New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-18
SWIMMING AS A SPORT.
AN ART THAT MAN HAS MASTERED By
WILL AND INTELLIGENCE.
NOW RECOGNIZED BRANCH OF ArHLErrcs.
ORGANIZATIONS IN ENGLAND-THE REC
oonc ~ rtyrc ccrSr,y

ORDs IN THIS COUNTRY.
Swimming a means of progress natural only "a
the lower animals has been acquired by man a.
he has conquered other obstacles Of nature-by
force of will and intelligence Creatures that
naturally swim say certain evolutionsts have
been abe TO do because their very efforts to
escape from water-that Is, the motions natural to
them upon land. as the running OF four-footed
beasts are the motions best suited to propel the
body through water. Man, however, says the
ngturalists following the instincts OF his relative
the monkey attempts upon failing into water to
climb out The climbing motion Is not adapted to
carry a person forward. hence man who has not
been taught 10 swim will often drown within few
yards OF land, while a ten-days-old dog Will easily
swim 10 safety. Whether or not we accept the
reasons of the OF science. II is a fact that
man and his siman relative are almost the only
beings among the higher animals that are not born,
TO swim Man has however. in spite OF the neces-
sity OF teaching himself the art, undoubtedly prac-
tised swimming far into history, first az means Of
safety and utility and later as pastime. The side
stroke used by swimmers to-day Is found repre-
scented In mosaics in Pompeii but even this prob
ably represents comparatively moderh styie II
human practice.
Swimming has now attained the status Of art.
and has become recognized as a distinct depart
ment OF athletics. with constantly growing body
NJ devo,ees In England, where It's highest de-
veloprnent has been reached IL mas been carefully
regulated There is a national swimming organ.
carton with a membership OF several hundred
clubs oxford and Cambridge have numerous col
less clibs with intercollegiate and intervarsity
matches and official recognition OF swimming as
a subject OF instruction was received In the ele-
mentary schools in 1891. In the realm OF swim
ming In amateur sport England leads with
worlds champions. as is natural In the land where
the modern sport really took It's rise j. II. Tyers,
swimmer, there.
cordins 10 w b. Curtis. whose athletic opinions
ara always respected. probably twenty-five SWIM
mers in England could cover 100 yards In lUs, ana
more than one hundred could swim the distance
I'm lI2 time not yet averaged by many American
amateurs
AMATEURS IN THE UNITED STATES.
In the United States. nevertheless, although club
organization Is not yet perfected the art is oecom-
ing more and more popularized. and with the pres
ent promising amateurs In the line or conpeti''on
should In few years rank Win othet h"e'e""
branches OF athletics
The West Is I'm Individual performances ana gen.
eral interest and participation. far ahead OF the
East where the sport has reached us present s'a''
mainly during the last three years west Vi u'S
Rockies the fast swimmers have at various uHhes
pushed and even broken the worlds records MADE
IN English water. In the East the moving nhu-
ences in the swimming world have been the New.
York Athletic Club which founded the national
CHAMPIONSHIPS and long captured the'h WI" "s
fas, members: the Chicago Athletic AssociauoN'
whose tank has Witnessed more than one eAc'hs
swim and the Knckerbocker Athletic CIuo' ""os'
work IN turning out fast swimmers ana III popu'
lar.z!ng the sport during the last wv" !e''' "
been highly cOmmendable
In tho brief history of American swimming. tweh-
~ wears will cover the sport as recoghizeo o'a"'A
OF athletics Previous to 1877 no records were KEEP.
In that year, under the auspices OF the Ne"-iV'A
Athletic Club were held the first American cha"-
,ionshin races These continued In 1873. re-
.t,aa IN fss2 and given annually thereafter until
1888 when their management was ceded 10 the
Amateur Athletic Union That body mas eohiin ri
to hold them annually thereai,erc 49, vas addea
the season OF 1895 Two years ago IneIe mas a. ~.
10 the regular meet second indoor meet, ior ans
foundng OF indoor records Inc nrst hITOr mn
now Knlckerbocker) Athletic Club
The old reeSrds farsS an For seve,al years The
mile and hundred yards were the o eyaas IN isI-
ship contests The nile Iecorn was nv r wessen.
born in 1914. over mtteen I'D record
as estabIIshed in 1855 at the third CHAMPIONSHIP,
By A. F Camacho. Manhattan Ath. ,tbis,,c Club
l-s't, a., III o., 81 Rrown Pastime Athletic Club re-
ducei the time is 35 in lsS5 A. T. hsnte "a * in
$50. and IN iSsG G. " Whitaker chicago A'hITgn.
Association timed the distance IN iS go 90 ths
i.or founded an indoor record the same year az 'o
Kn,cteTSocer Athletic Club tank OF ~ 81? ana y
iS9 in Chicago Of 10 20 hs SO. " g. Douglass
una ~ ,fia
T@wYork Athletic Club. established the hali-"'l''
championship in 1879 2-5, oo- , cha uin
Inn He ~ the 100 ards In l0i IL by D B. Renear OF
California go wards in 2;5i 20 by ~ Nd a. &c az
HHrJ r isremer 81 California. and one mile n
S624 8-5 by DIT Paul Neumann' Cheaso A''i'e''' q"
ISOLATION
RECORDS NECESSARILY UNCERTAIN
Records in swimming. however. are uha'o'1ao"
Uncertain even more than IN rowing owing 10 '"'
nd nd Otner
NJ outacor swimming and when restricted 10 'd"n
by the length and width OF the lncIosdre 30 "e'
Is this understood in England that the >a'oN
Sv.nuing Association does not recognize 49,
made IN baths less than IS feet long Inc oisA'-
y,n,ages OF narrow bath consist in the resistance
NJ the wave thrown forward by the men sWla.l aS
abreast The advantage OF turn Is IN tae pbs End
wall OF the tank he turns 10 retface ms u,Js on
good swimmer can gain at lest TWO 10 width.
srain IN. tank OF the New-YOrk Athetic S,uu -,
me dimen sions OF which are 5xo, IS CO.. No. NJ
the Knickerbocker Athletic club which is w re- ,s
long hut only p feet wide Again the PAIN VI my sy
htscae" Athletic Association only g. feet ons ~.
., Sr, wide is from Two 10 three seconds fas.sL
than the NewYork tank. The knitke' oor
badly handicaps the swimmers by It's narro ,'is ba
Cnnid The factor OF width be eliminated L WouIu ~
the faIrest OF the three because OF the
ber OF turns r nSsT co an among swimmers
or Judge the merits or records n'"DV N
Tnn question o, strokes is almost as mueh os s.
cussed as are the methods OF PROPULSION ~ swim
mon II is the best evidence OF the Ilse "a "a the
ming 10 a real science The Old side strone a Trni
Trudgeon stroke. introduced into Enslau diacation
econ from the Pacific seas. are. WIN rd nv
AMI conjunction OF the two lately put tolna aa ~
Alexander Meffert. now almost en, , mile cham
nlonship in 1857 1889 and 1890 The slle SUI over.
three alternate motions an undtr,aF comns be-
arm md scissors" leg kick the latter rs con.
tween The two former. The Trudseon ~" frog
sIss OF alternate overland strokes VIII okse Inc
kick simultaneous with one or the ar,nSer, modlA-
body swimming upon the belly; the MelSsSs as tho
cation keeps the head and face sunfe. e,rne from
Sotv "a nus6ed forward the body being turhe cor
the waist and the face brought above me This
breathing as the body checks between ,ha arms and
avoids the cramplng position OF a sn,n,s that
The pure Trudgeon r. oftener used III p ryers
Reader Douglass and Bremen are perHaP sa,,n nnerS
tial TO the side stroke, but nearly an ,"'
use the modified stroke 10 some eNSi.t. orasan, on
or the notable swimmers VINO VII h,ns a, Trayers