Harry Elionsky
Encyclopedia
Harry Elionsky also known as Buster Elionsky and Henry Elionsky, was a champion long distance swimmer
, and handicap swimmer in open water swimming
.
on March 4, 1893 to Russian parents.
On September 24, 1915, his sister, Ida Elionsky
set a long distance swimming mark when she swam around Manhattan
, covering forty miles in 11 hours and 35 minutes with Harry tied to her back.
From 1914 to at least 1917 he was living in New London, Connecticut
.
In 1916 he attempted to swim from Battery Park
to Sandy Hook
. It took him 14 hours, 29 minutes, but he fell 1/4 mile short of the beach.
With two men tied to him with thirty-five yards of heavy rope and his hands bound, and weighing 265 pounds, he swam through Hells Gate
in the East River
on November 14, 1916. The distance was one and a half miles, but crossed the treacherous Hells Gate
. Near the end of the swim the three men came close to drowning in a whirlpool beneath the Queensboro Bridge
. Elionsky said that in this crisis the men tied to him panicked and struggled and sent him under the water repeatedly. The men had been followed by a boat and were rescued. The men tied to him had their arms fastened around Elionsky's waist, weighed 140 pounds and 165 pounds respectively, the rope weighed 18 pounds, thus Elionsky carried 323 pounds of dead weight.
It was reported on October 13, 1918 that he had died during the 1918 flu pandemic, but that was an error.
In 1920 he set out to break his own record by swimming 100 miles from Battery Park
to Sandy Hook, New Jersey
.
Long Distance Swimmer
Long Distance Swimmer is the fourth studio album released by Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley. It was recorded during a one week period in the home of Crowley's sister in the suburb of Foxrock, County Dublin, was released on the Tin Angel record label, and features contributions from other...
, and handicap swimmer in open water swimming
Open water swimming
Open water swimming takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, bays, lakes, rivers, canals, and reservoirs.The beginning of the modern age of open water swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when Lord Byron swam several miles to cross the Hellespont from Europe to Asia.In...
.
Biography
He may have been born in Rhode IslandRhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
on March 4, 1893 to Russian parents.
On September 24, 1915, his sister, Ida Elionsky
Ida Elionsky
Ida Elionsky, was a champion long distance swimmer and handicap swimmer. She was the first woman to swim around the island of Manhattan.-Biography:...
set a long distance swimming mark when she swam around Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, covering forty miles in 11 hours and 35 minutes with Harry tied to her back.
From 1914 to at least 1917 he was living in New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
.
In 1916 he attempted to swim from Battery Park
Battery Park
Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city's early years in order to protect the settlement behind them...
to Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit along the Atlantic coast of New JerseySandy Hook may also refer to:-Places:United States* Sandy Hook , a village in the town of Newtown, Connecticut* Sandy Hook, Kentucky, a city in Elliott County...
. It took him 14 hours, 29 minutes, but he fell 1/4 mile short of the beach.
With two men tied to him with thirty-five yards of heavy rope and his hands bound, and weighing 265 pounds, he swam through Hells Gate
Hells Gate
Hells Gate refers to several locations:* In the USA :** Hells Gate, gap in Cochise County, Arizona** Hells Gate, gap in Gila County, Arizona** Hells Gate, gap in Santa Cruz County, Arizona...
in the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
on November 14, 1916. The distance was one and a half miles, but crossed the treacherous Hells Gate
Hells Gate
Hells Gate refers to several locations:* In the USA :** Hells Gate, gap in Cochise County, Arizona** Hells Gate, gap in Gila County, Arizona** Hells Gate, gap in Santa Cruz County, Arizona...
. Near the end of the swim the three men came close to drowning in a whirlpool beneath the Queensboro Bridge
Queensboro Bridge
The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge – because its Manhattan end is located between 59th and 60th Streets – or simply the Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909...
. Elionsky said that in this crisis the men tied to him panicked and struggled and sent him under the water repeatedly. The men had been followed by a boat and were rescued. The men tied to him had their arms fastened around Elionsky's waist, weighed 140 pounds and 165 pounds respectively, the rope weighed 18 pounds, thus Elionsky carried 323 pounds of dead weight.
It was reported on October 13, 1918 that he had died during the 1918 flu pandemic, but that was an error.
In 1920 he set out to break his own record by swimming 100 miles from Battery Park
Battery Park
Battery Park is a 25-acre public park located at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, facing New York Harbor. The Battery is named for artillery batteries that were positioned there in the city's early years in order to protect the settlement behind them...
to Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay...
.
External links
- Harry Elionsky at CorbisCorbisCorbis Corporation is an American company, based in Seattle, Washington, that licenses the rights to photographs, footage and other visual media...
- Newspaper article about Harry Elionsky to swim Niagra (sic) Falls - 1915