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Walker v. Runner
Sirs:
When a fellow gets beaten in a race, he is a mighty poor loser if he attempts in any way to explain his defeat. When a fellow has not been in a race, however, it seems legitimate to call that fact to the attention of those who seem to believe that someone else beat him.
Leo Kieran [TIME, Oct. 26] set out to circumnavigate the globe for The New York Times and the North American Newspaper Alliance, using only those means of transportation available to ordinary tourists. He timed his start so as to reach Manila to catch the first West to East passenger flight of the Pan-American Clipper service. Mr. Kieran did not fly the South China Sea in a special plane as did Mr. Ekins, nor did he fly the Pacific as a member of the crew before the line was opened for passenger service.
He left as an ordinary passenger and he returned as one. He has no desire to detract in any way from whatever Mr. Ekins did; he merely was not interested in it, any more than a man entered in a walking race would feel himself in competition with a runner who passed him on his course. Mr. Ekins is to be congratulated that he circled the globe in 18 days, 14 hr. and 56 min. Mr. Kieran holds the distinction, for whatever it may be worth, of having circled the globe in the shortest time using only the facilities of established passenger service.
EDWIN L. JAMES
Managing Editor The New York Times New York City
TIME credited the World-Telegram's world-girdling Reporter Ekins with no victory, no record. Third contestant in the race-that-was-not-a-race, New York Journal's Dorothy Kilgallen, took a special plane on the home stretch from Alameda to Newark, completed her circumnavigation in 24 days 12 hr. 51 min. Sticking strictly to commercial schedules, except for one taxi ride from Bologna to Brindisi, Timesman Kieran made the trip in 24 days 14 hr. 20 min.—ED.