SWIMMERS QUIT BAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 24, 14 November 1944, Page 2

SWIMMERS QUIT BAR

FOR RACE IN BUSY RIVER NEW YORK. The argument over who was the better swimmer went on interminably between two men drinking beer at an East Side bar near Seventyeighth Street. Finally the bartender, whose eardrums had begun to throb, rummaged around in the miscellany department and came up with two pairs of swimming trunks which he tossed on the bar in front of the disputants. "Settle it " he said wearily. "The river is that way." William F. Gie.rt.ler 51 year old box strapper for a local brewery 5 measured one pair of trunks against the girth that goes with his 210 pounds and concluded that with a little in-holding they would fit reasonably well. For Ten Beers Harry Krueger 32 year old seaman lean and slim-hipped by comparison with his found that the other pair of trunks' would fit him thus proving that bar-, tenders are more wonderful than supply sergeants or even magicians. "For ten beers," suggested Mr Goertler. They shook hands on it ? donned the trunks and padded out to the East River, where an interested knot of spectators watched them plunge In. Mr Gocrtler gained a momentary advantage,, because the "wash from his abrupt 210-pound displacement nearly sent his opponent to the Queens shore. Seaman Krueger quickly recovered however, and soon overtook and passed the. north-ward-bound box strapper. The heavy man ploughed on grimly for a couple of blocks, while river traffic steered wide of them, but spectators ashore noted that, he began to tire and that his efforts Sverc producing more spray than wake. One of them called the police. Grabbed Life Preserver Patrolmen Thomas Kilduff and Thomas Moughan tossed a life preserver to the puffing Mr Goertler, who grabbed it with gratitude and coasted ashore. Dumping the exhausted man in the back of his the patrolmen drove on and overtook Seaman Krueger still heading stubbornly for Long Island Sound. They tossed the same life preserver to him. He accepted it reluctantly and came out of the river. "O.K. Ten beers," Mr Gocrtler said weakly from the back of the radio car. After a stop at the bar to permit them to change the ijatrolmen took both to the police, where they were charged with disorderly conduct in interfering with traffic on the East River and causing a crowd to collect.