The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-07-14

lump of more than twenty feet today
is considered very clever. the record be-
ing twenty-nine feet seven inches with
weights and twenty-three feet eight
inches without weights, although greater
distances have been jumped with the
aid of apparatus.
In September, 1895, NJ. +. Sweeney,
an American amateur, at Manhattan
field. New York, jumped six feet five
and fi~ve-eights inches in a running high
Jump without weights. With weights j..
II. Fitzpatrick of Oak Island, Mass.
jumped six feet six inches. The record
| for the high kick is nine feet eight in
ches. by c.. C. Lee, at New Haven, Conn.
Endurance in swimming as a sport
has some remarkable examples. The an
cient Greeks. living on their various is
lands and inhabiting a mild climate,
were celebrated as swimmers. Socrates
relates the feats of swimming among
the inhabitants of Delos. The journeys
of Leander across the Hellespont are
celebrated in both verse and prose. Hero
dotus says that the Macedonians were
skillful swimmers, and we know that
nearly all living savages on the borders
of waterways are remarkable for their
dexterity in swimming.
In 1875 Captain Webb swan across
the English Channel from Dover to Cal
ais. He felt extremely cold at the end
of his trip, but his body was found to
be as warm as when he started. He was
exhausted and very sleepy, and fell into
a deep slumber on his way to the hotel.
On getting into bed his temperature was
only about half a degree below normal.
while his pulse was quite normal. I'm
five hours he was feverish, his temper
ature rising from 9S to lOl degrees.
During the passage he was blinded from
the salt water in his eyes, and the spray
beating against his face. After a good
nights rest he was apparently none the
worse for the task. He later repeated
the event successfully, but in 1888 he
lost his life in attempting to swim the
rapids of Niagara.
In 1877 Cavill swan from Cape Griz-
Nez to South Farlond in les sthan thir-
teen hours, and in 1880 Webb swan and
fioated to Scarborough for s~eventy-four
consecutive hours as a mere feat of
staying in the water.
In London in 1881 Beckwith swan ten
hours a day over a thirty-two-lap
course for six days, and traversed nine
ty-four miles.
Squire Obaldistone, an Englishman.
rode 200 miles in seven hours, ten min
utes and four seconds. He used twenty
eight horses, and as one hour twenty
ty-two minutes and fifty-six seconds
were allowed for ~stoppages, the whole
time, changes and all, occupied in ac-
complishing this wonderful feat was
eight hours and forty-two minutes. The
race was run at the Newmarket Hough-
ton meeting over a four-mile course.
1t is recorded that a Captain Horne
of the Madras horse artillery rode 200
miles on Arab horses in less than ten
hours along the road between Madras
and Bangalore. When we consider the
slower speed of the Arab horses and the
roads and climate of India, this per-
Torrance rather more than equals the
200 miles in the shorter time on an Eng
fish race track and on t~horoughbreds.
This wonderful horseman lost his life
finally in riding a horse named Jump
ing Jenny a hundred miles a day for
eight days. The heat was excessive,
and although the horse was none the
worse for the performance. the captain
died from the exposure and exhaustion.
1t is also recorded that a Mr.. Bacon
rode a camel 500 miles, from Bombay
to Alegur, in eight days.
Christopher Duke of Bavaria is said
to have lifted to his shoulders a stone
which weighed more than $50 pounds.
Louis de Bouffiers, surnamed the Gro
bust" who lived in 1884. was noted for
his strength and agility. When he plac-
ed his feet together, one against the
other, he could find no one able to dis
turb them. He could easily bend and
break a horseshoe with his hands and
could seize an OK by the tail and drag it
against its will. He more than once car
ried a horse upon his shoulders.
Among other celebrated persons in
history endowed with
strength were Caliph Mostasem-BiTlah
Edmund "Ironsides," King of England;
~Boudowin, Count of Flanders; William
". called the Pious; Godfrey of Bouil-
lon, Emperor Charles ". and Alexander
ILL.,, Gar of Russia.