Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02

L
tainty of the very near future. For the
first full sized Seadrome Is to be
put in operation this Summer between New
York and Bermuda.
And when it comes, q bored public, turned
blase by the long succession Of modern tech
nical triumphs, will stifie yawn and murmur,
Every Interestingly"
Interesting it will be, but the chances are
that it will not be as interesting as the life of
the man whose active brain and unrelenting
perseverance made it possible.
What kind of man is 1t who filings a chain
of floating islands across the Atlantic, and
adds another chapter to the story of the con-
quest of the sea and the humiliation of space?
You may well wonder.
He Is Edward A. Armstrong, now chief of
the mechanical experimental division of the
e. I du Pont de Nemours Co. Of Wilmington,
DEL formerly The Strong Boy of Canada"
professional wrestler, circus Sandow, railroad
surveyor, civil and mechanical engineer.
EIRST of all, Mr.. Armstrong is a Canadian
by birth. While he has lived in the United
States q great many years, he was born In
Mount Forest, Ontario.
Three months before he was born his mother
was taken ill with scarlet fever. The result
was he came into the world spindling sickly
infant, weighing but three pounds. They didn't
His mother, watching his puny efforts to
walk and lift things, used to shake her head
sadly and sigh:
"Ah, Ted you'll never be the powerful man
your father Is"
Now young Armstrong loved and admired his
father tremendously, which is the way it should
be. He wanted to be like him-a powerful
man.
The remark of his mother kindled powder
train in the boys imagination There must be
some way for weak and Sickly child to de-
velop bone and muscle, he reasoned
He looked about him and CHANGED upon
series Of articles physical culture Exercise,
fresh air, deep breathing, foodI He took his
Htany back to the barn and started in
LIE was about IL years old when he began
\ his campaign for bone and muscle At 49,
he was known the Strong Boy of Canada,
Apostle of Health and Physical Culture" On
one occasion he appeared in Market Square at
Gait, Ontario. and astonished his audience
with feats of strength. yellowed clipping
from the weekly newspaper of Calf of some 80
years ago tells the story:
IAN immense audience assembled on Market
Square Friday and witnessed wonderful feat
of strength of Edward R. Armstrong team
Of horses was attached, one to each arm of the
young Samson and he stood the strain Of
their pulling in opposite directions.
"Adr. Armstrong is yet In his teens and be-
cause of this the feats he performed are, in
deed, wonderful. The exhibition consisted of
lifting 1000 pounds: supporting $500 pounds
upon his chest; putting above the head with
either hand dumbben weighing $50 pounds;
putting above the head two 100-pound dumb
bells, one in each hand; allowing, while seated
In chair with the legs extended in front
parallel to the floor, 225-pound man to stand
on his ankles; breaking with the expansion of
his chest steel cable whose breaking strain
10 1000 pounds; breaking with direct pull a
steel chain capable Of holding two horses;
bending bars of iron up to l inch in diameter"
Mr. Armstrong laughs when he recalls that
newspaper account. Boys are curious ami
mails" he remarks. "I had an idea wanted
to evangeliZe the world make everybody strong.
But along about this time I discovered a
funny thing about humans. They like to watch
you bend iron bars across your forearm, and
pull against team of horses but when it
comes to exercising and trying to make them
selves strong, they lose interest"
MUCH water has passed under the bridge
A'A since young Armstrong was the Strong
Boy of Canada" He has Travelled far. He has
been professional wrestler circus Sandow,
railroad surveyor civil engineer and finally, due
to much application of the proverbial midnight
oil, mechanical engineer of high standing.
For soon after young Armstrong became the
~Strong Boy of Canada" he found that bend
ing an iron bar across your forearm and lifting
1000 pounds wasn't career.
He decided wrestling was. He'd put his mus
Gle to work. he reasoned and become cham
piOn.
So he packed his bag, left his Ontario home
and journeyed down to Cleveland, where he
walked into famous old gymnasium where
Tom Jenkins and other celebrated wreStlers