The Spanish American, 1910-05-07

(Special to the Spanish American) Edward Payson Weston, the aged pedestrian brought his great record record-breaking - breaking record-breaking walk across the continent to an end this morning. At thirty-five minutes past eight o'clock he set foot on Manhattan Island and, cheered by thousands and followed by a tremend oua crowd, proceeded to walk down Broadway on the last few miles of his long journey to the city hall. Wes Weston's - ton's Weston's original program called for the covering of the 3483 miles between Los Angeles and the City Hall in New York City in ninety walking days. In the face of storms and several minor accidents during the last stages of his journey, such as the injury sustained to his ankle at Schodack, N. Y., he has completed the distance in seventy seven days, thirteen days ahead of his original schedule. The walk would liave been completed in 75 days, if the accident to his ankle had not oc occurred. - curred. occurred. . Sunday wa3 spent by Weston at Yonkers, a small Baburban place twen ty miles from New York. On Saturday te succeeded in covering 55 miles of h3 journey,, arriving at his Sunday resting place about midnight. Thurs Thursday - day Thursday night was spent at Hudson which he reached after a tramp or only 24 miles, the smallest day's mileage he had plledVuj ,iyce leaving, L03 An Angeles.' - geles.' Angeles.' EverV" cue of the miles, was made with excessive pain because of the injury he had received to hia an ankle - kle ankle the day before, when a - young man was bowled over by an automo automobile - bile automobile in such a manner as to cause the ) oung-man's foot to strike the pedes pedestrian - trian pedestrian a severe blow on the ankle. The completion of this great under taking by the veteran walker, Ed Edward - ward Edward Payson Weston, has been looked forward to by the entire country as an event of national interest. The feat has been unusual in several res respects, - pects, respects, and the greatest of all perhaps is, that it was undertaken and per formed by a man past his 72nd birth' day. The veteran left Los Angeles on February first and started on his long hike with the intentions' of land ing on Manhattan Island, New York, by May 17th, ninety days later. The . result of his effort has been indicated above. During his long career, which extends over half a century, Weston has been the great American apostle or waiting, jtie naa ubbu iu au man manner - ner manner of heel and toe contests and, it is calculated that In the period of forty forty-two - two forty-two years he ha3 covered In pub pub-He - He pub-He a distance equal to thr"ee times the. circumference of the earth. Weston is an out and out Yankee end first saw the light of day in Provl denco R-. I. on March 15th, 1839. As a child he was weak and sickly and dur dur-ine - ine dur-ine boyhood showed no promise of . p.th'.iUc ability. Only when he got a job as office boy with one of the New vork rewspapers, did it dawn on him that he possessed prowess as a pedes pedestrian. - trian. pedestrian. Finally -Weston became a re reporter, - porter, reporter, and it is told of him that hé rrored many a "beat" on his rival revs-patherers on account of his fleet J t r.nt All Vila Uma Woatntl vas becoming convinced that walk-

(Special to the Spanish American) George Beringer returned the last of the week from a few days' business visit in Tucumcarl. Mr. Beringer states that the, contracts for the Clo-vis-Tucumcari extension of the Santa Fe are now being let and that grad grading - ing grading work on this new project will be be-jinwithln - jinwithln be-jinwithln a very short time. This is :he" first active step taken in the plan" of the Santa Fe In closing up the two or three gaps In the extension of their lines to the Gulf. The most recent folders of the San ta Fe, dater February 22nd, contain the dotted lines indicating the pro proposed - posed proposed right of way of the new Denver to- the Gulf main line of the Santa Fe. Abou three-fourths of the line between Denver and Galveston fs' al already - ready already built, only two connecting links remaining to be built, before the San ta Fe will have almost as direct a route between these two terminals, I Denver and Galveston, as the Colora Colorado - do Colorado & Southern. These two links, that are now to be completed within the next, year, extend between French and Clovls, New Mexico, and between Clovls on the cut-off to Coleman, Texas, a total distance of abo . 350 miles. Tucumcarl Is almost nr. ' Iway oír the extension between"Frenlf aii Clovis, and it is the connecting link between Clovls and Tucumcarl that is now in the process of actual con construction. - struction. construction. It Í3 rumored that tenta tentative - tive tentative arrangements have been made by the Santa Fe with the El Paso & Southwestern to use their tracks be tween French and Tucumcarl. The placing in operation of this new trunk line, will mean much for Ra Raton. - ton. Raton. It must be remembered that this new southeast line, one of the larg est and most important railroad pro projects - jects projects promoted in the southwest for many years, Is practically a new trunk line, with Raton as one pf its most Important passenger and freight division points. . While the new line will strike the main line of the San ta Fe at French, 32 miles south of the Gate City, Raton will be the logic al transfer point for passengers com ing from the north and wishing to go southeast. In course of time, it can he reasonably expected that this division point can acquire the same importance as a transfer point thát La Junta now enjoys. The Colorado & Southern now en joys the complete monopoly of this Gulw traffic and right now is being offered all the, business than it can possibly take care of. It is a just share of this traffic that the Santa Fe is now desirous of acquiring ands is making all due arrangements to par ticipate in.. From the very start, it is contemplated, the Santa Fe will be called upon to handle a vast amount of passenger and freight traffic that will have, to be handled through this division point. This increased traffic over the mountain will mean the in increasing - creasing increasing importance of Raton as a passenger division point and the ab absolute - solute absolute necesstiy of establishing a

ng in the open air was a most health iul exercise and in the early 60th, when there was a veritable outbreak jf pedestrianism, Weston was one of the most enthusiastic followers. In 1861 occurred his first important feet, when he walked from Boston to Washington to attend the inaugura inauguration - tion inauguration of Prgsident Lincoln. ThiB dist- mce wa3 453 miles and was covered in 208 hours. Weston's real career as a profes3 profes3-onal - onal profes3-onal began in 1867, when' he walk walked - ed walked from. Portland, Maine to Chicago. it was the toughest sort of a task, Cor the weather was most inclement at that time, and the roads were In the very worst condition. In June, 1879 occurred his most notorious enlevement, when he brought to Am erica the Ashley belt, the trophy em emblematic - blematic emblematic of the world's championship In pedestrianism. All his life Weston has observed temperate Habits to which he attributes his great vital vitality - ity vitality at the present day. Some of his most notable achievements -in Ameri- a are as follows: On October 29, 1867, he left Port land, Me., walking to Chicago, a dist distance - ance distance of 1326 miles in one hour and 20 minutes less than 26 days. In. October 1868, he walked 100 miles in 22 hours 19 minutes and 10 49COBCS. , -liay'lith 1874, at American In Institute - stitute Institute Hall, New York, Weston far exceeded'all previous records by walk !ug 115 miles in 23 hours 51 minutes, onsecutively, walking the first 100 niles in 20 hours and 38 minutes. - May 15, 1909, undertook to walk from New York to San Francisco, In 100 days, a distance of 4,000 miles. V long contnuous spell of bad weath er delayed him and he completed the trip in 104 days and 7 hours. For the first time in his career he was ob liged to walk 2,500 miles this task following railroad tracks. On February .First he started from Los Angeles, California and started on his recent trans-continental trip to New YorkCity intending tq make the long hike within ninety days. This he was a ole to accomplish in seventy-seven days, a record that will likely stand for a long time be before - fore before being again broken. m ms Am ' IS SAT UPON (Special to the Spanish American) Los Angeles, Cal., May 2. Percy Van Dyke, a visitor to this city from New York, entered a moving pitcure show today and passed along a row of seats, occupied by women, and sat down, but instantly leaped into the air yelling". He had sat down on a phalanx of long sharp hat pins. His body shot into darkness and he land landed - ed landed in the lap of a woman In front of him. This woman's escort instantly landed on Van Dyke. Women were screaming and a serious panic was ra pidly developing, when the police ar rived and quelled the disturbance. Van Dyke was found to be badly in lured and was taken to a hospital.

which was eeneral nil nvar Mlnanurt . eastern and central Kansas, ' north northern - ern northern Oklahoma, Iowa and Nebraska, uus remoranzea me telegraph and telephone service for many hours, and caused considerable damage in the fruit sections and to growing crops. Six inches of rain fell in south and central Kansas, breaking the drought of six weeks duration. A tornado struck the outskirts of Emporia, Kan Kansas, - sas, Kansas, and destroyed several houses but not lives were lost. It is reported that the village of Plymouth, six miles south of Emporia was destroyed. Snow fell- at Denver and at North Platte, Nebraska last night and this morning. Rainfall was general over Colorado, and the ranchmen, are re rejoicing, - joicing, rejoicing, as it insures big crops. At Neosho Rapids, nine miles from Emporia a store building and several frame residences and barns were brown to Dieces. A hnnnn hntweon Neosho Rapids and Hartford was de demolished, - molished, demolished, the family that occupied the house, has not been heard from. Whole orchards were ruined, the trees being up-rooted. A. W. Hoff Hoffman, - man, Hoffman, a farmer was killed near Bur Burton. - ton. Burton. ' ' MEMORIAL SERVICES (Special to the Spanish American) The colored branch of the K. of P. lodgs held their memorial services esterday afternoon In the Methodist church in East Raton.A- good Bervice and a good attendance is reported. Rev. C. W. Crutchfield of the Trini dad Baptist Church delivered the main address to the assembled Sir Knights and friends. About forty vis visiting - iting visiting Knights and friends were over from Trinidad to participate in the ceremonies of the afternoon.

BORN ON SANTA FE TRAIN (Special to the Spanish American) . A pretty little baby with velvety skin and dark brown eyes came Into the world on Santa Fe train No. 10 yesterday. It was born between Albu Albuquerque - querque Albuquerque and Lamy. The mother was on her way to New York where she is to become an attache of the zoolog zoological - ical zoological gardens. Mother and child com completed - pleted completed the journey in the baggage coach. They are seals. It Is believed the little seal will arrive safe and sound in New York. He was the pet of the baggage men on this division, and doubtless will be a favored guest of the railroads over which he makes the Journey. A WET DAY IN KANSAS

Harvey eating nouse here. The grad-v ual increase of the Gulf freight busi ness will mean the necessary enlarge ment in every department of the train service and shop facilities for the handling of the new business. This new proposition of the Santa Fe will be noted with the keenest interest by the people of Raton and the success successive - ive successive steps taken in carrying the plan thTough to fruition heralded as step stepping - ping stepping stones to greater things for the Gate City. , -