Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-03
VETERAN FINISHES
SEA-TO-SEA HIKE
Twenty Thousand New Workers
Cheer Weston as He Tramps
to the City Hall
GOES 34s3 MILES IN IT DAYS
Mayor Gaynor Presents a $400
Purse and P. T. Powers Gives
Championship Belt
Associated Pressl

NEW YORK, May 2.-Cutting his
way through O. mass of 10000 cheer
ing people, his white locks barred to
the breeze and his shuffling feet keep
ing time to the strains of the star
Spangled Banner" Edward Payson
Weston today brought to a triumphant
end his ocean-to-ocean walk. He as
cended the steps Of the city hall at
$40 p. M, completing his transconti-
mental journey of 1888 miles in seven
ty-seven walking days, feat without
parallel in the annals of pedestrian
ism.
The grizzled athlete was welcomed
to his home city by Mayor Gaynor,
who presented him with purse of
$400, hurriedly raised by handful of
his admirers in the last hours of his
spectacular walk. This and the ap-
plause of the thousands who have fol-
lowed his tramp since 1t began at
Los Angeles, February 1, is all the
reward that comes to the septuage-
marian after his months of trudging
through heat and cold across the con-
tinent.
No taint of professionalism, no bar
gain for the advertising Of this, that or
the other form of footwear dims the
glory of the old mans performance.
He has received hundreds of offers
from vaudeville managers, but has de-
clined them all. In the last stages of
his walk into New York he was the
object of an ovation such as has rare
ly been accorded to any individual
short of a victorious admiral or a
colonel of a rough rider regiment
From Seventy-second street down
Broadway from curb to curb was black
with people. At One Hundred and
Sixty-eighth street at the American
league baseball park, Weston received
the first concerted cheer of the morn
ing, and his eyes sparkled with appre-
citation. When the stop for luncheon
was made at the Ansonia hotel at
Seventy street, some 500 persons
had assembled to watch the doughty
old walker go by.
When the journey was resumed at l
o'clock the crowd had grown to nearly
5000 and the police were powerless to
clear a way. call for reserves was
sent in and with their arrival some
semblance of order was established.
$4,000 CHEER
When Forty-second street was
reached the escort of police, though
twice doubled on the way, had again
become inadequate, for $4,000 persons
crowded into Times square to cheer
the walker. AS he finally turned into
City Hall park, black with thousands,
w 6SlOIl was NloIJly iiloNCb anu IL was
with difficulty that he found voice to
thank the mayor for his words of
greeting.
'I wanted to show the youngsters
what an old athlete of seventy-two
years could do" he said. Then, from
the steps of the city hall, he thanked
the crowd for it's welcome. and eX-
pressed himself well repaid by their
cheers for all his exertions.
Later, in the mayors private office,
he was presented with a gold cham
pionship belt by P. T. Powers, presi-
dent of the Eastern baseball league.
1t is the famous six-day go-as-you-
please belt, won by Dineen and Cav
anaugh in 1902 and 1903, respectively
From Yonkers down, Weston was
accompanied by his daughter, Mrs.
Anna Hagan, of New York, and by a
number of his former messmates of
company B, seventh regiment.