Channel Swimmers

Feverish eagerness to swim the English Channel still rages among the athletes of the world; a famed metropolitan daily recently referred to the "channel-swimming game," thereby placing this activity in the same category with such recognized diversions as "the advertising game," "the cloak-and-suit game," etc. Last week three swimmers attempted to traverse the angry scar of seas between Calais and Dover--Lieut. Col. Bernard Cyril Freyberg, V. C., Mile. Jeanne Sion, Miss Lillian Harrison. Last week's aspirants were veteran swimmers; all, after tremendous exertions, failed.

Colonel Freyberg. One night some years ago, a British officer painted his body black and slipped over a dread-naught's side into the moiling waters of the Dardanelles. He swam ashore, penetrated the Turkish lines, lit flares to guide a landing-party. For this exploit he received a medal from his Government. When Author Sir James Barrie, some time later, was delivering a now celebrated address before St. Andrews University, he referred to this incident as an example of incomparable courage, turned to bow to Colonel Freyberg who sat behind him on the platform.

The same Freyberg, covered with grease against the cold, wearing goggles to keep his sight from being extinguished by the brine, followed by an Admiralty tug, began at 8 o'clock one night last week to swim from Cape Gris Nez. He swam all night. At dawn a patchy fog, a westerly wind, a small rain. He swam on. At 11:30 in the morning he was a mile and a half from Dover. His trainer turned a drawn countenance upon the party in the tug.

"If he can get over the next 200 yards in 15 minutes, he'll make it."

It took him an hour. The tide turned. He was swimming now with the dreadful automatonism of exhaustion. Boats scurried out from the shore to meet him; cheery British voices hailed him for his triumph. He would make it now, right enough. Gad, he was only a half-mile from shore. But the swimmer turned upon his encouragers eyes darkened and guttering. He was a lost man now, though they did not know it; he was drowned head and heel in black water, the fathomless seas of fatigue. The tide set its knee in his chest and pushed him back toward France. Once he was only 600 yards from shore; but then for 30 yards he was borne back, unable to move his arms. Abruptly, with a tremendous agony of the will, he rallied; a little fire came back to his blood and he began, with pitifully feeble strokes, to swim

--in the wrong direction. His trainer lifted him into the tug.*

Mile. Sion. Last year in July Mile. Sion, then 47, tried to swim the Channel, fell short by seven miles. What difference does the addition of a year make when one is 48 and an athlete? Mile. Sion determined to try again. Accompanied by a tug which contained, among others, Rival Harrison, she took off for Dover in the bright morning. Six hours after her start she was only nine miles from the pale cliffs. But against her, also, the tide turned; the undertow clutched at her thighs; the chill of the seas began to penetrate her courage. Once she was 1 1/4% miles from shore--the nearest that any woman has come to achieving the exploit, but at length, unable to make progress, she was picked up, and her tug chugged back toward France.

Miss Lillian Harrison. Garmented heavily in grease, a young woman from Argentina slipped into the sea from Cape Griz Nez. A hailstorm struck her an hour out, but she made extraordinary time. In a little over two hours she made four miles. Four hours out she (vegetarian) took a little food, appeared to get new vigor, increased her pace. Seven hours out she was only eight miles from Dover. No previous swimmer had ever made such fast time. Seven hours and five minutes out she called to an Egyptian, Ishak Helmy, who was "pacing" her.: "Catch me, Helmy." He turned. She grasped him and fainted. Aboard the tug she murmured, "I will never try it again." It was her fourth failure.

*Men who have swum the Channel:

NAME YEAR TIME

Capt. Webb... 1875 21 hr. 45 min. William Burgess......... 1911 22 hr. 35 min. Charles Toth......... 1923 16 hr. 40 min. H. F. Sullivan............ 1923 27hr. 25 min. Enrique Tirabocchi..... 1923 16hr. 33 min.