El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-08
international Swimming Championship
and Some Wonderful Records Made
By
Frederic
]. Haskn
AMERICANS LEAD THE WORLD

and 13 seconds. while for the breast
stroke it Is 2 minutes and 10 seconds
The longest distance ever covered IN a
minute was 50 feet and inches. The
longest distance ever made under water
was nos wards. 2 feet. The side stroke
In its present form was first introduced
BY Joey Nuttall OF England The trud-
geon stroke was borrowed from the
South American indians. +. c. Schae-
fer introduced it in the United States.
while If remained for G.. VI. Daniels to
perfect it. The crawl was borrowed
from the indians OF colombo, making It's
advent into the United States in 1904.
This stroke is said TO be the last word
in swimming, and it is anticipated by
swimming authorities that many rec
Ords will be broken when this stroke
reaches its highest perfection. Some
swimmers are inclined to oppose all leg
action in the water. Handy OF Chicago,
does all of his swimming with his hands,
while the Cavifl brothers of Australia,
are inclined to follow his example
Swimming As An Exercise.
Swimming is regarded as so important
in the making OF physically perfect
men and women that Amherst college
has established a $4,000 swimming
pool. through the munificence of one of
its alumni. and has prescribed com
pulsOTy course as a part of It's currl-
culum. During a recent season 81 young
men were observed carefully while tax
ing the swimming lessons, and it was
found that they gained an average of
eight, pounds in weight and % cubic
inches in lung capacity. Philadelphia
has made the teaching of swimming a
part of the municipal service, while
West Point and Annapolis place the art
high in the list of necessary athletic
training. Those who have proved its
value in the development OF perfectly
trained athlete, declare that there IS no
other kind of training that does as much
in that direction. They assert that
there is no kind of exercise that de-
velOps every muscle of the body so much
and that there Is no soreness In the
muscles OF the athlete who makes swim
ming part of his training program
The first claimant of a world cham
pionship in swimming was DR.. Bedale OF
London. In 1885, he issued a challenge
OF $500 a side, open 10 any man who
was not more than year older or five
pounds heavier than himself for the
best time over 80 miles In one tide, or
the greatest distance in five hours on
the Thames. On July 10 of that year,
having received no acceptance OF his
challenge ne swan from London bridge
TO Red House, Battersea, in one hour
end So minutes, with a head wind He
SWAN back and proclaimed himself ghe
greatest of all great swimmers. In 1855
w. Wood was awarded the swimming
Ct cmpionshiD in d ace promoted by the
London Swimming club, an organization
which did much to build uD an interna-
tional interest in the art
Webb Swims English Channel
It was in 1874 that Matthew Webb,
an American, first announced his inten-
tior of swimming the English channel.
His ambition was laughed at for awhile,
but as he began to disclose his ability,
it was believed that he had a chance
OF setting a record that no man had
ever attempted before Several years
passed before he was abls finally TO
negotiate the channel, but eventually he
made it in u hours and "a minutes. 1t
has been estimated that the peculiar
tidal current forced him . swim nearly
80 miles in order to cover the 90 miles
between the English coast and the