A tug and a barge, the latter gayly decorated
with flags and bunting, lay for nearly an hour at
the foot of Dock street, this city, yesterday
afternoon, waiting for passengers. The barge had been chartered by Professor Dennis Butler,
the swimmer, and was intended to convey the
crowd that he expected to witness his great swim with Gus Sundstrom, swimming instructor of
the New York Athletic Club, and Thomas
Lestrange, a constable in Judge Courtney's
court. The crowd, however, did not come, and at 2:45 the tug and barge crossed over to Pier 2,
East river, Ne w York, to wait further developments. The race had been announced to take
place at 4 P.M., but it was nearly 5 before there
was any attempt made to move. At 4:30 Mr.
Mike Donovan, of pugilistic fame, and Professor Butler came aboard and the fun began. Both of
these professionals think, and, unless appearances are very much at fault, not without reason, that Sundstrom made a fizzle of the match yesterday, and by his strange conduct
in not showing up at the time appointed for the
swim imposed upon the public and played Butler a mean trick.
Dennis Butler says that Sundstrom wanted him to throw the race, and that
just as soon as he saw that he (Butler) meant
business he backed down. Mike Donovan said
that he had offered on last Friday night to bet
Sundstrom $250 that Butler would beat him .
Sundtstrom's brother, who was present on the boat yesterday, said that the reason his brother had not shown up was because be had been notified that if he contended yesterday with Butler he would lose bis place as swimming instructor of the Club. This excuse Butler and his
friends think "just too thin for anything."
Up to four o'clock the tickets for the match were offered for sale at 50 cents apiece.
Not more than twenty-five persons passed the ticket-taker at this figure. At 4:30 o'clock the
price of admission t o the barge was lowered to 25 cents, and it was announced that neither
Sundstrom or Lestrange would swim, but
that Butler would make a swim
against time, and the amateur match
would come off.
At the reduced rates, about
125 men and boys came aboard. Just before the
boat swung out into the river Mr. Mike Donovan, in an unaccountable frenzy of generosity,
threw the gate open and allowed over one hundred and fifty precocious "kids " who were
standing on the dock to come aboard free. This
last addition to the party filled the boat, but it
did not add to the comfort of the other passengers.
There were seven starters in the amateur race .
Their names were Morris Doyle, M. Wayde, H.
Joli, Mike Clifford, a Fulton street newsboy;
"Con." Brady, of New York; Chris. Holderman
and Carrie Falk, a girl 18 years of ago, a resident of NewYork. When time was called the girl made
the first jump off the railing into the water , and
struck out with a bold free stroke at 4:50:30
o'clock. The rest touched the water at 4:53. At
4:55 o'clock Butler himself leappd from the railing. The start was made right off Hall's baths,
near the "Batery. Five of the swimmers threw
themselves into the "rip tides" of Governor's Island, and were done for
then and there, so far as the race was concerned. Most of them were taken
into their accompanying rowboats after swimming but a short time. Brady, the girl, and
Butler however, had better luck, and managed
to keep in the current.
At 5:40 o'clock Brady was opposite Fortieth
Street, South Brooklyn, and was swimming with
a strong breast stroke. Butler kept swimming
along the Jersey side, and at 5:40 o'clock he was
abreast of Upper Quarantine. He swam with
regular over-hand strokes, about forty to the
minute, with his head well out of the water. The
girl, Carrie Falk, swam between Butler and
Brady, about a quarter of a mile back of the
latter, and she kept to her work with a nerve and
regularity that was astounding. Joli was the
first one of the swimmers to leave the water. He weakened at 5:40 o'clock, and he was followed by the rest except Butter, Brady
and Falk.
These three continued to keep
gamely ahead for some time longer, When the
swimmers were off Robbin's Reef Light, the tide
began to turn, and a short time afterward Butler finding that he could not stand against the
Strong flood tide, gave up, and was taken in, and
the other two followed his example without
much delay. Before Brady would leave the
water he insisted upon having a drink and a
chew. He was accommodated with the former. Morris Doyle was in bad luck. He lost the
match and his clothes as well . He laid the latter in one of the small boats when he went in, but
an unfriendly gust of wind lifted them out into
the bay, and they went swimming on their own
account. Morris was hustled borne under a piece
of old sail-cloth by bis friends.
The following is the record of the race: Butler left the water at 6:21 o'clock. He swam
a distance of nine miles in one hour and twenty-six minutes. Brady left the water at 6:22 o'clock. He swam eight miles and a half in one hour and
thirty minutes. Carrie Falk left the water at
7:05 o'clock. She was in the water two hours
and fourteen minutes and thirty seconds. Morris was taken in at 6:46 o'clock. Butler was
taken in just off Stapleton, Staten Island. He said the
water in the bay yesterday was very cold, being
as low as 63 degrees. The plucky Brooklyn
swimmer deserves great credit for the manner in
which he adhered to his part of the programme.
Had Sundstrom done as much there would undoubtedly have been a great match.
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