The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-01-01
HERE s A MAN WHO
JUST DOTES ON
|CEWATER
HE TAKES SWIM IN FREEZING
WATER OF OCEAN THROUGH
WHILE STORM RACED.

NEW YORK. Jan. LII all New
Workers were like a big strappine
fellow named George NJ. Wallace. OF
Holland Station. Rockaway, the coal
trust would SO out of business. He
doesn't know what II is 10 be cold and
he isn't a freak either.
And as a sort of illustration Of his
hardness he takes dip in the ocean
every day OF the year. Clad in thin
bathing suit he can be seen any day
romping along the beach and diving
in and out of the water opposite Hol-
lands baths at Rockaway.
Even a blizzard is no terror TO him.
He plays with old man Boreas as a
child does with the spring air. Through
snow several feet deep he saun-
tiers from his dressing room 10 the
water with ms much concern about
how hard the wind is blowing as he
does To what the horses are doing in
France. aud that's nothing. &
, The colder il is the better | like
H." he said TO reporter VINO caught
him romping about in his bathing
suit durinG-Lhe snow storm the other
day Look at this Isn't this fne?''
And then he played in the snow with
his pet fox terrier. which accompan-
les him I'm his daily swims.
This is simply TO warm up" he
said Then he waded through the
surf until he struck breaker that
was al least 10 feet high With a
bound he went through II and for
more than a minute was out of sight.
For seventeen minutes he swan about
through the breakers and then start
ed out TO sea.
The undertow Is too strong today"
he shouted after going 50 yards from
shore. list remark was an explana-
ton for changing his course. He then
swan for a 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 a fast run
along the beach He ran about a
mile and then sat down on the sand.
The dog was shivering rs II he'd die
from the cold. but WailaC wasn't He
seemed AT ease in the bathing suit
and sat until he was requested 10
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 my life" he said but this surf
game is new 10 me. Until last year |
always took my dips in jamaica Bay.
/ MANY times | was compelled To break
the ice with an AK in order TO gel
I in the water. That was too much
/ like work. so I decided TO try the
ocean. and the change is great It's
bully out there, and If Il were not for
the darn undcrtow I'd 80 way out
But | think so much OF myself that
II won't take any chances with H.
! II it ever gets YOU good you are gone
and the blame thing is SO treacher
Gus that you've got 10 be on your
guard all the time In the summer
Won can get a line on II easily. but
i'm the winter there's no telling where
or when you're going TO run into II.
Wallace IS 80 years old and weighs
1875 pounds. He lives at No. II North
PIeasant-ave.. and everybody az the
beach seems TO know him. In the
summer he is a lifeguard AT the Wav-
erly baths.
While Wallace is not health 6end
he believes that his cold dips keep
during the anish-American war he
was taken down with typhoid fever
while with the Twelfth New York
Volunteers at Chickamauga and from
165 he lost weight until he tipped the
scales at less than 1870. Day by day
he has regained weight since he re-
sumet his cold water baths until now
he is his former self in build.
Wallace claims that there is no
man in the world who can endure the
cold weather better than he. He Is
willing 30 bet any amount OF money
this side Of $1,000 that he can defeat
any man in an endurance swimming
race In 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 lifeguard
Wallace has had many thrilling res
cues TO his credit. Last summer he
saved ten lives and the year before
thirty.