Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-05
TO SWIM ENGLISH CHANNEL
Effort to Be Made to Rival Webb's
Performance.
wOIFFE PLANS SEVEN TRYs
Man who Almost succeeded in Cross
Ing Several Years Ago VIII
iAttempt the Trip once
More.

NEW YORK, June "A most determined
effort will be made 10 swim the English
channel this season. II Is nearly thirty
five years since Captain Webb padded
across and though many attempts have
been made, not man has succeeded.
OF those who have tried Il the best at
tempt stands to the credit OF Jappy Wolfe.
who came within a quarter OF a mile OF
the shore and had to be pulled out of the
water being so exhausted that he could
not make another stroke Montague A.
Holbeln, who came almost as close as
Wolfe eight years ago Is preparing for
another dash.
Others who have tried are Ted Heaton.
OF Liverpool and Dargolioub Vel Militche-
WITCH who won the long distance cham
pionship of Servia- He is a powerful man
OF rs years of age In the way of prepare
ton he swims for one hour every day in
the Danube. Holbeln has started to take
long spins. but Wolfe has begun in real
earnest. He swlms over a two-ine stretch
near Brighton West Pier despite the fact
thai the water registers as low as As de-
greeS
starts June so.
In all Wolfe has mapped out seven diff
ferent dates which he intends to try, His
first assault VIII be on June 30, when at
the break Of day he will start from the
French shore and he expects to reach the
English side by sunset The other dates
sci are July IA and 80, August 10 and q
and September - and 26 These are the
dates with suitable tides, though the opln-
ion Is that June is a trifle early for such
a long session In the water, and Il notable
the first will be the earliest OF any of tn,
attempts In the channel There is also
report that Miss Lily smith, a woman pro
fesSional, will try, and rumors are abroad
from Burgess and Wiedeman of Dover.
For some time past the experts on thi.
side Of the water have picked out l.. b
Goodwin of the New York Athletic clul
as the man most likely to duplicate Webb'i
feat. He has shown that he has 10 equa
here at long distance work and he coul(
swim rings around Wolfe, Holbein or ever
Webb, were he here today. As to Good
wins stamina there need be no doubt, anC
his friends point to his win in the rae,
from the Battery to Coney Island last sum
mer, when he covered the thirteen and
half miles in something like four and
half hours. He wasted nearly an hour o.
this waiting for a shift Of tide which would
help him through the Buttermilk channe
anu hdu llhdly u plOW INTO inc swift
there when the favoring current did no
come.
GOOdwin's Work.
BY that time the other competitors haC
almost drawn level with Goodwin but wher
he got into his stroke he drew away agali
and won as he liked. 1t was noteworth!
that theu,Fon
that on that occasion Goodwin swan tn
first mile well under twenty-seven minutes
with by no means a favorable tide, an
that from start to finish he did not tax
bite or drink of any kind In the way O
refreshment. Goodwin thinks himself tina
he would succeed in swimming the channe
and has said he may cross and try 1t thl
year, but he is away short in weight.
He thinks that man to engage in sue
long swim should have plenty of weigh
and all the reserve power possible to off
set the chilly water and withstand tn
long plunge. In the height of summer tn
English channel water is usually about 6
degrees temperature. while in America tn
water is about 70 degrees. Goodwin has a
opinion that he would cross from Calai
to Dover In twelve hours. or in one tide
He says next winter he Will collect q 10
OF fat and win take a crack at the chan
mel in 1911.