The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-03-19
SOME REMARKABLE swINM

Twenty years ago no man living could swim one hundred yards under 65% seconds; last year the record was brought as low as 59 seconds. During the same period 1 minute 501a seconds has been knocked off the 500-yard time. near three minutes off the half mile, and the mile record has been re- duced from 2S minutes 1874 seconds | to A minutes 42 3-5 seconds, while pro portionate reductions have been made at Intermediate and greater distances. How enormous this improvement in speed is can be gathered from the fact that the champion of to-day could give the champion of 1886 over 200 yards start in a mile race and beat him handsomely.
 But although our swimmers have gained speed it is doubtful whether they are a whit superior in stamina to their predecessors of a score or more years ago; indeed, many of the feats of the 7Os and sos could scarcely be eclipsed to-day. Thirty-one years have gone since Captain Webb startl- ed the world by breasting his way across the English Channed, covering thirty-nine and one-half miles in 21% hours, a feat which such doughty swimmers as Holhein, Burgess, Holmes Heaton and others have tried in vain to rival
 MT. Holbein flas more than once had victory almost in his grasp, only to be defeated within sight of the shore he had struggled so long to reach. Once he was actually with three-quar- ters of a mile of St. Margaret's Bay when he had to abandon the struggle. In the same year (1902) he accomplish ed the journey all but two miles, and in 1901 ha was five miles short of com pletiug his task It is only fair, how ever, to these gallant swimmers to say that even Captain Webb did not succeed at the first time of asking, for in an attempt made twelve days be- fore his successful crossing he was compelled 10 leave the water after covering only thirteen and one-half miles.
 And Webh's marvellous swim was only one ct many feats in those early days which it would be exceedingly difficult to beat to-day. In July, 1875, Captain Webb himself swan from Blackwall Pier to Grayesend, dis tance of 1S1s miles, in hours 52 min utes and 3S seconds, and later in the same month he went from Dover to Ramsgate (ffteen nautical miles) in S% hours. In September of the same year F, Cavil (who was credited with having swan the channel, although the record has not been accepted) swam from Putney to Blackwell (1S% miles) in hourse and 40 minutes, while year later, on July 5, Miss. Agnes Beckwith proved that man has mo monopoly of muscle and stamina by swimming twenty miles in the Thames in hours and 25 minutes. i Twenty-two years ago Horce Daven- port performed a most creditable feat in crossing from Southsea to Ryde and back in cf1oppy sea in hours and 25 minutes .anG about the same time Dalton is said to have swan the enormous distar Ce of sixty miles in the Channel.
 Among other remarkable, feats of twenty years or more ago, in April 1886, J, Flnney stayed under water in a tank at the Canterbury Theatre of Varieties for 4 minutes and 291z sec onds a feat which has only once been beaten. Finney also swan 113 yards and i foot in costume under water and, with his hands tied behind his back, picked up twenty-five coins with his mouth from the bottom of a tank In 1889 F. Burns dived from the pier at Runcorn, a height of S5 feet, swan to Liverpool, walked to London, and crowned his curious combination by diving from London Bridge -Tit-Bits