Sporting and Athletic Records

WEIGHT LIFTING 137 Weight Feat performed Name Place and Date lbs. I '^97 1 /i Lifted clear of the floor Louis Cyr (P.) Chicago, 111., [nearly 17 cwt] with both hands, with- (Canadian) 7 May 1896 out help of knees or artificial aid. 3> 2 39 a Lifted two inches clear W. B, Curtis(A.) New York, ton 8 cwt. of the ground by 20 Dec. 1868 103 lbs.] means of harness (see note). a Whatever may be said about the value of some of these heavy weight records, Mr. W. B. C URTIS' record is undoubtedly trustworthy. The followingis taken from the New York Spirit of the Times for 6 June 1896 : "The weightswere discsof iron, 18 inches in diameter and '/a inch thick, weighing about 50 lbs. each. In each disc was a slot, I'/a inches wide, and running an inch more than half way through. By these slots the discs were slid on and off an upright rod, just as is done with the smallweights of an ordinary platform scale. This upright rod passed through a hole in the top of a strong table, andended in an eye which moved up and down on the rod by a screw, so as to be easily adjustable to any desired height. The lifter wore a harness made of strong wide webbing, consisting of a waist-belt and two bands crossed over the shoulders, just like an ordinary pair of suspenders, the whole thing being similarto the belt with which circus actorshold a perch-pole. These shoulder straps were so adjusted, by constant experiment, that the shoulders and back were called on to support only a comfortable load, whilethe greater portion of the weight rested on the hips. Straps from the lower edge of the front and back of this waist-belt met between the lifter's knees in a hook which fastened into the eye on the upper endof the upright rod. A frame-work on top of the table supported two horizontal bars of easily adjustable height and distance apart and set so that when standing erect with arms straightthe lifter's hands rested firmly upon them. The lifter, cladwith this harness, stood on the table, astride of the upright rod, and with his hands on the horizontal bars, benthis arms and legs, hooked his belt-hook into the eye on the weight rod, and raised the weight by slowly and simultaneously straightening his arms and legs. The harness, horizontal bars and upright rod, were so adjusted that the weight was lifted about two inches. The lifterwas always erect, never stooping, oreven looking down, but raising andlowering the weight by straighten­ ing and bending his arms and legs. This was in a trial against record, underthe supervision of a party of expert gymnasts and made at the residence of Mr. Curtis,No. 200 Sixth Avenue. The weights were weighed by the judges both before and after the lift."