Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-08-07
WEAKNESS APPARENT IN U.S.,
DIPLOMATIC CORPS, CURTIS
BIG PUBLISHER, POINTS OUT
SULLIVAN IN 9TH
ATTEMPT CROSSES
ENGLISH CHANNEL

~
Sullivan of Lowell, Mass. has sue
ceeded in swimming the English
channel. according to a Paris dis
patch to the Exchange Telegraph
company. He reached Calais at sos
tonight after swimming a distance of
80 kilometers, or nearly 60 miles.
Dover. Aug. 6-(By A. P.)-Henry
Sullivan of Lowell, Mass, who fin
channel tonight. landed in front of
the Calais Casino, his time being 26
hours, so minutes.
Calais, Aug. 6-Sullivan was taken
to the Casino, where he was ex-
amined by a doctor He took
light refreshments and rested ror
half an hour. \ large crowd as
sembled on the beach and cheered
the swimmer when he came out of
the building with Enrique Tiraboc-
Chi. the Italian swimmer, and those
who were on the conveying boat He
took the night steamer back to Dow
err.
The examination disclosed that
Sullivan was in good shape, consider
! ing the great strain of his prolonged
eXertions.
The latest announcement of Sulli-
vans time fixed it at ~ hours, IS
minutes. as compared with Captain
Wehb's Il hours. 40 minutes and that
| of Burgess, 80 hours, So minutes.
Henry Sullivan is the third man
| to accomplish the hazardous feat of
swimming the English channel. The
/ first man to make the passage across
| the narrow but always extremely
choppy course, with its rushing tides
and swirling eddies. was Captain
Matthew Webb and the second I. w.
Burgess Both were Englishmen.
Webb made the swim on August
o4-o5. 1875. covering the 90 II miles
between Dover and Calais in q
hours, As minutes. Webb was
drowned July "A. 1888. while attempt
ing to swim the rapids at Niagara
Falls.
r w. Burgess accomplished the
! feat September s, 1911, swimming
from South Foreland. England, to lie
! Chatelet. France. His time was -
! hours. 3o minutes.
I The present was Sullivan's seventh
attempt to make the swim. In all his
efforts he had made notable marks,
in 1921 coming within five miles of
|
in the water 10 hours and 5 minutes.
When Sullivan took to the water off
| Dover on Sunday he got away in fine
! stvle under what were declared to he
| favorable conditions. The sea was
calm and the temperature of the Wa
| ter was So degrees Fahrenheit. When
: Burgess made the swim he also had a
! smooth sea, but the temperature OF
! the water was two degrees higher.
Sullivan went across to England
last wear to make his seventh at
temnt, but owing to unpropiious
weather. conditions during the swim
ming season he failed TO make try.
| He declared at the time that he had
not abandoned his hope of eventual
" swimming the channel and that he
would try this -car. Charles 10th
of Boston. who also went across to
| make the swim. started with sam
! Richards OF Boston Notwithstanding
| the weather handicap. but had tn
. abandon the task when five miles or
the French coast after he had been
| in the water Is hours. so minutes. He
| had swum 81 miles. counting the drift
with the tide. Richards collapsed in
| two hours.
Among the numerous persons who
have tried to duplicate the feats OF
CAPTAIN Webb and Burgess, have
been several women. They. however,
have never been able to set any not
| able marks.
There has been standing for long
time an offer of a London publica-
ton of a prize of $4,000 for the sue
| cessful crossing of the channel ny a
! man or woman swimmer.