Evening star., 1926-08-06


course three and a half miles from the
Gris-Nez coast to the northwest.
Trudie had gained greatly by never
going further south than a point OPP
posite the cape lighthouse. Trudie
was swimming evenly and averag-
ing % strokes to the minute.
Pictures Are Taken.
At 9:45 o'clock a motor boat arrived
alongside the Alsace from Dover and
took Off our pictures of the start,
etc. which are to be cabled from
London.
At this stage of the effort high
wind was whipping the sea into fury.
but Trudie, using crawl stroke,
was ploughing steadily on through
the cruel waves. At 1905 o'clock,
| when Trudie had been on her way
| just three hours, the Lamarinie, the
| tug which accompanied her last year,
| arrived abreast of the Alsace. 1t was
| crowded with independent, unofficial
reporters, photographers and moving
picture cameramen, aboard also was
Lillian Cannon, the Baltimore rival OF
Miss Ederle, who did not start today,
| as it was reported she would.
Trudie treaded water to wave to
them, then continued swimming
strongly, singing to herself the while.
Soon she called, Tell me when its
noon so / can take IL to out for
luncheon. She sang snatches of
Irving Berlin's Always" and Sweet
Georgia Brown" Later she said. Are
the hours passing?" Told she had
| been out more than three hours, she
smiled and swan on stolidly. She
was swimming marvelously now, the
grease coating, shining on her flesh,
was discernible through the water
| from the Alsace.
The sea was decidedly rough now
and the sky was a dull gray, with
no sun in sight or in prospect,
Refuses to Take Food.
Burgess asked Trudie IL she was
hungry, but she denied she was, say
| ing she did not wish to eat Defore
noon. She was told to slow up ner
speed, but said, IF / go any slower
will sink. The water Is wonderIui
I could stay in 1t week, earlier 1t was
COLI - Her friends on the Alsace took
to writing messages on a blackboard
with chalk.
The board was lowered over the sioe
of the tug for her to read, and sne
laughed when she read the messages
With the rearival of the sun, about
1890 o'clock, the sea became a DIT
calner. an encouraging development
At 11:55 am. Gertrude was fed
| bahv,s bottle full of warm chicken
| broth and a leg of chicken. She had
heen ont from Griz-NeZ hours and
90 minutes then, and the first time
she rested was to eat. When sne
finished eating, she said. THAT was
not so good
At 1905, the end of the NTH hour
| of her attempt, Trudies sister
Margaret. entered the water 70 SWIM
beside the girl champion for a while.
Tug Finds Difficulties.
Cant Corthes was having diff
Guilty keeping to the windward or
the swimmer without causing her
| to change her pace. She called to
the tug that the water seemed colder
here in midchannel.
Margaret. when she had warmed
herself somewhat, after leaving the
water wrote on the blackboard to
he lowered over the side: Think OF
MOTHER 1t scarcely seemed quite
time for desperate encouraging
Trudie laughed and acknowledged
tho surgestion with a loud Always
and aIWavs." The waters tempera-
tire was taken at 81 degrees Fahren-
heit. Margaret said Trudie hadn't
mentioned 1t, but she knew from
swimming together with her that on
the crest of the big waves the cham-
pion has glimpsed the wnitisn GIFTS
OF Dover, with their beckoning prom
ise Of fame and fortune.
At this stage she had sWum ap,
proximately 13 miles and was sun
beneffting by the tide, and advancing
eft better than two miles an hour.
She was some ten and one-half miles
from the French coast.
By 1920 pm. q wild wind was
raging and the sea was rampant.
The tug captain, also Trainer Bur
CESS. confided to the writer that they
did not believe completion OF the
crossing humanity possibly II the ad-
verse weather continued, but the girl.
unaware Of their fears, was still
swimming strongly.
Helrny, the Egyptian swimmer
| friend. had entered to swim along
with Gertrude, and lend her encour'
agement during this dark hour OF hef
| trial.
The seas became WORSE Uy AoA Ilaoia
those Olav Farstad, the Norwegian
police constable. encountered In his
second unsuccessful attempt some
| days ago. but Trudie, with her DIS
tance-eating crawl stroke, forged on
Burgess declared no living swimmer
ever had approached Miss Ederles
| performance under such condiuons
He frankly was astounded by her per
severance.
Trudie was encountering many jelly
| fish in the water--the fish that stune
her so severely a year ago-but
thanks to the roughness OF the seas
she was as yet not severely bitten
There was also much driftwood to be
| lodged.
Helmy Leaves Water.
Helmy, fatigued and shivering
emerged from the water at 2:20, but
Trudie swan on. At 2:05 O'Clock
Burgess had declared the champion
/ position was 80 marvellous II would be
q pity to give up. The fate Of the
1 syyifa r1oyy hung on the next change