New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-03
Past Season Remarkable
for Interest Shown by
Public and Number
of Records Made.

The outdoor swimming season OF
1915 proved a record breaker in every
sense of the word More and better
competitors were in the field than
ever before; for the first time in many
moons the national championships
brought together the leaders Of all dis
tricts; the public displayed unusual IN
terest in important meets; and both
men and women made clean sweep OF
the national standards.
Chief sprnting honors were garnered
by Duke Kahanamoku, of Honolulu.
He covered 100 yards in 81 % seconds
and 900 yards in > minutes 70 % sec
onds at the Exposition water carni-
val, in a 75-yard bath, beating the best
times ever made under similar condl-
tions.
At the middle distances it was Ludy
LANCER, Of the Los Angeles Athletic
Club, who did the best work. In the
Sutro Bath he swan 500 yards in s
minutes 13 as seconds, with six turns,
Clipping the former American figures
is is seconds and creating a worlds
record. In open water he brought
down the 4fO-yard time by more than
five seconds. placing II az minutes
80 Is seconds; the S30-yard mark he
reduced from y minutes IS 20 seconds
10 II minutes Is seconds, and the one
mile mark he lowered from % minutes
1875 seconds to q minutes SO %
seconds.
Herbert Vollmer, Of the New York
Athletic Club, contributed two stand
ards, lettering the 200-yard open water
mark 70 minutes "A 3-5 seconds and
improving his own 1000-yard record
for an S0-yard pool from II minutes 10
seconds 20 Is minutes % 3-5 seconds.
In swimming on the back Harry Heb
ner. of the Illinois Athletic Club. ne
gotiated $50 yards in | minute 50 3-5
seconds. with one turn, setting a
worlds record. and in breast stroke
swimming Michael McDermott, "A team
mate, covered 200 yards in , minutes
~ 2-5 seconds, with two turns, slicng
the old mark by half second.
300-yard relay racing mark, for
teams of four. was established by Heb
ner. McGillivray, Raithel ard Nosburgh,
Of the Illinois Athletic Club. They
twice denied the international figures,
finally leaving them at minutes ~ %
seconds.
over three and five mile courses,
Il
York Athletic Club, shaded completely
all previous performances, but his
times will not be listed, unfortunately,
because il was impossible 20 measure
the distances with absolute accuracy.
The fair natators were equally
successful. Early in the summer
Miss Frances Cowells, Of San Fran
cisco. officially broke the 80, 100
and 300 ward records hut her suDrcm-
acy was short lived. a few weeks later
Miss Olga Dorfner, of the Pnila-
delphia Turngemeinde, cut deeply into
the new marks. although competing in
open water, under far less advantageous
conditions She did 80 yards in 30 20
seconds, 100 yards in | minute 1915
seconds, and 220 yards in 3 minutes
10 SIS seconds. These figures are dan
gerously close 20 the worlds best.
Miss Lucy Freeman. Of the National
Women's Lifesaving League, has TO her
credit three performances 40 yards
in 7 minutes AZ seconds. $50 yards in
II minutes 10 seconds, and one mile in
80 minutes 81 seconds which will un-
doubtedly be accepted by the Amateur
Athletic Union as standards. In justice
TO her teammate, Miss Claire CALI
gan, however, 1t deserves mention that
she defeated Miss Freeman conclusively
at pa miles and demonstrated that,
given the chance, she could improve
materially on the latter's middle dis
lance times.
Everything considered. the season
Just closed was by long odds the most
brilliant in the history of American
water sports