The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-13
Lead by Nearly Two Miles in
Big Relay Race.
Make Trip to Manhattan ant
Return in 134 Hours.
353 INFANTRY IS SECOND
Second Battalion Leads at Start
of Big Event.
First Battalion $40 F. A. Takes
Third Place.
BY FLOYD wAMBEAM.

sanitary train romped away with first
honors in the INTERPRETATION relay
race to Manhattan and return last
Sunday morning, winning by almost
two-mile lead and having about eight
minutes to spare over its nearest OPP
ponent, the second battalion of the
35rd infantry.
The ambulance men covered the
twenty-five miles in an hour and
forty five minutes, averaging four
minutes and twelve seconds to the
mile. This is/regarded as exception
ally fast time considering the fact that
men who had never before entered
contest took part. Each Of the fifty
men ran a quarter of a mile each way.
The first battalion of the $40 field
artillery took third place. negotiating
the distance in two hours and one
minute. The finish of this team and
that of the first battalion of the 356
infantry was close. the former nosing
out the infantrymen by about ten
yards. The second and first battalions
of the a14 engineers took fifth and
sixth places there being only half
minute difference between the two at
the close. The motor battalion of the
ammunition train and the second bat
TALON of the 354 infantry were seventh
and eighth respectively.
The ambu1ances took the lead in the
race for the first eighth of a mile,
surrendering this to the 35s infantry
near the Hostess house. The latter
continued to increase their lead until
it reached a maximum of about a
quarter of a mile when the race had
covered about four miles. The ambp-
lance section then forged to the front,
and by the time they reached Man
haitian they had a lead of nearly a
mile and a half. Once past the other
runners. there never was any doubt
as to the result of the race as some of
the strongest ambulance runners had
been stationed at the Manhattan end
of the relay.
The winners of the first four places
entered Manhattan in the order in
which they returned to headquarters
of the division. However, the 354
infantry, which held fifth place at
Manhattan, slackened and slid into
last place on the return, the second
battalion of the engineers pulling up
from seventh to fifth place and the
ammunition train rising from eighth
to seventh.
Headwork on the part of Major
Bartlett and W. L. Overman, Anlbu-
lance Company 356, captain of the
measure responsible for the victory
they won. Long distance men of great
est endurance were placed at the Man
haitian end of the line because these
men would have little time to rest
between quarters and because the
| result was that they were able to
make their heaviest gains at the most
difficult points, tho they sacrificed the
lead of the race at the start.
The men who took part in the race
for the winning team follow:
Ambulance Company Ssh. R.
Knapp. D. A. Johnson. W. E. Kuebler,
W. L. Overman, A. L. Schade. J. E.
Spellman, R.:'W. Coy, H C. Huntling,
r. c. Walker, V. L. Nelson, K. q.
Brunell, G. V. Brown and g. C. Par
ker. 'r -
william. A c. Wright. H. B. craW-
| ford, w. r. Mansfield. H. C. Long, W.
V. Smith, c. l. Young, T. A. H. Burs-
man, w. J. Constant, H. w. Peterson,
Morton and r. G. Clarity.
Ambulance Company 355-F. O..
salmonson, Fred j. Lindner. J. ".
Thomas, P. w. Morse, Byron Ar
buckle, Emmett Ellis, D. D. Brock, R.
Wallace, H. r. Baker, T. F. Rain. r,
E. Lollis, and G A. Whitsett iH
Ambulance Company 366-R e.
Oaks, L; RosenbaYm, L. L. Matzke.
Harry Osborne, NJ c. Larson. Louis
F. F. Monkey. Anton ]. Vetrovsky,
Fred Vieselmier.
According to Captain Paul With
ington, division director of athletics, a
protest has been entered against the
winners of first, third, and fourth
places. It is charged that these teams
used trucks to transport runners
ahead, allowing their faster men to
run short distances with intervals Of
rest This is admitted by the 340tfl
Field Artillery and the 356th infantry,
but 1t is thought that ambulance sec
ton in no way violated regulations A
meeting was scheduled for Wednesday
| evening to hear these protests
Five prizes were awarded in this
meet as follows: First. cup and box
| or athletic goods; second box of ath-
letic goods; third. ten sets of boxing
gloves; fourth, catcher's mask, pro-
tector, glove, and two dozen basebaIls;
fifth, two dozen baseballs.