Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-08-12
wEBB's EXPLOITS.
Cana Remarkable Fsats He Has
Accomplished.
ooss.TrlNe GREAT ALLleAToRs.
s.inming the English Channel After Several
Failures-Fifty Miles 10 twenty
two Hours-COnnecting eu-
rope and Africa,

Capt. Matthew Webb, who was Kill
"A ten DAYS ago in the whirlpool of the
oSiscsrs river while endeayoring 10 ac-
compli,h feat which no man has ever
Isred before, was first brought into
rurlic notice nine years ago, when at
The aye Of 70, he took his first great
hinge ofrthe coast of England en- Il
% VOYAGE to the continent. He was
s,pr and a half hours in the water, and
wan ten miles. Finding the sea too
heavy for him he postponed his journey
20 \ future date, but never for q day
csye up his amphibiOus mode Of life.
lie night be seen most any time, day
or night, tossing and plunging into
The Channel waters
and ,l,Crting with the jewellers Of the
deep. Another year pas sed away and
rbs captain again presents himself 10
rhr world. THIS time he swan from
Elsrhwrll pier To GravsSend, distance
yi twenty miles, in hours and 40 mill
ME-. shortly afterwards he determin-
ed go cross the channel from Dover to
the coast of France. He prepared HIM
eli .or the journey and plunged into
the channel at day break IN the morn
ing. lie WAS escorted by lugger, and
m. nlily costume consisted of n coat or
porprisc Oil. Seven hours nearly were
Ir,if IA the water, and more than
Is na.rS covered, but the sea was too
rough aud The undertaking had TO be
yivtu up once more. While IN the
wat,r ~. lect ivtd no refreshments ex-
L. dill
ana au vcrst>iOual sip of brandy, which
he took " lille treadiug water. As he
,tuud ou he lugger's deck, after being
taken on, though very much exhausted
~
The Fearful LRbOrs
nf tie day, he remarked: This will
benny last failure in this undertaking.
and rue il was, for on the 24th OF
August. $50, only three days later, he
swan from Dover to Calais, the tide
making lis course ZigZag OfabOut nifty
miles. IN less than twenty-five hours.
His exploits about the British Islands
are TO well.kuOwn To need mention.
Going To Gibralter, he, in 1877, con-
necl,d Europe and Africa by swimming
over To TangIer from point some DIS
lance west Of the rock aud city of Glib
i
pOiut ia the place of landing was forty
two miles, but he was aided much by
the current which flows from the ocean
int. the Mediterranean sen, a. his jOurn-
,y lav partly in its direction. His adj
venture with an alligator ut st. Marks,
in the NVPalache bay, year later, at
tTarttd mucn attention. Learning
something Of the
Tactics of the Reptile,
he never entered the water without his
dOuh!e bladrd knife, which he carried
i'm "A sheath bound 20 his side 10y q
Slender belt. After an hours vigorous
exercise in the water one morning he
climbed upon solitary rock about a
hundred yards from the beach. While
here ne noticed al a distance coming IN
his direction y large alligator, and, con-
sidermg ms resting place an unsafe one
in exist. of an attack 10y such fOrmida-
bic antagonist, be plunged into the bay
and started for the shore. Having his
.,tteuI:ou wholly centered on the enc
NY first discovered, ne paid little atten-
ton 10 ANYTHING else, and before he
knew what he was about, lac ran plumb
aga.u~l
Another Alligator
That hap eIIci 10 De resting quietly al
the water i'm shallow place where the
rush,- parity hid him from view. The
alligator appeared 10 be quite * much
astuuiSnrd At the unCeTemOniOus meet
mgas the swimmer. Striking the ALI
Catur in the region Of the tail, he
bounded bNck aud prepared for battle.
The heavy Nag of the animals tail en-
abl,d Nrhh 10 throw himself back TAR
enough TO be beyond the reach OF the
first blow that was aimed at him. A
moment more and the alligator rolled
over AID made dive at him. His
presence of mind saved him. He stood
in the water, facing his enemy, with
his head aud shoulders above the sur
face. With his dOuble-euded knife he
received the monster, and when his
Jaw came down the swimmer diyed
away. leaving the knife in the mouth
Oftlc reptile, Transtixing both jaws and
lock r < them together. At this junct-
ure tie animal iir-I seen was rapidly
appr, achiug, sbut the swimmer soon
rja he'd tnr score, and, by means Of a
rIf', -non made victims OF both.