Louis Sorcho

Louis [Luigi] Sorcho -- Timeline

Nov, 1866 Born In Pennsylvania

Nov 10, 1888 In chilly November weather, Capt. Luigi Sorcho will swim in Chicago from the foot of Van Buren Street on the lakefront to 12 St. and return, estimated to take one hour. Sorcho is mentioned as a pupil of the noted swimmer Capt. Paul Boyton. Sorcho is also said to be planning a swim through the whirlpool under Niagara Falls. (CT, 11/10/1888)

Dec 14-15, 1888 �Capt. Lingo Sorcho� appears in �Lost in New York� at the Masonic Temple in Fort Wayne. IN. (FWDG 12/12/1888)

Jan 14, 1889 Luigi Sorcho, who is also performing in the theatrical event �Lost in New York�, gives a demonstration of �nautical maneuvers� at Spring Lake, Oak Cliff. (DN 1/14/1889)

Jan 15, 1889 �Lost in New York� Dallas show has a running river effect on stage, with a steamboat floating in it. Capt. Luigi Sorcho gives an exhibition of swimming, cooking, and eating a meal and firing a rifle while in the water. (DN 1/15/1889)

Jan 25-26, 1889 �Lost in New York� plays in Galveston, TX. (GDN 1/26/1889)

Feb 12, 1889 �Lost in New York� opens in Atlanta. Sorcho, the �Aquatic Marvel�, gives a swimming exhibition at each show. (AC 2/12/1889)

Feb 2, 1890 Capt. Luigi Sorcho returns to the Atlanta theater for another stint in �Lost in New York.� (AC 2/2/1890)

June 8, 1890 Capt. Sorcho, performer of water feats, proposes to swim from St. Paul to New Orleans in a rubber suit. Starting date is not yet fixed. (BW 6/8/1890)

Jul 28, 1893 A new suburban resort called Lakewood opens at the old Reservoir Lake near Atlanta. Sorcho is hired to conduct its swimming classes. (AC 7/28/1893)

Sept 10, 1893 Sorcho will be opening an aquatic exhibition at Lake Abana, Grant Park, Atlanta, Ga. His feats are now said to exceed those of Boyton. The show will feature scaled down naval ships conducting a battle. (AC 9/10/1893)

Sept 13, 1893 A detailed description of Sorcho�s act is given. Much of it is similar to the feats demonstrated in the �Lost in New York� production. (AC 9/13/1893)

Sept 20, 1893 An expanded show by Sorcho added a game of polo played from boats and a tub race for watermelons. Benefits of this performance to go to victims of Yellow Fever epidemic in Brunswick, Ga.. (AC 9/20/1893)

Sept 25, 1893 Sorcho offers a cash challenge to any single or relay swimmers over a length of one to five miles. He will use his buoyant rubber suit (an unfair advantage). Swimming races with prizes of medals will be added to his shows. (AC 9/25/1893)

Oct 11, 1893 Sorcho�s shows are still popular and drawing large crowds. (AC 10/11/1893)

Jan 23, 1894 On a $1000 dare, Sorcho will float in his suit from Rome, Al to Coosa Al, a distance of 300 miles, in fifteen days. (AC 1/23/1894)

Jun 11, 1895 Sorcho hired by a victim�s father to search Atlanta�s old Reservoir Waterworks lake bottom for his son�s body. The lake had already been dragged from the shore with no results. (AC 6/11/1893)

Sept 1, 1895 Sorcho gives deep-sea diving exhibitions at the Georgia Cotton States and International Exhibition, Atlanta. The exhibition will run through Jan., 1896 (AC 9/1/1895)

Mar 24, 1896 Sorcho marries Fanny Charlton, in Fulton, Ga. (Georgia marriage records.)

Oct 9, 1896 First instance of a newspaper reprinting Sorcho press release information about Frances Sorcho doing deep-sea diving. Article says that she is from Baltimore. The article states that she had not been married long before determining to join her husband in deep sea diving, and that she then prepared with a year�s course of physical training. This does not jibe with the marriage date of 6 months earlier. (NDA, 10/9/1896)

Jun 3, 1897 Sorcho is reported to have successfully experimented with a telephone rig for deep-sea divers. (TS 6/3/1897)

Mar 27, 1898 Capt. Sorcho of Baltimore and his brother will be salvaging the sunken battleship Maine in Havana Harbor at the request of the government. Mentioned are his telephone rig and strong underwater searchlight inventions. (WP 3/27/1898)

Oct 12-19, 1898 Captain Louis Sorcho at Pittsburgh Exposition. (IWM 10/12/1898)

Dec 11, 1898 �Capt. And Mrs. Sorcho� billed at Huber�s 14^th St. Museum in New York. �First time in New York� for this attraction. Ad says that Sorcho holds the record for record depth and time submerged. (NYT 12/11/1898)

Dec. 13, 1898 The glass tank in use at Huber�s is said to contain a ten foot depth and 25,000 gallons, which equals 3342 sq. ft. So tank could be 10� X 10� X 33�, 12� X 12� X 25� (NYT 12/11/1898)

May 29, 1899 The Sorchos exhibit at the Electrical Exhibition at Madison Square Garden. Louis will be attempting to break the time submerged record (currently at 6 � hours). At the same exhibition, Nikola Tesla uses radio signals to control a model boat propeller�first public exhibition of radio. [Did he use Sorcho�s tank?] (NYT 5/29/1899)

Jun 1, 1899 Sorcho sets the underwater endurance record at 7 � hours. (NYT 6/1/1899)

Jul 16-Nov 5, 1899 Mr. and Mrs. Sorcho demonstrate deep-sea diving at the Greater America Exposition, Omaha, NE

Apr 16, 1900 In a telephone interview, Sorcho relates the grisly task of recovering bodies from the Maine two years earlier. (NYT 4/16/1900)

Jun 7, 1900 Sorcho listed in 1900 Federal Census residing in New Orleans, LA, with marital status �Single�

Nov 21, 1901 Sorcho cited in a Davenport, Iowa court for distributing advertising material contrary to city ordinances. (DDL 1/12/1901)

Dec 24, 1901 Sorcho goes again for the underwater endurance record, this time attempting to stay underwater for nine hours. (CT 12/24/1901)

Jan 8, 1902 Sorcho sets the record at nine hours at the Coliseum Pure Food Show in Chicago (NDA 1/8/1902, WH 3/20/1902)

Jul 24, 1903 Sorcho�s show is at the Winnipeg Industrial exposition. While there, he agrees to help search for a body in the Red River. This article virtually credits Sorcho with sparking the Spanish-American War. (MMFP 7/24/1903)

Aug 6-16, 1903 Tent show on Logan Ave. in Winnipeg, Manitoba with �Trip to the Moon� troupe. (MMFP 8/7/1903)

Late Aug, 1903 Sorcho exhibits in Hamilton, Ont. (MMFP 8/7/1903)

Jun 17, 1904 Sorcho�s act is at Idora Park in Oakland, CA. (OT 6/17/1904)

Jan 31, 1905 Sorcho�s Deep Sea Divers at the Southern Carnival, Phoenix, AZ. (AR 1/31/1905)

Aug 2-5, 1905 Sorcho�s Congress of Amusements at Port Townsend, WA (PTML 7/30/1905)

Aug 2, 1906 The managers of Riverside Park in Chicago try to force Sorcho to shut down his �Ballyhoo�, a combination steam calliope, bell, foghorn, and megaphone, adorned by a woman who gives serpentine dances, used by Sorcho to attract park visitors to his attraction. The managers say that the operation is a nuisance and detracts from the band concerts at the park. (CT 8/2/1906)

Oct 10-20, 1906 Sorcho at the Georgia State Fair in Atlanta with his deep-sea diver act. (AC 10/20/1906)

Dec 15, 1906 Sorcho and his deep-sea divers perform at the Food Fair held in the Armory, Fitchburg, MA. He invites a woman (a local exhibitor) to try the diving suit. (FS 12/15/1906)

Aug 12, 1907 Sorcho�s act on exhibit at the Jamestown Exhibition (�Warpath�) (WP 8/12/1907)

Jun 8, 1909 Capt. Sorcho and his Deep-Sea Divers performing at Greater Dreamland Park at Coney Island. (HC 6/8/1909)

Sept 14, 1909 Sorcho takes part in the opening parade for the New York State Fair in Syracuse by mounting his calliope on a Buick. The car is said to have been decorated by Mrs. Sorcho (SH 9/14/1909)

Sep 27-Oct 6, 1909 Sorcho exhibits at the Pittsburgh Exposition (ID 10/6/1909, CM 9/30/1909, IEG 9/27/1909)

Apr 30, 1910 Sorcho listed in the 1910 Federal Census residing at the Hotel Sturtevant in New York City. Marital status is married with number of years married given as 12, but Mrs. Sorcho not listed.

May 21, 1910 Sorcho offers extensive comments on the effort to raise the hulk of the Maine. He details how difficult it is to work in the muddy conditions of Havana Harbor; and how the ship�s position in that mud will complicate the standard methods of raising vessels. Sorcho is quoted from Brooklyn by the New York World. (WGB 5/21/1910)

May-Sep, 1910 Sorcho�s Deep Sea show operates as an independent attraction at the North Pole building in Coney Island

Jun 3, 1910 Capt. Sorcho loans the use of his automobile to the annual Orphans Automobile Day Association, which takes 3000 children from 22 orphanages in New York City to Coney Island for the day. (NYT 6/3/1910)

Sep 14, 1910 �Capt. Louis Sorcho�s Great Deep Sea Divers� perform at the New York State Fair, Syracuse. (SPS 9/14/1910)

Oct 15, 1911 Sorcho performs at the Texas State Fair (DN 10/15/1911)

Dec 18-24, 1911 Sorcho�s Deep Sea Divers appear at the Galveston Carnival sponsored by the KKK. (GDN 12/10/1911)

Feb 19, 1912 Sorcho�s name is listed in an advertisement for Buick Automobiles. His Buick has over 42,000 miles on it. His address is listed as Coney Island, NY. (NYT 2/19/1912)

Oct 12-26, 1912 Captain Sorcho�s show at the Texas State Fair, Dallas. (DN 10/21/1912)

May-Sep 1913 Capt. Sorcho and his Deep Sea Divers at Luna Park in Coney Island in the �Trip to the Moon� building.

Sep 23-26, 1913 Sorcho appearing at the Ogdensburg Fair, Ogdensburg, NY (MF 9/17/1913)

Oct 19, 1913 On his way to the Georgia State Fair in Macon, Sorcho stops in Atlanta to lead a parade of Buicks as publicity for the local Buick dealer. Sorcho�s Buick holds his air-pressure calliope. (AC 10/19/1913)

May 11, 1914 Capt. Sorcho and his divers will be featured at Luna Park in Coney Island this summer season, starting May 23 (unless the government needs his help if hostilities with Mexico take place.) (NYT 5/11/1914)

May 31, 1914 Capt. Sorcho�s Great Deep Sea Divers at Luna Park perform in an 80,000 gallon tank. The performance has a steamship sinking, then the divers enter the water to recover objects and salvage the vessel. (NYT 5/31/1914)

Oct 6-13, 1914 Sorcho returns to Vaudeville with a billing at Hammerstein�s Theater in New York. (NYT 10/11/1914)

May 12, 1915 Angry anti-German mob in London attacks Sorcho and his assistant, mistaking them for Germans. (NYT 5/13/1915)

May 15, 1915 Sorcho sails back to America from England on the �Adriatic�. No Mrs. Sorcho is mentioned. (WP 5/16/1915)

Nov 6, 1915 Sorcho and his ten assistant divers appear at the Palace Theater in Hartford, CT. A battleship hits a mine, which explodes and sinks the ship. Sorcho and his divers salvage the ship and recover bodies, using the underwater telephone to communicate. (HC 11/6/1915)

Nov 7, 1915 Sorcho�s calliope rolls through the streets of Hartford to drum up publicity for his show at the Palace. (HC 11/7/1915)

Nov 10, 1915 A bemused Hartford Courant reporter is invited to don Sorcho�s deep-sea suit and go into the 80,000 glass tank. (HC 11/10/1915)

Feb 6-12, 1916 �Captain Louis Sorcho and his Submarine Show� play the McVicker Theater in Chicago. (CT 2/6/1916)

Jun 16, 1916 Capt. Sorcho will lead the 12^th Annual Orphans Automobile Day outing with his calliope leading the parade of cars. (NYT 6/16/1916)

Summer, 1916 Sorcho and his divers at Palisades Park, Ft. Lee, N.J. (sign in Fatty Arbuckle�s A Restless Romeo filmed in 1916)

Dec 26, 1916 Sorcho and his submarine show headline the bill of the Loew�s St. James Theater in Boston. (BG 12/26/1916)

Jan 30, 1917 Sorcho�s Submarine show is the head act of the Bowdoin Square Theater in Boston. (BG 1/30/1917)

Jun 16, 1917 Sorcho�s submarine show, now billed as a patriotic demonstration of the German U-boat menace, plays at the Pantages Theater in Oakland, CA. (OT 6/17/1917)

Aug 5-11, 1917 Sorcho�s act at Empress Theater in Kansas City. (KCS 8/4/1917)

Aug 27, 1919 Sorcho�s Submarine show at the Ottawa Fair, Canada. (MF 8/27/1919)

Jan 15, 1920 The 1920 Federal Census finds Sorcho and 2^nd wife Myrtle (aged 34) living in Manhattan.

May 9, 1929 Sorcho dies at his tenement at 785 8^th Ave in New York City. Occupation listed as Calliope Advertising. Listed as Married. Buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Chicago, Il. Resident of New York for 30 years. (Death certificate)