"Timing" a man correctly requires two men; one to hold the watch with his thumb ready on the stop looking at nothing else; the other to watch the man and call out "stop" as he crosses the line. No man can do timing single-handed. He is sure to make mistakes from disturbance of mind on account of divided attention.
For the convenience of those without practical experience in conducting athletic meetings we print an additional chapter containing the most approved rules, to which we refer the reader.
[RECORDS OF PEDESTRIANISM.]
The first reliable record that we have of modern pedestrianism bears the name of Captain Robert Barclay. Of course there had been walkers before his time; but he was the first to bring walking, as a means of locomotion, into general notice. The first public match of this remarkable man took place in 1806, when he is said to have walked from Ury to Craithynaird, Scotland, and return, a distance of 100 miles, in 19 hours. Three years later, we find his most notable record. During the interval he had taken the name of Allardice in addition to his own, and is described on the records, as Captain Robert Barclay Allardice, who made a match of two thousand guineas at Newmarket, England, that he could walk 1,000 miles in 1,000 consecutive hours, and did it, too. This was the first of these endurance matches publicly attempted, and was walked in the open air on the high road, where two inns were found, just a mile apart, near the town of Newcastle. Captain Barclay favored himself in this match by walking a mile at the end of one hour and going on with the next mile at the beginning of the succeeding hour, thus giving himself an hour and a half clear sleep or rest between each two miles. He won his bet, beginning June 1st, and ending July 12th, 1809.
This feat remained unexcelled till 1877, when William Gale beat it all to pieces. Starting on August 26th of that year, and ending October 6th, he succeeded in walking 1,500 miles in 1,000 hours, a mile and a half each hour, commencing on the stroke of the hour. This feat was done at Lillie Bridge, England, and was followed in November of the same year by 4,000 quarter miles done in 4,000 consecutive periods of ten minutes each. This Gale was the same person who trained Madam Anderson to bring the quarter-mile match to the United States; and that lady made a great monetary success out of it, though her feats were not remarkable, save as being executed by a woman.
The first flutter of interest in pedestrianism excited in the United States, was when E. P. Weston started, Oct. 29, 1867 to walk from Portland, Maine, to Chicago, Illinois, which he reached November 28th, (Thanksgiving Day) having successfully accomplished the task he set himself.
Up to that time, while there had been some races, where good runners had contested, walking was at a discount in the United States; but from the date of Weston's feat, pedestrianism became a fashionable amusement, and rich club-men were found who would walk matches on foot, instead of lolling in carriages, or trotting their horses.
The professionals during that time had been chiefly confined to England, where the best records had been made.
The best 100-yard sprinter of his day was George Seward, of Hammersmith, England, who made the amazing time of 9 1-4 seconds, Sept. 30, 1844, and did 120 yards in 11 1-4 seconds, May 3, 1847. These records have not yet been beaten.