 100 YARDS
IN 9 SECONDS?
Short Distance Men
Think the Mark Too
Low to Equal

VIII any man ever run 100 yards in
nine seconds?
SprinterS to a man are of the opinion
that it Will never be accomplished.
When one is bordering on the posi-
bility Of a man covering 100 yards in
nine seconds it must not be forgotten
that it was not many years back that
the question Of a man doing the cen
fury in ten fiat was botherlng sport fol-
lowers.
1t was not until 1870 that the ten and
a fifth mark was reached. A j. Baker
turned the trick in that year. and ii
was not equaled till 1879. IL was sew
eral years later that the 1O-second
mark was reached, and it was
not until 1880 that ten seconds was
beaten. To be sure. professionals were
credited with sensational performances
before that time, but the authenticity
of the timing was doubted.
Records Unauthenticated.
As far back as March 4. $780,
+. S. Hewitt is credited with run
ming a 100 on the grass at Mel
bourne. Australia in ga seconds.
1t is said by some that II. NJ
johnson covered q century In 3-5
seconds at Cleveland, on July 81, 1885,
and that Harry Bethune equaled the
time at Sioux Falls, s. D., on August
IS. 1888 In the above instances the
time is doubted, but Piper Donavan's
9 3-5 seconds in Boston on September
>, 1895. may have been correct. The
brother of Pouch Donovan, the Har-
ward trainer. was a wonderful Splinter,
and it is barely possible that he bet
tered 10 seconds.
johnny owen. Of Detroit. however, is
probably the first amateur that ever
officially coursed a century faster than
10 seconds. Under competent timers,
at Washington on October IL, 1890, in
9 As seconds.
Wefers Turns Trick.
That time was not equaled till Sep
TENDER q. 1895. when Bernie WefeTs
turned the trick. Wefers is thought
by many OF the experts TO be the great
est Splinter the world ever saw. Twice
afterward Wefers cqualed that recsrd
under authentic timing. and his record
of p Is seconds for 300 yards. made on
Nay so. 1856. never has been surpassed.
The only other men who have Of
ficially run the 100 yards in . 40 seconds
are j. II. Rush, W. A. Schhck, Clyde
=
Charles j. Parsons. and Dan Kelly.
Duffey Lowers Record.
The record for 100 yards stood at 9 40
seconds till Arthur Duffey astounded
the sporting world by speeding the dis
lance in Q 3-5 seconds on the Berkeley
oval track at the intercollegiate cham
7ionships on May 81, 1895. Since that
time Duffey's name has been struck
from the A. \. L. record book, but in
all justice to the great sprinter he
should be credited with the remarkable
feat. No matter what action the A. a.
L. took on Duftey's case, his name
will go down in athletic history as the
first man TO cover 100 yards In 3-5 sec
onds under authentic timing The only
other man to equal officially DUffeys
record is the cOpper-haired marvel from
the sunset slopes Of the Rockies, Dan
Kelley. who flying the COlOrs Of the
Multomah A. c., ran the century dash
In 30 seconds at Spokane, Wash, on
June % last year,
Unofficial Marks.
Unofficial records by amateurs for the
leo arc: Bernie Wefers. Lowell, Mass,
July 5, 1897. 80 seconds. and F. NJ
Sears. Buffalo. June 1G. 1901. 3-5 sec
onds. By some authorities w. P. Nc
Pherson is said TO have covered the
century in Auckland. Australia. on
February I. 1891. in 8 4-5 seconds, and il
Is also claimed that j. II. Maybury ran
100 in 4-5 at Chicago on June 3.
1897 Harry Hillman ran 100 in As
seconds at the Y. NJ. G. A. games in
Albany last year, but he acknowledges
Beating the gun by nearly five yards