Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-04-09

HEAR ABOUT
OUR SWIMMERS


terested in the sport in the antipodes.
are looking forward with keen antici-
patton to the visit of the Hawaiian
swimmers next winter. When Snowy
Baker, who is grand little writer.
home when on his travels, was in HO-
nolulu, he was much interested in the
swimming situation, and the following
letter written by him, appeared in a
recent issue of the Sydney Sun:
MIR. Snowy Baker writes to the Sun
from Honolulu: Have just arrived at
Honolulu and had the pleasure of a
long yarn with the worlds champion
swimmer. Duke Kahanamoku. Duke is
a grand type of physical manhood and
an exceedingly nice fellow to yarn
with. He is ultra modest and very
difficult to make talk about his own
doings as a swimmer. He is employed
as an inspector in the water works
at salary Of els per month, has a
good boss, and can get away for swim
ming practice. Everybody knows
Duke, who is a hero in the town. Ho-
nolulu is. advertising a big city car
nival for Washington's birthday, Feb
ruary %. The posters around the city
consist of life-sized pictures of Kaha-
namoku shooting on surf board. I
was anxious to see him swim, and
he kindly consented to go along to the
beach and give me an exhibition.
Duke could not be called a pretty
swimmer-in fact, one hardly sees
more than splash. He lies we'll on
the top of the water with a good deal
Of the upper body out, and doesn't
swim, but cfAwls along like a spider.
AS a swimmer, and in build, he some
what resembles Daniels, the American
champion sprinter He is looking for
ward to a trip to Australia, and after
the stories told him of our great
country is more anxious than ever. I
told Duke that Barry was Conner"
and he would want his best form when
he paid us a visit Kahanamoku ask
ed me to convey his best wishes to
Eddie Marks. Cecil Healy. Longworth,
and Hardwick, and looks forward to
meeting our champions in their own
Water.ga Duke iR~an ardent motor-cy-
clist He was pointed out to me fly
ing along one of the suburban roads
Ny, he was flying! But my car was
faster and overhauled him.
i W. F. Corbett, the welf-known Aus
tralian sporting writer, adds to this
letter: had~a letter by yesterdays
American mail from a Honolulu friend
who promises to keep me wise" re-
garding swimming matters there
which might concern the world at
large or Australian only The pith Of
the communication is: Duke Kaha.
namoku has definitely decided to go to
Australia for the 1914-1915 swimming
season. The worlds champion had an
interview recently with w. w. Hill,
secretary Of the Australasian Swim
ming Association. and accepted the in.
vitation to make the trip as the head
liner of a team of about six of the
best swimmers in Honolulu. Hill went
into all details of the trip with w.
Rawlins, president of the Hawaiian
branch of the A. A. u, and the Ha.
waiian official will select six men to
leave Honolulu next November to tour
the antipodes. The team will go d.
rect to Sydney, where the first meet
will be held. Other meets will be
held at Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane,
Newcastle and other points in Aus
tralia, and possibly Hobart in Tas-
mania. After these series of meets
the swimmers will go over to New
Zealand and compete in meets at
Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin.
On the return trip to Honolulu there
will be a meet at the Fiji islands"
Kahanamoku and company are going
to spread themselves when they come
1t is good to know that We will be
opening our doors to those distinguish.
ed visitors at a time when their pres.
ence is very much needed 1t is not
likely that the whole troupe will be
Kahanamoku's class or anyway near
his class. consequently their leader is
the only one likely to set the standard
which may place our swimmers where
they were few years ago, if not be-
yond that position. Speed swimming
in Australia is retrograding seriously.
Even our schoolboy swimmers as a
whole have gone back