Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-15
WOMAN SWIMMERS
BRAVE COLD WATERS
Success of Yesterdays Race
Assures Making of Con-
test Annual.

Elated over the success of Washington s
first long-distance swimming contest for
women, held in the tidal basin yesterday,
DR.. W.. B. Hudson. superintendent of the
municipal bathing beach. today announced
tilat the event will be an annual one and
that beginning next year it will be held
over two-mile course in the Potomac
river.
what had been planned as a quiet
swimming party developed into contest,
and the results were so satisfactory that
| this event will now be held annually, inn
mediately preceding the close of each
bathing beach season." said DR.. Hudson.
The object will be to encourage woman
patrons of the beach to become proficient
in the art of swimming. All but two of
the contestants at the tiday basin yester-
day learned to swim at the beach,
Ceremony to Mark Event.
1t is expected that next years event
will be attended by more or less cere-
mony, and the president of the board
of District Commissioners will be the
official starter of the race. There are
many good swimmers among Wash
ington women. who have patronized
the municipal pools regularly this
summer. and the contest next year. it
Is expected, will bring out large
number of entrants.
Miss Anita Torrey today holds the
record of being Washingtons best
long-distance swimmer. as she was
the first of twelve competitors who
plunged into the chilly waters of the
tidal basin yesterday to reach the
quarters of-a-mile swim being %
minutes. Mrs. Hudson. wife of the SUI
perintendent of the beach, finished a
close second, with Miss Katharyne
Drain third.
Although the temperature of the air
was 5S and the water 75.5 none of the
fair swimmers backed down when the
word to start was given Little Annabel
Hudson, the six-year-old daughter of
Supt. Hudson. swan more than half of
the course. and strongly protested when
she was pulled into boat by her father
When the party was within about 100
yards of the end of the course she was
permitted to plunge in again and finish
with the others.
Others in the Race.
Miss Mabel Jones, one of Washington's
best woman swimmers, maintained
good lead during the early part Of the
race, but was able to finish no better
than fifth. fourth place honors going to
Miss Louise COrson. The other swim
mers, in the order of their arrival, were
Miss Marion May. sixth; Miss Ruth Post
ley. Miss Ethel Atkinson. Miss Bessie
Walker, Miss Ada Watrous and Miss
Florence Yoder.
Several boats containing life guards
closely trailed the swimmers. These
We're commanded by DR.. Hudson, DIR.
c. l.. Anderson, L. S. A. retired; Sidney
Cousins. assistant superintendent OF the
beach. and by Life Guards Sterling Tay-
Tor, La Tour Milste. MacCawley and
Roswell Ehrmanntrout. Following the
swim. the participants were taken In au-
tomobiles to the bathing beach and, later.
to the home of DR.. and Mrs. Hudson for
breakfast.
DIR. Hudson expects to submit to the
Commissioners this month a report on the
operations of the bathing beach, which
will close next Sunday. Attendance rec
ords already are in excess Of those OF
any previous year. Fifty women were
in attendance at the pools today, despite
the cool weather.