ENDURANCE by Earle E. Liederman - Author and Publisher, (1926), - Chapter 15 (Last Chapter)

It is almost unbelievable what the human body can endure. To the average person it seems impossible that a man can outrun a horse; and yet it has been done. But the runner who can accomplish probably does not think any more of it than does the average office worker of going out on his day of recreation and playing a game of baseball or indulging in some other pastime, to give his inactive muscles the activity for which they are craving.

My friend, Ottley Coulter, knowing that I contemplated writing a book of this nature, was kind enough to supply me with a few records of endurance feats, which he thought might interest my readers. I am giving them to you just as I received them. Some seem almost incredible—but there are the records! I sincerely hope that none of you will be foolish enough to attempt to beat them, for, as I told you previously in this book, my main object in offering it to you was to help you attain that degree of strength and endurance as would enable you to save your own life. Aspiring to dance, run, swim, or what not, longer than anyone else is, in my opinion, folly. All you should strive for in the physical line is robust health, vitality and a well-proportioned body. To try to become a muscular monstrosity and to strive for laurels that will probably mean creating a mental obsession that will be just as much of a drain upon your system and life as that obsession caused by breaking the Tenth Commandment in hectic lustful cravings.

Max Danthage of Vienna, Austria, performed the deep knee-bend 6,000 times in four consecutive hours, on June 4, 1899.
Max Danthage on April 19, 1899, pressed with two hands, 74.9 pounds 845 times and followed this with 1,505 knee-bends.
Georg Ernst, on March 27, 1899, at Vienna, pressed 84.2 pounds 720 times in half an hour, and in the following hour performed 1, 450 deep knee-bends.
4-pound dumb-bell put up, one hand, 6,000 times in 59 minutes and 53 seconds at Lynn, Mass., on June 22, 1885, by Ed. C. Stickney.
10-pound dumb-bell put up, one hand, 8,431 times in 4 hours and 34 minutes at New York, December 13, 1870, by H. Pennock.
12-pound dumb-bell put up 14,000 times with one hand by A. Corcoran at Chicago, on October 4, 1873.
25-pound dumb-bell put up 450 times by G.W. Roche, San Francisco, Calif., November 25, 1875.
162½-pound dumb-bell, raised with one hand from floor to shoulder and then pushed to arms’ length above the shoulder 36 times by Louis Cyr at Chicago, May 7, 1896.
C.O. Breed lifted with one hand, from the floor, a barrel of flour weighing with fixtures 219½ pounds, 240 times in ten minutes at Lynn, Mass., on December 13, 1884.
110-pound dumb-bell put up with one hand from the shoulder, 27 times by William Conture, weighing 149 pounds, at Bath, Me., on February 11, 1892.
Henry Saltiel put up a 71½-pound dumb-bell 118 times, changing hands each time, Newark, N.J., June 12, 1897.
Anthony McKinley at Philadelphia on November 28, 1895, put up a 10-pound, 1½-ounce dumb-bell 10,000 times in 2 hours, 13 minutes and 20 seconds, averaging over 75 times per minute.
Frank Delmont roller-skated 50 miles in 2 hours, 47 minutes and 45 seconds, at Buenos Ayres, S.A., on October 22, 1893.
222.7 pounds pressed on feet 241 times by Anton Endres on April 8, 1986.

Swimming
Captain Webb swam from Dover, England, to Calais, France, a distance of 35 miles, in 21 hours and 45 minutes on August 24-25, 1875.
Captain Webb swam 74 miles in 84 hours, restricted to 14 hours per day in Lambeth Baths, England, starting May 19, 1879.
T.W. Burgess swam the English Channel, Dover to Cape Grisnez, September 6-7, 1911, in 22 hours and 35 minutes.
Captain Alfred Brown swam through the Panama Canal, 48 miles, at the opening in 1914; also from Battery, New York, to Sandy Hook, in 13 hours and 38 minutes on August 28, 1913.
10 miles, 2 hours, 30 minutes and 49 seconds—L.B. Goodwin, St. Louis, Mo., September 5, 1910.
20 miles, Dover to Ramsgate, England, 6 hours and 35 minutes—Jabez Wolfe, July 6, 1906.
34½ miles, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 28 seconds, July 10, 1910, by Charles Durborow.
23 miles, 7 hours and 1 minute—Miss Eileen Lee, London, England, June, 1916.
23 miles, 8 hours and 11 minutes—Miss Annette Kellerman of Australia, at Vienna, Austria, June 12, 1906.
36¼ miles, 10 hours and 17 minutes—Miss Eileen Lee, London, England, Thames River, August 18, 1916.
35 miles, 11 hours and 35 minutes—Miss Ida Elionsky, New York, September 24, 1916.

N.B. Coykendall
In June, 1918, swam from Milford, Pa., to Delaware Water Gap, Pa., in Delaware River, 39 miles, in 6 hours and 22 minutes, at a flood or freshet swim (meaning high rivers after a rainfall).
In September, 1919, pulled 27 people in 2-ton motorboat one mile with hands and feet shackled in regulation handcuffs, at Silver Lake, Fairmont, Minn.
In July, 1924, swam one mile roped to a 110-foot, 1-inch rope. The police and two navy captains declared him to be absolutely helpless at the time.
About same time as above, swam 150 feet standing on his head; time, 1 minute and 45 seconds.

Henry Elionsky
Swam continuously for over 60 miles. He started from 189th Street and Hudson River and swam to Swinburne Island in the Lower Bay and then from there to Fort Lee, N.J., and from there to Woolworth Building. The judges of the swim judged the distance or mileage to be over 60 miles. This was in August, 1914.
Swam from the Battery to Swinburne Island and returned to the Battery, a distance of over 25 miles, with hands and feet shackled. Time, 11 hours and 30 minutes.
In November, 1915, swam from Brooklyn Bridge to Bay Ridge, with hands and feet shackled and towing 7 men in a sea dory. The distance was 7 miles, and the time, 3 hours and 40 minutes.
Swam from the Battery to Fort Wadsworth in the Narrows with a 200-pound man tied on his back. Distance of 10 miles, and time, 4 hours and 50 minutes.
Swam Hell Gate bound in a straightjacket with feet tied with 15 feet of iron chain. Distance, 5 miles; time, 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Swam Hell Gate with hands and feet shackled and two men bound on back in November, 1915.
Swam from Bay Ridge to the Battery tied in a chair. He made it in 3 hours and 20 minutes.
In October, 1913, swam from Battery to within a quarter of a mile of Coney Island in 5 hours and 30 minutes. The distance was 14 miles.
At Palm Beach, Fla., hauled a sea dory containing 9 men and carried two more on his back, with his hands and feet shackled, five miles, through a heavy sea, in 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Running
15 miles, 1 hour, 20 minutes and 4 3-5 seconds—F. Applegarth, Stamford Bridge, London, England, July 21, 1902.
20 miles, 1 hour, 51 minutes and 54 seconds—G. Crossland, Stamford Bridge, England, September 22, 1894.
25 miles, 2 hours, 18 minutes and 57 3-5 seconds—Hank Zuna, Boston, April 19, 1921.
26 miles, 385 yards; 2 hours, 32 minutes and 35 4-5 seconds—Hannes Holehmainen, Antwerp, August 22, 1920.
30 miles, 3 hours, 17 minutes and 36 1-5 seconds—J.A. Squires, England, May 2, 1885.
45 miles, 5 hours, 32 minutes and 2 seconds—E.W. Lloyd, Stamford Bridge, England, on May 12, 1913.
100 miles, 13 hours, 26 minutes and 30 seconds—Charles Rowell, New York, February 27, 1882.
200 miles, 35 hours, 9 minutes and 28 seconds—Charles Rowell, New York, October 24, 1882.
300 miles, 58 hours, 17 minutes and 6 seconds—Charles Rowell, New York, February 28, to March 2, 1882.
400 miles, 84 hours, 31 minutes and 18 seconds—James Alberts, New York, February 9, 1888.
500 miles, 109 hours, 18 minutes and 20 seconds—P. Fitzgerald, New York, on week of May 2 and 3, 1888.
In a 142-hour go-as-you-please running race distances are: George Littlewood, England, 623 miles; James Alberts, United States, 621; P. Fitzgerald, 610; Charles Rowell, 602; George Noremac, 566; Frank Hart, 565; E.P. Weston, 550; H.O. Messier, 526; Peter Hegelman, 526 miles.

Walking
100 miles, 18 hours, 4 minutes and 10 1-5 seconds—T.E. Hammond, London, England, on September 12, 1908.
97 miles, walked in one day by James H. Hocking, New York, Times Square to Philadelphia City Hall.
67 miles without a rest, by James H. Hocking, June 5, 1919.
600 miles, New York to Cleveland, May 30 to June 10, 1919, by James H. Hocking.
Dan O’Leary walked 100 miles in 23 hours and 54 minutes on his 79th birthday.
Dan O’Leary walked 503 miles in a 6-day race in Chicago in 1875.
Edward P. Weston, age 70, New York to San Francisco, 3,895 miles in 105 days.
Edward P. Weston, age 75, New York to Minneapolis, 1, 546 miles, June 2 to August 2, 1913.
John Ennis walked from Coney Island surf to the surf in San Francisco, 4,000 miles in 80 days and 5 hours.
Mrs. David Beach walked from New York to Chicago in 42½ walking days.

Skating
25 miles, 1 hour, 31 minutes and 29 seconds—J.F. Donohue, Stamford, Conn., on January 26, 1893.
50 miles, 3 hours, 15 minutes and 59 2-5 seconds—J.F. Donohue, Stamford, Conn., on January 26, 1893.
80 miles, 5 hours, 41 minutes and 55 seconds—J.F. Donohue, Stamford, Conn., on January 26, 1893.
100 miles, 7 hours, 11 minutes, 8 1-5 seconds—J.F. Donohue, Stamford, Conn., on January 26, 1893.

Roller Skating
15 miles, 49 minutes and 15 seconds—William Blackburn, Toledo, O., 1910.
24 hours, 279 miles, 319 yards—Jesse Carey, Paris, December 25, 1910.
281 8-14 miles—Robert Wheeler, Denver, Colo., February, 1917.

Bicycle Riding
72 hours, 1,163.2 miles at Paris, by Charles W. Miller.
100 miles, 2 hours, 50 minutes and 17 2-5 seconds, by F.C. Armstrong, August 16, 1898, at London.
24 hours, 452 miles, 1,715 yards, Louis Grimm, Cleveland, O., August 25, 1895.

Rowing
50 miles, 8 hours and 55 minutes, single scull, C.A. Barnard, near Chicago, on May 12, 1877.
91 miles, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 3 seconds, single scull, John Williams, August 13, 1832.
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50½-pound dumb-bell lifted from floor, right hand only, 7,600 times, by Charles Breed, Lynn, Mass., December 2, 1882 in 1 hour and 30 minutes.
50-pound dumb-bell put up, over head, 94 times with one hand by A.A. Hylton, San Francisco, Calif., May 19, 1885.
Captain Webb swam for 74 hours with only 4 minutes rest at Scaraborough, England, August 9-12, 1880.
John P. Theis played a piano without stop for 27 hours ad 19 seconds at Philadelphia on July 5, 1893.
C.A. Harriman at Truckee, Calif., on April 6-7, 1883, walked 121 miles and 385 yards without a rest.
Peter Crossland at Manchester, England, walked 120 miles and 1,560 yards on September 11-12, 1876, without a rest.
2,280 miles in 912 hours, consecutive, by William Gale, concluding at Bradford, England, May 14, 1879.
Chinning 78 times, Anton Lewis, Brockton, Mass., April, 1913.
Skipping the rope 11,810 times, J.M. Barnett, Carlisle, N.S.W., on February 5, 1913.
Martin Dobrilla swung a pair of 3-pound, 4-ounce Indian clubs 144 hours at Cobar, N.S.W., Australia. Harry J. Lawson did the same for 134 hours at Bundaberg, Australia, on March, 1913.