Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-01-18
NEW RECORDS SET
DURING THE YEAR
cRgolTAeLE PERFORMANCES IN
TRACK AND FIELD SPORTS BY
AMERICAN ATHLETES. !,
PARSONS BEST AT 100 YARDS
r"enty-one High Marks IN rime and
Distance Events Have Been Estab-
lished-Remarksble Running by
Consboat-Ralph Rose Champion
of Champions.

Twenty-one times during the year
or 1907 have American athletes set
new time or distance figures To their
performances In track and field sports.
The marvellous ability which has
been shown by the men who have
been able TO increase their speed.
muscle and scientific development
should be the subject OF warmest
praise and their names red lined in
the books OF record.
Take the 100-yard for an example.
II is only few years ago that a man
who could do the hundred in IL fiat
was wonder. IL required only inches
In the stride to get below this time,
yet for years the best men tried In
vain TO gain 1t. Charley Parsons,
probably the best man I'm America at
the distance. has done the distance
In As seconds, although at the
Oregon exposition two watches caught
him In 3-5. but the almost super
human effort probably caused his fall
ing on at the championships, in which
he ran third.
One OF the principal features OF the
year on the path or in any sport was
the fourmile run OF George Bonhag,
the lrish-American distance runner
who put new mark OF 20:11 1-5 at
the indoor games held I'm the Twenty
second regiment armory, New York.
last February. The feat was remark
able in that the time was four-fifths
OF second under the outdoor record
OF w, ID. Day. made at Bergen, n. j.,
which had stood since November 10,
1889
Bonhag otherwise distinguished him
self during the year, his most notable
work being an indoor threemile record
OF l4:43 80, against Longboat at Buff
falo, and the five-mlle indoor mark in
25;5 90 l-5, made I'm the garden I'm Feb
ruary.
Tom Longboat. the famous Indian
runner, did some remarkable running
during the year. notably in winning
the Boston A. A. Marathon race OF %
miles in the phenomenal time OF two
hours "a minutes and 20 as seconds
fully five minutes under the old rec
ord for the course. The A. A. u. track
record for the distance is 2:52:24,
credited to j. Gassman at Williams.
burg, l.. l., February %. 1884.
Ralph Rose, the Olympic club giant
from California, stands out with great
prominence as a champion OF cham.
pions among the shot-putters. He
holds every shotput record from the
seven-foot circle. One OF his best
performances was with the eight.
pound shot, which he threw 81 feet
inches, or nearly six feet fur
Their than Martin Sheridan. and Sheri.
dan is a wonder with the weights.
Mel Sheppard. the pet runner OF
the lrish-AmeTicans at Celtic park,
where they make champions so fast
that the club historian has to have n
relay OF messengers TO bring in their
records put up a new mark during the
season Of 9:O1 As for the 9OO.yard
run. nearly three seconds better than
the record made by II. V. Valentine
at Travers Island October z. 1905.
The contest between John Flanagan.
1rish-American A. C., and Matt Nc.
Grath OF the New York A. G. for local
honors as weight throwers kept up a
feyerish expectation all season that
tho worlds records were in dan
ger Each outdid the other and
the records were indeed broken, but
because they threw the blamed things
SO far they weakened and broke the
handles and world records went
aglimmering. Flanagan, however, at
jamestown hurled the 56-pound shot
3S feet inches, which slightly
bettered his old mark.
Martin Sheridan. also Of the /. A. A.
C., was very much In evidence during
the season. lie won the all around
championship with practically no
competition and being Obliged 10 set
his own pace) with the best record
ever made In this event
With the discus Sheridan made a
new record OF 1876 feet ten inches.
and more recently with the new
tangled game OF throwing the jayelin,
just taken up by the A. A. IT,, he
set the American record at $40 feet
inches.