Omaha daily bee., 1910-12-11
WEIRD TALES OF PROVESS
Travellers Tell Of Wonderful Fsats
Seen in Africa.
AFRICA, COUNTRY OF RECORDS
Iumpa Recorded IN Meters aud No
Account e. kent of PaItry
Inches and divisions.

NEW YORK. Dec. 1O-Reports that
would be set down at once as Incredible
n not actually fictitious were they not
backed by such excellent authority. come
from the heart OF Eastern equatorial
Africa They record athletic feats on the
part OF the natives which make reading
alongside OF which anything in Colonel
Roosevelts accounts of his African ad-
ventures must assuredy appear very tame.
Incidentally they will cause the much
Wanted prowesa OF athletes ancient and
modern. whether Hellenic, Celt, Teuton or
Yank. to sink into comparative insight
flcance.
Il IL the tribe OF the watussl. dwelling
within the confines Of Ruanda, who APP
pear TO be destined TO SO down in history
as the worlds record breakers OF all time.
the seemingly impossible height Of eight
feet two and one-half inches stands to the
credit OF one dark skinned athlete In the
high jump.
To the Duke Adoiphus Frederick OF
Mecklenburg, one OF q small group of
prinoey explorers, the civilized world Is
indebted for the information concerning a
race possessed of such superhuman and
undreamed Of powers.
Africa Is forever beating records, whether
In the size OF its diamonds mot base BALI
or its cricket scores. The latest revela-
ton OF the mysteries OF the dark continent
is Of a kind TO stagger humanity. In the
recently published account of his travels
In German East Africa the Duke Adolphus
Frederick Of Meklenburg tells Of a tribe
OF athletic blacks who in their daily ex-
ercises make the deeds OF our Olympic
heroes ridiculous. II there was one per-
Torrance on the list OF authenticated feats
which seemed lnsurpassable Il was the
high jump OF Mr.. M. P. Sweeney Of New
York, carefully measured ak feet five and
five-eighths inches Duke Adolphus Fred
erlck has assisted at the sports OF the
Watussi, and has seen them overlapping
this height by a couple OF feet, more or
less. His volume shows the photograph
of one M'Tussi clearing by many inches
tightly-stretched cord, beneath which
couple of stalwart white travellers stand
with upturned gaze like some watcher
of the starry skies when new planet
swims into his ken" The jump was meas
ured at two and one-half metres no &C
counts being taken OF beggarly inches, TO
say nothing of eighths. 1t is true that
the African jumpers 'take-off'' from a
little round ant-hill OF a foot or 30 In
height, but what Of what? Even the COM
nittee Of the Amateur Athletic association,
one would think, could hardly be so mean
as to bubble az such an informality, when
there is another foot to spare in a claim
for she best on record.
Records OF Anctenta.
Ana what after all; are our modern
champions? Between the Homeric heroes
who tossed landmarks and milistones at
each others head; the long jumper
Phayllus, who cleared fifty feet dn round
figures); the weight litter Milo. and the
modern black barbarian of the heart Of
Africa, whose high jumps are reokoned
In metres, how futile must seem our vast
stadlums and puny anticsl Let US try to
imagine the effect Of wireless telegram
Arriving at Stockholm in 1919 to inform an
enthusiastic Olympic crowd that the
(white) people jumping record has just been
eQualed at the Pan-Americaa games by
negro without pole.
Further particulars are to be had from
the dukes book on his travels. II
transpires that the performance occurred
In the course OF a sporting program, which
formed part Of the festivities arranged in
honor OF the exploring party This parS
Of the book reads like a fairy tale;
"a line which could be raised or lowered
at win was stretched between two slender
trees. standing on an incline. The athletes
had 70 run up 10 this and Jump from a
small termite heap 2 foot in height.
Despite these unfavorable conditions. ex-
hibltions we're given which would place
all European efforts In the shade. The
best jumpers, slender. but splendid figures.
with an almost Indian profile, attained the
incredible height Of rs meters q feet 2f
inches). and young boys made the rela-
lively, no less wonderful performances OF
Is a feet II inehes) to lie metres Is feet Z
inches) Then a number OF Watussi ex-
hiblted their remarkable skill In jaysliu
throwing. Taking e run Of ten steps
bending backward almost to the ground
they hurled their Javelins up to almost
prodigious heights. and with such impetus
that two OF the spear shafts broke in the
air from the vibration. II was the same
with the shooting matches with bow and
arrow. in which the trunk Of a banans
tree was used for the butt The shooting
average at fifty metres ls4 feet) was
really good Running races, too, wer,
organised. but owing TO the lack Of ths
necessary measuring instruments / am
unfortunately, not IN position 90 give tbs
times. / have no doubt, however, that IN
this department also the European records
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