The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1898-07-25
HALF MILE SWIM THAT BEATS
ALL THE WORLD.
Brewer Breaks One More of the
Records.

| heCOrQB.
Howard F. Brewer gained new
fame as swimmer last evening by
breaking the worlds record for half
a mile The feat was accomplished
under the supervision OF the officers
of the Pacific Association OF the
American Athletic Union, and the
record will stand
The program Of last evenings ma
tatorial contests was dash against
time and race between Brewer and
E. b. Stole, who, though twice de-
feated by Brewer at shorter distances
claimed he was Brewers superior at
the half mile. He based his CLAIM,
on the fact that on the Fourth of
July, in the annual amateur swim
ming championship race, be made a
Coast record of 1853, the previous
record having been 14:36 Is. The
two young men received sanction
for the race Of last night from o. l..
SWEET, swimming commissioners of
the Pacific Association, but Stole
failed to materislize. 1t was prob
ably lucky for him that he did. He
must have had mystic feeling that
defeat was sure to be his portion, as
Brewer swan better than living man
ever did.
After waiting until 8 o'clock for
Stole to show up, Brewer prepared
to go over the half-mile course to
break the record made by Stole on
the Fourth. The half-mile course
at the Lurline baths consists OF
thirty-sight laps. This would, to
most swimmers, be great advan-
tage, but to Brewer it is not. He is
slow in making a turn. For such a
good swimmer it is most peculiar
that he has not mastered good
trick in making turn.
AS it Is he gave every evidence last
evening of being fastest straightaway
swimmer in the world. At Chicago
last year he simply fooled with his
opponents in the quarter-mile event
of the American Athletic Unions
championships. Though breaking
the record last evening he did it ap-
parently without effort, and was not
peroeptibly tired or even winded at
the finish.
Brewer swan his half-mile un.
paced and with no assistance in the
way of cheering or coaching. To
all appearances it was merely case
OF remarkably fast swimmer giving
an exhibition. The officials kept a
good watch on the time and the laps
and when they found Brewer had
made a quarter OF a mile in six
minutes fiat, breaking the local rec.
ord, he was given few words of
encouragement.
When Brewer had finished the
thirty eighth lap the timers an
nounced that new worlds record
had been made, as their watches
showed that Brewer had covered
the half-mile in II minutes and 45
5 seconds. The recognized record
heretofore was that OF j. III. Tyers,
the phenomenal English swimmer
who in 1896 made the distance in
1920. Dana Thompson, the Cali
fornian, ia credited with a record of
1910, made in Oakland in 1893, and
from Australia comes a claim that
Percy Cavill, brother of the swim
mer who recently met his death at
the Stockton baths, made the dis
lance in 12:45 3.5. Tyers' record is
considered the genuine one, but
Brewer beat all OF them.
Brewer was not the only breaker
of worlds records, and San Fran
cisco has at last found man
superior to the celebrated Dan
Renear, who was so long considered
the champion of all short distance
champions. FL. A. Widemann, who
has been steadily improving for