AQUATIC RECREATIONS IN AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1343, 6 March 1868, Page 3

AQUATIC RECREATIONS IN AUCKLAND.

Yestebday the first of what we hope to be a regular periodical series of aquatic recreations was successfully commenced in Auckland. Agreeable to announcement the Auckland Salt Water Baths were the scece of a number of swimming and diving matches, all of which were spiritedly contested and viewed with considerable interest by OTer 300 spectators, among ■whom the professions and the influential portion of the community were largely represented. Beyond the fact that this was the first systematic attempt to establish these recreations in Auckland, many other circumstances contributed to invest the affair with no ordinary amount of interest. First of all the weather Was all that could be desired for such an occasion. amusement has been scarce and in request for some time past, and lastly folks were curious to know to what degree of proficiency our colonial youths had attained in the useful art of swimming. We think the result will fully justify us in saying that if our youna men are somewhat behind those of the neighboring colonies. where aquatic recreations and contests have been a kind of permanent institution for years past, it is rather owing to want of practice —so essential to excellence in anything—than to physical strength and powers of endxranee. Few exercises can equal that of swimming, both as regards its condueireness to health iind its great practical usefulness. This is an age in which the value of proficiency in swimming can scarcely be over-estimated. The improvements in steam and modern inventions have increased "abilities of travelling, and in a country like L iland, broken by streams and rivers -- es over its entire surface, the traveller is dntly exposed, to dangers by flood as well / field. The traveller proficient in swimg ever carries with a kind of natural lifey, a guarantee of safety from drowning, and v- y traveller were a swimmer, life policies insurances would be far less plentiful, and ranee of lives attended with considerless risk. So much for this view the question. But there is another . far more powerful recommendation in ■*. -• of ihe art. We will pnt it for the sake jlainness in this way. IN othing conduces .re to the worldly prc ferity and happiness of . people than soundness and high culture of the mental faculties, and nothing tends more to develop and sustain mental excellence than physical health anda robust constitution. It is the mens i. ia in corpore sano—a blessing that is so seldom met with, but when met, always in men eminent for their strength of intellect and practical ability. Nothing is more needful to en ure health than regular and proper exercise, and of all exercises none are better s'!i'.pt*~d the human frame or more practically usef - 1 than bathing. Sea bathing has been ki >' a to eradicate ■ s on which physic and -argical skill »ke failed to make any impression, and een known to make those robust and •K- no, from or constituted every oi.\ ;r species of exercise. c.«thing, and especially swimming, may je more pror-; ly called recreation, and .hose wh have f<Jt the enervating effects of — tense heat, or the fatigue of a long journey have fully appreciated the delightful and exhilirating effects of a good plunge into the clear cool t.de The ancients understood these things much better than we do, though in Great Britain and other parts of Europe, as also in the colonies, bathing has been establis. as a social institution, and swimming and othe„ aquatic exercises have been carried to a high state of pr-fection. Indeed, we cannot help expressing a . .tie surprise that such recreations '■ ave not been more iensively patronised Jn Aui'eland, as the climate aud geographical nature of the country seem to have rendered necessary. However Te hail the event of yesterday as an earnest of the future, and we rejoice at its success as a guarantee of yet greater successes to come. As we have previously observed, the first attempt was an unqualified success, and for this its promoters deserve to be congratulated. If this should lead to a more regular and extensive cutivation of so useful and beneficial an art as that of swimming, we pball hail them as public benefactors. We proceed to give a description of the several events, merely remarking that the following gentlemen discharged their duties most efficiently so as to ensure perfect harmony and regularity in the several events :—Mr. J. O. llamley (who took a veiy active part in superintending all the arrangements), Mr. Beveridge, judge; Mr. T. Macfarlane, starter; and the Stewards, including Messrs. Hall and E. Somerville, secretary. Mr. Von der Heyde did not officiate as judge, as advertised, not being present. The first event was Swimming— Boys under twelve—Distance 50 yards; prize, 10s; entrancp, Ib. This event resulted as follows.lst, E. Dickeys 2nd, J. Pratt; 3rd, J. -Balneaviß • 4th, G. Beatson ; 5th f Dnder. Swimming—Boy 9 under Eighteen.—The distance or this was 100 yards; prize, 155.; entrance, Is. o less ihan 10 competitors entered for this prize, with the following result:—let, M. Clark; 2nd. Bmclair; 3rd, Hamleyj 4th, Btoley. The other

i- I competitors were White, Banks, D. McFarlano, an< Merriman. Clark the winner is a very fine swimmer >_ and the race was very spiritedly contested. |j Swimming—All ages—Prize, £1; ontranoe, 2s. 6d. I distance, 150 yards. This event was one of the mos * interesting of the day; The following competitori entered :—Messrs. Goldsmith, Ferguson, X)unnett Ktichbury, G. Whitaker, J. Clark, Hill, Atkins, Gat 1 land, and Dick. The swimmers were all rangei ' along the eastern Bide of the bath, and at the word l "off" from the starter a capital start was made ? Gatland taking the lead across and reaching the fc western side first. His labours, however, were very I far from ending here, as the bath had to be crossed ' six times to make up the prescribed distance. In ■ this first spurt one of the competitors excited a good , deal of amusement by tho extraordinary style of his [ swimming, his progress through the water being effected by a serins of laborious flounders that were anything but graceful or easy. \ It was evident that his chance of winning the 1 prize was somewhat remote, to say the least of it. Gatland, who is a powerful and graceful swimmer, maintained the lead in crossing the second time, though in nearing the eastern boundary thoro was an evident filling off in his speed. He was closelj followed by Dunnett, whose stylo of swimming is what is known as the Australian, and who, on starting for the third time across, assumed the lead, and, putting on a splendid spurt, secured such an advance as to render the result of tho race easy of conjecture. His peculiar stylo of locomotion, though perhaps not so regular and graceful as Gatland's is far more rapid and powerful, though we seould imagine that it would require greater powers j of endurance to sustain it for any long period. The I race resulted in _an easy victory for Dunnett, with Gatland a fair second, and G. Whitaker and J. Clark a good tie for third place. The next event was— Diving longest distance—Boys under 18 —Prize 155., entrance Is.—The competitors were N. Defaur, Naughton, Gordon, D. McFarland, Healey, and Atkins. This was well contested, the last mentioned | proving the winner, with. Defaur second, and McFarland third. Diving loDge3t distance: open to boys under 1-1— Prize 10s. ; entrance Is.—This event, which was also of a very interesting character and was well contested, wascompeted for by the following—Fairburn, (winner), H. Whitaker, second ; and Merriman, third. I Diving longest Distance : open to all ages.—Prize £1, entrance 2s. 6a. —This was unquestionably the most interesting and most closely contested event of the day. The tollowing competed: —Messrs. Brown, Fagg, Hill, Dunnett, and Dufour. On tho word being given, the competitors sprung into the briny and disappeared together, and then the oyes of the spectators were eagerly bent on the surface of the water to watch the result. Three out of tho five came np at a distance of abo".t two-thirds the width of the b\th, but for an interval, that the anxiety of expectation made to appear much longer than in truth it was, there was no sign of the other two. Eyes were strained in all directions to catch the first glimpse of a head or limb, but not the slightest ripple indicated their re-appearance. Were they lost ?—were they amphibious ?—had they gone to take up their abode with Neptune and Water Sprites ?—were they ever going to return to their anxi juj admirers on terra firma ? Such ■were tho dubious questions asked by the more impatient bystanders, but their anxieties were set at rest when suddenly a head emerged from the water, on the side opposite to that from which the divers had started, quickly followed as it was by another in the south-eastern corner. Tho tie between these two, Messrs. Hill and Brown, necessitated a second trial, which, amidst tho enthusiastic applause of the spectator?, resulted as before. The stewards very justly concluded that the amphibious bipeds had done quite enough for the money, iinri the two settled the matter by agreeing to divido tho Undressing in the Water. —Prize, £1 ; entrance, 2s. 6d. Three competitors entered for this prizi:— Messrs. Allen and Brown, and the lad Atkins. They went into the water, attired it! shirt, trousers, and j socks, and the prize was to bo awarded to him who should firßt succeed in divesting himself of theso articles of clothing, with the condition that ho should also bring them safely to land. Brown was the first to undress, quickly followed by Atkins, but the light ]of the former to the prize was questioned, on account of his having dropped one of his socks in the water. Ultimately, however, the two agreed to divide the prize between them. For the next event, diving and coming up through a hoop in the centre, no competitors offered. Bringing a Plate from the Bottom.—Prize, £1; entrance, 2s. 6d. This, also, was a well contested and interesting event. Seven competitors entered the list—Messrs. R. Home, H. Whitaker, Brown, Hopkins, A. Whitaker, Brassey, and George- The plate was dropped in the centre, where the wat&r was some twelve or fourteen feet deep, and the divers plunged in from the western end near the entrance to the baths. The first attempt was a failure all round, but ultimately, after a good deal of amusement, Hopkins twice succeeded in bringing up the plate, and was awarded the prize. The most amusing item in the programme was very properly reserved for the last, namely :— The Duck Hunt.—Two ducks and three geese were thrown into the water, singly becoming the property of their captors. There was a good deal of splashing and scrambling about, but the poultry seemed to have considerably the worst of it, though one old goose (there were sev ral young ones in the water) gave some little trouble by diving whenever his capture seemed imminent. On the whole the affair as a first attempt, was an unqualified success, and we have to congratulate its promoters on the satisfactory result of their exertions to establish these healthy and highly beneficial aquatic amusements in Auckland.