Step Back in Time

Step Back in Time

From the September 1972 National Wool Grower Magazine

Lamb-Eating Fitness Expert Sets Distance Walking Record

Bill Emmerton, who is working for the American Sheep Producers Council (ASPC) promoting lamb, set a new walking record across Death Valley July 24 arriving at Scotty?s Castle in 2 days, 15 hours and 1 minute, which includes his rest periods, breaks, meals, sleeping time and press interviews. Emmerton is a world-famous nutritionist and exercise expert.

Starting at Shoshone, Calif., July 22, his route took him north from Shoshone to Death Valley Junction, then west into Death Valley through Furnace Creek, then north through Sand Dune Junction to Scotty?s Castle, making a steep climb from 178 feet below sea level to about 3,000 feet above sea level at Scotty?s Castle ? a clocked distance of 111.1 miles.

The same route, indicated on maps at 115 miles, took the Englishman, Kenneth Crutchlow, six days in July, 1970.

During the three days, temperatures ranges from 109-115 degrees with ground temperatures ranging from 185-187 degrees and relative humidity at 14, according to official Death Valley Ranger station calculations.

The first day his fast walk took him 47 miles; the second day he walked 33 miles; and on the final day he covered the last grueling distance of 31.1 miles.

The 52-year-old Emmerton, a nutrition and exercise authority, was sponsored by the American Lamb Council, a division of the ASPC, nationally headquartered in Denver, Colo., since Emmerton was born and raised on lamb in his native country of Tasmania, Australia, and he continues to use lamb as part of his daily diet. During the last four years, he has lived in the United States in Los Angeles. He uses fresh American lamb, thinly sliced, with whole wheat bread for quick energy to rebuild the protein loss from his long distance walks and runs.

?Lamb is not only palatable, but it is easily digested because fat is not marbled through it and as a result is quickly absorbed in the system and gives quick energy. It also has a large amount of vitamin B,? Emmerton said.

This famous sports enthusiast, who made most of his long-distance runs after the age of 40, who has run more than 112,000 miles, a distance equal to four times around the world, said that the walk on the burning asphalt was like walking on hot coals and was one of the most grueling of all the feats that he has made to show the middle-aged that they should keep physically fit by proper diet and exercise.

During the walk he wore out two pairs of shoes, and developed badly blistered feet, which brought down his average from 4.5 miles per hour when he started out to between 2.5 to 3 miles per hour at the finish.

Emmerton?s wife, Norma, drove a camper, following Emmerton, and provided Bill with plenty of lamb sandwiches to eat along the walk, along with plenty of fruit juices and cool water. Added to that, Mrs. Emmerton helped Bill change his shoes and socks periodically, trying to prevent blisters, but following their development from the hot asphalt, she bandaged his feet, massaged and wiped him down when necessary ? but most of all, gave him unstinting moral support.

Some of his famous runs include a run of 130 miles through Death Valley in April, 1968, setting a record of three days. In July of the same year, he ran the same route, going on from Scotty?s Castle to Las Vegas, Nevada, an additional 211 miles. The additional miles he ran in 3 days, 15 hours. In 1969, he ran from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration in Houston, to the first moon-launching site. Following a three-day examination by the astronaut?s doctors, they reported, ?The most striking of our findings is Mr. Emmerton?s superb performance in the exercise response test. His exercise capacity revealed a tolerance far above that which we have measured for a man of his age.?

Step Back in Time- Two

From the September 1934 National Wool Grower Magazine

Editorial Comment on Sheep and Wool Affairs

Ram Prices

A relapse is always more trying than the original attack. The sheep business made real improvement in 1933 but fell back this summer. It is again on the upgrade, though slowly. The public?s requirements of woolen goods are accumulating and will be in the market later, if not soon. Sheep statistics, like those for hogs and cattle, are in producers? favor. Statistics don?t always make the immediate market, but the market can?t be right if the statistics are wrong.

Good quality rams are a first essential in equipment and readiness for either good or bad times. The sheep outfits that are today riding the best are those that have been users of high quality rams. Credit agency managers who check their borrowers? budgets must, of course, demand economy, but low quality rams do not spell economy. They are the most expensive kind.

A good price does not of itself guarantee good quality, though a low price usually means inferiority. Good rams should, of course, be bought as reasonably as possible, but they have to be good ones to keep the ewe bands to a profitable standard. Good judgement in selection, and readiness to pay a fair price ? nothing less is good business.

Lamb Retailing

On this page of our August issue we said that retailers should not always be censured for failure to lower their selling prices during a temporary drop in the cost of carcasses and price of live lambs. Some comment has been made on that statement and the opinion expressed that recent low lamb markets were in some part due to lighter demand caused by high retail prices. The course of prices during the July decline on live lambs and through the small improvement late in August is interesting.

At the end of June the live lamb market at Chicago was on a 9-cent basis. Carcasses were quoted in New York at 18.4 cents. Retailers in that city were charging 26 cents for lamb legs and 37 cents for the chops.

At the end of July, Chicago lambs were below 7 cents. Good carcasses at New York were down to 14.5 cents. Good carcasses at New York were down to 24 cents and rib chops to 34 cents.

Then on August 18, Chicago lambs were a little above 7 cents. New York carcasses were up to 16.9 cents and retail legs were quoted at 23 cents and rib chops at 33 cents. In this instance the retailers apparently took a drop in selling prices along with a rise in cost of carcasses. All of which suggests some of the difficulties to be met if the retailer attempts always to charge consumers on the basis of what he pays the packer.

The August advance in carcass prices was correspondingly greater than that in lambs, which may be accounted for in part by the mark down in wool and pelt values. It is difficult to say whether 7-cent lambs are in line with 23 cents for lamb legs in New York. In August, 1929, leg of lamb was 28 cents in New York.

With pork chops having gone to 27 cents compared to 43 cents in 1929, the present question is upon what is a fair retail price. Also, whether 7 cents for fat lambs is the producer?s fair share of the consumer?s present 35 cents for rib chops. It looks as though the consumer must pay more if the producer is to go on.

Textile Strikes

A general strike of all workers in textile plants seems certain. The issues are not clearly shown in newspaper reports, though relations between unions and employers seem to be one of the difficulties. Unions representing employees of cotton mills are most active in the movement, but their national officers are determined to involve wool manufacturers along with all other branches of the textile industry.

The wool manufacturing industry is running at a very low rate, and closing down would not affect the wool market nearly so seriously as at a time when goods are being turned out in volume. In fact, the anticipation of labor troubles has been a factor contributing to the reluctance of the mill operators to take on supplies of material. If the labor side of the situation can soon be adjusted, it will aid in clearing the way for real activity in production of woolen cloths.

Freight Rates

There is an increasing amount of newspaper talk about a plan of the railroads to launch a concerted move for higher freight rates. The argument apparently will be that present rates do not return enough net earnings above fixed changes, bond interest and dividends upon issued stock.

Not long ago it seemed that Washington might have the courage to move toward reductions of capital issues when necessary to accord with fair value and what producers of freight tonnage can be expected to pay for transportation service. But we hear no more of such action.

Early in 1933, a combination of shipper interests asked for a general reduction in freight rates. Three members of the Interstate Commerce Commission, who listened to the testimony from both sides approved a reduction, but were outvoted by the other members who, it must be presumed, studied the record of the testimony.

If the carriers do make the effort that is looked for, it probably will be a strategic plan to protect their present outstanding issues of stock and let investors in railroads completely escape the effects of the depression. The surest way to bring final loss to such investors would be to hike up the freight rates and thereby further diminish the volume of business, inviting bankruptcy instead of fair and voluntary revisions of re-evaluations.

An androit petition has been filed, asking for authority to require all shippers of feeder stock taking the 85 percent of the fat livestock rate to pay the full rate and to be eligible for a refund only in case the stock is reshipped by rail when ready for market. This petition is being opposed by the National Wool Growers Association.

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