SWIMMING

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4467, 21 September 1901, Page 7 (Supplement)

SWIMMING

(By “Natator.")

Now that the summer month* ore coming on local swimmers are beginning to muster at the Thorndon Baths. This season the Biennial Australasian Championships are to be competed for in New Zealand, and all the Australian cracks will o“oe more -visit Maorila'nd. Amongst the visitors will, no doubt, be the Cavills, Fred Lane, and George Read, who, last season, credited some fine per formanoes in Australia. Wellington’s champion, whose name happens to be Champion, intends to go in for a tho. rough training, and' allowing he is fit wad well, should give a good account of- himself. Then we have another iino performer in Jack Hamilton, who is at present in Greymouth. He has not had much opportunity for training during the past season or two, but for all uiat, I believe he will be a competitor. Hamil ton, if properly trained, is one ot New Zealand’s best swimmers- Tyler, the Auckland crack, Vas down here with the footballers last week, and was presrat at the Thorndon Baths.

It is pleasing to *e* th* large number of young fellows who are uoing in for this useful exercise. It is hot only in vigbrating ae, a sport, but invaluable a* a means of life saving, which has from time to time been proved in this coL ony. Another pitaging feature is the number of the fair sex who also indulge in the natatorial exercise. They coast a club ia this city, and a strong one at that.

Professor Berti and hie good lady* who conduct the Thorndon Baths, *re,T notice, sparing no time and energy in preparing the bath* for the coming season. During the winter months a large amount of seaweed, eto., gathers in the baths, and also on the steps, but this ie graduaHy being removed. Mr and Mrs Berti have always endeavoured to look after ths wants of the swimmers, and performed, thsir; work well. rrP, rn . doll Amateur Swimming Club held their annual meeting on Wei. nesday* The annual report was a satis factory one, and there was a credit baL anoe to b* carried forward to the oonw The Wellington Club and Swifts dab hold their annual meetings shortly and from what I cun bear they, “s?) nave satisfactory reports. Seahorse” sends me ’. the following interesting letter: Knowing I greet, many of yonr reader* are interested in swimming and the best places to bathe, I should like to give a abort account of my experience in Amenoa lately re swimming. During me hot woather of July I spent two days in S w t in State of Utah, wfien T had an opportunity of bathing in the great Salt Lake. It wna a unique experience, for I found the water so buoyant I mold not sink. When we learn that the water of this lake contains no less than 88 per cent, of salt, whilst the water in the Fhcifio Ocean has only 2* per “ft. of salt, one can easily under. dlffnwnce. There is a apish. did b»t)ung piTilloa built «t % pUoe up propnatoly called “Saltair,” on the shores of the lake, where aocoxnxnocU', tion i* provided for fire hundred bathers, each dressing .bo* containing a fresh witor ehower. The charge* including % bathing costume and two towels, is 25 cents. The distance by train from the oijy is twenty tw<> miles, and the fare is 25 cents, return: The great lake ij ninety miles long and forty miles wide, Ihe next bathing establishment I rijdted wag Sutro’e Baths, in San Fran cisco, where I saw five well-contested race* on _ Sunday afternoon; the SBth July. This is a grand building, and co*t a* million' dollars. I saw three or four

hundred bathers in. the water at the same time. There is a grandstand built t 0 seat five hundred people, commanding a view of the whole bath, which is 100 yards long by 50 yards wide. 'There are sliding boards, Roman rings, and trapeses for the use of bathers, band stand, stuffed animals, peculiar fisn in glass cases; in fact, a perfect museum of curiosities- As our City Council here is building a ne\t bath at Te Aro, might I suggest that they should provide a trapeze, diving and sliding hoards, Horn, an rings, etc., which need not cost very much.