The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-08-07
EDERLE TO
SAIL Home
ON AUG. Il
World AccIaims American
Girl, First to Swim Eng
Iish Channel.
CROWD SEES DIP TODAY
Dons Bathing Suit on Advice
of Her Trainer.

B0ULOGNE, France, Aug. T.
Ships whistles screeched and
crowds shouted when Gertrude Ed
erie, conqueror of the English
Channel, arrived here today en-
route to Germany to visit relatives.
1t was an ovation such as usually
is reserved for national heroes
DOVER, Aug. 7.-Gertrude Ederle,
first woman tc conquer the English
Channel, will sail for the United
States Aug. 21. after visiting her
grandmother, near Stuttgart, Ger
many.
'I am feeling very flne-not a bit
lame-and not the least bit the
worse for the experience" she said
today, as the heroine OF the mo-
ment in England, she read through
some 200 telegrams and acblegrams
of congratulations which awaited
her when she awoke at 8 am.
Fresh as Daisy
Miss Ederle, fresh as a daisy, after
only six hours sleep, spent much
of the morning posing for photog
raphers, talking with newspaper,
men and receiving visitors. Among
her visitors were theatrical people
representing American interests.
One of the congratulatory wires
was from the Argentine girl swim
mer, Lillian Harrison. Another was
from Henry Sullivan of Boston. The
first American to swim the channel.
Miss Ederle planned to return to
Cape Girls Nez this afternoon, and
then go to Germany with her father
and sister to visit her grandmother
On advice of trainer Bill Burgess,
she went for short swim at midday
to timber upher muscles. The mere
fact that she had donned a bathing
suit brought a crowd of 1000 per
sons to the shore.
There was open admiration Of her
wonderful stroke, and a tremendous
burst of cheering came at the end OF
the swim Burgess watched her
from the shore.
The fact that, after having made
the entire channel swim Friday
she again went in today appealed to
the British sense of humor.
ut shows the stuff she's made Of"
persons in the crowd said.
Dense Crowd
AS she went to her hotel wearing
her bathing suit and dressing gown,
the crowd was so dense that it was
difficult for her to proceed. Finally
Helmy, the big Egyptian swimmer,
took her on his shoulder and carried
her through the throng.
Meanwhile Gertrude's father
revealed that before starting to
swim the channel, she made him
promise he would not take her out
of the water until she was sinking
the second time.
Miss Ederle, who protested when
her trainer ordered her taken from
the water in her unsuccessful effort
last year, insisted that she be allowed
to go the full limit Of endurance this
time.
but I intended to catch her the
first time if saw here sinking" her
proud dad confided.
Meanwhile efforts to ascertain her
physical specifications in view of
the worldwide tribute revealed that
Gertrude has grown so fast and has
changed so fast that no one. except
possibly her trainnerfi' has up to
date figures on her physique. NShe
is 10 years old, five feet eeight inches
tall and has a chest expansion of
eight inches-compared Jack Demp-
sey's four. Her weight is not
known.
While Miss Ederle rested, news
papers arriving here praised her
achievement in terms fairly extrava
CANT for the conservative British
press.
Astonishing Feat
One paper CALLED it 1.-THE Astonish-
ing Feat of a Plucky Girl" and
praised Miss Ederle's accomplish
ment in swimming the channel in
fourteen and one.half hours, lower
ing by nearly two hours the record
of the swiftest of the five men who
had made the swim before her.
| Miss Ederle returned to Dover
last night after she had started back
to France. 1t was found that she
was unable to stand the strain of a
boat journey. The nearness Of
abandonment of the swim, as ex-
planned in an interview which the
woman record breaker gave out, has
added to the thrilling story of the
days achievement.
Il nearly qYit seven minutes after
starting because of rough swell, :"
| Gertrude told newspaper men. "But