Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-24

NJ Y finished midnight lunch while reading
a newspaper He noted that Emile A. Gillette,
of Mulberry, Kan, had eaten SO eggs In
minutes That aroused Drayo's pride and
stimulated his appetite. He called for 40 eggs,
cracked them into eight glasses and doWned
the entire batch in minutes.
owen Evans of Washington established some
sort of a record when he played golf continu-
ousy from 4:30 in the morning until $3.50 at
night, finishing with the aid of fashlight.
Capt. Brock Putnam of the United States
Army played 252 holes of golf in single day.
Eight students at George Washington UNI
versity kept awake for so hours and similar
tests were made at other colleges. These en-
durance records had definite purpose; they
were undertaken so that professors OF psychol.
ogy might study the reactions of the subjects.
The great danger of endurance tests, it Is
agreed, comes when the records approach the
highest possible point of physical possibility.
Then the results are sure to prove harmful.
Any one can set an endurance record by
simply starting something new and keeping at
it for long WHILE but when challengers con-
tinually add to the original time, the effort and
difficulty of breaking records become tremen-
dous.
There are two notable instances of this:
endurance swimming and endurance dancing.
In April, 1923, Otto Ken1merich of Hamburg.
Germany entered pool with his pet seal.
Leo, to see If he could stay afloat longer than
the seal. Leo held out for AZ hours; Kem-
merich kept on to As.
When the news reached America, endurance
swimming became a craze. In May 1928, Mrs.
Myrtle Huddlestone established mark Of so
hours the worlds record for women, men and
seals. In August Mrs. Lee Fourier stayed anoae
for Sc hours Sc minutes so Mrs. Huddestone
came back and gained the crown with go hours
minute 80 seconds. She was completely exc
hausted by this effort.
In october Mrs Lottie Schoemmel @nr.
passed all others with 70 hours 2 minutes 40
seconds. That put the finish on the tests. The
time was too disheartening for would-be
record-breakers.
Marathon dancing, suggested, perhaps, by the
Mohammedan fanatics known as whirling der.
wishes, gained modern sanction less than 10
years ago. It reached its peak In March of the
present year, when the Detroit police stopped
10 dancers who had been on the floor 108 daysl
The dance had been continuous, except for
short intervals every hour.
1t Is fact that marathon dancing haD
proved injurious to the health and mental cons
dition of those who have undergone the ordeal.
1t is one craze that has properly been classed
as a menace. There is danger that fagpole-
sitting and tree-perching win enter the same
category If they are allowed to continue.
CPEED still holds interest for the American
mind; yet the records that have been at
tanned show conclusively that many of our
mechanical devices are approaching or have
passed their practical maximum.
The railroads realized this years ago. Auto
mobile speed records can be broken only by
great expenditure of money for special vehicles
and at tremendous risk to the persons who
participate.
It Is recognized that the value of the air.
plane lies in safety and endurance; these are
NH
recent accomplishments in the air. Lindberghs
trip from New York to Paris, the world voyage
of the Graf Zeppelin, Byrd's conquest of the
South Pole and Kingsford- Smiths circling Of
the globe stand as records of endurance.
In every test that has proved the long-lasting
qualities of modern mechanical inventions tho
human element has entered to q great degree.
The man must do as, well as the machine.
HENCE human endurance has, suddenly become
recognized as a very necessary quality.