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Concerning the stowaways --
(according to a
Newspaper in Scotland) There were "four" stowaway
(aboard the S S Roosevelt en-route to Amsterdam),
not "three" as depicted in the Webb Smith Cartoon. Those four stowaways were named as
Frank Hussey -
1924 Olympic Champion - 400 Meter relay; Hugo Leistner, San Francisco
Hurdler; Clyde Blanchard, Hurdler of Arizona University; and
Harold
Wilson, an oarsman of the 1924 U.S.A. Olympic team.
The four stowaways were American Athletes who did not make the
USA Olympic team, but wanted to cheer on those who did make it. Two
athletes (Frank Hussey & Hugo Leistner according to another
American newspaper account)
had friends who decided to
pay for their fare -- the other two had to roll up their sleeves; and
assisted the ship crew to pay for their trip to Amsterdam, and their
return to New York City, N.Y. -- USA.
______________________
Shenanigans
Amsterdam - 1928 Pre-Olympics
USA Athlete Pranks make
Visitors Jump
Overboard
A section of a Webb Smith Cartoon
The reason men were jumping overboard -- The
U.S.A. team had $25,000 each in "play money" that was given to them to
play in mock gambling tournaments aboard the S.S. Roosevelt while
en-route to Amsterdam; and after the boat was anchored, a few
athletes decided to play a practical joke on the Amsterdam locals who
were visiting by throwing what appeared to be real money overboard.
The gullible locals jumped overboard to retrieve the money that
wasn't real after-all.
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