The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-08-02
MEN WHO COULD SWIM.
Leandcr, Lord BYRON, Captain Webb and
~ other OF RenoWn.

Leander, Lord Byron, Captain Webb ana
" "a, Others OF KenoWn.
MY. Truth. nu
% AS Captain Matthew Webb, the great
English swimmer, lost his life while trying
to outstrip all the known swimming achieve
ments, a few instances OF the memorable
long.distance swims may prove interesting.
1t is not SO long ago that the mythical
swimming feat Of Leander, and the more
recent accomplishment of ord Byron in
tIayersing the Hellespont, were considered
the greatest OF all natatorial achievements,
nut win the ADVENT OF suCiI swimllers az
old Fred Beckwith, Harry Gurr, Captain
Webb, L. 7. Jones, and still later on=Willie
Beckwith, the historical and poetical long
distance swim sinks into comparative in
Significance. The first record OF long dis.
tance swimming WAS in England some
twenty years back, when all the cracks
competed in a ten-mile race, This affair
took place in the early days OF the side
stroke, and long before it was thought that
a man could stay in the water more than six
hours without being exhausted; both Harry
Gurr and Fred Beckwith were among
these contestants, but they made no show
at all, and soon exhausted themselves with
their laborious, though fast method OF pro.
pulsion. The ultimate winner was found
In the person OF q Mr.. Wood, OF Hudders.
field, whose exceeding obesity kept him
warm longer than his more youthful an
tatgonist, aud SO he won. He was a poor
swimmer as regards speed and trial, but
could stay in the water as long as he
wished, and had not been for the change
Of tide he would, have put more miles to
his credit. lie occupied eight hours 10
making the ten miles, which had us their
starting point Teddington locks OF the
vicinity, on the River Thames. Soon after
this feat OF Mr. Woods young Harry Gurr
talked Of crossing the English channel, and
1t was said that the Emperor Napoleon
took great interest in the attempt, and
meant to assist the youthful natator with
money and the aid OF government boats
as well as pilots. Gurr had two theories
on the subject, one was to swim the
twSenty-milestretCh Of water drivingaplank
before him in the style that schoolboys
have to paddle around in the water. The
other was to 20 across the. channel unaided
by any artificial means, and using his own
peculiar overland stroke. This method Of
propulsion was very Curious, and while the
athlete would avoid the force OF broken or
roughwater,t the long immenionsa at the end
Of each stroke were all calculated to TX
haust him long before the white sands Of
Calais could be seen, let alone reached.
| Whether IT. wes the knowledge OF his de.
fectiye style--defective fort long distance
| lknk ,..n1a him Uiua mn hio ATTAIN NJ tu-nni
known, or whether Louis Napoleon with
drew his pecuniary aid, 80 necessary to
sucha task, will remain q mystery, but the
project was abandoned, and CUR went
back to his fast swimming and his un.
broken list Of victories, fol, like Hanlan,
the champion oarsman, he was never
beaten in d match race, and very rarely in
la race Of any description.
Another Of Eugland's famous swimmers
was Harry Coulter, whJ was both speedy
land s!anch. He was q breast swimmer
aud as such was better calculated TO get
Through a seaway than any OF the side or
overland experts. He was really the
frst one who ever tried a long stretch in
the open sea, and his feat OF eighteen years
ago, when he beat Q weather-beaten tar,
who imagined he could keep afloat forever,
Is still fresh in the memory OF those who
follow such matters. In this Coulter beat
his adyersary out 0 tslght
The next item oflong-distance swimming
in the chronicles Is that Of Captain Mat,
Webb, whose fate all deplore. He went
across the English channel unaided, and
stamped himself as the very best long-dis-
lance swimmer ever seen or heard oil. Had
his speed been equal 10 his staying power,
none Of the champions whose forte Is swift
ness would have had anything to do with
the captain. That he was not a fast swim
mer in every sense OF the word Is patent
from his showing with Willie Beckwith,
and'the races with the American champion
,Ernest Won Lchoening, who beat him a
long distance in q ten-mlle swim at Locust
Grove. three years ago.
OF course Captain Webb had many i'm
itaters, and one Of them, Fred Cayil, al
most disputes the channel record with the
Captain, This gentleman was a we'll.
known short distance swimmer in England
fifteen yearstago, and is said to be one Of
the very best saltwater swimmers ever
seen. His stroke was well calculated to
take him along distance and at q very rap.
i'd rate. and his friends claim that he went
from Dover to Calais much faster than
Webb did, but through some hitch in the
arrangements he never got q clear record
for his trouble. To many people these
long distance swims have no real signia'