New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-13
Year Furnished Many Surprises
as Well as New Records.
RAITHEl LEADS SPRiNTERS
McGillivray Has No Peer Over
the Longest Distances
Hebner a Star, Too.

The indoor swimming season IS on the
wane. Many Of the leading watermen
have broken training and are taking a
we'll earned rest before resuming practice
for the summer The time is ripe FOR
glancing over the chronicles and forming
an idea Of what was accomplished.
The year furnished many surprises Old
champions seemed TO take new lease on
life and developed unexpected ability.
but IT was the work of the newcomers
that was above all. gratifying. Mere
novices. some Of them. they pressed the
veterans hard in many an important
race. and the latter were forced to rec
ord-breaklng feats 10 retain their laurels.
To A. c. Raithel. OF the Illinois Athletic
Club. must be conceded sprntng honors
although he was beaten in the national
l0o-yard race. Raithel is university
man. and was unable 10 train for the
supreme test so that he entered largely
unprepared. Note. however. that he
lowered from 10 3-5 TO 10 seconds the
forty-yard standard, created by c. NJ
Daniels, and that he travelled the cen
fury In 20 seconds. within one-hfth Of
the latter's worlds mark thus placing 10
his credit the seasons fastest time at the
distance.
1t is worthy Of mention, too. that in
club competition he covered fifty yards in
% seconds and 100 in g As seconds-bOth
international records. but unacceptable
because not made I'm an open meet.
Raithel is only eighteen years old. and
the prediction has been freely circulated
that he is destined to become the great
est all around swimmer ever developed in
this country. His team mates Harry
Hebner and Perry McGillyray. were his
closest rivals at the sprints
over the longer distances McGillivray
showed that he had no equal. and il may
be questioned whether even George Hodg-
son, the Olympic star could now take his
measure. The young Westerner captured
The furlong title In minutes % seconds
without half trying. and the Canadian
never touched the mark under similar
conditions.
At 40 yards McGlllivray brought down
Daniels's record of minutes 81 20 sec
onds. and Hodgson's, OF minutes p %
seconds, by going the course in minutes
% 2-5 seconds; at 800 yards he reduced
Daniels's figures from minutes p 2-5
seconds to 6 minutes IL As seconds. and
at $50 yards he came within one-fifth Of
a second of the latter's best performance.
His fellow clubman. Hebner, and Nicho-
las Nerlch. OF the New York Athletic
Club, at times forced the pace, but they
were never really dangerous
Harry Hebner again stood in a class by
himself In back-stroke swimming. The
50-yard mark Of 81 3-5 seconds. by ~. J.
Handy, he shattered TO the tune OF 30
seconds fiat. and his own 15O-yard time
he bettered from I minute SO seconds To
minute 10 i-5 seconds. His nearest com
petitor proved TO be n lad of fifteen. NJ. l..
Mott. who took second to him i'm the
championship race.
No breast-stroke swimmers of note
were developed. and Michael McDermott
ever. to live up to his past work. Interest
in this style of natation is at low ebb
In plunging for distance the two chief
claimants, r. Il. Willis and i. LIGHTER.
found no opportunity TO try conclusions,
and they are too evenly matched for a
verdict to be possible. Wills has the
best mark. 50 feet. but LIGHTER spanned