The sun., 1917-06-10
LACK OF INTEREST .,
AFFECTED WALKING
Poor Competition Enabled
LiebgOld to Defend Title
for 18 Years.
SPORT NOW PICKING UP
~ sPRINTER.

Did George Bonhag walk fairiyr'
threatens to become moro OF a burning
question than WHO struck Billy Pat
tersonr' or How old is Ann9" A
week has passed since Gentleman
George dumfounded the athletic en-
thusiasts by making walking champions
Eddie REM and Billy Plant look like
selling platsrs and pedalled homo in
e:2s 3-5, yet the argument is still going
on ana waxing hotter every moment
Like q jamboree at Pathron Day in
County Wicklow. everybody seems to
want to get in It. Never has Q dispute
developed more rabid adherents. II the
destiny OF the nation was at stake some
OF the fans could not be moro vehe-
rnently assertive than they arc in criti-
oising or defending Bonhag. II there Is
any athletic enthusiast In the metropol-
itan district who has not expressed him.
self either pro or con will he please
step 10 the front and have the Iron Cross
pinned on his chest?
In the heat OF the argument reason
! seems to have fed over the back fence.
One of the most rabid OF Bonhag's
critics and one who most vehemently as-
serts Bonhag did not walk fairly did
not even see the race. While Bonhag
was taking Rens and Plant into camp at
Travers Island that expert was watching
Houriess win the Withers at Belmont
Park.
Those "Cood old Days.~
It 10 only natural that some OF the
| hauteur and cynicism. All OF US love 20
look back at those good old days with
love and veneration. Our boyhood he
roes never can quite be surpa ssed
Breathes there a man with soul 30
! dead who never to himself has said
John L. Sullivan could lick all the pres
| ent heavies in the ring at the same
timer
Ono OF those dear old fellows stood at
| the trackside after the race at Travers
Island a week ago. do you think Bon
| hag walked fairly?" he was asked.
The time, 8 as SIS seconds, is the an
| swer," ne replied. do you think any
body can walk q mile faster than Cinders
| Murray
| Let's see. old timers. what was tho
record for the mile run back in 1883
when good old "Cinderr' made his walk
| ing record of 6 :29 3-5? The answer is
4:21 SIS and that by an Englishman
And what was the record for the 100
yard dash? Ten seconds by Fred West
Ing Previous to 1890. taking in sew
eral years after CtndeB Murray quit
tho game. what were the best perform
ancos for the half mile. i've mile and ten
mile runs, the high Jump. broad Jump,
hop. step and Jump. pole vault. high
hurdles. low hurdles. shot put and
| weight throw?
Previous to 1880 tho best performan noes
on record were: Half mile. 1 .65 2-5 by
Lon Myers 1885: fve miles. 25:e as.
Eddie Carter. 1887: ten miles. So So 3-5.
Eddie Carter. 1883; l20 hurdles no man
beat Is seconds till Harry Williams
did lb As In 1891; low hurdles. 25
| seconds was unsurpassed till J. L.
Bremen did "a SIS seconds in 1895 broad
jump. 2S feet 3h inches by Al COPELAND.
1880; hop. 6tep and Jump - feet Ia
Inches. Malcolm Ford. 1884: pole vault,
IL feet inches, Hugh Baxter. 1887.
fifty-six pound weight throw. 26 feet ~.
inchea Q. A J. oueckberner. 1884 &hot
put. ~ feet IL inches George Gray 1855.
why Not Murray's Toot
All of those old time records have been
put in the discard. Seeing that the
figures Of so wonderful a middle dis.
lancer as Lon Myers have been smashed
to smithereens and all tho records OF all
other old time stars also shattered. why
Is the lettering Of Cinders Murrays
walking record made in 1888 such an
impossible feat?
Cinders Murrays mile record OF
:29 8-6 was shattered In 1910 by George
Goulding. who walked a mile in 6 :25 40
Tho reason why tho record was not bet
tered long before 1910 Is that there has
been little or no interest in walking
events since the early eos. and hence few
good athletes were attracted to the sport
Since tho late sos and early '90s the
calibre Of The American walkers has
been very poor. This u evinced in the
fact that Sam Liebgold won every ma
tional three milo walking championship
from 1892 to 1910. When a man can
successfully defend . national title for
eighteen long years there Is something
lacking in the youngsters who attempt
to wrest II away from him
1t Is plain that there were few rood
walkers competing against Liebgold
when he successfully could defend his
three mile walking title from 1892 to
1910. Lack Of competition and lack OF
real walkers Il what enabled Murray =
record to etay on the books as long as
II did. Under the encouragement OF the
American Walkers Club and other or
ganizations interest Is increasing in
walking. II probably will result in a
needed Improvement among Uncle
Sammy's pedestrians.