Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-01
WALKING ON WATER.
A SWede's Experiment on Anaeri-
can Rivers.
WIFE ACTS AS PAcEMAKER.

ID Pair Of Water Shoes Made BY Him
self Professor oidrieve Is Stroliing
Down the Mississippi En- Route 70
New Orleans From Cincinnati Oh
Il 5000 Wager.
Professor Charles OldrieVe, who Is
walking the rivers from Cincinnati to
New Orleans on d wager Of 81, 600 that
he can do it within forty days, arrived
at Cairo. III, the other afternoon three
hours behind his schedule time, says
dispatch to the st. Louis Post Dispatch.
Oidrieve's gait is shutting one. and
the craft which do duty as shoes are
submerged every time he takes a step
forward. This seems to add very ma
terially to the work he has to do and
must be tremendo lousy 4 81 sisome. He
propels himself forwasd very much
after the manner OF man skating.
swinging his arms vigorously and in-
Ginning his body froward to keep bal
anced. To avoid a tendency to slip
backward his pedal appendages are fit
ted with valve arrangement which
efectually aids him to proceed.
His wife acts as a pacemaker, train
{er and personal guard. She does the
..bossing' and keeps right alongside.
cheering the professor on his way and
rowing along steadily. She is said to
] be a champion oarswoman and In any
case can handle boat like a Glouces-
ter fisherman
OldrieNe, a Swede, about forty years
/ of age, FIVE feet four inches in height
and weighing about 1876 pounds, is
/ walking on the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers from Cincinnati to New Orleans,
d distance OF 1850 miles He started
from Cincinnati on New Years day,
and the start was accompanied by ex-
ceptional demonstrations on the river
front Several thousand persons were
on the banks to see the seudding figure
disappear in the distance, with little
gasoline launch behind it, manned by
the captains friends, who are to ac-
save him from danger or rescue him in
case he gives out.
River men and nautical people gener-
ally are watching the progress Of his
experiment with keenest interest, for
il he succeeds and demonstrates that
his water shoes are all he claims for
them he will have made great for
ward step in the life saving. problem.
Il His shoes can be used for hundred
purposes, not the least OF which would
be by soldiers to cross rivers and in
land water in wartime. Pontoons are
expensive and hard to provide, and
1 water shoes would be much superior.
For years he has worked experiment.
tally with a pair of shoes that may be
used in water. They are light and
buoyant and adapted either to locomo
ton or to life saving.
Captain 0ldrieve recently brought
his shoes to such degree Of perfec
ton, as he believed, that he was will
ing to show their utility and entire
practicab.lity by making trip to New
Orleans in them. The river men Of Gin
cinnati took him up and made purse
against which he placed a like amount
II he fails to reach New Orleans or
does not get there within the forty
/ days specified in his agreement, he is
to forfeit his money. Ii he observes
the conditions, he gets all the money.
The wooden shoes Oldrieve wears
are a few inches over four feet i'll
length, six inches wide and six inches
deep. They are SO arranged that they
will not fill with water
4 Oldrieye after resting all night
aboard the large naphtha launch Row
er, which also accompanies him, left
Cairo at Ii 80 the next morning. walk
ing off at four mile. an hour gait.
which, assisted by the swift current in
the river, gave him speed of eight
miles an hour
frances Six Dreadnoushts.