The Florida star. (Titusville, Fla.) 1880-1917, 1908-09-04

head 10 look at them-Just kept plug
sing along and keeping my pace az
smooth as a machine.
AT about twenty-five miles I was
Still fresh and strong. and began 10
make my effort. Cameron had ridden
on to get the news and, coming back,
told me there were only two more
ahead Of me. They had passed six
minutes before, he said. I cut. loose
now for all had In me. I was never
In better condition. I wasn't even
tired.
"As we neared the stadium the
crowds grew thicker and thicker. The
last mile was through a sort OF mead
ow, and here the English damned in
close to the course. leaving just room
enough for our elbows to swing with
out hitting on either side. There were
stacks OF police detailed to keep the
road clear.
''No-not a sign Of trouble anywhere
along the line. There was just one
solid roar Of cheering. OF course they
were cheering just as hard up ahead,
where Hefferon, the South African,
and Dorando, the Italian. were going.
Perhaps they were cheering harder
for the first man than they were when
came along, but don't see how In
blazes they could. It sounded like Nj
agara falls and a million Dutch bands
trying to drown each other out
could see the solid ranks along at my
elbows on both sides, every man with
his mouth open like the hole In the
end Of a trombone, but / couldn't hear
any single voice In the racket. They
gave me as good as the next man. The
crowd In front leaned back hard
against the ranks behind to give me
room. My being an American didn't
cut any ice. 1t was getting near the
finish Of the Marathon, and everybody
was just about crazy with excitement.
81 kept looking ahead and wondering
why the other two didn't come back to
me. / was running strong and increas-
Ing the pace with every mile, and
knew the others must be failing. Yet
ran and ran without getting a sight
Of anything but waving arms and flags
and surging crowds that closed In
ahead Of me and then opened as / came
. to give me a fair lane. Those other
two fellows were surely game. I
heard afterward that after Dorando
made his great effort outside a mile
or so and got by Hefreron he began
falling down and staggering on again
when they helped him up. Talk about
gameness! What did was nothing to
that, for I didn't feel distressed at all.
1t didn't hurt me to run. had saved
myself for this, and was going at a
mile run clip now without wracking.
Eat last l got Hefferon. The poor
fellow was staggering. His legs were
pumping up and down mechanically,
but he was hardly getting out Of his
own tracks. ! didn't turn my head as
/ went by at full speed, but l saw that
he was too far In to make any effort
to tail on to the procession-toO bad.
too, for 1t was only about 125 yards
outside the stadium gates.
"DorandO was nowhere in sight
felt for a moment that the race was
lOst-that he had finished ahead Of me
after all. But never let up. l tore
on into the stadium. I'll never forget
that sight, for l was still fresh enough
to take 1t all In. About 10000 people
looked like two or three million to
mel were jumping up and down In the
grand stands and yelling their heads
on. They were turned away from me
toward the other man at the track.
All Of a sudden the yelling almost
stopped. l ran across the cycle path
and turned to the left to make the last
800 yards on the running track.
Ahead OF me there was a crowd on the
track. The crowd was punched up.
First they'd stand still, then all push
ahead for a few yards and stop again.
Cameron. who came in with me, yell
ed: Run! Run! He hasn't finished
Run like h! You can get him! Run.
RUM
with 800 yards to go spurted for
my life. | saw the little crowd on the |
track push ahead rapidly, stop. gather !
together and push ahead again just |
like football rush line showing the |
ball over for a touchdown. When | |
came in Dorando was down about 125
yards from the finish. He was doc |
tored and revived and pulled up to his !
feet and showed along by the officials. !
They got him TO the line just ahead Of |
me and dropped him across it.
CAS- .Dorando finished they had a
stretcher ready to carry him of the !
field. was so close TO him that they F.
were still busy unstrapping and open
ing the stretcher when ! went by. |
WAS going So fast that went over the .
L. L