Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-09-08

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, September L.
Trenton, N. T., dispatch to the Times
says: Ira Chapel came down from
Washington's Crossing last Thursday and
ate his annual meal OF oysters. For
quarter of century Ira has come to
Trenton at the opening of the oyster sea-
son and eaten bivalves in competition
with other gourmands or to beat his own
record, and nobody has been able to out
stay him in the contest.
Raws, stews or frys are the same to
Chapel There appears to be no limit to
his capacity, and no matter who enters
the oyster-eating contest with him, he in
tararia bly, goes away the victor, and the
( wonder is that he is able to get away at
All. because he makes no bones of swal-
flowing 300 oysters, and he says if he was
put to the test he could swallow twice
that many and walk away with them.
Chapel is husky farmer, standing six
| feet two inches in his socks. His beard
sweeps his chest and he stands on a pair
of legs as steady as oak trees Ordinarily
his appetite is not voracious, but he says
| that just as soon as the oyster season
opens he has ''hankering for them and
| lights out for Trenton, where he can get
all he wants" He thinks that he inher-
tied his appetite from his father, who was
a fisherman all his life along the Della
ware bay, and he tells some wonderful
stories about the number of oysters that
his sire could eat at single sitting. But
/ Ira claims to have outdone his parental
ancestor. and holds himself mp to be the
champion oyster eaten OF the United
States, and says he isn't afraid to tackle
anybody, from anywhere.
| Two yeaxsAago Chapel walked into Hill
derbrecht's restaurant There was crowd
OF his acquaintance there. He said:
! fBoys, I've got an oyster appetite on me
to-day as big as load of hay, and I'll
| bet I can eat em as fast as two men
can open 'em for fifteen straight min
| utes."
How muchll you bet?" asked one of
the men in the restaurant who didn't
know Ira's popularity.
| "Ten dollars and the price of the oys-
| ters" replied Ira.
tits co., said the man, and the mon
ey was put up.
] Two men were put behind the oyster
bar, and at a signal they began work. Ira
| pushed oysters into his face with both
| hands. There was no intermisson. There
| was an unbroken procession of bivalves
/ slipping down his throat He kept it up
for fifteen minutes, and by actual count
swallowed 4S3 oysters. The man who had
bet with him handed over the $40 and paid
for the oysters. To his amazement, Ira
slowly folded the bill, stuck it in his pock-
ct, and turning to the waiter, said:
| Charley, bring me a good, big, rare
steak, and all covered with onions I feel
as if I'd orter have something to stay my
stomach Oysters are pretty good film,
but they don't stick to feller's ribs worth
| a darn
Five years ago there was a fellow who
had heard of ChapePs oyster eating abil-
ity and concluded to try him. He had
something of an oyster appetite himself
He was Barnegat Bay fisherman by the
name of Leavtt He came to Trenton
on September 1, calculating to meet Ira.
and he did. They came together one day
IN HICKS restaurant and a mutual friend
| introduced them. Leavitt was to the
point, and without mincing words he told
chapel that he had come up from the
shore for the purpose of letting him know
that there was somebody in New Jersey
beside him who could eat oysters.
| All right" said Ira; I'm mighty glad
to hear it, and I'll bet $50 that 1 can eat
more'n you can at that"
| The bet was made and four men started
TO open oysters for Chapel and Leavitt.
For a while Leavitt kept up his pace. but
ne hnally began to lag, and at last when
he had swallowed the three hundred and
tenth oyster with a great deal of difficulty
he gave up the game. But Ira kept right
on until he reached the four hundred
mark Then he quit, cooliy pocketed the
! money he had won, and dumped a glass
of whiskey into his stomach to help ont
digestion. AS for Leavitt it required two
doctors and a stomach pump to keep him
alive.
| chapel tells story about going to a.
church sociable at Titusville a few years
| ago at which oyster stews were to he
served. Somebody gave him a stew with
three or four oysters in it. That was suf
hcient to whet his appetite and, moth
ing could hold him. The oysters were be-
ing cooked in wash boiler, and. walking
| up to the stove, he lifted the boiler off
guarded it until the oysters were cool. ana
turned in and ate every one of them.
All the people knew him and enioyed the
exhibition. Ira paid thin four times as
much as the oysters cost and went home
satisfied. He says he doesn't know how
many oysters he could eat before getting
enough.