Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-02-26
WALKING ON WATER.
A swede's Experiment on American
Rivers.

Il
| Rivers.
Professor Charles Oldrieve, who is
walking the rivers from Cincinnati to
New Orleans on a wager OF $4,000
that he can do 1t within forty days,
arrived at Cairo, ILL.,, the other after
noon three hours behind his schedule
time. says a dispatch to the st. Louis
Dispatch.
Oldrieve's gait Is shuffiing one'
and the craft which do duty as shoes
are submerged every time he takes
step forward. This seems to add
very materially to the work he has
to do and must be tremendously
wearisome. He propels himself for
ward very much after the manner OF
a man skating, swinging his arms Wig
orously and inclining his body for
ward to keep balanced. To avoid
tendency to slip backward his pedal
appendages are fitted with valve ar
rangement which effectually aids him
to proceed.
|
er and personal guard. She does the
"bossing" and keeps right along side'
cheering the professor on his way and
rowing along steadily. She Is said to
be a champion oarswoman and In any
case can handle a boat like Glouces-
ter fisherman.
Oldrieve, Swede. about forty
wears of age. five feet four inches In
height and weighing about 1S6
pounds is walking on the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers from Cincinnati to
New Orleans. a distance of 1,5bO
miles. He started from Cincinnati
on New Years day, and the start was
accompanied by exceptional demon
strations on the river front. Several
| thousand persons were on the banks
to see the scudding figure disappear
in the distance, with a little gasoline
launch behind it manned by the cap
tain's friends, who are to accompany
him all the way down and save him
from danger or rescue him in case
he gives out.
River men and nautical people gen.
orally are watching the progress OF
his experiment with keenest interest,
for II he succeeds and demonstrates
that his water shoes are all he claims
for them he will have made a great
forward step in the life saving prob
lem. His shoes can be used for a
hundred purposes. not the least of
which would be by soldiers to cross
rivers and inland water in wartime.
Pontoons are expensive and hard to
provide, and water shoes would be
much superior.
For years he has worked expert
mentally with a pair Of shoes that
may be used in water. They are light
and buoyant and adapted either to
locomotion or to life saving.
Captain Oldrieve recently brought
his shoes to such a degree Of perfec-
| ton. as he believed, that he was will
ing to show their utility and entire
practicability by making trip to
New Orleans in them. The river men
of Cincinnati took him up and made
purse, against which he placed a
like amount. If 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.
If he observes the conditions, he gets
all the money.
The wooden shoes Oldrieve wears
are a few inches over four feet in
length, six inches wide and six inches
deep. They are so arranged that they
will not fill with water.
Oldrieve after resting all night
aboard the large naptha launch Row.
er, which also accompanies him, left
Cairo at 11.30 the next morning,
| walking off at a four mile an hour
gait, which, assisted by the swift cur
rent in the river. gave him speed of
eight miles an hour.