The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-14
From The New York Sun.


richs.
From the New York Sun.
The foremost of American amateur
athletes, William B. Curtis, the founder
Of the New York Athletic Club, although
/ in his 57th year, is reckoned by judges as
/ the equal in strength of Sandow, the
/ professional Hercules. Mr. Curtis is the
/ star member Of the group of well known
/ New Workers who are called the Big
| Four" among amateur athletes. The
! others in the group are Henry E. Buer-
/ meyer, the tea merchant, Herman Gel
/ richs, the steamship owner, and Munfac-
| turer William Stelnway. They are all
! four splendid specimens of the physical
/ manhood that can be developed by sensi-
| bic and systematic training in athletics.
Mr.. Curtis, though not a competitive
| sport now, can still perform many Of the
feats which rendered him famous. 1t
was Buermeyer, once the best amateur
| boxer in America, who said the other day
that he had seen all of Shadows feats,
and was confident that Curtis could easily
duplicate them.
Curtis was born in the west, and pos
| sessed remarkable strength as a boy
] He was very fond of all-around sport, was
| a powerful swimmer and Oarsman, and
| performed many difficult feats in lifting
| heavy weights With Buermeyer he or
| gained in 1864 the New York Athletic
| Club, and started outdoor competitions
| upon the plan of the London Amateur
| Athletic Association. This was the be-
| ginning of amateur athletics in America,
| and it was the active and brilliant part
| that Curtis took in developing athletics
| that won him the title of Father
| Bill" Curtis was captain of the New
! York Athletic Clubs tug-of-war team
| when it was recognized all over the coun-
! try as invincible. He has held the
! championship at lifting two 100-pound
/ dumb bells, and at lifting heavy weights,
| holding the record of the latter at 1929
| pounds. He rowed in the four-oared
| championship race at Saratoga in 1874,
| and won the championship. He held the
| single and double sCull championships,
| the long-distance swimming champion
| ship, and the l00-yards dash champion
| ship. In those days it was known that he
was ready and anxious to meet all corners
at any kind of sport, and his prowess is
| proved by trunkful of trophies, of
which he still retains possession.
| "All this active work was a splendid
| thing for me-" Curtis said one day last
week ut laid the foundation of solid
| health, and to-day am as strong and &C
! tive as / ever was in my life. l still enjoy
exercise, particularly swimming"
1t is fact well known among amateur
| athletics that many of the professional
| boxers who aspired to vanquish John L.
| Sullivan in the days when he was consid-
cred invincible pat on the gloves with
! Harry Buermeyer, with the understand
! ing that if they could stand up against
! his mighty arm they.were Of the right
| kind of stuff to down Sullivan. Just be-
/ Gr,11ivTar fp1crhf ElnO1 and MI, h.
was making the memorable four-rouud
| exhibition tour, he came to New York
| and defeated Steve Taylor, to whom he Of
! fered $500 to stand up against him for four
rounds. Sullivan was elated, and under
| the influence of liquor, said in the cafe of
the Park theater, where the bout was
| fought, that there wasn't a New Yorker
that was worth pinch of snuff against
him. John Ennis, the pedestrian, who
was in the party, at once challenged this
assertion, and wagered that he could
produce a man thenext day who wouldn't
! be afraid to meet the Bostonian.
He's an amateur, too" Ennis added,
! and I'll bet another $500 that YOU don't
! down him in two rounds
| who is he2" asked Sullivan, with a
sneer.
Harry Buermeyer," retorted Ennis
| Sullivan didn't know any of the New
| York amateurs, but Billy Madden, his
| manager, did, and instantly objected to
making the match on the ground that the
proposed stake was too small. Afterward
| he told Sullivan that he couldn't afford to
make the fight as he would be ruined
| professionally if Buermeyer outlasted the
four rounds. Ennis ascertalned that
| Buermeyer was perfectly willing to take
his chances against the Boston siugger,
/ but the match was never made.
Buermeyer was born in the First ward
] -, hi
! by rowing races off the battery when only
| 10 years old. He was strong swimmer,
| too He first took up boxing in 1858, and
! received lessons from Sam Freeman, a
professional. He found that he was grow
ing fat and went into athletics with a
view of keeping down his weight He
Joined Ottington's gymnasium in Crosby
street at this period, and ranked as the
best gymnast in the establishment He
enlisted in the Eighty-third volunteers
when the rebellion broke out. served
three years and came home first lieu
tenant. He had been wounded in the
meantime. He was six feet tall broad
shouldered, and very active. He went
back to boxing and rowing and swim
ming, and had set-tos, both in public and
in private, with Dwyer, Miller, and other
first class professionals.
Buermeyer has forty medals, nearly all
of the trst-class, which he won in open
competitions. He won championships at
the l00-yard dash, putting the shot, and
putting up two l00-pound dumb bells, and
for three years he held the championship
at heavyweight boxing
Buermeyer weighs 200 pounds to-day,
and is such notable figure physically
that whenever he visits the athletic club
rooms or the grounds at Travers Island
strangers ask who he is. He has a pri-
vate room in his business house in Cherry
street, where hang a set of gloves. and
he puts them on readily enough with anv
one who wants TO have friendly bout at
heavyweight smuggling. He is passion
atelY fond OF swimming, and nearly every
day in summer he and his old friend Cur
tbs take a long swim in the sea. He
laUghingly saws that he is one of the has
beens' nowadays, but most men are afraid
to face him with the gloves, or to ESSAY
bout with him at any of the old-time
athletic sports.
Few persons who see William Steinway
nowadays as he walks slowly along, sup
porting himself with two canes. would
imagine that once possessed enormous
strength. He is Just recovering from an
attack of rheumatic govt that disabled
HIM for two years His strength is re-
turning, despite his years. He is now IS.
When Mr.. Steinway attained his majority
he weighed 1855 pounds and measured AZ