bondage

Harry Elionsky (d 1918), American distance swimmer, one of the famous US victims of the 1918 flu pandemic. EDIT: Not so much. Keep reading below for more about Mr. Elionsky's non-death in the flu pandemic.

Damaged Bain/LOC photo of Harry Elionsky in handcuffs and leg irons, preparing for a swim:

Could have been on October 5, 1913, when he attempted to swim with hands shackled and feet bound from the Battery (southern end of Manhattan Island) to Coney Island. See NYT of Oct 6, 1913 (second piece in this extract) query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B04E3D6163DE633A...

Thank you pennylrichardsca for giving us more complete information on swimmer Harry Elionsky’s name. However, Elionsky appears not to have died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. A Boston Globe article (Oct. 14, 1918) states that Elionsky had not died of influenza, as had been previously reported in an earlier article. A 1921 New York Times article (June 28, 1921) says that Harry Elionsky announced that he was going to attempt a one hundred mile swim, so he was still alive then. Swang, as Elionsky made many stunt swims while shackled, it is hard to know if this is the one that occurred on Oct. 5, 1913. So we will hold off on the more precise date for now.

Oh! That's interesting--he's still listed in a lot of "famous victims of the 1918 flu" rolls. He seems to serve as an example of how even the strongest were felled--because he was clearly a strong healthy guy! Glad you corrected the error here.

Wrists and ankles were bound before she leaped off the high dive . . . .

If he was tied up, I'd question whether he actually 'swam' or was 'dragged', but whatever. Your caption has 'arms' but the picture says 'hands'. For whatever that's worth.

SWIMMING AT ORCHARD BEACH; Miss J. Jenkins Wins Women's Race -- Exhibition by Vice Commodore. September 6, 1910, Tuesday Page 10, 721 words Fully 4,000 persona witnessed the aquatic sports and swimming races held yesterday at Orchard Beach, under the auspices of the Orchard Beach division of the United States Volunteer Life Saving Corps. The most interesting feature of the day was the exhibition swim by Vice Commodore Edward F. Otto of the home branch, who swam 100 yards with his hands tied behind his back and With his feet also tied, covering the distance in 1:53 3-3 query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B02E1D61230E233A...

We'll make the correction to the caption and add the full name to the source catalog, Thanks!

timeless!

I am not touching this one with a ten foot pole

She looks happy for someone with her hands and feet tied up...

Well, I see grooming habits have certainly changed...

Undoubtedly a publicity gimmick: her wrists and ankles were bound before she took the high dive . . . .

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