Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-09-10

Dover. England. Sept. 9.-(By A. P.)
Charles 10th of Boston, Mass. today
swan the English Channel. Starting
last night from the French side. the
American landed near ST. Margaret's
Bay. He had been in the water 16
hours and 40 minutes.
10th will not receive the $1,000 Of
fered by the Daily Sketch for the man
making the swim, the offer having ex-
pired Sept. Z. He said he made the
attempt Just to prove to the folks
back home that | could do it."
Charles Burgess. the English SWIM
mer who was the first man after Cap
tain Matthew Webb to swim the chan
| mel, accompanied 10th in his success
| full effort.
When 10th turned up IN Dover today
| in time for lunch it was the first real
! meal he had had since dining in
France Saturday evening. He made
| the greater part of his swim during
| the night. and was the third American
| to Conquer the channel this summer.
The other two men were Henry Sulli-
| van of Lowell, Mass. and Enrique
Tirabocchi, an Argentine.
This method of travel between
France and England will never be a
popular one. according to 10th. who
declared today when Ire landed on the
beach near here that il wasn't an en-
! joyable way TO spend the week end. He
added that he was feeling pretty we'll
tired out.
| When Sullivan swan the channel
only last month. ard when imbocchi
| repeated the performance the following
week, there was man on tile beach
waiting to hand them a check for a
| thousand pounds. 10th, however. will
not get anything out of it but glory
| unless some unexpected benefactor
comes forward.
1t was Csc P. NJ. Saturday when
10th plunged into the channel at Cape
Gris-Nez France. and it was about
/ 1l.50 o'clock this morning when he
reached the shore of England. He
took only a few minutes more than
was required by Tirabocchi in his rec
! rd-making squirt across the choppey
sea. Like Tirabocchi. 10th was lucky.
i He touched the bottom at the extreme
edge of the little point of land sep
arating Cape Margaret's Bay from
Kings Down. Had he missed this
point by even a few yards he would
have had to keep going with his
! steady trudgeon stroke several miles
i farther along the coast 10 find a spot
to land. AS it was he had only a strip
| of land a yard wide to stand on. Back
| of him was water, and in front rose a
high cliff.
Burgess acted as Toth's pilot and
adviser throughout the swim, and join
cd the American in the water during
| the last two miles. To the advice of
the English veteran 10th attributes
no small part OF his success.
Sullivan was one of the first persons
to greet his compatriot after 10th had
recovered his breath in the engine room
! of the tug which had accompanied him
across the channel. Burgess and Sulli-
van took 10th in hand on board the
, tug and scraped several pounds of lard
! off his body which had been rubbed on
| him before the started, to ward off the
cold.
On landing Burgess and Sullivan
took 10th to q place where lie could get
bath and something to eat. He said
| he was rather badly in need of both.
When his appetite had been satisfied
the Bostonian strolled out on the
street and walked home. He was I'M
accompanied. unheralded and unsung
at first. but shortly afterwards he was
recognized by persons who cheered
him. This attracted scores Of men.
women and children from the byways.
| highways and their homes. and in a
few minutes 10th was being made as
much p hero as any Of the other men
| who have conquered the channel this
year.