El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1896-12-05
A REMARKABLE FEAT.
Performed by the Champion Swim
Nor of Australia.
lie Swims Across th" Golden Gate at
san Francisco in One Hour and
Fifteen Minutes Against
the Tide.

The most important feat in swim
ming in the history OF the coastwas dc-
complished recently hN Charles Cavill,
the champion swimmer of Australia.
lCaviIl managed to breast tides and cur
rents between Fort Point and the Mar
in county shore and swan across the
iGoIden Gate. 1t was $3.50 o'clock when
Cavill left Devils Point, and Just l
hour and - minutes later he touched
the rocks about 200 yards seaward
from Fort Winfield Scott, having Gov
cred distance, as the crow flies, OF
| over / y miles.
The Australians performance drew a
big crowd. The Shore about Fort Point
was lined with people and the waters in
! the gate We're crowded with small craft
| of every description. The fcrryboat
! SausaIito had place i'll the stream
with almost thousand people aboard.
| From a swimmers standpoint the day
was an ideal one. The water was as
smooth Is could be desired, its surface
only rippIed by the curling edges of TIL
| long swpIls that came from the ocean.
| There was a slight wind blowing, but il
was not strong enough TO kick up any
disturbance.
arrived in midstrcam off Lime Point
He had as companions -h!olph Kahn,
the high diver Of the California Swim
ming club. and Prof. KNlick. of the
Sutro baths life saving crew. The tide
was At a standstill. and the three mon
chose as starting point for the swim
mer a bunch of rocks about 1GO yards
north of Devils Point and Il mile north
of Lime Point. y selected crew from
the Dolphin Boat club acted as escort
in a whitehall boat
Ca>ill wore the regulation tights He
dipped into the water easily and natur-
ally. and started for the San Francisco
shore with energy. kiIIicll and Kahn
and the DoiDhin crew arcomDanvinp
him in boats. The swimmer led off with
Il long. easy. right-side stroke. and for
the first few hundred yards of the
course the way was easy and his pace
was rapid. About a quarter of a mile
from shore the Australian encountered
what he SAYS was the svviftest current
he ever met.
The tide had turned since he left the
fg"ry,aHd was now pouring through the
channel with the speed of n mill race.
The ripplaS tOartd Ike miniature sea
anu I!fltd iCilt'l 10 Guy III OliS DOdlS
Cayill struck into it bravclv. and at
tempted to stay its progress by turn
ing his face toward SausuIito and swim
ming north. The rowcrs in the boat
attempted similar tactics. but the rush
OF waters toward the ocean carried
everything WIN il. Seeing that it was
useless to attempt to withstand the
force of the tide CayiU drjfteI with it.
lie was carried out almost to the Heads
before he encountered the counter
currents on lhr Preside shore. The
eddy opposite FONT Lobos caught him
in its grip and NhIfied him back again
toward the bay. FROM TINS time on
CavilFs work was comparatively easy.
He swan leisurely and easily toward
the iort' 1oHoNeu ny nan hundred
ho"lS ana tugs. y nan lhiie from Iile
iahuihE point ne 1lci>tu up an on IeIt
Eat lil'd vas Ho"ttihS III 'He water anu
pun II Oh MS 'i1''"' L'Icii ~ Ilie an ''se-
nlt"' Oh the Spectators
p -N9 III 'i'" 'ie S1'oIS III III
I t, I'll'l-
-, ~ 400. -rtaua 100 ia,,as
q - - I.. u.s.
'E Is I.>I-l-s,
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tort i'atdISIH 10 the blS NlIN'le oi 'li'
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