The Battle of the Giants.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 438, 18 January 1890, Page 6

The Battle of the Giants.

DUEL BETWEEN SAMSON AND SANDOW. SAMSON ROUTED. (From Our Special Correspondent.) London, November 9. The Aquarium presented a lively, not to say a sensational, scene on Saturday evening last, when the large building was packed with 10.000 eager sight-seers, all bent (somehow or another) on getting into the small theatre attached oo witness the novel contest m progress there. This was the duello between a quicksilvery Alsatian called Samson (who claims to be “ the strongest man in the world,” and for the last two months has been performing unheard-of feats of strength at the Aquarium), and a phlegmatic young German of colossal proportions called Sandow. Samson, some weeks ago, rashly betted £IOO to nothing that no man in the world could or would lift the same heavy weights as his pupil Cyclops (a loutish German youth of 23), and £SOO to nothing that no man in the world could or would achieve the same feats as he (Samson). Eugene Sandow appears to have heard of these reckless challenges and came over expressly to take them up. On Saturday week he quietly emerged from the audience and accepted Samson’s challenge concerning Cyclops. Samson held to his offer, but looked uneasy when the young maft,stripped. Well he might, for Sandow has the torso of a Farnese Hercules. Moreover, unlike Samson himself (whose sloping thighs and spindle shanks contrast ludicrously with his abnormally developed biceps and chest muscles), Sandow’s proportions are perfect. A finer specimen of the genius homo than this handsome young Teuton, with his blueeyes and light curling hair, composed smile and refined manner, has indeed seldom been seen on a public stage, and the hearts of the audience went out to him.

To Samson’s undisguised rage and mortification, Sandow beat poor Cyclops pointless. In vain the excitable Alsatian danced about the stage and protested this wasn’t fair and that wasn't fair. He was absolutely beside himself with vexation! and behaved so badly as to prejudice his popularity materially. The hundred pounds, however, had to be banded over, and then Sandow modestly intimated that he would like to accept the challenge of the great Samson himself. The 4 ‘strongestman on earbh”did nob, to do him justice, blench at all, but said he was too excited just then over over the unfair treatment (i.e., defeat) of Cyclops. He would, however, meet Sandow on the Aquarium stage the following Saturday evening. Details of the contest to be arranged. This was the duello a select audience of some 3,000 odd “toffs,” turfites, Pelicans, and pressmen squeezed into the Aquarium Theatre on Saturday evening last to see, and which a seething crowd of some 10.000 odd of the public in the adjacent Aquarium itself hoped to see, A number of wellknown faces occupied the stalls, “ the fancy ” (i.e., the prize ring) more especially rolling up in great force. Samson himself, who looks in his cape a little man no one would mind tackling, opened the proceedings smiling and radiant. He wore tights and a belt covei’ed with medals. There was, however, a lob of fuss before the men got bo business. First of all Sandow did nob appear. Samson looked relieved, and showed a suspicious anxiety to begin business without him. Bub the people in front wouldn’t have it. A gentleman, nob unknown in the prize ring, advanced to the footlights;,stretched forth his hand, and said, “ Sandow is not far off. He is in a room.” The fact was, he had had a lob of difficulty to get into the place. He turned up at last amid a burst of cheering. Captain Molesworth apologised for the delay caused by the besieged state of the building and its approaches, and announced that the marquis of queensberry

and Lord de Clifford had consented to act as judges, and asked for fair play for the competitors. Samson was attired in his ordinary athletic costume; Sandow was in a plain pink, sleeveless under-vest, and black trousers encircled by a leather belt. Both men.showed tremendous muscle. Sandow for breadth of chest and size of biceps having, if anything, the best of it. It took a long time to adjust the preliminaries ; Samson, who seemed to have at least had his confidence in himself shaken, was by turns sulky and. excited ; Sandow stood calmly contemplating the scene.' Sanison -first exhibited his strength by throwing all i sorts of difficulties r in his way. Captain Moles worth said Samson offered £SOO if Sandow could perform,his feats. Upon this statement being made, . Samson came forward to protest, and .aq'.'lnterval of uproar ensued. Samson , insisted that his challenge was for £SOO against the same sum. ] If that amount was not forthcoming, let it be £IOO against £IOO. ? Another spell of clamour followed, Samson excitedly declaring, “If he wins he takes my name. I

leave the stage. If he loses I give the money to a hospital." Captain Molesworth said that he should be sorry to see the audience disappointed, and therefore he undertook, in the name of; the Royal Aquarium Company, that £IOO should be placed against; Samson’s £SOO. Samson now insisted that he offered nothing of the kind,

ASKED FOR FAIR I’D AY, and remarked that he would be taken for a fool to offer £SOO against £IOO. At length it was settled that it was to be £IOO against £IOO. Samson, unable to back out of it any longer, had to begin. He bent iron pipes across his arms, legs, and chest. Sandow did it, too, nob perhaps with quite so much ease. Samson did a trick with a champagne bottle, but in fairness to Sandow the judges would admit nothing into the competition that was not merely trial of strength, so Samson’s trick was ruled out of order. Samson; then broke iron wire across his chest. So did Sandow,and the audience, whose sympathy was all with the plucky German, nearly performed the feat of lifting the roof off' with a mighty cheer. Samson was uneasy. Though Sandow could nob perform the feats with the same expertness, it was clear that for strength he was Samson’s match. Samson, with a sickly sort of smile, produced his chain bracelets; they were his last hope. He put on one set and offered the other to his rival. But to the dismay of the audience, and to Samson s ill-concealed delight, the bracelet was too small. For an instant the face of every spectator wore a look of disappointment; it changed to surprised delight when the thoughtful Sandow whipped out of his pocket a pair of bracelets that would fit. THIS DRAMATIC INCIDENT, exciting as it was, was to have a further development. Samson, worked up to the highest pitch of excitement and umntelligibility by the breaking of the chain by Sandow, declared it wasn’t ot the same quality. This contingency had been provided for. While Samson was running about gesticulating and shaking the pieces of Sandow’s chain, a document was pub in showing it had been supplied by the same firm and was exactly of the same quality as Samson’s. This settled. it for Sandow. Samson tried to speak, but he was yelled down. He said he hadn’t bad fair play—an observation soundly hooted—and he wouldn’t go on. Then Sandow took the lead. He played about with a 1501 b dumbbell, while Samson still excitedly careered about the stage. He was offered £SO to do what Sandow wa3 doing, bub he wouldn’t take it on. In the midst of tumultuous cheering Captain Molesworth, nearly at midnight, announced that the judges lmd decided tlia.b Sandow had fairly performed all Samson’s feats, and the audience endorsed the verdict. Where was Samson ? He had fled.