The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-01-14
AMERICAN ATHLETES
SHOW PROGRESS
Almost Every Standard Contest Has Re
peatedly Been Bettered Since the
Early Eighties.

New York, Jan. 1.-THE remarkable
advance made in track and field athletics
by American performers in recent years
is strikingly demonstrated by the latest
charts of the Amateur Athletic union.
With the exception Of two or three
events, the records show that almost
every standard contest has repeatedly
been bettered during the period since the
early eighties, when the A. A. L. was
organizd
The l00-yard dash record was cut down
two-fifths OF a second in trihe less than
30 years. Between 1888 and 1918 il was
broken twice and no less than IL sprint
ers participated in breaking or tying the
time. In the 220-yard dash four iifths
OF second was Topped Off the time in
similar period, the record being broken
twice and eight runners receiving credit
Tor exceeding or equalling the previous
blocking. The quarter mile event is one
OF the exceptions TO the general rule.
Wendell Baker ran the 440 yards in 47s4
seconds in 1886 and in 1900 Maxey Long
reduced the time TO II seconds fiat. Since
that date no Splinter has ever equalled
this performance.
Coming TO the longer distances, the
half-mile run has been bettered twice
three and one-half seconds having been
cut off the time made by Lon Myers in
1885 This time was lowered twice and
four athletes are credited with tipping or
breaking the record In the mile run
eight and four -fifths seconds marks the
Improvement. w. G. George ran the dis. !
fnnpa N 1890 in four ~ a =
seconds and in turn Tommy Connect. /
John Paul Jones and Norman Taber
each clipped the time until at present il /
stands at four minutes IL 3-5 seconds |
The five-mile record has been broken |
three times and equalled once since 1887 |
and the total gain amounts to 81 2-5 |
seconds. The l0-mile run shows a gain /
of one minute, So Is seconds since 1886, |
the record of that date having been bet
tered three times
In the hurdle races one and one-ffth |
seconds marks the gain over the l20- yard
flight. In 1891 II. l., Williams did Is As
seconds and in 1916 r. Simpson estab-
lished the present figures of ii 80. Dur
ing these &c years the record was broken
four times and tied four times. At 900
yards the gain amounts TO a full second
The second was cut off by A. c. Kraenz-
lein in 1898 and has been tied twice but
never beaten The one-mile walk has
been improved to the extent Of one and
three-f seconds since "Cinders" Muir
ray stepped the distance i'm six minutes,
~ 3-5 seconds in 1883. II was not until
1911, however, that George Goulding, the
Canadian walker, heel land -toed the dis J
-ance in six minutes and % seconds and
no other performer has equalled those
figures since.
The field events also afford some re ]
examples of the Improvement J
n athletic competition. The running {
ugh jump mark has been moved up {
hree and vesixteenths inches since
Ss7, when w b. Page cleared six feet,
our inches Eddie Beeson holds the /,
ecord at present with six feet, seven !
nd iive-sixteenths inches but in the in Il
erin Mike Sweeney and George HORNE
eld the figures of their day. thus prov
ng factors in the climb of the Jumpers. 7
he broad jump shows an improvement =
( one foot, four and one. fourth inches 4
n 1856 the figures stood at % feet. three !
1ches, made by Malcolm Ford, and be II
ween that date and Meyer Prmstein's i
eeord leap of "a feet seven and one
ourth inches, the records Were broken y
We times by four different broad Jump e
rs. The hop, step and jump shows a "
ain OF six feet, nine and one fourth "
lches between 1884 and 1911, when the &C
Sisting figures were established by Dan
hearn.
The pole vaulters also kept raising the
ar steadily from the day when Hugh
axter did II feet, five inches in 1887 ba
lark Wright now holds the record with OF
} feet two and one fourth inches but W
he original height has been improved ch
pom no less than seven times and tied
zee In the weight events, IA feet, three
I'd one eighth inches, mark the gain be "
yeen Queckbcrner's heave of % feet, Sc
rec and one fourth inches. with the &C. ca
,und ball and Matt McGrath's 40 feet, tn
X and three-eighths inches made in pa
III. The shot put gain amounts to
ven feet, one inch. having been broken III
< times in a period of 30 years The til
sous throw was not established until ed
81 and the first figures were held by fo
H. Henneman with lis feet, nine an
ches. In 1912 the present record of l45 m,
ct, nine and one half inches. was made tic
Duncan, but during these Is years the
ures were improved no less than seven me
mes and in each case Martin Sheridan WI
Is the athlete TO better ms previous ceI
row sta