Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-12-18
LIFTS 4040 POUNDS IN STRENGTH
AUGUST A man SKATERS
! RECORDS AS STRONGEST MAN"

The records Of Warren L. Travis,
the Worlds Strongest Man." were
smashed to little bits Sunday after
noon at the Augusta Opera House by
John 3. Cagnon Of this city. in an
unoficial trial. Mr. Gagnon is well
known in Augusta as a very strong
man. but few realized the fact that
he was one of the worlds strongest
men until his trial Sunday.
Before representatives of the press
and few invited friends. Mr.. Gagnon
gave an exhibition OF strength such
as has never before been seen in
this city. The outstanding feat of
the afternoon consisted of lifting a
table weighing $50 pounds upon
which were standing % men, rang
ing in weight from 105 TO 215
pounds. The whole weight which he
lifted figured at 1910 pounds while
Travis best lift was $3.50.
Mr.. Gagnon started his exhibition
with a goodly gathering in the Opera
House. but before he was through,
most of those present had been called
- the stage TO act as weights SO that
he might have something to work
with.
His first feat was in the way of a
little limbering up, as it were. He
took n sixty penny spike, and after
allowing the spectators to inspect it,
quickly bent it double with his hands.
Next he took a five eighths inch
cold rolled steel bar and after this
had been inspected he placed the
middle of il between his teeth and
by bearing down on the ends with
his hands produced a very pronoun-
ced bend in the bar.
He then brought out platform so
built that he could stand above the
weight and after placing four men
weighing with the platform 71o
pounds. upon the lifting platform, he
lifted the whole with one finger.
Next. enough men were added to
make the weight 1850 pounds. which
he lifted with one hand. For the
two hand lift he took enough human
weights 10 tip the scales at 1895.
Then for the hand and knee lift he
took live weight Of 2120 pounds.
Taking two horseshoes in one
hand so that they formed the letter
w. with Mr.. Gagnon Of course
giasping them by one side Of each
horse shoe, he held the horse shoes
together against the efforts Of four
men on each side, trying TO separate
them.
His crowning feat of the afternoon
was the back lift. After distribut-
ing % men upon the table which
weighed $50 pounds. he crawled I'M
der il and using his powerful legs,
arms and back, lifted the whole clear
OF the wooden horses upon which it
was placed.
Others in the gathering tried some
OF these feats and Wilfred LeTendre,
who by the way, is a brother in law
Of Mr.. Gagnon. lifted 2001 pounds
with the back lift and held the horse
shoes against the efforts of three
men on each side. Harold Storey, a
IIlt flDfT vi lllt NSudi ttl
Corps. tried out the back lift and was
able to lift 1915.
Comparative figures on some of
these lifts. using official figures of
the weights lifted by Warren Travis.
and the figures as made Sunday by
Mr.. Gagnon are. back lift, Gagnon
1910. Travis 1850: hand and knee
lift, Gagnon 2120. Travis 1000: one
finger lift. Gagnon 10, Travis $50.
Travis weighs 200 pounds while
Mr.. Gagnon weighs 24o. Mr.. Gag
non has a waist measure of 40 inch
Is. chest of 40 inches and is 5 feet
10 inches tall.
He said after the tests that he was
doing this simply to see what he
could do. that he could do it any day
in the week and that with practice
hs thought that he could better these
weights He will appear during the
winter carnival in this city and may
appear in the winter carnival in Wa
teryllle.