A LADY PEDESTRIAN.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 10, 8 December 1877, Page 3

A LADY PEDESTRIAN.

The "San Francisco Morning Call" of August l!0th, says : —" Miss Kate Lorence commenced her task last night, in Piatt's Hall, of walking 100 miles in 28 hours. It will bo remembered that about six weeks ago she undertook to accomplish this distance in the same time, and continued on the course until she had made something over HO miles, when she was taken ill and had to give up the effort, Nothing daunted by the failure on that occasion, but being confident from that attempt that she can perform the feat, Miss Dbranco has again entered the arena to compete for pedestrian honors. At 8 o'clock last evening she stepped on to the floor, and, preceded by her trainer, and to the accompanying strains of an orchestra, started on her journey. She was hailed with a round of hearty cheers, by the small company present, and stepped out with an easy gait ut ft little, over four miles an hour. The step was firm but elastic, and apparently taken very' easily. Tho

\ | motion ~f the shoulders, however, was -•m. what violent, and tended to dtssi 11 pais the belief that the lad) was walk- ■ rag without distress. Twcnty-thrve and I a half laps of th.- hall make a mile, and ■ at the end of the first milo 14 minute, i was announced as the time taken. The second mile was done in 12 minutes, *>o • seconds, the third in 13 minutes, and the i/fourth in 12 minutes, 15 seconds. By i this time Miss bunnec had settled to I work, and steadily followed her trainer. I Opinions were much divided as U> the I probability of her accomplishing the 100 > miles. The attendance was limited, and I there was an entire absence of betting. I The same paper of September 30th, • has the following: -Miss Kate Lolence, ■ pedestrian, concluded, last evening, to [ the entire satisfaction of her trainer, the • audience, and the chronometers, her feat of walking one hundred miles in 2H hours, sustaining herself bravely to the : end of her self iinpo ed task, and fetiri ing amid the deafening applause of a i house nearly full. This exhibition of i pedestrianism is not a little creditable to ■ the lady's powers of endurance, and an i effect to the reproach that the greater • sex are fatigued by the promenade of a ' block, and may soon require a car for crossing. During those 28 hours, her ■ longest period of rest was ;!7 minutes, ■ taken at .'! a.m., yesterday. The wearisome round over the saw-dust, lap after lap, was very uniformly walked, very little being attempted in spurting, and the record of the timekeepers shows that the miles averaged from twelve minutes and a few seconds to fifteen minutes, with exceptional miles in lb, IS, and even 10} minutes. Each hour of the period requires a performance of close upon four miles. The trainer of Miss , Lorence, Tom Kean, walked the whole ■ distance, and being more accustomed to muscular exertion from the shoulders, lie had no great amount of life left in his ■ legs towards the end of the tramp. Miss Lorence was cheered heartily during the ■ final laps, and stepped out with much spirit and confidence. The hundredth mile was concluded at 11 40, and as the feat was begun at 805 on Friday night, there were twenty-rive minutes to spare. Apparently the lady's fatigue was not more severe than that of male pedestrians figured in matches against time; but a few day aof rest will doubtless be grateful to her aching limbs. A subscription was started in the hall for her benefit, and an ardent admirer who is in the jewelry business announced his intention of presenting her with a gold medal. '"