The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-07
BROWNS
INTERFERING BAND
BURGESS SW|MS
ENGLISH CHANNEL
Succeeds on Sixteenth Attempt
in Duplicating Captain
Webb's Feat.

Deal. England, September 6.-After
a lapse Of thirty-six years, Captain
Matthew webb's feat OF swimming
the English Channel has been dupli-
Gated by William T. Burgess. a York
shireman by birth. and a naturalized
F~renchmah Ut was Burgess's six
teenth attempt. he having first essay
ed the task In 1904.
Burgess started from South More
land. Dover. at li:l5 o'clock Tuesday
morning. He landed at LIE Chatelet,
a little village two miles east of Cape
Girls Nez. at $3.50 o'clock this morning.
accomplishing the passage in twenty
two hours and thirty-hve minutes a
motor boat accompanied the swimmer,
and 1t is estimated that Burgess. ow.
Ing TO a sigzag course he was COM
PEELED to take because of the battling
tides, covered sixty miles.
soon after the start a dense fog
settled down over the channel, and
no further tiding of his progress were
received until the announcement was
made that he had completed the task
and LANDED On the French side.
Throughout the trip Burgess was
favored by a calm sea, but a strong
tide was running n a severe strain
was put on the swimmer to get past
the Goodwin Sands Twice he was
attacked by sickness, and several
times vas only held to his task by
the strongest will power and the en-
COuraRlnR wnrAu nf tha -an L., ~.
boat He remained on French soil Just
long enough to telegraph words of his
success to his wife, and partake of re-
freshments In q bathing box. Then
he returned by motor boat to rest and
sleep.
Receives Ovation.
When he landed at Deal this even.
ing Burgess received a tremendous
ovation. and with difficulty made his
way through tho cheering tbrong to
a hotel.
Speaking Of his great achievement,
he said:
In the time the swim occupied [
should have been able to cross the
Channel twice. but for the adverse
currents. Against these Il had a ter
rihc fight, and again came within an
ace of falling. When approaching
cape Girls Nez the strong set
OF the current forced me to alter my
course three times. l was held up for
some time, but when 1 had DUNDEE
the corner l found slack water. and
then knew that / was assured of sur-
cess.
1T was just in the slack of the tide
mat 1 got in. If / had not managed
1t Their / might have missed il and
drifted to Calais. 1t took three FIJI,
'ides and two part tides to bring me
over. "S
was severely stung several times
by Jellyhsh. and while in midlothian
mel, after a sick spell, l felt hear.
broken. For Il while l was almost de-
lirious. but my pilots began to sing
and this gave me fresh courage 10
~psrsevere."
1t was Z o'clock in the morning
when the swimmer sighted Girls Nez
semaphore. He was then two mills
70 the west-southwest, In those two
Iniles IT was a battle with the cur.
rents; put when Burgess got within
the sheiter o fthe ape he swan easily
ashore. He stumbled for two or three
assistance. He locke remarkably
fresh, considering his long inrersion
Enthusiasm in Paris,
Paris, September 6.-Thc news that
Burgess had repeated the famous ex.
p m OF CAPTAIN Webb in 1875 in swim
much enthusiasm in Paris. Burgess is
an old resident OF Paris, and has Ia ken
part III all the most notable swimminp
events In France In the last decade.
King Wires CONGRATULATIONS
London, September 6.-The King 10.
night sent a telegram of hearthy cor