sarnia | lindaseccaspina

The Human Seal or Polar Bear Comes to Carleton Place and Almonte

CLIPPED FROM
Calgary Herald
Calgary, Alberta, Alberta, Canada
20 Feb 1968, Tue • Page 3

Krihor Hakimian will be in Almonte on Saturday afternoon at 3.30 and plans to plunge into the Mississippi river at front bridge. When Mr. Hakimian called here on Tuesday he was lightly clad and had just emerged from a swim in the river. Lask Sunday he took his bath in the Madawaska at Arnprior after eating an ice cream cone. He does his swimming in the winter time. Newspaper reports tell of him following an ice breaker around the bay of Port Arthur; of swimming the Niagara river between Canada and the United States. An Armenian, Krikor, is 23 years old and has swuin in practically all frozen rivers in Canada. And if anyone will make the plunge and stay in the water until Krikor leaves it, that someone will receive a reward of $25. He’s a pretty cool fish, this Krikor. Currents, eddies, whirlpools do not bother him any more than the chilly water. “Can’t be any worse than Niagara, can they?” he asked when it was pointed out to him that there were strong currents where he proposed to swim and added: “I like ’em. They tickle my toes.” March 1937 Almonte gazette

Update to performance- Marche 1937

A large crowd of people turned out last Saturday afternoon to see Krihor Hakimian, known as the “human seal,” put on an exhibition of swimming in winter weather in the Mississippi River. “The Seal,” arrived from Carleton Place about three o’clock where he had taken a dip in the river at the bridge on the main street of the town. Previous to the plunge he walked about in a pair of bathing shorts, passing the hat and it is said collected $25. ( $25.00 in 1937 is equal to $465.13 in 2021) He reached Almonte in an automobile with a blanket thrown,, over him and proceeded to take up a collection which brought about the same as in Carleton Before going into the water the seal rolled around in the snow and ate an ice cream cone. He then jumped into the river off the stone wall at the foot of Mr. Robt. Patterson’a garden and swam across ther icey stream. People who watched him felt they had their money’s worth. They also thought “the seal” had earned whatever he collected. Krikor passed away in 1971.