The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-07-25
ny ART CARLSON

One of the biggest sportlVe events
on the summer Program, from an IN
diviuualistic point OF view, at least,
will be the attempt Of Miss Gertrude
Edcrle, Americas crack mermaid, to
swim the dangerous English Chan
mel.
Miss Ederle expect: to make the
effort, that has ended in failure for
nearly every one ever having tried
the 1eat, the latter part of this
month or early in August.
World wide interest is being arOus-
ed over this l7-year-old girls titanic
task. And her efforts to achieve
something that no woman has yet
accomplished will be watched closely
by the universe in general and in
natatorial circles in particular.
One If Toughest Tasks
Attempting to swim the English
Channel is IA mountainous job. It's
one Of the toughest on the entire
athletic curriculum. It's, indeed, a
real task for men stout Of heart and
strong Of limb, let alone a mere slip
Of "A lass endeavoring to turn the
trick. ,...
Only five men have ever succeeded
in negotiating the 20-mile stretch
France. Three were Americans
Capt. Matthew Webb, Charles 10th
and Henry Sullivan. Webb was the
first, according to reports. He got
across in 1875.
An Englishman named William
Burgess was next, in 1911. And in
the summer Of 1923 followed the
Arlentinian, Enrique Tiraboschi,
10th and Sullivan IN that order.
Tirab0schi made the record time, l6
hours, IS minutes.
Three women have been unsuccess~
full. Mrs. !. Won Isacescu Of Austria
hung up the premier performance.
She was in the water 10 hours. She
was reported to have covered slightly
more than half the course.
Annette Kellerman, Australia $
sensation of Is years or so ago,
swan for six hours until forced to
give up owing to sea-sickness. And
Miss Lily Smith of England lasted
| five hours.
She Has Mechanical Equipment
Miss Ederle's chances in the tricky
waters Of the channel are problemati-
cal Of course. Many believe she'll
accomplish the feat, others think
failure awaits her.
| Frankly, she has the mechanical
equipment to get across. She has
the courage, the determination, the
confidence. But whether or not she
possesses the stamina, the endur
ance required on such an exactini
journey is something else again.
The treacherous tide, the changing
currents, the ice cold water--al
these factors must be taken into con
sideratiOn, too. Any one Of then
may prove her undoing.
In her swim from the Battery il
New York to Sandy Hook, she show
ed she must be reckoned with strong
ly. She negotiated the distance j
seven hours, II minutes, cutting sew
en- minutes off the best time eve
made by man on that course whic
is slightly short Of the stretch fro,
Dover t.. Calais across the channel
Must Give Her Credit
But her American effort cannot b
compared with the channel attemp
For the rise and fall of the It'd
over there is four times greater wit
fiercer currents to correspond. Tn
water is considerably colder. An
there is nasty chop almost contin
uOusly.
The magnitude of the effort ca
best be realized when it is mention
ed that some of the worlds creates
J long distance men swimmers hav
been unable to successfully battle tn
various obstacles encountered in tn
! span Of water between the two coast
v Time and again they have bee
P taken out of their course when onl
5 short time from the French shol
and have had to give up the attemp
Gertrude Ederle may fail in he
y Efforts. She may be unequal to
!, feat never before attempted by a
Y American water nymph. But whetht
she is or not due credit must be CIV
z en- her for attempting one Of tt
toughest tasks in sportive perform
ances.
She's at least game and courageo,
enough to try. And that's SOM
thing.