The Detroit times., 1909-01-01
A MAN WHO
JUST DOTES on
= ICE WATER
he TAKES SWIM IN FREEZING
WATER OF OCEAN THROUGH
TIE WINTER - TOOK DIP
WHILE STORM RACED.

NEW YORK. Jan. LII all New
Workers were Hike big strappins
fellow named George VI. Wallace. OF
Holland Station. Rockaway, the coal
trust would go out of business. lie
doesn't know what II IS to be cold ana
he isn't a freak either.
And as a sort of illustration OF his
hardness he takes a dip IN the ocean
every day OF the year. Cad In INN
bathing suit be can be seen any day
romping along the beach and diving
I'm and out OF the water opposite hoi'
lands baths az ROckaway.
Even a blizzard is no terror 10 him.
he plays with old man Borcas as a
child does With the spring air. Through
snow several feet deep he saun
ters from his dressing room TO the
water with as much concern about
how hard the wind is blowing as he
does 90 what toe horses are doing IN
France. and that's nothing.
The colder il is the better I like
it," ne said 10 a reporter wAo caught
him ronping about in his bathing
suit during The snow storm the other
day. "I.ooh al this. isn't this fine?'
And then he played in the snow with
his pet fox terrier, which .accompan-
les him in his daily swims.
This is simply TO warm up nc
said Then be waded through the
surf until he struck breaker that
was at least 70 feet high. With a
bound he went through it and for
more than a minute was ont of sight.
For seventeen minutes he swan about
tf IN ~.
ed out TO sea.
"The undertow is too strong today
he shouted after going 80 yards from
shore. That remark was an oxplana'
! ton for changing his course. He then
swan for mile parallel with the
| beach
After ducking his dog a few times
IN the breakers he sped toward the
shore No brandy was there To greet
/ him and he wanted none:
Instead he started on fast rur
along the beach. He ran about 9
mile and then sat down ON the sand
The dog was shivering rs If he'd die
from the cold, but Wallace wasn't. ilC
seemed at ease in the bathing sui
and sat until he was requested &c
dress. and go 10 the railroad station
Half an hour later he drank two cups
Of hot coffee.
I've been swimming in the winter
all nv life" he said. but this SUR
game is new TO me- Until last year
always took my dips in Jamaica Bay
MANY times | was compelled TO breat
the ice with an AK in order to gel
in the water. That was too mucl
like work. so | decided 10 try The
ocean. and the change is great. us
bully out there, and If 1t were not lol
the darn undertow I'd go way ont
But | think so much OF myselt tna'
I won't take any chances Win H.
RI il ever gets you good you are gone
and the blame thing Is so treacher
GUS that you've got TO be on your
Guard all the time. In the summer
Won can get line on 1t easily, Dii'
in the winter there's no telling where
or when you're going to run into II
Wallace IS 80 years old and weighs
165 mounds. lie lives at No. II Nortu
Pleasant.aye.. and everybody at inc
beach seems To know him. In the
summer he Is lifcguard at the WaV
erly baths.
While Wallace IS not = health iiend
he believes that his cold dips kee1
him strong and healthy. He said thai
during the Spanish-American war he
was taken down with typhoid Fever
while with the Twelfth. New Norh
Volunteers at Chickamauga and IRON
1G5 he lost weight until be tipped the
scales Mt less than 100 Day by day
he has reeained weight since he re
sumcd his cold water baths until now
he is his former self in build.
Wallace claims that there Is nc
man in the world who can endure the
cold weather better than he. He Is
willing TO bet any amount OF money
lThis side Of $4,000 that he can deiea'
any man in an endurance swimming
race I'm the winter.
The longest swim Wallace has ever
taken I'm the winter was nine miles
This he covered on Feb. % last year
II was cold on that day, he said, but
the surf was calm and the sun warm
During his service as lifesuart
Wallace has had many thrilling res
cues 10 his credit. Last summer he
saved ten lives and the year before
thirty.