Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-08-09
FAMOUS SWIMMERS.

New York Truth.
As Capt. Matthew Webb, the great
English Swimmor, lost his life while
trying to outstrip all the known swim
ming achievements, Il 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 Lord
Byron in travcrsing the llellespont,
were considered the greatest Of all
natatorial achievements, but with the
advent of such swimmers rs old Fred
Beckwth, Harry Gurr Capt. Webb,
+. II. Jones, and still later on Willie
Bcckwith, the historical and poetical
long distance swim sinks into cOmpqra
tive in,igniiicance. The first record of
long distance swimming was in Eng
land some twenty years back, when
all the cracks competed in 4 tcn.milG
race. This affair took place in the
early days of the side.strokc, and long
before it was thought that man could
stay in the water more than six hours
without being cxhausted; both Harry
Gurr and Fred Beckwith were among
these contestants, but they made no
show at all, and soon exhausted them
selves with their laborious though fast
method of propulsion. The ultimate
winner was found in the person of a
Mr.. Wood, of Uuddersiicld. whose CX-
racdin% ohesitv kcnt him warn, Longer
vbon r. noro ydnthfJ or,anon;gts
md so bo won. lie wos a noor swim.
,nnr os rorords snocJ and stvlo I'm,
cnn,d Stoy In thc voter ne long os Lc
n;Shod 9rd LaJ /, mot boon 1or ,ho
ohonno of lido bo woriJ hoyo nm, mora
n,iIot7 70 Lis crodi, Uo nccunioL ni,,h,
Lnnrs in motirg tbo ton rn;ins wLIcI,
hoJ nc tbeir stariing nnint TnJjingtom
inntS & or tboir viciniiy ON thc Riynr
TL"mos Soon oftnr ;, bis foat nf Mr.
WonJs uarry Cmrr ,oiLnJ nf crnssino
tho EnriisL cborrnl md If was eniI
tho, ihr Enreror Naroiron took gr"at
interest in tEc ottemnt ond mrant tr
nss;st ,hn vn,,bfrl nnio,or witL rono,
nnJ ,bn iii NJ royorrmont hoots a.
wall @ as niIots Gnm haJ two ,hrorin.
nn Tho srIioot ono wns tn ywir, III,
,wontv.milG ~ rty % s,rrtch of water driying q
nIonk bnforo him IN tLc stvlc tR,,
schoolboys have to paddle around in
the water. The other was TO 90 acroS,
the channel, unaidcd bv any artificial
means and using his own peculiar
overland stroke. This method of pro
uulsion was very curious and Will,
ibc athlete would avoid the force
of broken or rough water, the lone
imersion nj the end of each stroke wer,
all calculated to exhaust him lone he
fore the white sands of Calais could b,
seen. let alone reached. Whether i
was the knowlodce of his drfcctiy,
style-defectiye for Il long distance
that made him give up his attempt i
not known, or whether Louis Napoleon
withdrew his pccuniary aid, 50 neccs
sary to such task, will remain n mys
terry, but the project was abandoned
and Gurr went back to his fast swim
ming and his unbroken list of victories
for, like Hanlan, the champion oars
man, he was never beaten in mattel
race, and very rarely in race OF an,
description.
Anot, ,or of Enpland's famous swim
mcrs was Harry Coulter. who was bolI
spcrdy and stapch, He was n brcas
Swimmer. and os such was better col
culatrd to ret through a scaway than
anv of tbc side or over hand cypcrt
Ue was really the first one who oyc
tried = long stretch in the omen sea
and his fcat of eichtcen wears ava
when he beat Il wcatherbeatcn tar. win
IMAGINED he could keen alloat forcye,
Is sill fresh in the memory of thos
who follow such matters. in tbi. rae
Coultor brot his adversary ont of sirhl
MI, i,or, os Iona, j;,,o,oo su,;,,
Nv ~ nViI' ,io 'oJ Iroini"s vi r,'o ,at oS Cnn,
Mn,s s W VIII ,%I rInso fo,o M nii " IonI"rr' Ir
w. I"', ,,.,,,t 'Y" "nrosS % ,ho Eno,,;sh oh.nn,
oiSoI ,u IoI' onI '11VS s,on,moa b;ms"lf "s ~ IN
"u",'iU ,'u,, Lo,, In innoJ;stdno, swin,n,,r or" W.
sois w.. '',' 'ouS Ss '''IL MoJ L;, .mnaj Loo @
sell ooom ~ - TJ' his starir,t wi nownr npno Of ,T
oiua, ~ MS 9vIo ,,,tns5 5 Po" s, ' sn,;f,rni 81 va
on'i Piou' WY 49, Yi, -, w ,,,;,t ~,
.n;, mou,G ," Thnt " bo " ;yos "" nnt fost swi" m
o"Ps",", $50 u''' -" ,f W H. U. ,ro'.i H. I, no,,r
s siel IL 'n} SU'"o , W u,;tI v yi,I;n % pootiI % @
i,oiu I , n,' .ooos VII, " ,ho Amnroan nhan
| ,'na 'I,o 80, "S' w. W Sohoo,ino I 80 Tt ,Io % %n,
@;on @ ~. ~ i'J9v I"n. "a d;s,nnon ,nn.n,u D
nun. nun " 'om on,5,, tS G"orn ,hrno '.oors nm' m
'"l,H nt ,S d. ro'S9, Sant IVA VII o boJ n"ny Il,
", oo"u%o o,J oma w"PS, "s "G"D ,bon T ErnI Gaui wi
oIs, oHsoas, 'nG H;s,, UMt VI III" % nbonaoI ro"or
a.,ott ;in oon,i ""i;o TSi, oon,Ionnn oCU, w.,
WIN Ino o"", aIan. I;a, ' .,,;,'
weii,hto"ii TIn as, ',o'' ,"o. u'o,""1u ' nnI
III Elis 'ali' ni''e os "'o 80 ho,, "s" sa,
s"it " w ouo VI Wv NJ % s,roi rI
maIoi % sT',uoLS ,io,'iotaJ Totn I0 ,n tatm L;n,
was Wen o"',ot'a''u a,,I ". ~ '"nU "rat 80,
lohg GlStanuo ,'nH nio a. ,h nv iS" pt f~o g."
anu ms ii1vh,'2 G o,' aL 'si"v Nv %oS W. vi
Do'oi ~ IS,'io ,h '"Sn Sn," ,'''' I;,nL " l.; ~ ~
@ ulu, pus t ento"n no, So,nU n,.T" NV, ~ o,o, y,
arlanSeinoh!s ,in nv ho'g, ~ sov ,oo,, o,c'
Iecol" . iol h.I Ia.o v.Uu",0' ~, nT ,"hS p'0P
IlcSc lo ulS."'iou n,,. .I,, "u'S ~, n",0 Nv o
| real siSnl..oaloo' pu' .i"t 'noS W. ~, ~
r lor al Golhnlun.'lcS i, Is % iaci' ;,,. mHu u
acGUmPllsnlleIh' PI VI Giianno' i";n NV Im't;S .;o,
@ wen calct:la'eu e; W lnsptio 'no .,IL, n,
= WIN cohii'cnco, swimming 10 NV
I, naru accomPllsnlient .,, " @ acIu'[o' IT, 81 ~
n when o"ce Auowh VIII. ~ WIZ N.' no.ol w AZ ~
t sottcn' ill.,, Ah o,ulnaly , swimmer .II,a Vus ~
S 70 oe aole 10 IraNeIso u iiiile % ~ ~. ito
o wafer anu hoarly uouolc % .na' .,n;,,,, ulSs,,,
III Ih9 se"' ~, "iilo sTou ;,,"nis o"r'' !.