The Atlas & Vulcana Group of Society Athletes – Iron Game History – May/June, 2000

Atlas was a small strongman with a very big ego who claimed to have exceeded Louis Cyr’s record lift with 242 pounds. In the view of many, including the writer, to seriously consider this man with the massive Cyr would be ludicrous. For a start Atlas, or to give him his proper name, William Hedley Roberts, weighed only 56.5 kilograms (126 pounds). There is absolutely nothing in the way of genuine records to show he was in any way exceptional, apart from having a well presented act.