Oldrieve’s shoes had fins, or flappers, on the bottom. “When the foot is brought forward and the shoe forced through the water, [the fins] lay flat up against the bottom of the shoe until the step is taken, when they drop down and present a surface to press against the water,” the Boston Globe reported in 1889. “By their aid, the walker is able to move forward, for without these little flappers, he could make no headway.”
Oldrieve’s shoes were similar to those worn by other water walkers, but he experimented with different designs over time and continually worked on his technique. By the early 1900s, he could not only walk forward and backward in his shoes, but also turn around in a circle—a maneuver that he said took him five years to master.
In January 1907, Oldrieve embarked on his most ambitious journey yet: walking down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, from Cincinnati to New Orleans. He began the nearly 1,600-mile trip on New Year’s Day, accompanied by a small gas-powered support boat and his wife, Caroline Oldrieve, who rowed alongside him in a skiff. His goal was to reach New Orleans in 40 days. If he succeeded, he told reporters, he would win a $5,000 wager.
Oldrieve could travel up to five miles an hour, depending on the river conditions, though he estimated his average speed was closer to two miles an hour. His shoes, which measured about four and a half feet long and weighed around 20 pounds each, generally required a slow pace. He also had to stop periodically to dump water out of his shoes despite wearing thigh-high rubber boots to keep them as dry as possible. When Oldrieve arrived in Henderson, Kentucky, on January 12, he was two days behind schedule. He didn’t seem bothered by the delay, however, and happily greeted the thousands of people waiting for him on the riverbank.
Although one Henderson resident was allegedly disappointed that Oldrieve wasn’t taller—he was at most 5-foot-3—the vast majority were excited to see him. After coming ashore to receive a telegram and “take a glass of stimulant,” Oldrieve showed the crowd his shoes, which, like his hair and mustache, were “red almost to scorching,” according to the local newspaper. He always acknowledged spectators in some way as he walked past, either by waving or smoking a cigar, and no one wanted to miss him. “At every town or city along the river, the wave walking party is being greeted by crowds which increase from day to day, as interest in the feat is awakened,” another newspaper reported.