AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 237, 3 October 1908, Page 14

AQUATICS.

YACHTING. Complaint is made by a.n American newspaper that over 10,000 tons of steam yacht construction has been ordered and nearly completed by British shipbuilders for American multi-million-aires this year. Four of these palatial craft are the Liberty, Yunadis, Cassandra, and lolanda, owned respectively by Joseph Pulitzer, C. K. C. Billings, Roy Rainey. and M. F. I'laiiit. It is suggested that it would have been a patriotic act at least on the part of these gentlemen to have invested the money in Americanbuilt yachts. To this an American shipping newspaper retorts ttiat possibly these wealthy Americans prefer the prevailing styles of yachts abroad. It also suggests that they may retain the prime Yankee characteristic of getting as much for their money as possible. In other words, they get a better article in the Lnited Kingdom. SWIMMING. The new Ponsonby Swimming Club, formed as the result of a public meeting held on Wednesday last, promises to become a strong organisation in natatorial Circles, lireut interest was taken in the formation of the club, and with the amount of support proffered a prosperous season should be experienced. The reccssity for up-to-date bathing facilities on the waterfrout of the harbour, and for increased accommodation for swimmers by the erection of other public baths, appear io be the only things which prove obstacles to the establishment of many other such clubs, in Parncli, Devonport, anu elsewnere. J. Wolfl'e, who recently made another attempt to swim the Channel, and almost succeeded, wits 15 hours in the water, and was forced to discontinue his efforts when within half-a-mile of Calais. He was then practically exhausted, and before he was brought round oxygen had several times to be administered. At Chester last month a large crowd witnessed a hundred yards invitation race between •). 11. Derbyshire. England's sprint champion, and C. W. Edwards, the Chester champion and Olympic (ihines representative. Both men took the water neatly, and they kept level until the fourth length, when Derbyshire drew away and won by about a yard. ! liis time was (10 1-ssec.. bis opponent ; co\crinfj tbe distance in Clsec. On Angus'. 8, James Mearns, a memier of the Aberdeen A.S.C., entered the w-iter at Dover for bis attempt to swim I the Channel. It was his first experience ,' of this (lifficu't task, and be made an | excedingly bold bid "or success, but I found, like so many others, that the task is a great one. Swimming with a strong right over-hand stroke, he made : opilal progress until about mid-day, when a freshening breeze sprang up and I made the surface of the water very i loppy. Mearns battled determinedly, however, and got to within three miles ■of the I"rcnrh coast, after about sevenI teen hours in the water, when nature I gave out. and he was taken from the ! water in a stale of collapse. He has ', expressed his determination to make a j further attempt. Like -Tabez Wolffe, '..e possesses remarkable resistance to cold, and one of his swims from Aberdeen to Port I.atlioni, a distance of twelve miles, was accomplished with a sea temperature of only 4C.leg.