THE HUNDRED YARDS RECORD

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 9292, 22 December 1890, Page 3

THE HUNDRED YARDS RECORD

At last the ten seconds, which for so. many years has stood on the record books as the amateur record for one hundred! yards, has been replaced by fresh figures, and the old idea that an couldnob run the distance under even time has been exploded. TWO (TREAT rKRFORMANCBS. Two most noteworthy performances ware' put up in the United States recently. A week or two back I reported that J. Owen, of Detroit, had been timed to ruk one hundred yards at the American chanif, pionship meeting in' Ojsec. Before* the Amateur Athletic Union had time to investigate the performance, a sen--' sational run was announced as having' been done, by L. H. Ckrey, at the Autumn meeting of the Princeton College Athletic Association on Oct. 18, when he was credited with covering .a distance of one hundred yards, on level ground, and 1 from a standing start, in nine and one-,half seconds. The'genuineness of the performance was vouched tor by the officials, who. made affidavit thereto; while a civil engineer named Smith, who measured tilo tract after the cun. guaranteed its being slightly over the stated distance, and Mr Goldie, the starter, a man of long experience, competent and reliable, swore to th® fairness of the start and the absence of any favouring wind. It WOtild appear, therefore, that the performance was worthy of all credence, and that, upon the'pf oof® of correctness being bubmitted to’ th® Record Committee of the Amateur AtHletio Union, Cary would be allowed a record of O-.jsec for one hundred yards, thus supplanting the achievement of Owen, when' the. latter defeated Cary by a foot in 9Jseo. Why the performance was not allowed is related in the following extract -from th® New York Clipper NINE AND i’OUR-l'TFTfi SECONDS THE AStATEUE- kECORD. The Board of Managers of the Amateur Athletic Union held a meeting at Philadelphia on Saturday night, Oot. 25. Th®' proofs of the record performance of John Owen, on the occasion of th® championship games, wero submitted, and it was decided that ho was fully entitled to a record of'having run one hundred! yards in 9£sec. Affidavits in 1 support of the claim ot L. H. Cary to have 'rah the same distance in 9|soc, at the Princeton College’ Grounds, Oct. 18, were also received, read and considered, but the record was hot allowed, owing to the known inexperience of the gentlemen who held watches officially on the race, and the additional fact that Eamsdell, of the College and th® A.C.S.H., was reported to have done so milch better, under circumstances that were not exceptionally favourable, than h® was ever known to, have done previously,' and tban the Committee were satisfied: from his record he was able to do then. So strong was the belief that Cary was hot entitled to the record that, in the face of the affidavits submitted, the time was rejected;