PEDESTRIANISM.

Evening Star, Issue 3589, 24 August 1874, Page 3

PEDESTRIANISM.

fastest time on record. (From the Sporting Life.) Some 8,000 people assembled at the Lillie bridge enclosure on June 1, the occasion being the three-mile walking match, for the championship and Lso.a-side, between Joseph Stockwell and William Perkius. There was a general expectation that something ex raordinary in the way of time would be done, and that anticipation was amply realised. Stockwell, who is now thirty years of age, hag been long before the public, having come out first of all in 1862, and for seme years has been regarded as the fastest and one of the fairest walkers in England, his style, when ence he settles down into his stride, being one that aspirants may well copy. Eis last match previous to that of Monday was with Hurley, for the championship, in May last year, when ke won, Perkins is only twenty-one years old, and stands sft 4in—3in less than Stockwell. He gradually made his way to the front rank, and by his defeat of Hurley last March, established a right to challenge Stockwell for the championship, which the older man then held. At half-past six Mr E. Smith, having been appointed referee, gave the signal for the men to go, and Stockwell dashed off with one of those tremendous bursts almost peculiar to him, Perkins, however, keeping close at his heels. After going about 100 yards, Perkins put on the steam, and, going with the utmost fairness, dashed right in front as they turned into the back-stretch, and so n was leading by a dozen yards. At the end of the first lap (three to the mile) Perkins was over 20yds ahead, going in magnificent style, and, keeping up a cracking pace, ho finished the first mile in the unprecedented time of 6min 255. £tiil gaining, he was between 70yds and 80yds ahead at the end of the second mile (time, ISoun 2845). Commencing the third, ho drew still further ahead, but Stockwell now made a plucky effort, which had the effect of reducing the gap, though ha failed to got quite up, and Perkius, getting away again, won by 50yds, the time for the whole distance being 20m 50 4.ss—the best on record. Batting at the start was 6 to 4 on Stockwell. 430 MILES IN SIX DAYS. A pedestrian, named Edward Payson Weston, has been attempting to walk 500 miles within six days at the hall of the merican Institute, New York, but only sue ceided in getting through 4 0 miles, with five minutes forty-six seconds to spare. As it was obvious that the remaining seventy miles of the distance could not be accomplished in this small margin, Weston prudently gave up the task, and his attempt, was, therefore, a fai ure. Me succeeded, however, in walking 115 miles in twentyfour hours, a feat supposed to be unequalled by any other pedestrian. He also succeeded in i xoibiting wonderful powers of endurance, walking at the rate of five miles an hour during the last portion of the sixth day of hia effort. He unfortunately, on the first day of his long walk, wrinkled the stocking on his left foot, thus making a very painful sore, - which l did not add to the comfort of the journey. ?o griiat was the erbtod on the last day of the attempt, that little could be seen of Weston, except as he almost flew by the judge’s stand ; but his progress could be told at all times by the cheers and waving of handkerchiefs which followed him round the hall “in one continous wave of applause.” When his physicians decided that he should stop at the end of the 430 th mile, Weston sank into a chair exhausted and entirely overcome He was then carried by the police with difficulty through the crowd and put to bed where he immediately fell asleep. The time he occupied in actually walking the 430 miles was ninety-eight hours twenty-eight minutes, the average time per mile fourteen minutes forty-four seconds, and the “quickest mile” was one accomplished in nine minutes thirty seconds.