Iron History

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02/21/2002 Entry: "Iron History Feb 22-28, 2002"

Feb 22, 1893
Wilhelm Turk, who in 1898 would become World champion weightlifter in the heavyweight class, on this day performed a two hands Continental and jerk with 331.79 lbs.

Feb 22, 1975
The New Jersey awards dinner was held at Gabby's restaurant, 168 Belmont Ave., in Haledon, and weightlifter Norbert Schemansky was honored.

Feb 23, 1933
The Rochester, New York, Strength Show was held at Art Gay's School of Physical Culture on this Thursday. Art's daughter Gertrude, 13, performed some dance steps, and 9-year old son, Jack, at 81 lbs pressed 35, snatched 35, and C&J 50. Several adult lifters also participated at 252 East Ave.

Feb 23, 1964
At Malick's Gym in Louisville, Ralph Wilson won Mr. Louisville

Feb 23, 1966
Carol Semple was born in Atlanta. She would become known in fitness contests for performing those contorted pushups with calves over her shoulders extending forward past her ears, so that her whole body was above her triceps as she went up and down for the pushups. Semple, right?

Feb 24, 1932
Gene Wells born. Four tries at Mr. America: 1956-17, 1959-22,1963-11,1966-13. Won Mr. North America Nov 7, 1964, and several other titles.

Feb 24, 1951
Roy Hilligenn won Mr. Northern California. Roy was a native of South Africa, which is well documented thru the decades, but in more recent years there have been assertions that he was born in America, but even though he won the AAU Mr. America on June 16, 1951, he was not a citizen, as Health & Strength pointed out in the April 16, 1953 issue. Which makes it easier to understand how he won the Mr. South Africa title in 1946.

What Roy WAS in fact was very strong, around 1958 at a bodyweight of 178 he C&J 320. When he wrote to Strength & Health in April 1945 (from Johannesburg, South Africa) he hoped to someday be good enough to make the cover of S&H. He made it four times: April 1948, October 1951, March 1953, and Feb/Mar 1977, as well as being coverman on several other magazines.

Feb 24, 1993
Chuck Sipes died; born August 22, 1932. We'll have more on Chuck on his birthdate.

Feb 25, 1939
Charles Atlas claimed that after contemplating about how muscular wild cats were, and how they don't really use Nautilus machines, they just stretched now and then, he came up with dynamic tension- pitting one body part against another. He apparently did not notice that the lions also ate freshly killed, uncooked meat, and did not eat regularly. Glad he didn't issue a cook book!

Anyway, on this day a cease and desist order was issued against Atlas and is mentioned in Strength & Health June 1939 p 12.

Feb 25, 1961
Pat Casey would become famous among the bench press fraternity for his 1967 landmark shattering of the 600 pound barrier. He benched 615 while weighing 329. He was also the first man to reach a 2,000 lb total in powerlifting. But it all began on Feb 25, 1961 when at an inter-gym contest he began competing and at a bodyweight of 265 benched 460. His six year journey forever placed him in the record books.

Feb 25, 1976
Although another date is sometimes given, it was on this Wednesday that Arnold posed at the Whitney Museum in NYC. While impressive to those who might frequent such venues, he was not in his best shape by any definition (pun intended).

Feb 26, 1898
Setting the stage: Arthur Saxon had been performing at the Grand Music Hall in Sheffield, England. He was age 19. Also in town, world famous Eugen Sandow was performing at the Empire Palace. Word of Saxon's challenge to any man in the world, with special reference and mention of Sandow, reached Sandow's attention, and on Feb 26, 1898 the 30-year old decided to teach the teenager some manners. Bad move, Sandow.

There are some ingredients to this story- mercury being used in the handle of Saxon's barbell for one ( which was not the case ), but let's not get sidetracked in situations that did not happen.

'Jumping the stage' was a phrase that meant whenever a challenge was issued by the performer on the stage, that a member of the strongman profession (or anyone actually) could literally come up on the stage and try to duplicate or even out lift the man making the challenge. So, Sandow jumped the stage on Saxon. As just mentioned, not wise. Though Arthur was young at this time, the strength that would later put him into a class with no neighbors was blossoming and to show Eugen the mess he had jumped into, Arthur took a kettle-weight weighing 110 pounds to his shoulder, and there holding it with just his little finger, and with a 160 pound man sitting on his hand and the kettle-weight, Arthur bent pressed the whole to arms length for a successful lift. Sandow refused to even try. He was bold, not stupid.

Arthur then shouldered a 180 pound kettle-weight with ONE HAND and Oscar Hilgenfeldt, who weighed 188 sat on it, and again Arthur bent pressed the whole. Sandow refused to try this. At this point the audience may well have been wondering, "Excuse me, Eugen, why did you jump the stage- just want a better view of Arthur's massive strength in motion"? (Please notice: Saxon bent pressed 368 pounds with one hand at age 19 !)

Arthur had a 264 pound barbell which he used for foot balancing and was not used to lifting a barbell with one hand- he mostly used kettle-weights and other bells. But Sandow insisted, so on his second attempt Saxon succeeded in bent pressing the bell. Sandow required five attempts and could lean away from the bell to the low position, but as strength fans know, the lift was not complete until the man stood erect with the bell on extended arm overhead. So Saxon won, and advertised that fact, which of course did not enhance Sandow's box-office appeal. Saxon, after all, had performed two lifts which Sandow would not even TRY, then Saxon made a lift he was not used to, and Sandow, who was used to the lift, could not match it even after 5 tries.

Later, Sandow sued Saxon for misrepresenting what had happened, and in a marvelous example of blind 'justice' the judge, not understanding the rules of lifting deemed that Sandow had lifted the bell overhead, which of course is true, but the judge did not see as material the fact that Sandow did not stand erect with the weight. And Sandow who later came into possession of the barbell in question argued that quicksilver or some other substance in the bar gave an unfair advantage to Saxon. It was eventually found to contain sand, but by that time an unfair judgment by an ignorant judge had already ruled in Sandow's favor.

Saxon would go on to setting records in one handed lifting that have not yet been surpassed. Sandow would go on with his 'performances' and though a very strong man, was not at all in Saxon's class. One suspects Sandow thereafter experienced a case of stage-fright if Saxon was already on the stage, because he knew in his heart that Arthur was his superior.

Feb 26, 1939
Warren Lincoln Travis was called by Ray Van Cleef 'The Dean of American Strongmen' and on this date an affidavit was signed by several witnesses attesting to some of WLT's (as he was called) lifts done on this date, which was also 5 days after his 63rd birthday. The feats attested to were: tearing together two phone books whose total pages were 1,604, and lifting off the floor with his teeth 300 lbs. This of course, to newcomers wondering whether Travis bit the barbell, involved a mouthpiece attached to the weight. (oh, and no, there was not a division called a tooth lift, for those who neglected dental hygiene). Okay, back on track: his greatest feat was a backlift which the affidavit describes thus:

"I lifted on my back 1000 pounds one thousand and nine times in 26 minutes..." and then, whatever this means, "This lift was made on a tested 1000-pounds Capacity Fairbanks Platform scale with Weight Lifting frame." I don't have a clue what that means, but it impressed authorities such as Anthony Barker, and George Weaver enough to sign as witnesses. Could it mean that he raised up under a frame while standing on the scale, thus forcing the scale to register 1,000? Help me out here! (anyone with further understanding on how this was done? However it was done, it involved one rep every 1.5 seconds on average. Though I suspect it was done in spaced rapid sets allowing for rest)

Feb 27, 1906
After a glorious life in strength which earned him to be named by Prof. Desbonnet as one of two of the world's strongest men, Louis Cyr on this date had a strength contest against Hector Decarie. It was an unfair challenge because Louis was 43 years old and Hector 26. (Leo Gaudreau mentions that Cyr was 44, but that is not correct)

Decarie had everything to gain and Louis nothing, by participating in the match to be staged in Montreal at Sohmer Park where Cyr once resisted the pull of horses.

Each man chose four lifts. And each man scored four points resulting in a tie, with Cyr retaining his title, but no doubt partly to avoid another challenge by a young man, Louis declared Hector the new champion, so challenges would be issued to him.

An analysis of the lifts shows that Decarie won those that required balance, while Louis was superior in brute strength moves, as was evidenced by the final of the lifts: the backlift. 2,879 lbs was the amount, and years earlier Cyr would have almost have taken this amount for granted but his health was not what it once was, nor certainly were his years as few as they once were, but Louis showed the crowd what massive strength was, and lifted the platform. Decarie failed in the lift, as he did in his composure when, in spite of being the champion, Louis transferred the title to him as a badge of honor.

Thus Louis who had been considered by his fellow Canadians as The Strongest Man in the World since 1891, relinquished his title. Decarie held the title for many years, defeating Wilfred Cabana in 1920 and apparently retired holding the title. Decarie later claimed a backlift of 3,640 lbs which is extremely doubtful. He was 5'6" in height and at his heaviest 195 pounds. Decarie died at home in Montreal in 1954 on June 30 at age 74

At the time of the Cyr/Decarie match, Willoughby estimates that Cyr was only 66% of his former, younger, strength.

Feb 27, 1911
Jospeh Curtis Hise had a sister with the nickname 'Boots'. Her real name was Beulah and she was born on this date. She married Montel Torbit and they had a daughter named Barbara with whom I spoke in 1986 and gained valuable information about Joe Hise, whom everybody in his home town of Homer, Illinois called Curt, which was short for his middle name Curtis.

I spoke to the couple that purchased the former Hise home in Homer at 706 S. Church Street- it was demolished in 1981 but I saw where it stood when Curt lived there and propped those tree-branch-power-racks against the back shed. The couple who bought the land felt sure they had an old photo of the Hise house, but were unable to find it, though I did buy Hise's autographed copy of SUPER STRENGTH in which he lists his measurements circa his high school days. I also have a copy of the ONLY family photo showing Curt with his parents and siblings, and had, though I cannot now find it, a 45 second to one minute film showing Curt circa 1946 juggling the kettle-bells that Andy Jackson made for him. Also bought the Jackson 1-A set of barbells that Andy Jackson remembered making especially for Hise in the early 1950s. I no longer have this set.

Beulah died in 1970. Curt died on Spetember 27, 1972 according to his death certificate, not on the days that have otherwise been reported.

Feb 27, 1911
Oscar Heidenstam born. He would become the Bob Hoffman/Joe Weider/Robert Kennedy of British bodybuilding. There is now an awards ceremony each year on the third Saturday of March named in his honor. Oscar died March 21, 1991.

After George Greenwood stopped writing the 'Bodybuilder's Forum' in Health & Strength magazine, Oscar took over with the Feb 19, 1953 issue and wrote it until at least April 18, 1963 (my collection of H&S falters so can anyone supply more details?). He also began writing NABBA Notes on April 12, 1956, and Bodybuilding For Beginners on Sep 15, 1955, and The ABCs of Bodybuilding on Jan 10, 1963, as well as hundreds of other articles thru the decades.

In 1939 Oscar won The Best Developed Man in Europe.

Feb 27, 1992
Paul Anderson was honored as strongest man of century. Anderson was one of the most amazing success stories in American lifting, but his weightlifting records have been surpassed literally hundreds of times, so it is puzzling how in 1992, it could be deemed appropriate to attribute an award for strongest man of the century, when almost a decade was left in the century which had already seen his lifts frequently surpassed.

Following more modern weightlifting is not my strong suit, but correct me- and I am sure you will- if wrong, but Paul's best official press was about 409 lbs and Gary Gubner pressed 412 in 1965. Paul's best snatch was 335 and Norb Schemanksy snatched about 344 in 1961. Paul's best C&J was 440 and Dave Ashman C&J 444 in 1960. Since then all those records have continued to be elevated.

No doubt the award was based on Paul's unofficial lifts such as a 6,270 lb backlift, which we now know could not have exceeded 5,070 since Paul's daughter had the safe that was used in the backlift weighed, and it weighed approx 2,300 lbs and not the 3,500 lbs that was used in the totaling for the backlift. It is my view that the given weight for the platform upon which the weights were placed was too high. In Paul's first bio the paltform was described as over 1,000; in his second bio, the weight given was about 1,800 lbs. Adding 1800 and 3500, yields 5,300 lbs. So if those two ingredients were accurate, then less than 900 lbs of additional weight would be needed for the 6,270 lb claimed total.

Remember that when on May 27, 1896, Louis Cyr lifted 18 men on a platform for a total backlift claim of 4,300 lbs, that the platform used on that occasion weighed only 255 lbs. (yes, 255) And that it needed to be big enough for a dozen and a half men! So, speculating here, if Paul's platform weighed 500, then the backlift must be reduced by another 1,300 lbs, ending with a lift of about 3,770. The platform is long gone, but one does wonder why the platform would have had to weigh about 75% as much as the safe sitting dead center over his back on it.

But, if percentage of bodyweight lifted is not factored in, then certainly Paul, simply by amount of weight lifted was very strong, and in regard to squats without wraps and special clothing etc., he was so far ahead of the other lifters, as to be laughable, doing repetitions in the squat with 700 or 800 at a time when no one else could do a single rep with that much. In my view, we have not seen his equal yet so far as walking into a gym, loading on 600 or so pounds for the WARMUP set, explaining that the first few reps would not be very deep until he got warmed-up, and then knocking off a set or two with a weight that would literally stop anyone else on the planet from matching. His feet were not spread three feet apart, his blood was not saturated with half the local pharmacy's steroids, and he was not wrapped in enough clothing to sew into a suspension bridge. He was truly raw, even sometimes, barefoot. York made a special 2" bar for him to squat with. He did not have to 'peak' for weeks to accomplish these squats- he could almost summon the power needed at will.

It was as though a sprinter ran the 100 meters in 8 seconds or a pole vaulter soared 25 feet. He WAS that much stronger in the squat.

Now that the century in question is completed, it would be appropriate, to call him the strongest raw, repetition squatter for that period.

Feb 28, 1933
Ray Schaefer born. How good was he? When he posed March 18, 1956 at the Mr. Northern Indiana, "Many of the old-timers at the meet said that now he looks better than Grimek." That was shortly before he won the 1956 Mr. America, and the 1956 Mr. Universe. Ray wrestled for a while under the name Samson. I spoke to Ray back in 1987 on Feb 4. Sadness had enteered his life. His son Raymond III was killed when police were chasing a drunk driver and Ray III could not avoid the accident. At that time Ray was working construction and arising at 5am. It seems I heard somewhere that Ray has moved. Anybody know where he is? He would be celebrating birthday 69 today.

Feb 28, 1939
Writer Linda Henry born. Began writing for Muscle and Fitness in April 1991 and continues to contribute. Linda attended Eiferman's funeral Feb 15, 2002.

Feb 28, 1947
The first offical Pacific Coast weightlifting championships for women were staged at the South West Arena in L.A. The judging was done in the same manner as in men's lifting, using the press, snatch, and clean and jerk. The bar used is the bar that Pudgy Stockton still uses these days and was custom made for her in 1944. Her words: "...an Olympic set in miniature. The bar is six feet long and one inch in diameter instead of a seven foot length and one and a sixteenth diameter. The largest plate weighs nineteen pounds and is fourteen inches in diameter..." "Thus a girl with her smaller hand and less strength can handle the smaller bar with greater ease." Pudgy's husband, Les, (this man SHOULD WRITE A BOOK!!!, great stories) told me on February 13, 2002 that Pudgy's bar used to be a favorite for Joe DePietro because he had small hands. Anyway, Pudgy edged out Winefred Rieneke 340 to 335 in the total to win the event.

INCH 101: Part 3 The 'Famous' Inch Challenge Dumbell; the 172 pound bell:

In the February 22, 1913 issue of Health & Strength magazine in England, the Thomas Inch Challenge Dumbell is referred to as famous. The bell, if my figures are correct, had been in existence for only seven years by that time. The author of the following is not credited from that issue:

"This dumb-bell has become famous as the dumb-bell which no man can lift (except, of course, its owner, Thomas Inch). It has been referred to as the 'lucky' dumb-bell. The M.C. at a recent display was asked to explain how it came to be called 'lucky,' and he promptly replied, 'Well, you'll be lucky if you lift it."

Now notice that the bell may be soon retired from public opportunity: [it was not apparently retired until 1931, then brought out of retirement. And maybe used for WW II factory demonstrations. But by April 8, 1933, H&S was reporting that 'thousands' of men had tried and failed to lift the 172]. But the possible 1913 retirement was announced:

"We hear that it will be in evidence at the weight-lifting meeting at the London Weightlifting Club on Friday, Feb. 28. It is just possible that this will be its last appearance in public and the last occasion on which Mr. Inch will make his different offers to the man who should be fortunate enough to lift it."

The last statement was a reference to the cash that Inch had offered to those who could elevate the bell even inches off the floor. The text continues, and keep in mind the level of lifters who have failed with it, and who is NOT mentioned as having failed with it, among the 2,000 or so men who have "...tried and failed, including among the better known- i.e., the ones with titles- Edward Aston, Maurice Deriaz, W. Harwood, Strongfort (from Denmark, not America), W. Caswell, S. Croft, etc. etc."

Was Saxon among the etc. etc.? If one wished to show the utter challenge this bell was to lift, then why not list Saxon among 'those with titles'? Inch does not mention in print (that I have located) any mention of Saxon failing with the bell until after Saxon passed away. Was there anyone more of a scientific lifter than Saxon? Why was Inch worried about the general herd of lifters if Saxon failed with the 172? Indeed in another place Inch uses Saxon as his brute barometer and says that because Saxon failed with the 172, Inch felt confident that he was safe in offering cash to lesser men.

In regard to the men listed however: :"When the above made their attempts, Mr. Inch's offer was L50 (fifty pounds British money) and L1000(sic) but now that such progress has been made in the science of lifting..." the prizes were reduced to "the man who lifts it in the same way that Mr. Inch does..." or to an amateur "lifting it to his knees". The reward was lowered to L25 for a pro and a similar value clock for an amateur.

A man named C. Maw was mentioned who "It seems for several years [so how long?] Maw has been giving an exhibition with a similar dumb-bell to Mr. Inch's, and for some months has specialized on the lift, and he backs his confidence by traveling a journey of 500 miles (total) to make the attempt." Special mention was made to include Edward Aston in the challenge. (Again, was it expected that some men might be able to elevate the bell a few inches but that Saxon could never get it off the floor? This is insulting to anyone who knows lifting history. Especially in view of the assertion by Inch that Arthur tried for fifteen YEARS and never succeeded, even though Inch himself claims to have mastered it in about six to ten years. If you believe that is possible, then there really is no point in you reading any more of what follows. David Willoughby, strength historian considered it 'unthinkable' that Saxon take a back seat to Inch in grip strength.)

INCH'S TRICK LIFT; ASTON'S COUNTER-CHALLENGE: Aston replied in the March 1, 1913 issue of H&S: "Re: Inch's dumb-bell challenge, I thought I had made it clear that I did not want challenges directed at me for exhibition TRICKS [my emphasis], but Inch is so persistent in this direction that I will accept his L25 offer, and now do so conditionally on his making an attempt to lift a dumb-bell that I shall bring with me." Remember that Aston was in Inch's employ for some time and that Aston had frequent occasion to try all of Inch's four bells, and never could master the 172, so why did he feel confident that Inch would fail one-handed with a dumbell that he (Aston) provided? This was to be a plate loaded dumbell, with standard bar.

Aston continues: "I will lift my dumb-bell with one hand and lower it with one, and will leave it lying there for Inch to follow suit, and shall be glad if he will leave his in a like manner for me to lift." One of the tricks of oldtime strongmen was to lift a lighter, hollow, weight and carry it off stage into the wings, then come back on stage with an identical, but solid weight, and then make a challenge to the audience to lift what they [thought they] had just seen the strongman lift. [This practice began, at least in France with a man named Wolff who billed himself as 'The Rock of Luxembourg' and who Prof. Desbonnet refers to as '...the first to use phony weights in France." Some of Wolff's weights were actually half their claimed poundage.

Two important points in Aston's challenge, in which of course, he knew he would fail with the Inch 172. He was confident that Inch would also fail with the dumbell that he planned to bring. Why? For one thing Aston was better at the one hand clean than Inch, and laid this stipulation as part of his own challenge: one hand up, one hand down, leave it sitting there, no bell switching. Aston made Inch an offer of L50- twice what Inch was offering for success with his bell! Aston was not a fool, and given his years of acquaintance with Inch and the bells, must have felt his money was very safe because of either Inch's weakness, or the stipulation that Inch's bell remain in sight on stage.

Does this not appear to imply that Inch was using two hands to get his bell to the chest? Or that if he were using one hand for the clean then Aston suspected Inch was switching to one of the lighter bells?

Now regarding Feb 28, 1913, H&S covered the event in the March 8th issue: And I admit that this puzzles me because of missing details. Was it two hands? Which lift? The text: Inch "lifted his famous dumbbell without the slightest difficulty. E.Aston, W. Watson, A.C. Maw, and several amateurs, amongst them an Indian gentleman, all tried to lift the dumbell, but none were (sic) successful." That was on page 260. Six pages later Aston relates how Inch claims that he was lifting injured, but still tries to break records. Aston sees this as a no-win situation for himself. If he wins he has defeated an injured man. If he loses 'a cripple will have defeated me'. Aston's strength level as of March 13, 1913 was a one hand clean of 250.5 lbs! And in the November 15, 1913 issue of H&S the published list of Official British Weightlifting Records gives two to Inch (both overhead movements) and a dozen to Aston. Inch lifted it 'without the slightest difficulty'? Which lift? What happened to Aston's dumbell challenge to Inch? Too many missing details. And my collection lacks many of the issues of H&S from this time period. (can anyone fill in the gaps here?)

In the January 17, 1914 issue Aston writes a letter to the editor to demonstrate the extreme measures Inch will take to be recognized as the champion:

"Sir, Lately several references have been made with regard to Inch's lift of 304-1/2 lb, all of which refer to it as a single-handed lift, and it's being described as such is likely to cause confusion with my own single-handed lift of 300-1/2 lb. Inch's single-handed lift stands at 245-3/4 lb.

"His 304-1/2 lb. lift was done by taking the weight with two hands to the shoulder and then bent pressing it overhead. Only those weights lifted all the way with one hand can justly be described as single-handed lifts. My 300-1/2 lb. was a genuine single- handed lift, inasmuch as it was lifted all the way with one hand.- Yours faithfully, E. Aston."

In a monumental example of doublespeak to H&S, the referee of Inch's lift, Mr. Croft 'has described it to us as a single-handed bent press from the shoulder two hands being employed to raise it to the shoulder. It was a single-handed overhead bent press." Anybody ever heard of a double-handed overhead bent press"? THAT would take flexibility!

The point of all this is to show that Inch would stoop so far as to re-name lifts so he could reclaim records in that lift, even though he violated the rules and was not in fact performing the lift for which he seeks the record! Sorta like deadlifting to gain the bench press record...Is it such a surprise that someone who would misrepresent lifts in this way, would also misrepresent which of his four bells he was lifting?

David Prowse wrote to me when I was publishing MuscleSearch, The Roark Report: His letter dated April 17, 1989 from which this excerpt: "...and to be perfectly honest, I am very skeptical as to whether Inch ever lifted the dumbbell successfully himself. I say this because Edward Aston, who worked for him, told me when Inch was challenged to lift the dumbell he ALWAYS [emphasis mine] substituted one of the lighter ones, as they all looked similar."

I am missing most of the issues of H&S from 1914 to 1920, so ignorance is all that I can offer from that period. In 1920, however, Inch tried to make a comeback at age 38. Then in 1921 in the November 26th issue of H&S Inch wrote about some of the strongmen he had known. He mentions that John Grun Marx never attempted to lift the 172, but that Arthur Saxon, who co-incidentally had died three months before this was penned by Inch: "But, on the other hand, Saxon was even stronger than Marx, and had a huge hand and was also used to lifting thick bars; and, as he could do nothing with my dumb-bell, I fail to see where Marx'schance came in."

Marx's chance came in because he had deadlifted the 226 lb Desbonnet dumbell which had a handle of 2.36" instead of the 2.38" of Inch's 172 bell. The diameter is not a factor when 54 pounds less is being lifted on a bar only .02" thicker! And remember Inch did not list Saxon among those who failed with the 172 when Saxon was living! Marx had died in 1912. Inch also claimed that the other Saxon brothers, Hermann and Kurt repeatedly failed with the bell. Inch added that the Saxons had a bell similar to his made, and took it on tour offering money to anyone able to lift it. The Saxons mastered their own bell but when they returned to try Inch's 172 after the tour, they all again failed. Isn't this wonderful fiction! Arthur's hand length at 9" would have negated the thick handle, and his hand width, we now know, was not a hindrance. In my view, Saxon would have handled the 172 with success.

Marx's hands were 8.5" long. Other feats ascribed to Marx show that he would have lifted the Inch 172 if given a chance; to wit:

Marx one hand snatched 154.25 lbs on a bar whose diameter was 2.75". (much thicker than a modern 12 ounce can of soda or beer) And Marx himself offered for challenge a couple of dumbells, whose weights were 132 and 143 lbs, each bell having a handle diameter of 2.75" which was wrapped in metal foil to make it even more slippery. It is generally conceded that Marx was second only to Apollon in all round hand/grip strength. The 226 lb bell with 2.38" handle that Marx could deadlift with one hand, Apollon tried to snatch with one hand, but lost his grip as the bell was going overhead and the bell landed (not rolled) several feet behind him. Marx, and Apollon, whose hand length was nine inches, would have toyed with Inch's 172.

Regarding Marx, Inch wrote, "Personally, I don't think he could have lifted it, though I remember Pevier once told me that he would have swung it." The reference is to 'The Swing' lift, in which one could always lift less than in the clean, so Tom Pevier meant that Marx would have had no difficulty in cleaning the 172.

For reference, here is a list of those who tried and never tried, to lift the 172:

Those who Inch claim failed:

Maurice Deriaz
Strongfort (Denmark)
Edward Aston
Harold Wood
Max Sick
Monte Saldo
Hindoo wrestler 6'6"
Padoubny
Wilfred Diamond
Hackenschmidt??
Sandow??
Saxon??

Those who never tried:

Apollon
Primo Carnera
Manger
John Grunn Marx
Leon See
Jim Pedley
Louis Cyr
Vansittart (Vansart)
Batta
Saxon (belongs in this list in my view)
Vandernocke

As any strength fan knows, the 'never tried' list contains the very names of the strength athletes MOST LIKELY to succeed with the 172! These were the grip masters of the day.

Inch's deliberate confusion regarding which bell was being lifted would return to haunt him as we shall see in future installments.