The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

28 ATHLETIC SPORTS OF SCOTLAND. it must be done with one hand throughout. As has already been pointed out, the buildof one athleteas compared with an­ other may give him a decided advantage in many feats of strength. G. Davidson can rest the point of his elbow on the top of his thigh bone, a great advantage in putting a dumb-bell from shoulder height to stretch of arm. In a private trial at Aberdeen he put up 200 lbs. with one hand. In holding out a weight on the palm of the hand, arm level with shoulder, an athlete with short arms hasa great advantage over one with long arms, asshown by a steelyard. Sandow appeared in London again in October, 1890. His great feat was described as raising adumb-bell of 312 lbs. to stretch of arm above the head with one hand.No one acquainted with dumb-bell lifting believed this,but no opportunitywas given of taking the accuracyof the figures until 10thDecember. Up to that date not a single feat performed by any of the self-styled strongest men on earth had been authenticated by disinterested witnesses. The performers themselves said the weights they lifted weighed so many pounds, andthe London public, with refreshing gullibility, believed them. Unfortunately for the reputation of two of them, Sandowand H. M'Cann, or He cules, as he modestly styles himself, they contested against each other on the 10th December, and the w ights they usedwere weighed. The feats consisted entirely inputting updumb-bells and other weights to stretch of arm above the head with one and two hands. The only genuine performances done in this way was 170 lbs.put up with theright hand, and 155 lbs. put up with the left, by both athletes, and 120lbs. in right hand and112 lbs. in left, put up by H. M'Cannsimultaneously, while Sandow failed at this two-handedfeat. In addition to those already quoted as having beaten these performances with one hand, Louis Cyr, the Canadian giant, ashe is sometimes called, put up a dumb-bell weighing 265 lbs. with one handto shoulder, and from shoulder to stretch of arm above the head with one hand, atSt. Henri, near Montreal, on 2nd November, 1889. For Sandow and