The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-11-26
A SWIMMERS GREAT FEAT.
He Crosses the Golden Gate at San Fra
ciscO.

cisco.
The most important feat in swimM
ming in the history of the coast was acH
complished recently by Charles CavilD
the champion swimmer of Australia.
Cavill managed to breast tides and cur
rents between Fort Point and the MaG
in county shore and swan across the
Golden Gate. 1t was $3.50 o'clock wheb
Cavill left DEVILS Point, and Just u
hour and Is minutes later he touched
the rocks about 200 yards seaward
from Fort Winfield Scott, having COW
| cred distance, as the crow flies, of
over ~ miles
The Australians performance drew
big crowd. The shore about Fort Point
was lined with people and the waters in
the gate were crowded with small craft
of every description. The ferryboat
Sausalito had a place in the stream
with almost a thousand people aboard.
From a swimmers standpoint the day
was an ideal one. The water wasvas
smooth as could be desired, its surface
only rippled by the curling edges of thu
long swells that came from the ocean.
There was slight wind blowing, but il
was not strong enough to kick up any
disturbance
Cavill left the Sausalito when the boat
arrived in midstream off Lime Point.
He had as companions Adolph Kahn,
! the high diver of the California Swjfs-
ming club, and Prof. Killick, Of the
| Sutro baths life saving crew. The tide
was at a standstill, and the three men
chose as a starting point for the swim
mer a bunch of rocks about 100 yards
north of Devils Point and mile north
of Lime Point. A selected crew from
the Dolphin Boat club acted as escort
| in whitehall boat.
Cavill wore the regulation tights. He
| dipped into tie water easily and natur-
| ally, and started for the San Francisco
shore with energy, killick and Kahn
and the Dolphin crew accompanying
| him in boats. The swimmeried off with
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 quarter of a mile
| from shore the Australian encountered
what he says was the swiftest current
| he ever met.
The tide had turned since he left the
ferry, and was now pouring through the
| channel with the speed of a mill race.
The ripples loared like miniature sea
and threatened to engulf the boats.
| Cavill struck into it bravely, and at
tempted to stay its progress by turn
| ing his face toward Sausalito and swim
ming north. The rowers in the boat
attempted similar tactics, but the rush
of waters toward the ocean carried
everything with it. Seeing that it was
| useless to attempt to withstand the
force of the tide Cavill drifted with it.
He was carried out almost to the Heads
/ before he encountered the counter
currents on the Preside shore. The
eddy opposite Point Lobos caught him
in its grip and whirled him back again
toward the bay. From this time on
Cavill's work was comparatively easy.
He swan leisurely and easily toward
the fort, followed by half hundred
boats and tugs. a half mile from the
landing point he picked up an old felt
hat that was floating in the water and
put it on his head, much to the amuse-
ment of the spectators.
AS be neared the shore Cavill in
creased his speed. The Dolphin crew
and a boat from the life-saving service
cleared the way. There was a long,
slow swell smashing against the rocks,
and on top of one of these breakers
Cavill landed easily. There was a great
crowd awaiting his arrival, and as the
swimmer walked up the beach he was
given an ovation by everything and
everybody, from the small boy on the
fort parapets to the big whistle of the
steamer Sausalito. Cavill returned to
the water almost Immediately and swan
to the Dolphin clubs boat, from which
he was transferred to the Sausalito.
Cavill's performance adds a new
notch to the swimming record of the
coast. The time spent in covering the
| distance is remarkably short, consid-
ering contrary tides and currents and
the fact that he was carried almost
mile out of his course. Throughout he
swami VII his x III uSlIiS q SibC
| stroke.
At the finish he was almost as fresh
as when he started. The water was
cold, and when he touched shore after
his long swim his right arm and leg
were benumbed to the point of use
! lessness.
The swimmers physical dimensions
are: Height, ) feet 10 inches; weight, $50
| pounds; chest measurement, 43 inches,
with the phenomenal expansion of
9A inches. He is the son of Prof. Fred
Cavill, of England, who swan across
the English channel in II hours, maxi
| ing a worlds record.-San Francisco
| Chronicle.
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