New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
Three More Entries for
Tribune Marathon Swim
Number of Probable Start
ars for Big Race Climbs
TO Almost Twenty.
ppFNNAN TALKS OF
BATTLING THE TIDE
et,ougly Opposed to Outside
Course and to Starting Before
the Ebb Begins TO Flow.


oro nrospective entrants FOR
r-,,,,ne Marathon SWIM have APP
,.d They are Zaltan Tobias oil Ne"
and John Estes and Fred Baumahh'
American Lifesaving society.
has been prominent for several
=, amateur water sports and hg-
IN many championship contests
o,th ne placed 20 his credit the 900
LN'' ..,ronolitan swimming title. Al
81 most of his work has been done
ne middle distances. he has gooo
"a in fve-mile races. and his frlends
80 he is fully qualified to undertake
pa,,ery 10 Sandy Hook trip. Tobias
' . considers the course rather long
So. =. has promised 70 train Tor the
and there IS little doubt that ne
a.,n 10 among the starters.
rstes is captain Of the Coney Island
s.,,.on Of the lifesaving society and mas
10 his mark in long distance swim
=. while Raumann. attached TO the
,...,;ca Raw division. has shown eXcep-
.,,,., endurance IN past tests and is
..o,,cb, ~ his followers 20 have an en-
IT,, chance to score IN the big race.
Tpe addition Of the foregoing candidates
- tho list brings the number OF pr"oaOl"
,,.,tsrs TO nearly twenty, and althouSh
-. NAV be some OBJECTIONS il becomes
,,uy more evident that the Tribune
,,ara,bon Swim has aroused keen inter
!, throughout the country and is des-
ID to be the most important race of It's
tnd ever held under the sanction o. inc
Amateur Athletic Union.
Brennan Speaks of Conditions.
Meantime. however, the question "l
,bartinr a course and settling upon IN"
.,srting hour is causing the committee
I'm charge some worry.
saveral II the likely contestants have
declared I'm favor Of starting from one
b,lf 10 fun hour before high tide and
n swimming i'm a straight line, as the
riov flies. but President Brennan, or the
American Iivcsaving Society, VINO mas
spnervised for a decade or more most OF
the marathon swims i'm New YORK ha!
is Of the opinion that this would De
crave error and might jeopardize the
sslds chances Of reaching the goal
Before taking any definite steps ne
.od at a meeting Of the committee on
Friday. II should like II impressed OH
every one Of the swimmers that long en-
rsrience has taught me the fuullty oil at
,emptine TO fight the flooding tide OIL 'he
Battery and of trying to so outsiue Vi
Governors Island, instead OF 'hrous"
Buttermik Channel.
opuo,e and fishermen strongly advised
ne whom / first began TO handle these
races to start them some time ai'er DE"
tide. and to hold to the Channel out III
several instances ! dsregarded their oe'-
ter Judgment and went contrary 10 'heH
views with tho result that the 'rld's
proved failures. because the majority Oh
contestants were thrown back INTO tne
East or North rivers, and those VINO
managed 10 stem the current were so
tired nv the time the tide changed tha'
they dh not even make Coney lslai'u
lonr way from Sandy Hook
Failure Over Straight Course
Alfred Brown. the first man to cover
tho course i'm question, can testify 70 the
fac, that in his first match with Alderman
they took the outside route, and never got
near Nortons Point, while In the next they
sought Ruttermlll Channel and both COM
,lsted the thirtccn-mile stretch easily
"Not once but a dozen times, have
seen men defeated who should have sue
c,eded. merely because they went on 100
soon. or insisted on swimming straight
down the Bay. so that do not speak from
hsaisay or hchtly formed opinion ouI
from actual knowledge. gained in practlcai
and conclusive tests.
II should bc remembered that there is
only the br.cfest period Of still water of /,
he Battery az high tide the current Is
Nnsbly felt 90 the last moment then
turns swiftly Thus. whether the course
is laid inside or out. Il is folly TO start |
before high water ~ 10 passing north
ward Of the island 1t is an incontro-
,erible fact that the tide runs up the
Hudson one hour longer than up the Last /
River II that is not reason enough Tor
any one 90 prefer the Brooklyn shore /
am at a loss 90 see why.
or course. ] agree fully with my lei |
low Committeeman that the wishes OF the |
contestants should influence decisions on |
ha points a, issue, but. as say. should |
ise the latter 20 give serious consdera-
ton 10 obtaining conditions.
10 is In their own interest that ] ad-
voca'e a change of view want to see |
'he race a brilliant success, and am
convinced that II they follow their own |
rsns they VIII labor under a severe han |
ticsp
OHerx - Furnish Test.