Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-06

1uUy SWAIN dGIUSS tHC LhShSh
Channel, completing her trip
tonight i'm record time.
By JULIA HARPMAN.
By Cable to The Star.
ABOARD THE TUG ALSACE IN
THE ENGLISH CHANNEL, August
6.-Battling a raging wind-whipped
sea. Gertrude Ederle, American
swimming champion, near midafter.
noon was 6 miles from Dover in her
attempt to swim the English Channei,
a feat never before accomplished by
woman.
Despite the fact that she was
struggling against conditions which
were described as the worst in the
history of attempts to swim the
Channel, Miss Ederle was establish
ing new speed record as she neared
her goal.
Conditions Good at Start,
Miss Ederle took off from the beach
on the Boulogne of Cape Gris-Nez at
7:05 o'clock this morning t1:05 am.
Eastern standard timel on her second
attempt to swim the English Channel.
Conditions were generally favorable
for her gruelling effort, and far better
than marked her. first try, in mid
August last year, at the feat no
woman has yet accomplished and
which but five men have performed.
Miss Ederle's start was made nearly
four hours before high tide at Dover,
promising her the benefit of a wester-
ing Spring tide to enable her to con-
serve her strength during the first
stages of her torturous journey
through the rough, cold, darkly for
bidding waters of the Straits of Dover.
The fishing tug Alsace from Bou-
logne, Capt Louis CortheS, equipped
with wireless, rations for the swimmer
and first aid outfit. accompanied the
sturdy daughter of Henry Ederle,
Staten Island, n. Y. butcher. Aboard
1t were Thomas William Burgess, Miss
Ederle's trainer and the second Eng
lishman to swim the channel; Trudie's
father and sister, Mrs. Margaret
Deuschle, also swimmer; Ishak
Helm%, the giant Egyptian channel
aspirant, and a few others.
Starts at Sunrise.
When she was awakened from a
sound sleep Trudie descended to the
kitchen of the hotel in her pajamas
and ate corn fakes with milk, half
fried chicken and peach and drank
a cup of coffee diluted with much
milk. Burgess, Margaret and 1
creased her. first with olive oil, letting
that soak in a half hour, then with
lanloine, a heavy yellow grease, over
which we applied a coating of vaseline
and lard. A crimson sun rose over
the dark waters as Trudie started her
momentouS swim.
Trainer Burgess kissed Trudie on
the cheek as she entered the water
and the crowd cheered.
SCheerio," Trudie yelled back, and
at the same time waved good-by as she
began swimming with a slow, even
stroke, having been warned to go
slow.
Entering the water, Trudie wore
red diving cap and goggles made of
one curved piece of yellow glass,
short. black silk trunks and a mar
row brassiere of navy blue silk, on
the front of which is sewn a tiny silk
American flag and also the emblem of
the Womens Swimming Association,
of which Trudie was elected a life
honorary member when she turned
professional in Florida last Winter.
The brassiere unties, and, once
abreast the channel, she removed it,
wearing thereafter only the trunks.
At the outset the sea was fairly
calm, with slight south wind blow
ing and a gray haze hanging over the
water, promising a hot day. Trudie
was in glorious spirits. Her sister
Margaret and Burgess started in
small rowboat alongside the tug. both
boats flying the American flag. -'he
tug also the French flag.
Makes Rapid Progress.
The girl champion was out more
than two miles from Gris-Nez in As
minutes, which Burgess declared was
remarkable At O'Clock the wind
had freshened and we could plainly
see the sands of South Forel and the
English side, which was bad sign,
as such conditions usually presage a
high wind. Margaret and Burgess
had boarded the tug now.
Trudie, swimming less than four
yards away from the tug, looked up
at Helmy and sang, Its Long Way
TO Tipperary,n those on the tug fur.
nishing wonderful accompa ninlent.
which was unlike last year. when the
tug never gave the swimmer adequate
protection The American flag aboard
the tug was the same used by Charles
10th of Boston on his successful cross
ing in 1923.
Aboard the tug we were playing
the phonograph, using loud needles.
After we played the record, mo More
orrying," Trudie. grinning, said,
There will not be if we get to Dover
tonight" BY now the water was quite
rough and the tug was pitching
AZ o'clock We were on direct
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