MARVELS OF THE YEAR 1909 301 



speed of fifteen knots will be built, but many experts believe the present records 

 will stand for a longer period. 



One of the greatest submarine exploits of recent years was made by Lieut. 

 Kenneth Whiting, an American naval officer, in the harbor at Manila last 

 month. He demonstrated that it was possible to escape from a submerged 

 submarine by being shot through the torpedo tube. 



Mountain climbing records were broken in 1909 in several parts of the 

 world. The Duke of the Abruzzi in July reached the highest altitude ever 

 before attained by any human climber. With his Italian party he climbed 

 Mount Goodwin-Austen in the Himalayas to the height of 24,600 feet. The 

 best previous record for altitude was made by W. W. Graham in 1883, when 

 he climbed Mount Kabaru in the Himalayas to the height of 24,015 feet. Thus 

 it will be seen that the famous Italian Duke exceeded this record by 585 feet. 

 Mount Goodwin-Austen is the second highest peak in the world. Mount 

 Everest is the highest — 29,002 feet — but as yet no one has succeeded in reach- 

 ing its summit. The height of Mount Good win- Austen is 28,250 feet, so 

 that the Duke of the Abruzzi had 3,650 feet to go to reach the top when he 

 turned back. 



While the cousin of the King of Italy was climbing the Himalayas Walter 

 S. Bond of New York City was breaking records in the Alps. He climbed 

 Mount Blanc from Chamounix in nine hours. The best previous time was made 

 by Morehead, an Englishman, in 1865, when he made the ascent in nine hours 

 and a half. 



The record for circling the globe was broken in August, 1909 — also by 

 Americans. Two New York school boys, Walter Drew and John Munnich, 

 accompanied by the Rev. A. A. King and J. J. Conway, made the trip around 

 the world in 41 days and 8 hours. This record was made in little more than half 

 the time prophesied by Jules Verne in his famous book "Around the World in 

 Eighty Days." Nellie Bly made the trip in 67 days in 1890 and for years this 

 stood as a remarkable achievement. The best previous record until last month 

 was 43 days. 



If it had not been for a bad wreck and other unavoidable delays, causing the 

 party to miss steamboat connections, the trip around the world would have 

 been made in 35 days. Indeed, if all the trains and steamships run on schedule 

 time, it is practically possible to make the trip around the world in thirty days. 

 Although Edward Payson Weston failed in his attempt to walk across the 

 continent from New York to San Francisco in 100 days, the fact that he accom- 

 plished the 3,000 mile journey in 105 days broke all previous records. 



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