Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-12
BLIND BOY IS A SPLINTER
Covers Distance Almost as Fast as
Thoae who Can See.

NEW YORK, Sept. 11.-Any man who
stood up before the athletic sharps and
declared II possible for a totally blind mau
to run 100 yards in 1915 seconds would very
likely be the recipient of a title containing
that short and ugly word so often brought
to play in public life Of late. But odd
neighbor. before you ridicule the asser-
ton. 1t has been done-this great running
feat-by a youth who never saw a ray oi
life light in his whole existence.
Overlook. Pa. where IL situated the
greatest institution for teaching the blind
In the world, is the place where this SEEM
ingly impossible athletic feat has been per
formed. Overbrook's hundreds Of blind
youths enjoy their athletic training fully
as do the Amateur Athletic union cham
pions at Celtic park and Traverse land
yea, more, for to these poor fellows the
sensation of running a race must be a feel
ing OF abandon Joy never experienced by
the ordinary sportsman.
The Overlook sprlnting course is a fin
level stretch of cinder path 100 yards Ions
and divided into four lanes by lines OF
smooth copper wire. breast high. On each
wire is attacked by a ring and short chair
a wooden handle. The blind unne grasp'
the handle In his right rand before thC
start is made, and is thus guided in g
straight, true course for the entire dis
lance. A good, stout cord is suspended
across the finish line overhead. From thE
are suspended a number of lighter cords
vertically. When the sightless sprintel
reaches the finish these strings brush
lightly against his face and let him knoN
that the race is over.
Under such conditions the Overlook Of
ff,goIg lan1ara ona ~ fha afttdanfu raranfIx
ran the full century a shade better than
II seconds.
Nor is running the only achievement OF
the blind athletes of Overlook. They
jump and throw the weights as well. Be
cause Of the small amount of danger at
tached to 1t the standing broad jump is a
favorite with the sightless athletes. They
know all the finer points OF jumping. and
prepare their muscles just as carefully as
does Ray Ewry of the New York Athletic
club when he goes out to take an Olympian
championship. The Overlook record for
standing jump is 8 feet 8 inches-scarcely
a foot less than the jumps that sometimes
win national championships.
Even more wonderful is the work Of the
blind athletes at throwing the weights.
Not alone the marks they achieve, but the
marvellous sense of direction they possess.
The circle from which the missiles are
thrown is just the same as the ones at
lTravers Island and Celtic park, except that
at the front end of the circle is a stout
piece of timber which gives the sightless
weight tosser an idea of the general direc-
tion in which to let the weight go. Once
la blind youth has made a throw, an eye
witness declares, il is seldom that his sub
Isequent efforts go more than ten feet to
lone side or the other of that first mark
in the turf.
Hard as 1t may seem to believe, the blind
boys measure their own throws just as
enthusiastically as do Sheridan, Flanagan
and McGrath. This is done by the use of
a specially constructed tape which the
blind athletes read as readily as the Anna
teur Athletic union officials WELD an ordi-
nary steel measure. They locate the gen
eral direction of the throw by the sound
Of the missile hitting the turf. Then their
acute sense of touch makes the rest easy.
The instructors gre abliged to use great
caution to keep the field clear while the
weight is actually being thrown, as a single
slip might easily cost dangerous injury, II
not a life. The Overlook record for the
12-pound shotput is 50 feet IL inches, and
for the 12-pound hammer throw 76 feet 2
inches.