The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-02-06
TOpKNS SPORTAP APARADE. |. k8A&&segDe
BY HENRY McELMoRE

NOuAtGU LEGSD 0NMu AOEECSNpUnueHt)
 Sarasota, Fla Feb 6-America's s dominance in marathon swimming, endurance floating and escaping from a rocking g1chair-underwater while bound -hand-and foot, is doomed unless there is a surpris- ing awakening of interest among the youth of the nation.
 Such was the pessimistic opin- ion expressed today by Norris Kel- lam, the human cork" who has conquered the waters as complete ly as did Macellan.
 It was MT Kellam who, thrown into pool at Bridgeton, N. J., last summer, stablished a new worlds record by not touching bottom for 73 and one half hours. Two years. ago he jumped into the Ohio. river at Cairo, Ill.,, for a little swims and, feeling frisky, lit out for Memphis, 225 miles away. He made it nonstop, tying up at Pier 37, Memphis, 96 hours later. A few days ago 1 saw MT kellam. his 357 pounds boundin- to a rocking chair, showed into Sarasota bay. Fifteen seconds af- ter he fiopped beneath the waters he burst to the surface, free, with the natural grace usually asso- ciated with hippipotamuses Cor is 1t hippopotami?.
 Headed for Shoals '
 Later, I talked to him, and drew from him the grave opinion that America, insofar as endurance swimming and floating is concern ed, is headed straight for the shoals.
 "Of course, as long as I am &C., tive," he said, America has noth- ing to fear from European swim mers and fioaters. But I'm getting along in years, and when I'm drought five or six years from now, who will take my place? Mo- body! There isn't young fioater in the country good for more than D or 16 hours in the water, and can't have my sons carry on my work because I am not mar ried and have no sons. It Is a dis mai outlook, indeed"
 Kellam has been 8 human cork" for 17 years rnd .average; one endurance swim or float a week. He literally fell into his calling, for 1t was chance drop into the we'll on his fathers farm at Cu!- pepper, Va, that revealed his talents. :,
 II was in the well several hours before Ma fished me out, and from that time on, had the call of the sea, so to speak. Pa wanted me to farm, but I said no Pa, l got to float to be happy" St Asked if he would recommend his profession to young men, Kel- lam said yes-that 1t had its hard ships like everything else, but it had its joys and thrills.
 Catfish Drove Him Crazy "Floating has, it's worries," he said, Out 1t gives me great kick. For example, on that run down the Mississippi to Memphis, the catfish like to drove me crazy They started nibbling at me few miles from Cairo and didn't ie
 up. They didn't hurt SO much as they tickled. The steamship peo pie were mean, too, and tried tt lstop me. l never could figure ou why unless it was because they l "CiS | II StdTI u 1du aH1 they'd lose business"
 One of the games greatest kicks Kellam said, came after an en. l durance float or swim when Inc went to a local store window to sleep.
 'I always sleep off the effects in a store or shop window. It gives the place great publicity. And I like it, too. Hundreds of people always jam against the glass to see me sleep, and it's fascinating. Once in Lake Worth, Fla. however, they played a mean trick on mo. was so tired when I finished that they just yanked off my suit, dried me with a towel, and put me to bed in a window. You see. they forgot to give me a nightshirt. We'll, I'm restless sleeper. and it wasn't long until l had kicked the covers off. Boy, was it funny!" Kelam's greatest worry is lack of competition. He has practically f1oated all his rivals out of busi- ness.
 What I'd like" he said, "would be new crop of crack fioaters so we could have a fioatathon. with with a pool jam full of fioaters. That would be something to see, wouldn't it?" I agreed that it certainly would be. .. Copyright -395, by United Press) -. =