Inch dumbell info from 1913

[Roark]

David Webster sent a clipping from Health &

Strength Feb 22, 1913 regarding a challenge

that Thomas Inch was offering in regard to

his famous 'lucky' challenge dumbell. As the

M.C. explained, 'You'll be lucky if you can lift it'.

Inch was going to bring the bell to the London

Weightlifting Club on Feb 28, 1913, then this curious

inclusion: "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 author

(un-named) went on to say that Inch had declared

that over 2000 men, some champion lifters and wrestlers

among them, had failed to lift the bell.

Notice who is listed as having failed, and who is not.

Failed: Edward Aston, Maurice Deriaz, W. Harwood,

Strongfort (from Denmark, not the American), W.

Caswell, and S. Croft.

Why mention these men and not mention the supermen

who reportedly had failed with it, that is, Padoubny

and Arthur Saxon?

Inch had reduced the cash prizes because of the

progress that 'has been made in the science of lifting'.

One of the men intending to try to lift the bell was

C. Maw , also known as Trojan, who planned a 500

mile round trip to make the effort. Maw had a bell

similar to Inch's and had for several years been giving

his own exhibitions with that bell.

Those who planned to be there on Feb 28 were required

to send their names to Inch ahead of time.

The text does say that Inch can lift it, and that those

attempting it must lift it 'in the same way that Mr.

Inch does'. No explanation of what that method is,

so for some trying it, it would be Feb 28th before they

understood the technique to be used. In other words,

no practice sessions ahead of time. For others, who

had seen Inch lift his bells, they would have an advantage

of practice time.

Unfortunately I lack most of the issues of H&S from

this era, so am unaware of how this turned out. Ignorance

is NOT bliss.

[Roark]

More information from H&S July 10, 1952 by

W.P. Pullum:

As I have long suspected, it appears that the 140 lb

thick handled Inch bell preceded the 150 and the 172.

Pullum tells the story of the first thick handled bell,

the one Inch had made before leaving Scarborough for

London and Pullum wrote, "Its weight was about 140lb."

According to Pullum it took a year before success:

"In about a year from the time of starting, he had

 his reward. By then he could raise the bell in one

 straight pick up to 'end on' rest at the thigh. From

 where to take it to the shoulder was easy, to put it

 then overhead, easier still."

Pullum then adds that this was the first of the three

challenge bells (I suspect he was unaware of the 75

pound bell, or if aware, did not consider it a challenge).

The text is unclear whether one or two hands were

used in the continental, though in fairness to Inch,

two hands would not have challenged him. So, according

to this text, he did not clean the bell, but used the

continental, which allows touching the body, indeed

resting the bell on the body in elevating segments.

Therefore, if he used this method from then on, it

was unfair of him to require others to clean it with

one hand. That point is still unsettled; the search

continues.

[Tom Black]

Great stuff Joe.  I am convinced that Inch lifted the dumbbell in the Continental style, first resting on his thigh.  On October 30th you posted that Kaz lifted the Inch replica using one hand and one knee.  I think that this may be the identical style for the beginning of the lift because the thigh just above the knee would be a more comfortable position.  Also, this would give the best leverage for the swing up.  I think I’m going to try this type of lift with my Inch Handle, but it probably will not be as comfortable with the ends sticking out.  I think I may be able to do 110-pounds this way, maybe 115.  

    Maybe we could have a Gripboard Challenge for the coming week.  What about it, any takers?  I’ll be taking a picture of whatever I can get at least to my shoulder.  If I can get 110 there I should be able to push press it.  Certainly someone can beat a 40 year old office worker out there?

[Guest Luke Reimer]

Tom,

Now you're talking! I think it's about time we start trying some higher lifts. I've stopped doing anything lower (at least, intentionally so) than dead-lifts, and although I do train dead-lifts, I spend perhaps more of my thick bar time with snatches and cleans. I've never tried a continental yet, but it sounds like fun. On the other hand, I'm in deep trouble if you insist on throwing in the press too! (Is there anyone else who can't one-handed press more than 85# military style, and 106.25# bent press style?)

[Roark]

More info from H&S July 10, 1952 issue. Keep in mind

that when you see the original Inch 172 lb bell sitting

adjacent to one of its replicas, you cannot SEE the

difference in handle size (replica 1/4" more circ). I

have in fact seen them side by side.

In the same manner, I suspect very few people were

ever in the company of all the Inch bells at once, lined

up. So that trying one bell here and a different bell

there (whether or not you knew it was different), the

small differences were not noticed. Hence the different

bells may have had slightly different circ handles as Pullum

suggests when he wrote regarding the 140 pound bell:

"This was the first of the subsequently famous Inch

'challenge' dumbells, of which, altogether, there were

three, each an appreciable increase in weight upon its

predecessor, each seeing the circumference of the

grip swell a little."

Inch introduced the 172 in 1907, and from then until 1913,

he estimated about 2000 men from around the world had

come to England to try it. So in a five year period, a little

more than one person per day, average, tried the bell?