Evening star., 1949-09-06
Continued From First PageD

on one of the boats accompanying
her.
The Dover Cliffs, shining in the
sun, had been within her view for
two-and-one-half hours. Look
how near it is" she cried hyster-
ically when she sought to fight of
attempts to make her give up.
1t is 10 miles across the Eng
lish Channel but the flow Of tides
force swimmers to travel "a much
greater distance.
Men swimmers in an accom-
panying launch jumped into the
water and held her against the
side of a roWboat as she fought
to keep on with her attempt.
Shirley, give up. You're break
ing your daddy's heart, her
father cried. IF you don't quit
I'm going to Jump in there"
When it became apparent that
her energ was slipping fast, her
father had been sped to the row.
boat from an accompanying
schooner. Pleading with her, he
shouted: please do what Daddy
wants you to do.4Please. Baby.
.zul,re hurting yoarself:s -
e. .Slaisls3tz Nay thssw-herself over
.on her back then and tried to
swim away.
Several hours before her father
had tried to get Der 70 give 7pT
The tides we're running against
her then. Her chances had ap-
peared brighter when a sudden
shift in the tides flow boosted
her toward the English coast.
The pretty blond swimmer
plunged into the channel at Cap
Girls Nez, on the French side, at
5:25 am. (12:25 am. EDT today .
In the first hours she successfully
slipped by one major hazard
stinging jelly fish. which are a
hazard to all channel challengers.
Her father was in tears, too,
when at last the game schoolgirl
was in the rowboat beside him.
He sat beside her. took her in his
arms and said
Never mind, baby, never mind.
We can come another year, sweet
heart"
He wrapped blankets about her
as she slumped down in utter ex-
haustion. Again and again he re-
assured her: You did fine, baby.
You did fine"
She was placed aboard speed
boat which heade dior Dover. She
was still moaning: only little
way-only a little way"
The end. of her attempt came
shortly after she had taken a
cupful of hot broth rushed from
the escort schooner Black Magic.
At that time she. had complained
of the cold.
Earlier a brief attack of nau-
sea-a common complaint OF
Channel swinmers-had failed to
stop her. Several times she had
looked up and smiled at the people
in the boats accompanying her.
Shirley May had a lot at stake.
including prospects of a movie
career. Hollywood Producer Ed
ward Small. among other business
folk, put up money to finance
her try.
Schooner Named for Movie.
Before her attempt ended, a
man in Shirley Mays corporation
said privately that MI. Small
would further her career in
films" if she succeeded. Her
schooner was re-christened the
Black Magic-the name OF a new
Edward Small movie-well before
the swim started.
A New York watch company and
a newspaper syndicate agency also
provided backing. Ted Worner,
her manager. said the whole ven-
ture had cost the Shirley May
Corp. about $4,000.
Channel swimming is an ex-
pensive venture. It takes money
to live and train in Britain, to
hire boats and buy the expert ad-
vice of old channel swimming
hands who know the currents.
If she had made it Shirley May
would have been the youngest per-
son ever to conquer the tricky
stretch Of water that separates
France from England.
When she started Shirley May
aimed at besting the speed record
for women of IA hours and "a
minutes. set by Americas Ger
trude Ederle on August 8, 1925.