16
Nov
Notes from the 1800’s
1858 Allen McKean accomplished 1000 miles in 1000 hours at Ballarat.
1878 Edwards walked 111 miles in 21 hours at Bathurst. [Could be 24 hours - poor copy]
1881 120.75 miles by Clifford in 24 Hours in Adelaide. Go As You Please*
1882 506.5 miles by Clifford in 6 days at Geelong [elsewhere shown as 506 miles 16 laps - which suggests 32 laps to the mile!]
*GAYP = walking or running as desired.
Walking
1880
113.5 miles W.Baker {NSW} 24 hours
Baker beat Taylor in a 24 hour match `easily’ [different event.]
1881
50 miles Rayner 8 hours 44 minutes 26 seconds.
112 miles in 24 hours Hagarty NZL
50 mile match J. Assenheim beat Weanor .
48 Hour match W. Swan beat W. Edwards for a £200 prize.
1882
J.Assenheim won a 48 hour match doing 174 miles in Sydney
Edwards won a 6 day tournament with 432 miles in Melbourne
Assenheim beat Wright £30 to £20 in a 12 hour match NSW
Miss Phillips beat Mrs Wallace in 6 days doing 281 miles for a £200 prize
W. Swan beat Miss Phillips, giving her 30 miles start, in a six days go as you please , 12 hours a day – 321 miles 6 laps to her 321 miles.
1883
W. Edwards beat Daniel O’Leary in a six day match for £400 in Sydney.
W.Edwards beats three men in 6 days match, doing 472 miles in New Zealand
5 October 1883 Scott NZL beat Edwards in a 24 hour match by 7 miles at Wellington, NZL
Scott beat Edwards in a 48 hour match by 1.5 miles, covering 192.5 miles.
This is probably just the highlights of the pedestrian scene in Australia in the 1880s. If the leading newspapers have an index, then checking up, using these as markers, should not be difficult.
Australian Etiquette - Appendix D Pages 612-619 People’s PublishingMelbourne 1885
A facsimile copy was published by J.M.Dent Melbourne 1980
Feb 1879 W. Edwards 110 miles in 23hrs 54 min at Melbourne Cricket Gd,
6 day race at the Hippodrome, Melbourne – ending 4th Dec 1880. Baker
[Sydney] 307 m 1 lap, Swan [NZL] 306m 10 laps, Seymour [NSW] 286m 3 laps
48 hours at the Exhibition Grds, Adelaide 2-4 Dec 1880 Edwards 172m 2 laps
8/9 Sep 1882 J. C. Williams (AUS) walked 100 miles in 22:32:53 and 110 miles in 25:01:02 at Sayers Court, Deptford, London, ENG at close on 50 years of age.
Week ending Mar 19 1883 Alfred Park, Sydney 6 day walk W.Edwards 373.5 miles, Daniel O’Leary USA 350.5 miles [totally unfit]
1884 A veteran ped, C. Williams, 54, is alleged to have recently walked 1500 miles in 1060 hours in Sydney, Australia under most disadvantageous circumstances, flooded out of his tent 3 times and walking for days on a sloppy track, 42 laps to the mile. Somtimes takes as much as 6 quarts of Ale per day, and latterly one bottle of rum per day.
In the NZ Runner in 1979 there was an article New Zealand’s First World Champion Athlete – Joe Scott and the Era of Pedestrianism by Scott A.G.M. Crawford.
From this:
June 1887 6 day in Melbourne June 1887 Raynor just held off Hackford to win by one mile – 365 miles to 364.
May 1887 `the famous Scott and Captain Cotton, whose fine performance of 100 miles in 23 hours attracted so much attention in New Zealand” were matched, Cotton to be given a 10 mile start. Match to begin 27th May at the Tuam Street Hall..
Weather seems to have postponed the match until June. Cotton won 119 miles to Scott’s 117 miles, Scott making up 8 of the 10 miles handicap.
In a re-match in the Garrison Hall, Dunedin, Scott covered 109 miles, and had made up 10.5 miles on an unfit Cotton.
In 1888 Scott appears in England, where in 72 hours – 14-19 May - he
covered 363 miles 1510 yards winning by 26 miles. This was apparently a new world record, the former record was 333 miles set in the USA. There is a photograph of Joe Scott and apparently the silver belt he won in the Early Settlers Museum in Dunedin. Joe Scott was 25 at the time of his 72 hour victory. The photo shows him with hair slicked back and a heavy, pointed moustache.
In a Six day two man team race 9-14 Feb 1902 an Australian team of Matthew Diehl and August T. Horst entered. On the 10th Horst, after putting up a good fight to remain in the race with a bad ankle and badly blistered foot, fainted on the track and had to be carried tohis dressing room. His partner Diehl took over at once, but since each runner had to run for a total of 12 hours each day, they did not figure among the leading performers from then on
However, I have found another article on Joe Scott.
In 1877 WILLIAM Edwards visited Dunedin and walked 100 miles in 24 hours. Scott then walked 100 miles in 23h53m Edwards then challenged Scott, but lost races over 60, 20 and 7 miles. Scott was born 3rd June 1863 and was only FOURTEEN or so years old, and was less than 5 feet/1.52 metres tall even when a fully grown adult! He was then to beat Edwards in the New Zealand 100 miles championships.
In 1886 he won the Australian 100 miles title beating C. Harriman. This is almost certainly Charles A. Harriman, a former top US pedestrian, who was at his most competitive up until 1881 or so. The article was published in Contact in Dec 1995 – I assume Contact is a Walking magazine or newsletter.and written by Joseph Romanos. Dudley Harris, the NZ walking writer may be the source.
I have just found one of his letters. He found an M.J.McNamara who competed in Sydney as a walker and runner in the early 1920s – but it was not clear if this was `our’ Mike McNamara.
The first ladies 24 hour was held in Sydney in 1879. There were 8 starters, including reputedly competitors from France. The race was won by a Madame Ozelle with 76.25 miles, from Miss Goodwin 72.75 miles and Miss Wallace 41.25. There was also mentioned a Miss Douglass, which is a different spelling from the earlier pedestrian who competed at the Alhambara.
I sent the Australian material to Peter Lovesey who is an expert on the period – and wrote the thriller `Wobble to Death’ set in a Victorian 6 day race. He has come up with the following marks.
17.09.64 Madame Douglas “undersized lady from the Diggings” has been stopped at the Alhambra from continuing her 1000m in 1000hrs by the lessee. Litigation involved.
18.09.1871 Brisbane Courier mentioned a large crowd at the walking match between two Brisbane residents from the city to Sandgate, the winner doing 4 1/2 hours.
Sept 1878. Edwards attempted 110 miles in 24hrs, but managed only 102miles 2 laps in the Guildhall, Castlereagh Street (Sydney?). Lap was only 73y 1ft.
1879 First ladies 24 hours was at Exhibition Building, NSW (presumably Sydney) 19/20 Dec
Tags: Australia, Ultra history
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