The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-08-26
Durburow Will Attempt
Swim English Channel

After an experience of four years,
and at the expense of nor than two
thousand dollars. Charles B. Durborow
the man who is now acknowledged
both at home and abroad as Of
the foremost distance endurance
swimmers Of the world, having swan
a greater number of miles than any
nounces that he intends to retire, as
he says he will not attempt another
swim this year, and will finish up next
year for good with a swim from Sandy
Hook Light to tho Battery, which has
never before been made, a swim to the
Boston Light and as far back as pos
sible, and then essay the English
Channel swim. the latter performance,
since Durborow successfully swan
across the Delaware bay. being con
sidered we'll within the big fellows
powers of endurance which, by the
way, have never AS yet been fully put
to the limit.
That the Delaware bay swim is as
hard as the English channel is con
coded by most every one in this coun-
try who is familiar with the condi-
tions to be COPIED with in both swims,
while the English press has recognized
D~urborow's many and hard perform
ances by hracketing him with Capt.
Matthew Webb, Holbcin and Burgess.
and conceding that his great feats OF
endurance in the water fully justify
h. prediction that if he gets the same
conditions as favored Burgess, he will
mos likely do the channel swim the
first time he makes the attempt.
The people in his country have
read much about the English channel
in the matter of swimming across it.
and there have been many trials made
by great in an effort to
cross it. most of which resulted in
failures. Only two non have ever
made the swim-Captain Matthew
Webb. who got within 300 yards of the
shore, Was given credit for a success
full effort, hut only one person, Bur
CESS. actually did the full distance
from shore to shore. Travellers who
have crossed the channel in boats
when the water was rough and stormy
regard the channel swim as the hard
est swim in the world. and do not look
on the Delaware bay swim as one that
could be compared with the channel
as a difficult performance.
Whenth e two swirnS are compared.
however, we have his result. The Del
aware bay varies from twelve to
thirty-seven miles across. while the
English channel is from seventeen and
from Dover. England to Calais,
France. is short of twenty miles, while
from the point at which Durborow
started to the point he finished in
crossing the bay the actual distance
is nineteen and one-sixth miles. III on
account of the tides and cross cur
rents. which are on the same order as
the channel. DurboroW had to swim
AZ 43-100 miles to accomplish the
swim.
Most Remarkable.
The tide in the Delaware bay runs
from four to six miles an hour. while
the channel tide varies from three to
five miles. The water in the English
channel is more salty than the Della
ware bay. and, therefore. more buoy
ant and easier to swim in. and sea-
faring men who know will tell you
that the Delaware bay in a storm
kicks up as big a. fuss as the channel.
and that no human being could swim
across either stream under these stor-
my conditions.
That Durborow's swim across the
bay was one of the most remarkable
performances in the world is best at
tested by the fact that men like Cap
tain Eldridge, of the Cape May light
station. who has been thirty-two years
at his post, told Durborow before the
start that it was foolish for any one Ia
attempt to swim the bay, and if any
living man could do it it would re-
quire at least sixteen hours.
The captains guess. as far as the
time is concerned. was a good one. but
his prediction that it could not he
done was wrong, as was afterwards
proven by the swimmer. However.
Captain Eldridge was loath TO believe
it had been actually done after he
heard h news. and even doubted tn.
verbal testimony of George Bohm,
who accompanied the swimmer.