Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-10-28
A Remarkable Swim.

A correspondent of the London Saturday
! Rerieas calls the EDITORS attention to feat
of swimming performed just forty years
ago-a feat more remarkable than any
that the world has ever known up to the
| time of Capt. Webb's remarkable natatory
exploits. The paragraph, it appears, is
abridged from Vol. 81 of the Saturday
Magazine of the 5tnof November, 1912,
| which runs as follows.
At about half-past six O'Clock ON the
evening of the 9th of October, 1885, the
yawl Increase, manned by nine men, in
GLIDING Brock, capsized in a terrible
squall off the Newark floating-light, at q
distance of six miles from the nearest land
seven of the men went down with the boat,
and Brock believed himself the only sur
vivor 1t was dead low water and the
tlood.tide would set off shore, so If ever he
should reach the land he would first drift
at least fifteen miles before the ebb would
assist him. Still he determined to make
rush horse-collar (lately used as a fender
TO the boat which fioa,ed by, he rid HIM
self by the aid of his knife of his petit
coat trousers, striped frock, waistcoat and
neckcioth, but did not venture attempting
"
ers or shirt, fearing his legs would be-
come entangled, nor of his boots. The
horseco,lar retarded his swimming, so he
left il, and as he swan on to his surprise
perceived one of his companions ahead OF
him. He, too, sank, and Brock was
left alone upon the waters. Winterton
light served to direct his course, but, the
tide eventually carrying him out of sight
90 Il ha ,aNn for hriuhf star in the
same position, and with his eyes steadily
fixed upon il continued swimming and
calculating when the tide would turn.
The sky became overcast, and a storm of
thunder with forked lightning followed,
This passed, and was succeeded by a
calm. His heavy, laced boots encountered
him greatly, and he succeeded in freeing
himself from them. The Lowestott light
| came in sight, and occasionally the tops
of the cliff beyond Gorlestone on the
Suffolk coast were visible. Driven by the
swell of the sea over Cross Sand Bridge,
the checkered buoy of st. Nicholas GAIT
told him he was distant from the land four
miles and opposite his own door, The
tide did not run strong, and fearing to
stay by the buoy, even for few moments,
lest his limbs might not again resume
their office, he set off for the shore. just
then he was startled by whizzing sound
followed by a splash in the water close to
his ear; il was large gray gull, which
mistook him for corpse, and made
dash at him. The whole flock came up,
but he frightened them away. After
| ward he caught sight Of a vessel nj an
Choir a great way off, and TO get with.
| in hail he must swim over Corton Sands,
where, owing TO the breakers meeting him,
| he swallowed good deal of salt water,
| but before utter exhaustion some change
| fortunately occurred in. he direction OF the
| swell, and he was driven over the sands
| into smooth water, and he felt his strength
revive so that he could swim To the shore.
| If, however, he were TO attempt this and
succeed, there was no certainty OF getting
out of the surf, or that he could walk,
| climb the cliffs, or get 10 house. If he
| could not do all this the cold wind would
| kill him, Sc he made for the vessel
though il was more difficult than 10 swim
on shore The nearest approach he could
make TO the vessel was about 200 yards,
and as he was drifting by he mustered all
his strength and cried out His cry was
heard, a boat was lowered, and he was
taken on board fourteen miles from the
spot where the yawl capsized, after he had
been seven hours and u half in the water
Once safe he tainted, and for some time
continued insensible. Though treated
with the utmost kindness his suiierings
were intense. His throat was in high in.
flammatiun and much swollen; round his
neck and chest he was perfectly hayed,
and the soles Of his feet, his hands and
| his ham strings were equally ex'
| coriatpd But in five DAYS he had so far
recovered as to walk into Yarmouth Ia
receive the congratulations OF his friends
and kindred.