GREAT ATHLETIC FEATS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7813, 4 June 1909, Page 1

GREAT ATHLETIC FEATS.

The myths ol the eailv ages are crowded 'with stones of the magnificent feats achieved by' fheir heroes. But when 'lo&ely r^ Timned and stripped oi then obvinu^iv mythical "trimmings' tho arinevements iof the ancient athletes an', usually found to ha\c been quite cQinmouplaco and credible. > ""■< '■; ■• Take, for' instance, tJic stqry of Milo, tho most famous athlete of ancient times Mdo's u'osttspectacular foat was to take ol' hfevback a four-yeai-old heitei and ..ury it'round the stadium Mow tin 1, animal may ' have weighed am where f mi four hundred to eight bundled 'lounds; and the distance io»V tin -stadium we know to have ifiVoxa jly two hundred and twenty jaids—ihat is, oneeightli of a mile ' - ■»*' Whethei tltw*.NU>i' )«• tiuo no one can tdl i>Mi> th.no is )ii good reason why it thon'ii, %U Ik , tor the feat is by "no nirans*jnVjjjdibli or oven unique. Tho Tuil ish poij>is of 4,'olistantinople •• frequent' -maLt long H'^rne\s bearing shoultit rVV-^^iit 0I s^ 'vm~ dred pounds, which is unto as .much or evfii mote thaii 3L p's burden, is said 1o ha\o been , It is iuithei told tha 1 »flei Milo had finished Ins cucuit ot *$*. stadium with his bovine bind n ho liil*>»tl the animal with a single blmv ot fhr-,,hst —probably aided In Die ustus, a bulky apparatus not iinl'kc i bovmg glov? Among the notable* athletes of modem times, peihaps \ho most remarkable was Euiest M/fiison, a sailor m the Na\j On a 'certain occasion, .finding himself penmkis\ m London, and knowing that ho must icach his ship at Portsmouth by t,oll call or be shot as a dosertei the v (^t morning, he ran the entire distance between the two cities, start)ng at hali-past. eight m tho evening and arming at his destination by six tho n< xt morning. That is to'say, ho coveied the entire distance of sixtj-mno miles m less than, ten houis.* Hie. next run was from London to Liverpool, a distance of two hundred miles, winch he covered m exactly thuty-thiee hours. A i till moie lemaiK.blo pedestrian feat was his famous inn fiom Paris to Moscow, a distance ihat m those days was seventeen hundicd and sixty miles. Ho did tho, journey m three hundred and thirty-six hour"! Menson nevei walkod,.bat went at a c'dog tiot *' Ho *v,i<i also peculiar as to eating and Bleeping On his journejs he ate notlij^jj except occasionally a little fiurC-Ojr a biscuit; but would dunk much water His rest was taken m a 'standing position, usually loaning against a wall or atree. Altei ten oi iiCioc.i minutes ,of this rest ho would awaki i and go on apparently as ii-Sh as pier ■ On one occasion during a long run he went up as usual and leaned against a tree to lest His seconds and attendants s1 .Hiding about had noticed nothing imusuji 1 m Ins wanner or appearance Ten nunutcs passed, fifteen, thnt\ The^ Catchers wept closer, and foxlnd that Monson was dead. * One oi the most remaikable feats of strength o\\ recc>id was th° "latform lift made by Patrick McCarthy, of St. Louis, U& A 'I ho platform was loaded with stones, and McCarthy, standing under it. lifted with arms, legs, and back, " harness" style. The weight oi the platform, and stones was sixty-Hii oo hundiedA ;nd seventy ■poundh,>or ovoi thioov^ons