Evening star., 1949-08-24
English 5choolboy, 18,
Swims Channel After
Two Futile Tries
BY the AssocIoted Press

OOVEH, EQSlduu, Aug. a.
Philip hickman, 18, conquered the
tricky waters of the English Chan
mel today after two previous un-
successful tries. The plucky York
shire Schoolboy, who swan the
gruelling distance in % hours and
48 minutes, was the first to make
it this year.
Mickman swan the last few
miles in darkness and a drizzling
rain. He waded ashore at Kings
down, 7 miles northeast of Dover,
at 5:33 am. British summer time
(11:33 pm. EST Tuesday,, his
associates said.
Meanwhile, Cuban swimmer
Jose Cortinas plunged into the
water at Cap Girls Nez, France,
at 5:25 am. Q:25 am. EDIT
today for his second channel at
tempt this month.
Returns to Dover.
After reaching shore at Kings
down, hickman boarded the boat
that accompanied him on the
swim and returned to Dover.
Smiling broadly, the chunky
schoolboy walked up the beach at
Dover wrapped in a huge blanket.
He was hurried to his shore
front hotel by his father, William
H. hickman, and trainer, E. H.
femme, who is a two time Chan
mel swimmer.
A few minutes later the British
union Jack was hoisted over the
hotel.
hickman was hustled into a
hot bath to get rid of the heavy
coating of grease which had pro-
tected him from the chilly Chan
mel water. Reporters were asked
to leave the boy alone for the
time being.
Shirley May France, Somerset
CMass.) high school girl, who
hopes to make the Channel swim
this season, was among the first
to congratulate hickman.
Shirley May joined her father.
J. Walter France, aboard Nick
mans escort boat for the last
hours of the swim.
Refused to Give Up.
1T was the pluckiest piece of
swimming I have ever seen,"
France declared. I'VE learned
lot from it."
Shirley May has delayed her
attempt to make the swim until
the first week in September.
Mickman's father said the
swim was "the story of a boy
who wouldn't give up.
Conditions were ideal, except
the tide was so strong" he said.
"At 10 o'clock last night we
were a few miles off Folkstone,
but then Phil was swept up the
Channel until he was off Deal.
"At midnight we thought Phil
didn't have a chance because of
the strong tide. We advised him
to give up. but he refused, so there
was nothing we could do about it.
He insisted on continuing. It took
him another five hours to swim to
shore"
First to Succeed in 40.
hickman was the first of many
would-be Channel swimmers to
conquer the 20-mile distance from
near Cap Girls Nez. France, to
England this year. In the last two
weeks alone, two other aspirants
have been turned back by the icy
Channel waters that chill through
heavy grease layers.
The Yorkshire lad tried unsuc-
cessfully last year to make the
swim and again on last July "a,
when he was forced to give up
only a few miles from Dover.
Although the direct line route
across the straits Is 20 miles, SWIM
mers actually cover q far greater
distance to overcome the strong
Channel currents.
Mickman fell far short of the
record times listed for the Channel
crossing. The record for the swim
is listed by the World Almanac
as 10 hours IS minutes-set by
Venceslas Spacek of Bohemia in
1925. The French press. however,
generally considers Frenchman
Georges Michel. credited with
crossing in II hours and 9 minutes
that year, to be the record holder.