Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
The New York Clipper was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the outdoors, sports, theater, and the personalities of the open water swimming world. It had a circulation of about 25,000. The publishers also produced the yearly New York Clipper Annual.
In 1924, The Clipper was absorbed into the entertainment journal Variety.
The 1890 New York Clipper Annual posted the following notes on open wàter swimming community. It was an interesting, and definitely a different, era:
February: Albert Sundstrom, professional swimmer, died – San Francisco, California
June 22nd: Eugene Mercedier swam across the East River, Navy Yard, Brooklyn, to Old Sliop, New York with armsand legs bound, and carrying a 2 lb iron dumbbell in each hand
August 3rd: Five members of the Breslau Swimming Club swam 29,280 metres (about 18.25 miles) in 7 hours – Ohlau to Neubasu, Silesia [Poland]
August 10th: W.C. Johnson, amateur, swam a 100 yards trial in 1 minutes 5 seconds – Bensonhurst, Long Island
August 17th: Davis Dalton (Hahn) alleged to have swum across the English Channel from Boulogne, France to Folkestone, England
August 18th: C. Benedict, amateur, swam 1,000 yards in 16 minutes 17 seconds, lowering the record – Montreal Canada
September 12th: David Dalton (Hahn) swam 20 miles on his back in the Thames, with the tide: 6 housrs 16 minutes 56 seconds – Blackwall to Gravesend, England
September 15th: Jules Gautier, professional swimmer, with hands and feeet fettered, dove from London Bridge into the Thames River
October 16th: Swimming race, 1,000 yards, championship of England; J. Nuttall first in 13 minutes 54 seconds, his time for all distances over 400 yards being the best on record – Lambeth Baths, London
December 27th: Davis Dalton swam 12 hours on his back without a rest, covering 13 miles 375 yards – Batterse Public Baths, London, England
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