Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1907-12-21

old" he said, I'm going to walk from
Philadelphia TO New York and break
my record again"
Pace Too Much For a Horse.
On his second walk between the two
cities the old man-old in years only
was followed by two physicians In a
buggy, not because he needed medical
attention at any time. but because Sci
ence, with a big S, wanted to observe
and preserve the effect Of a walk of
a hundred miles in a day upon a man
nearly seventy. The horse that started
from Philadelphia couldn't stand the
pace. 1t was dead beat after q little
more than half the distance, and a
second animal almost fell by the way
side on the second relay.
In 1893, when Weston was hfty-hve.
he walked from New York to Albany,
100 miles, in nearly twelve hours less
than the three days he had given him
self for the Ielsurely trot along muddy
and icy roads of late December. That
was just a practice trot
Three years later the veteran walk
list made the tramp from New York to
San Francisco and back again. aver
aging thirty-six miles a day.
Some of Weston's most astounding
walkfests took place In England, where
walking Is said to be more popular
than In America In 1884, under the
auspices of the Church of England
Temperance society. he covered 5000
miles in 100 days. He walked fifty
miles every secular day excepting
Christmas. making up the necessary
miles during Christmas week. During
this feat he made 5000 miles with
severely blistered heel. which would
have put any less gritty man out of
commission. but Weston simply walk
ed Off the blister" for 1t healed of it.
self and gave him no further trouble
for the rest of the journey. His four
thousand nine hundred and ninety
ninth mile was made In 8 minutes and
II seconds. the quickest mile Of the
5000 by more than II minute.
A medical man who rode along with
the walker all the way declared that
at the end, as at all times during the
walk, save for the blistered heel. the
pedestrian was In fine physical and
mental condition and would have
passed an examination for life insur-
ance at the end of the five hundredth
mile. This wonderful performance was
attributed to the walkers total abstl-
nence from alcoholic stimulants and
his perfectly natural mode of life, for
all of which the Church of England
Temperance society is still shaking
hands with itself.
Several times in England Mr.. Wes-
ton walked 400 miles In five days.
Once he made 1000 miles in 1000 con-
| secutive hours. That's only two miles
an hour. of course. but you try 1t
| yourself for thousand hours before
you laugh. The familiar feat of trying
to eat q quail on toast every day for a
month looks pale and sickly beside
that.
A Cherished Trophy.
One Of the trophies most highly
priced by Mr.. Weston is the belt Of
fered by Sir John Ashley, which the
American walker won in 1870 by win
ming six day match. He made $50
miles in 141 hours 90 minutes Of heel
and toe exercise. Blower Brown, the
great British champion. whom he beat
easily, ceased to blow from that date
Weston's fastest miles were made in
that match. He walked the FIVE hun
dredth mile in I minutes 81 seconds.
cutting a second Off on the next mile
The records of 90 and 100 miles on
the Philadelphia York tramps
sound pretty big, but they are by no
means Weston's best performances for
one day. He has made 115 miles a day
in match and 127 miles in practice.
And yet this is man we are talking
about, not steam engine nor an air
ship.
More wonders of the Weston walka-
bility might be told here. But what's
the use? Out Of respect to Mr.. Wes-
toms years let US deslst. Have we
not proved already that the seven
leagued boots which used to belong to
a fairy tale are in reality the proper
ty Of Edward Payson Weston2
But word as to Mr.. Weston's walk
ing theories from his own mouth ls
not out Of place.
"Walk out Of your troubles" be
says, 'or walk your troubles out Of
you. There is no malady Of mind or
body that you can't walk away from.
Not one person in ten has exercise
enough. Inaction gives one the blues
and a poor, weak stomach. The two
together make bad nerves, bad tenn
pers and bad characters Walking
win cure all Of these. You don't get
consumption or influenza or pneumo-
MIA or any of the epidemics that are
flying around If you do ten miles a
day and every day or as near that dis
lance as you can find time for. It's
a wise thing to make time for it
/ aMv ahiIffv Oh 81