Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-06-14
Sandow is a Wonder.

made his American debut Saturday
night at the Casino in New York be-
fore an invited audience composed
principally of medical men and news
paper reporters.
''He is wonder" was the comment
of all after the exhibition.
Sandow first appeared upon pedes-
tai at the back of the stage and under
a brilliant calcium light gave an exhi-
ton of his muscular development.
Every muscle was clearly delineated
and the sight evoked a chorus of ad-
miratiou and amaZemcnt.
The Lights on the stage were turned
up and Sandow proceeded to display
some of his wonderful feats of strength
and endurance He first juggled a
pair of fifty-six pound dumbbells as
schoolboy would handle pair of two
or three pound weights. y huge
dumbbell, containing man at each
end, was then carried OH to the stage
by four men. Sandow put this up aud
then allowed it to fall upon his arms,
bending aud almost breaking the bar
connecting the globes. The bell is es-
timated to weigh 500 pounds.
Sandow then grasped one Of the at
tendants and, holding him aloit n one
hand, lay iowh and arose again. He
mounted stationary post, and placing
his feet in stirrups, swung back until
his head almost touched the floor. He
then drew himself up EJECT Dy the mus
clcs in bis legs. He er.ormed the
same feat with 56-pound dumbbell in
each hand and also with two men.
Next SaEdow was b'indfolded and
his feet tied together. \ 56 pound
dumbbell vas placed in each of bis
hands. Hampered and weighted in
this fashion nc tuned a somersault with
an ease lhat would bave done credit to
circus performer. One Of the most re-
markable features about bis feats is that
there is but little styaining. He never
appea,s to have reached the limit of Ills
extraordinary powers.
The last feat of the evening was prob
ably the most marvellous. a huge
platform was placed across bis breast
and on this three horses were driven.
The combined weight of the platform
and horses is estimated at $500 pounds.
Two-thirds of this weight is borne by
his arms.
visited Sandow in his dressing
room after the performance. He
did not appear at all exhausted
after his eXertions, and every muscle
in his body was as hard as iron.
His abdomen is covered with q success
sion of rolls of muscle as firm and un-
Welding to the touch as wood. His
shoulders, arms and back are covered
with such punches of muscle as to make
them appear almost deformed.
II weighed 203 pounds when ! lei
England, )" said Sandow, in reply to a
question, 'but have lost three pounds
since got here.
Sandow is now twenty-siX years old.
He is native of Prussia. His parents,
he told me, were not unusually strong
people and his own extraordinary de-
velopment has been acquired since he
was eighteen years old. He studied
anatomy in a German university Tor
several years in order to acquire the
knowledge requisite to enable him to
develop his muscles so perfectly. He
has been giving exhibitions of his
strength for the last six years, FIVE Of
which have been passed principally in
London. He last appeared there In
the Palace Music Hall.
Sandow will make his first appear
ance in public in this country at the
Casino tonight at half-past ten o'clock,
after '.Adonis." His performance,
which will occur at the same hour each
evening, will last thirty minutes.-N.
y. Herald.