The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1905-03-02
M'NALLYS BIG VENTURE
Boston Athletes Plan to Exec
Feats Of Historic Swimmers.
TO OUTswIM LEANDER AND 10.
Well Known Swimmer VIII Try to
More Than Duplicate Their Ex-
pIoits In Foreign Waters-WiII
Swim Lake Como, Great Testing
Pool For Swimmers.

Pool For Swimmers.
| To prove that modern athletics are
superior to those Of old, that the won
ders of mythology are the common
places of today, Peter S. McNally Of
Boston, who already has won world
wide renOwn as a swimmer. will early
in the spring sail for the old world to
carry out one Of the most elaborate
swimming programmes ever planned,
says the Boston Herald. He will swim
the Tiber, the Hellespont and the Bos-
porus. He will swim down the Rhine
and across the famous Lake Como in
Switzerland, and may again attempt
! the English channel, with the waters of
| which he battled for over fifteen hours
| In his swim of seven years ago.
But it is to prove that the supposed.
" great swims that have come down
to us in fable and history are easy Of
| achievement by the athlete of today
that Mr.. McNally proposes to make his
present journey, to demonstrate that
the feats performed in midwinter at
some baths in South Boston are inf
nitely greater than those attributed to
either 10 or Leander in the Bosporus
or Hellespont or to the feats Of others
whose names have come down through
the ages.
Mr. McNally intends to swim the riv-
er Tiber at the point where stood the
bridge made famous by Horatius; but
| instead of merely swimming across the
river, he proposes to cross and recross
without stopping, then continue down
toward the sea to Ostium, which is six
teen miles from Rome. His next swim
will be the Dardanelles, or Hellespont,
between Lesbo and Abydos, where oc.
CURED the tragedy Of Hero and Lean
der The story Of Leander swimming
the Hellespont nightly to meet his mis-
tress Hero, who set out blazing torch
to guide him, was for centuries looked
upon as fabulous and the feat consid-
cred impossible till Lord Byron proved
its possibility by performing it himself.
The distance in the narrowest part Is
almost mile, and there is a constant
current setting ont from the sea Of
Marmora into the archipelago. Since
Byron's time the 1eat is said to have
been performed by others, but it has
always been test of strength and skill
since the story was first told how Lean
der lost his life when the tempest came
up, and Hero, on hearing Of his death,
cast herself into the sea and persisted.
Those who have previously swan the
t. I'll
its swift running currents, have con-
tented themselves by following the al
legged course of Leander and Lord
Byron. Mr.. McNally proposes to show
that this is child's play to the modern
swimmer by crossing and recrossing,
then continuing several miles down the
stream, when he will have Asia on one
side Of him and Europe on the other,
until he reaches the widest part, which
is about four miles. At this point lie
will cross and recross the stream, and
If he is able to do all this the edge will
be taken off one of the prettiest stories
mythology has given us.
Mr.. McNally claims to be able to
find the course on the Bosporus which
the NEUROLOGICAL character 10 is said to
have taken after she was turned into
cow by Jupiter because of the jeat
ousy of Juno, his wife. 1t will be re
membered that when 10 escaped from
Argus, who had been placed as watch
over her, she, still in the form of
cow, swan the Ionian sea, which took
It's name from her, then roamed over
the plains of Illyria, assembled Mount
Haemus and crossed the ThraciaD
strait, which from that time was knowu
as the Besporus, or COW bearer
Mr.. McNally's present plans do no,
include any of the swims taken by is
except that across the Bosporus, which
he considers the most interesting. Hig
next swim will be the Sdez canal,
which he will cross and recross, and
although the distance between Asia
and Africa at this point is not very
great, from the viewpoint Of the mod
ern swimmer the canal offers dangers
which should make the swim one o.
the most thrilling in Mr.. McNally's pro
gramme.
In attempting to more than duplicate
oil the famous swims of history Mr.
EcNally will swim the great testing
pool for swimmers, Lake Como, In
Switzerland. Lord Byron is said to
have performed this feat and severa,
others since, including at least one 9TH
er Boston man. DR.. Du Blois, former
naval JTlcer and champion heavy
swordsman. The lake, fed by noun
tain streams, is one Of the coolest
bodies Of water on earth, and it is in
preparation for such swims as this that
Mr.. McNally has been spending his
time on cakes Of ice md in the water
off South Boston during the past few
weeks.
A fifty mile swim down the beautiful
Rhine, starting from Frankfort or Co
logne, will also be attempted by the
Boston athlete, and he has several 9th
ers in prospect about which he is not
prepared to talk at present.
81 am confident that | will be able to
do al. 49, el,," said ETr.