Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-07
By JULIA H.iRPMA\.

BY Cable to The Star.
DOVER, England, August Ger
trude Ederie. new queen of the seas,
was up bright and early this morn
ing. ravenously hungry and as chip
per as if she had experienced nothing
more strenuous yesterday than
shopping expedition. She took a short
swim this morning TO prove her fit
ness.
Yet the 19-year-old girl. who yes
terday, in the face of seemingly in.
Snmountable obstacles and to the alb
solute fiabbergasting of her coun-
selors, swan the treacherous, forbid
ding English Channel in two hours
under the previous best time, aWohe
also to the realization that she had
achieved also the unique distinction
of being the first of her sex to triumph
over tide, wind and wave in the Icy,
dark stretch of wildly swirling water
that separates France from England.
Though a champion now of both
sexes, Trudie remained as simple, un'
affected and lovable. for all her sturdt
ness and fame, as if her name had not
been blazoned. in every corner Of the
civilized globe as marvel OF maryels
III lilS SN NIlliIiliiiS al u
Caugh by British Law.
Only Yesterday she had accomplish
ed what no other person had ever
done, had Succeeded in a soul-rack-
ing physical test that veteran chan
mel swimmers and Straits of Dover
mariners insistently declared was hu-
namely impossible. However, her
chief concern this morning was clear
ing of her status and that of her
party with the English immigration
authorities here who last night de-
iayed our landing because we lacked
our passports, and a speedy return TO
Cape Gris-Nez, the artois fishing viii
1aGe, a lonely spot on the coast of
France, SO that she could proceed
with her father and sister on visit
to her grandmother in Germany. Once
there she eagerly planned to swim in
farm creek swimming hole into
which she fell years ago as a child
before she was able to swim a stroke.
Il am proud woman was her
only comment this morning on her
history making performance.
Set New Worlds Record.
When gay. sturdy. young Gertrude
Eberle romped ashore on Kingdown
lights. at 9:39 o'clock last night she
had established worlds record for
the torturing English channel swim
by but one minute less than two
hours.
She is the first woman to accom-
plish the crossing of the cold, whirling
tides and rough water of the Straits
of Dover, and she had performed the
grueling feat in II hours and "a min
utes under almost the most adverse
condition possible at this season,
beating the previous record of is
hours and 80 minutes. hung up by
Enrico Tiraboschi, the Argentinan
In 1928.
OF 1he many scores of swimmers
who have attempted the spanning of
the 21 miles of sea that separate
France and England she is the sixth
person to succeed, and in doing so
she, with her tremendous speed, set
q mark for the crossing that veteran
swimmers agree may quite possibly
stand for all time.
Moreover, had conditions been half
way favorable, channel experts believe
she would have made the swim in
something under the amazing time of
Il hours.
Took OF at 7:O5 AM
The unaffected little 19-year.old
daughter of Henry Ederle, German
born prosperous butcher, took off
from Cape Girls NeZ at 7:05 am.
French Summer time, corresponding
10 daylight saving time in some Sec
tions of the United States. Her start
was at 1:05 am. Eastern standard
time; her triumphant finish at 3:39
pm. that time.
At the very outset, conditions gen.
orally were favorable, but ere Trudie
had reached midchannel she had en-
countered storm conditions. and for
more than half of her racking jour-
ney she battled tumultous seas whip
ped up by galelike, adverse wind.
The waves became mountainous as
she neared the English coast.
With an amazing show of pluck
and endurance and her splendid swim
ming form that from early girlhood
had gained her many titles, she over
came seemingly unSurmountable OBJ
stacles. Not once complaining, eX-
cept that her advisers continually
urged her to slow down to conserve
her strength for the desperate battle
with the rough waters they knew to
be in store for her in the final stages
of her journey-if, indeed, she reach
ed the vicinity of the Dover cliffs that
We're her goal-she smiingly, deter
minedly stuck to her tremendous diff
ficult task even when all those on the
accompanying official tug, the Alsace,
save her father and her sister, Mrs.
Margaret Deuschle, implored her to
give up the effort lest she pay for her
gameness with her life.
Hours before her triumphant fin
ish, when in the Berserk seas, none
but her accompanying kinsfolk be-
fieved she could much longer continue
with any mon c,Ira IF fotI- fnN hnr