The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-05
HE SWIMS THROUGH HE'LL GATE
DOES cor JULIUS LECK. TOWING
THREE MEN IN A boat.
HUT n High Diver shares the Glory or q
Zeatncr Day by Lurins the scribe with
Malt and with Tales Of straaG Hap
penings Down Among the Fishes.


Julius Leck. the only one Of the De-
lancey street police who qualities for the
cruiser class. won so and two bottles OF
wine. TO say nothing OF the side product
OF glory. by swimming through He'll Gate
yesterday afternoon and towing n rowboat
containing three passengers. While Julius
was doing his Robert 5. Russell. expert
submarine diver diving in all It's branches
-smote his blooming Tyre In the hack
room Of the Cygnet Club. whence the
Delaney street clipper was launched,
and had the Odyssey back in the class Of
Indiana authors before Julius had rounded
Pot Cove.
Not that Robert $. Russell diving as
a fine art-meant TO detract from the VIC
tory of Julius or in any way TO lure the
reporters from the spectacle OF n man
towing a boa through He'll Gate. Only
Robert =. Russell formerly with the
United States Government-is a master
in the epic line. even IA Julius il a cham
pion Of ~squatics.
Now. To get to the tale right, some I'M
kind scofers who work on the police force
of New York. particularly on that part of
the police force hat has its habitat about
the Delaney street station. had heard
that julius was some swimmer. In an
ungnarded moment they tainted Julius
with his ~pretentions. whereupon the web
foot wonder OF East End avenue spoke
up right manfully.
III swim He'll Gate from the foot OF
East Eighty-fourth street 10 Scaly Rock,
on the Shore road. Astoria" auoth Julius,
and. what's more. IN tow a boat with
any three suckers that you want to pick
out sitting on the seats OF the same"
Two bottles OF wine said right there that
he wouldn't even take to the water and
$40 spoke up plainly To the effect that he
wouldn't snake the rowbost around to
Scaly Rock, let alone getting there himself.
That is the reason why Julius in striped
uppers and black trunks stalked the boards
Of the Cygnet Club float. which 10 at the
foot Of Fast Eighty fourth street. at 8
O'Clock yesterday afternoon. While they
were decorating the rowboat with the
American standard Julius introduced the
newspaper men TO Louis Zeltner, who had
sent out the tip. 10 Alec Metfert, swimming
instructor Of the Chioago Athletic Club
and champion high diver of Cook county
and points West. and to Robert s. Russell.
diving lone delicately. also foot Of Ninetieth
street. New York.
Julius was peeling skin from his shoulders
in an distracted way when some one sug-
gested that If he was going to make good Il
was time. Even as Lille and Isabel. the
infant cruisers of the Leck 20 knot family.
leaned over the balcony and screamed
"Papal" julius took to the food. Cameras
clicked and shutters huttered while julius.
slipping the towrope carelessly over his left
shoulder. wet his bald spot and set out for
Scaly Rock, two miles nor-nor'east by
east.
Hes he boy unused Robert S. Russell.
expert submarine searcher. After he's
passed Hallet's Point light and sw ung
around over Flood Rock, then he'll get the
wash a bit on Pot Cove Chops and the rope
may fly up and shut of his wind for a min
ute, but watch i'm. He'll swing that boat
with the tide and make Scaly Rock like a
lady tying her slipper on Macy's horseblock.
Why that reminds II but come on in and
get a drink"
The armorplated destroyer
OF the Delaney street station was weather
ing the wash from one Of the Ninet y-second
street ~ferryboats when Robert s. Russell
spoke those words. The echo Of his re-
marks splashed against a Raines law sand
witch.
Now of all the deep sea swimming"
began Robert =. Russell, make mine a
plain beer with a broad collar-take the
story OF that fellow Knox who went through
Hell Gate on a log on Decoration Day, 1894.
He rolled that log yessir, rolled il like they
do mp kennebec way and he never got his
feet wet from Seventeen street up to Ran
dall's Island. Come back with the next
tide and blew his nose when the ferry wash
was threatening to pitch him into the Pot
next second, Oh. be vas the smooth one,
but he wern't nc swimmer
Mr.. Alec hefiert did the proper thing with
the beafs and the man with the white apron
reported that Julius was rounding the light.
on Julius y make 1t like a setter pup.
quoth Robert :. in n cheering below. And
about having a gumboil reminds
me OF that teller who starte ed in to find the
wreck OF that Roanoke what sunk up the
river during the Revolution some time.
Names johnson or Jimson no matter.
he always went down into twenty fathom
with a quiet Jag on. Not a dangerous
you know. what'd make a man get a
crimp in his air and choke like a lobster in
the pot: lust what you might call a genteef
Jag. Well. the Roanoke, supposed to have
$4,000 in English gold for the pay
ment Of the Britishers in New York. she was
laying very deep down so deep most
divers didn't like to make the drop.
This Teller Johnson-Jimsou he went
and took an awful sosh with him.
Gone about twenty minutes, sig Mailing
for more air every ten seconds. Come up
and made motions with his fingers while
they was unscrewing his helmet.
Seen another Teller down there by the
stern, says johnson. or whatever you call
.Fel,er says to me; All gone; no
""Wha' for?- says |.
q il yesterday an took it through
to China with me, " says the Teller. That's
where | live; where you live?""
just then il was the turn Of the Young /
man with the domelike forehead 10 cali
the waiter. Mr.. Meffert strolled TO the
and said that julius was not in
sight.
Course he's not in sight" answered
Robert s. Russell with some asperity,
-Julius's doing better than the Teller whose
leg cut on here's looking at you, young
Spent the winter at Herschel Island
mp in the top side OF Alaska one time
Dh, hell, way up where you can see the Pole
from the foretop; whaling. you know.
Fellow fell down hatch and broke his leg.
Leg began TO rot ia about a week.
"'Cookey,' a the captain one day,
got 10 cut your leg on
Anything you say. Cap says the cook.
md ! was picked out to do the Job.
Captain had a book on surgery in his
,abin and ] read up on cutting OF legs
n day, making charts of ligaments
md arteries on the captains table. Then
that our chloroform bottle-the cork
rad come out stun no good.
$50 we had TO strap the cook on the car
bench and give him whiskey.