Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-07-22
A Twenty MILES, swim.


On Saturday afternoon Captain Webb,
of the Emerald, of Liverpool, accom-.
plished the feat of swimming twenty
miles down the Thames The captain
was seaman on board the Cunard screw
steamer Russia on her voyage from New
York in April, 1873, when, in mid-ocean,
a man fell overheard. The weather was
very cold and the wind blowing half a
gale. Webb leaped overheard, tortu-
nately loosing his boots as he dived, and
kept himself ahoat for thirty. FIVE min
utes, while he made Intellectual efforts to
save the unfortunate sailor, who, it was
thought, had been struck by the pro-
peller. The steamer was running six
teen knots an hour at the time and she
had to turn and lower a boat, which
searched for some time before Webb was
found. For this brave act the passen.
gers subscribed Gl00 aud he was subse
quently presented with the silver medals
of the Liverpool Humane Society and
the Royal Humane Society. At the
Tooth anniversary of the Royal Humane
Society, when the Duke Of Edinburgh
presided at the dinner at Freemasons
Hall in May, 1874, Captain Webb was
selected as the recipient Of the first
Stanhope gold medal. Having conf.
dence in his own powers the captain has
several times published a challenge in
Bells Life to swim longer distance
than anybody else, but his challenge has
never been accepted. On Saturday
having backed himself at two to one for
e20 that he would swim twenty miles,
a small party embarked on the Falcon
steamer at Westminster pier and pro.
ceeded to Blackwell, where at 2:25
pm. Captain Webb took to the
water. 1t was about high water, so that
little assistance was obtained from the
current for the first few miles. The
Captains style of swimming is a slow,
steady stroke of the arms, a vigorous
action of the legs, and the head is kept
down, so that the water flows over the
mouth at every stroke. He was accom-
panied by Professor Beckwith, who from
a small boat directed him in a course
along the middle of the channel, and q
small hotilla of boats at various points
brought curious visitors to watch the
Swimmer. Vessels leaving the port Of
London gave him a clear course, so that
he was little disturbed by passing craft.
The wind was steady and the weather
fair until shortly after passing Woolwich,
when heavy shower followed several
peals of thunder. Occasionally Captain
Webb took some brandy and water, but
no other refreshment The distance
from Blackwell to Gravesend is seven
teen and three quarters nautical miles
over twenty English miles--and the first
half was accomplished in an hour and
half. When asked how he was getting
on Captain Webb replied that he was all
right but very hungry. He continued
the same slow, steady stroke to the end,
not once resting by floating or changing
his position, except that now and then
he took few strokes on his right side.
The entire journey was accomplished in
four hours, ffty-three minutes, and at
7:lS pm the Captain was lifted out of
the water into the boat opposite the
Town Pier, Gravesend amid the hearty
cheers of the assembled crowd. Captain
Webb is native Of Shropshire, is
twenty-seven years of age, a broad
shouldered man of medium hight and
weighs fourteen stone. He went to sea
when twelve years old.