Norwich bulletin., 1909-03-12
WESTON TO WALK
 ACROSS THE CONTINENT
Great Pedestrian Starts Next Monday on 4,30o-Mile Trip--His Birthday.

His face as ruddy. bis carriage al l erect and his step as firm as a young athlete, Edward Payson Weston, thu 1 veteran pedestrian announced Sunday \ that next Monday he would start from New York on walk te San Francis l co. Mir. Weston will We seventy-ont years old on that day. As he put it 1 when asked his age: "They tell me wfff be seyenty-one years old next Monday, but don't feel it."
 Mir. Weston will celebrate his three- score and eleventh birthday by start ing on jaunt of some 4,S00 miles which he hopes to finish in one hum dred days. Sundays are excluded from these calculations for MT. Weston does not walk on the Sabbath. He says he will average 45 miles a day. but this is a conservative estimate for him, for in his recent 1,28S-mile walk to Chi cago he averaged slightly over 52 miles a day, on one day making 96 miles.
 Not Going Shortest Way. MT. Weston is not taking the short est route to the Pacific coast, which would be somewhat less than S,40O miles to San Francisco. By long detours he is adding fully 1000 miles to the regular transcontinental trip. Starting from New York. he will fol- low the line of the Hudson river to IION dllu I0Gu SlI1h6 MGSIWdI0 q I through the Mohawk valley to Buffalo, following the same route traversed on his two long walks from Portland to Chicago. At Buffalo he will make a detour, going south through James, town, N. T.. and Youngstown, O., to Pittsburg, and the nturn northward, going through Canton and Massilion, regaining his old route at Bellevue, O., and thence to Chicago, passing through Toledo and South Bend.
 A Crouch on Cleveland.
 One of MT. Westons reasons for making this detour is to avoid going through Cleveland. This is the only place, he says. in his entire walk in 1907 from Portland to Chicago where he did not have proper protection in passing through the city, and. owing to the crowd pressing upon him, he received his only injury of the whole trip, boy treading on his foot, which caused him severe pain for the follow ing two days.
 Leaving Chicago, MT. Weston will enter new fields in his pedestrian ca- reer. While following the main rail- road lines, his walking will be done entirely on the post roads, which will add somewhat to his total mileage from the distances by railroad. From Chicago he will go to St. Louis, 2S5 miles. jassing through Joliet and Bloomington. The next stretch will be to Kansas City, 29S miles; along the line of the Union Pacific. thence to Denver, $40 miles; to Chepenne, 107 miles, and on to ogden, ASA miles. To escape the severe alkali deserts west of Ogden, MT. Weston will turn south ward, following the route of the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake railway to Los Angeles, a total Of 781 miles. From Los Angeles he will walk direct Into San Franciseo along the coast road, 475 miles, the greater part of which he traversed a year ago. By the railroad mileage this brings the total distance up to 4.347 miles, but by the public roads the mileage will be nearer 4,500 when MT. Weston arrives in San Francisco.
 Will Also Lecture.
 The 7O-year-old pedestrian will not confine all of his duties to walking He intends to lecture in all of the principal cities and towns through which he will pass, and arrangements will be made in advance for his Iec- lures. This was the method he adopted with great success in England from November 21, 1883, to March Is, 1884, when he walked 5000 miles all over England, averaging 50 miles a Ody ana recurring 0SdTly every nlSnI under the auspices of the Church of England Temperance society.
 MT. Weston is carrying along in his automobile no camping outfit. as he believes he will have no difficulty, even in the most distant parts of his long western trip. in finding villages or hamlets where he can get a com fortable sleep. He will carry a small stock of provisions, chiefly eggs, tea, and a little meat and plenty of -'nger ale. A special contrivance will be ar ranged 4n the automobile whereby a quantity of ice may be carried at all times. He will also take some good blankets, extra shoes, and changes of clothing.
 Mr. Weston is as enthusiastic about his, big walk as young man starting off on his first important venture Barring illness or accident there is little doubt of his success, for walking is second nature to him, and he is not deterred by any condition of weather. He is, par excellence. the most re- markable and successful pedestrian that the world has ever seen.