E.T. Jones, Champion Swimmer

Evan Thomas Jones 1850 – 1904

E.T. Jones of Leeds, Amateur Swimming Champion of Great Britain 1881. Competed for GB in 1900 Olympics in Paris in 4000 metre freestyle swim – did not finish. Rumoured to want to make a Channel attempt but nothing ever came of it

The Yorkshire Evening Post March 4th 1904

DEATH OF E.T.JONES
By the death of E.T. Jones which occurred in Leeds yesterday one of the old schools of professional swimmers disappears, the successful rival of J B Johnson, W Beckwith , James Finney and Arthur Robinson. At one time Jones was recognised as champion swimmer of the world . On August 3rd 1874 he won the mile championship in the Serpentine, London, and in 1876 he was the victor in the 1000 yards race in Waterloo Lake at Roundhay Park, covering the distance in 15 minutes 56 and 1/2 seconds. Twice in 1876 and three times in 1877 Jones repeated his victories over the Thames championship course and on the last occasion swam the mile in 25 minutes and 22 and3/4 seconds. In 1881 he beat W, Beckwith in the 500yards championship at Roundhay, and some years later defeated James Finney in the same championship. More recently Jones was for a time swimming instructor for the Leeds School Board and was very popular with the boys.

The Yorkshire Post 4th March 1904

DEATH OF E. T. JONES
We regret to have to record the death of E T Jones of Leeds, ex-champion swimmer of the world, yesterday which took place at his residence in Leeds at about five o’clock yesterday afternoon. He had been lying ill for many months , suffering from consumption. Jones was in his fifty-fourth year , having been born at 4 St. John’s Place, Holbeck, on May 7th 1850. He stood almost 5 foot 5inches in height and his swimming weight , when in his best form, was 10 stone.

In his day Jones met and defeated all the best men at varying distances , and was without doubt,the best man the world had ever seen up to his own time.He won the mile championship in the Serpentine on August 3rd 1874, and, on September 12th of the same year he won again over the Thames Championship course. In 1875 Jones was again successful in the Edgbaston Reservoir, Birmingham and in 1876 he won the 1000 yards race in the Waterloo Lake, Leeds swimming the distance with two turns in the remarkable time of 15 minutes 56 and 3/4 seconds. Twice in 1876 and three times in 1877 Jones repeated his victories over the Thames Championship course , and on the last occasion he swam the mile in 25 minutes 2 and 3/4 seconds . On September 3rd 1881 Jones defeated W Beckwith of London in the 500 yard championship in Waterloo Lake . In the same lake some years later, Jones defeated James Finney for the quarter-mile championship, and this, we believe was his last championship performance. Jones’ last money match was against J Maddock, Leeds, in Union Street Baths, Leeds, in December 1897. The distance was 100 yards and Jones won cleverly.