The Oakes times., 1911-09-14

smith in Paris. 1t was Burgess six
teenth attempt, he having first. essayed
the task in 1904.
Burgess started from South Fore
man, Dover, fifteen minutes past II
o'clock the morning of Sept. 5. He
landed at La Chatele, little village
two miles east of Cape Girls Nez, at
ten minutes before 10 O'clock the
morning of the 9Th, accomplishing the.
passage in % hours 35 minutes. A mo-
torboat accompanied the swimmer,
and it is estimated that Mr.. Burgess,
owing to the zigzag course he was
compelled to take because Of battling
tides, covered sixty miles.
Throughout the trip Burgess was fa-
vored by calm sea, but strong tide
was running, and severe strain was
put on the swimmer to get past the
Goodwin sands Twice he was attack
ed by illness and several times was
held to his task only by the strongest
will power and the encouraging words
Of the men in the boat. @ IS 3s +
For the trip across the channel Bur
CESS was well creased. He wore
pair Of goggles and a rubber bathing
cap, A party of eleven accompanied
him in the fhotorboat.
Swimming the English channel is
not like taking a dip in the surf at
some seaside resort, a dash through a
nice calm lake or swim from one
side Of the river to the other. Nata-
ton on rough day in the tempestu-
Gus Atlantic ocean gives an idea of
the European feat, but still It lacks
some Of the essential features that
have made th4 1auatic Marathon un-
swum by SO na1ky.
The English channel Is probably the
best body Of water known to thorough
" try the capabilities Of swimmer.
First there is necessary the ability to
swim, and swim well. Then comes
endurance, q potential factor, as the
sailors the world over know the chan
mel as one of the stormiest bits Of wa
ter to be encountered. The historic
bay Of Biscay is often peaceful the.
English channel seldom so.
1t is the strong and varying current
In the English channel that renders
the crossing SO difficult, even, in fact,
for vessels. While the distance from
Dover to Calais is only fraction over
twenty miles. the tide and current
sweep the swimmers back and FORTH,
up and down the course, almost at
will at times. Captain Webb is esti-Y
mated to have covered almost forty
miles when he swan the channel.
OF course no story is complete with
out mention Of Captain Paul Boyton.
The latter was the first man to cross
the channel, but he did it in his ia
NOUS rubber air inflated suit.
Statistics give faint idea to the un-
initiated Of the hardships involved. Be
low are few Of the requisites i u
Food.-Swimmers must be able to;
take food in the water without the
admixture OF salt water, in which case
seasickness usually results. ..,
Eyes. The eyes must be accustomed
to salt water, and in addition a can
vas helmet with glass eyes is gener-
ally used, protecting the ears as well. n
Head and Brain. a thin rubber
skullcap is generally used to keep the
head and brain warm and prevent
shivers. 82isij .3 II liz
Hands and Feet. Because Of the
suffering from cold the hands and
feet, together with the stomach, neck,
back Of the head and outsides Of the
ears, are usually anointed with tar, 4
the inside Of the ears being plugged
with soft wax, held in BY wadding.
Body The body is smeared with
Russian tallow in order to retain the
natural heat as long as possible, and
lard Is used as q second dressing.