Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-04
GERTRUDE EDERLE
MORE OPTIMISTIC.
Declares She Is Not Discour-
aged by Failures of Miss
Barrett and OIav FarStad.
BY JULIA HARPMAN.

CAPE GRlS-NEA, france, August
4.--Istead of being discouraged by
the failures of other swimmers VINO
: have tried unsuccessfully this Sum-
ner to swim the English Channel,
Gertrude Ederle, the world champion
woman swimmer, who hopes to make
her second attempt1her first of 1926
within the ensuing week, is more de-
termined than ever to swim from
France to England.
1.-THE wonderful performances OF
Clarabelle Barrett and Olav Farstad
in their recent attempts to swim the
channel thrilled me-" Miss Ederle de-
cuse for giving up If fail this time"
Miss Ederle made this assertion at
ter reports were received here that
Miss Barrett swan 211a hours.
Miss Barrett Is said never to have
entered the channels waters before
she tried Monday to swim from Dover
to Gris-NeZ.
Made Second Attempt.
Farstad, the policeman from Tron-
dagen, Norway, swan 16 hours and
As minutes on his first attempt last
week. When he halted his effort he
was prepared to start back to Norway
to resume his police duties, not lit
bidding channel waters had handed
him, but just then he received a mes
sage relayed from London stating
that his vacation had been extended
so that he might again try to breast
the channel.
On Monday. the Norseman, who
looks like a fullback on an American
college foot ball team, appeared at
Gris-Nez, announcing he would try
second time to swim the Channel,
starting at 1890 o'clock Monday night
When told the tide would be wrong
unfavorable for him-at that hour, he
declared he didn't care how the tide
was, that he liked that hour for a
start and intended to swim then, come
what may.
However, after dining on eight soft
boiled eggs, tea and bread he was per-
suaded to sleep until $3.50 o'clock yes
terday morning, at which hour Far
stad waved his hand to q group on
the beach and yelled:
$50 long, boys"
With that, he padded into the icy
water which was b1anketed by fog
as thick as peasoup. A shivering
dozen newspaper correspondents and
photographers gathered on the beach,
shot off damp fire works and drank
champagne to Farstad'S health and
success.
New Records Made.
The beach group searched until
o'clock yesterday morning for some
sign of the launch accompanying Miss
Barrett, but no trace of it was to be
made out in the terrific fog, so the
folks then sought their respective
beds.
Unlike most swimmers who essay
to cross the Channel under their own
power. neither Miss Barrel nor Far
stad had undergone any training on
the spot. Neither had tried the Chan
mel before this year, yet both now
have set new records for the effort.
Until last week no swimmer on a
first attempt had remained in the icy
Channel water as long as did Far
stad, and Monday Miss Barrett bet
tered his record, at the same time set
ting a new record for endurance by
worffan swimmer.
Farstad had the misfortune to meet
with bad weather on both his at
tempts and so was forced to abandon
his efforts.
Georges Michel, the noted French
swimmer, is reported to be preparing
for another attempt. Michel won the
marathon race at Paris, remaining in
the water more than IL hours.
(Copyright. 1925. by Chicago Tribune News