THE STRONGEST MAN ON EARTH

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2316, 28 December 1889, Page 3

THE STRONGEST MAN ON EARTH

A DARK DN TAKES HIM DOWN. Writing on November lar, the LondoD ooirerpoDdsnt of the Sydney "Referee" gives the following account of a remarkable txhib'tlon f f fcftts of strength. It is not often that an audience Is treated to an onrehearaed programme as interesting and .-sol: ing as that ones-, p ctediy provided at the ftoyal Aquarium hat night. 1 cßtQßon,' who Is supposed to be the ' a r npest man on etfrth,' who has foe some time past be.n astonishing those who have seen his own displays of strength, hue %t vacloui performances offered to give £100 0 anyone who would hohleve tin feate executed by hia papli 'Oyolops,' who aasißted him. The chief items m the performance of ' Oy clops,' an eno'moufcly muacuUr man, conaUt m lifting weights and dumb bells : rangtag. If Is a»td, from 50ib to 400 b. L»st night, aa usoa', when introducing hfs pupil, Sampson made tbe offer as par usual. Mach to hla surprise it waa at onoo accepted by a gentleman m the audience, who ir quired if the offer was open to an immediate teat, and being Informed that it w»s, he stepped on the stage, acoompanied by • youn^ man, who, so far ai physique was conoerued, was not to be compared with the burly 'Cyclops ' Indeed so marked was tbo disparity between the pair that niaoy of the audience obviously regarded the matter aa a joke- When, howaver, he had taken off blB ooat and waistcoat, and wai been to be attired In a pink jereey, which lift his arm* and neck bare, it was appaieat that ' Oyolops' bad to reckon with *d athlete of immense strength, the development of the mosolea of the arm being extraordinary, ' S-ims'n,' meanwhile, had deposited a £100 bank note with Oaptalo. Mohewotit , tbe genial manager of the Aqnarlnm, who was at oaoe accepted fb referee, wi h the audience as judge. • Cyclops ' started the competition by Hfing two fifty pcuade s. This was easily performed by th* acceptor of the eha langc, as waa tne raising of heavy dumb-bells with one hand representing 3001 b and 4COlb. The next feat was the lifting with «. ne finger of a solid mass of fctone weighing 400' b. on which were pUced two weights of 501 b. This was also accomplished, and it. was c'aimed that the £100 bad been fairly wen, and so indeed moßt of the audience. • Ban?paon,' however.! maintained ti.&t the money could only te secured by tbe accom pliflhffient of all the tests which Cyclops ohobld audeifake Then the fun began, Amidst tremend as excite m rt, extending over half *n h'ur ia wh'c'A t»eD<y people were shooting thble opinion ~%t the same ime, aothlng definho could be arrived »t and >t eemed us if there going to be a pood old row. An appeal was mud a (0 Captata Molesworth who held tbe sca'ea wi«h concpfcou* falrne'.p, and ha d.c dsd that ft? rU the usual tricks hid boen duly repeated, he would cilow 'Samson' to name two final tflotts, and that m tV>e event of those beiug done he should hand ovar the £100 note to *Tbe Uukuown.' This settled it, and •Oyolops' proceeded to lift 250 ib with his right hand above his head, and gradually lowee his arm till it w»b held at right angles with bis body. Hlb opponent securely performed thlß also, and amidst Immense axoltement 'Cyclops' took In hand a domb tell of 30O!b, and holding it over Ma head with his right hand, stooped and lifted 50>b, raising It In tarn over bis head, and lowering it to bis elbow three times and ' nearly a fourth. It is needless to eUta Ihst at this point the audteuoe were fsicly reused to a greit p'tcb, and when, after ap lifting both weights la imltaton of 'Cyclops.' his rival lowered wad raised the saaftller three times, four, five, six and seven times before he pnt them down, tbe entbosUsm was something to be r&m9mberod. ' Samson ' then acknowledged that tbo wager bad been f*irly won, and himself handed over the £100 note tc the victor. Then a general shout w*s mad© 1 for tbe name of (he winner, but the audience were tod thit he was for tbe present to be known es * The Unknown.' I bear, however, that h's name h Eugene San dow, a Gamin, and he has bee a tratnad and taught by Professor At tils, who has fairly scooped the pool this time.