CHANNEL SWUM.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 136, 11 June 1927, Page 12

CHANNEL SWUM.

BY CZECHOSLOVAK. Crossed in Record Time but Kept It To Himself. M I WANTED TO BE FIRST." (By Cable.—Fress Association.—Copyright.) (Received 2 r.m.) LONDOX. June 10. A young Czecho-Slovakian is supposed to have swum the English Channel. and. n.oreover, in record time, without anybody knowing the fact until he himself revealed ir. \ oncelas Spacek. interviewed by the British United Press in Paris, said: "I warned to be the first this year, but I wish I had waited until the water was warmer. I left Prague on Sunday, and arrived at Calais on Tuesday. I went to bed at seven o'clock on Wednesday evening, and was awakened at midnight. '"I started the swim at three o'clock on Thursday morning. The waves were soon whipped up by a breeze. Once I struck a log, hurting siy stomach. I was most distressed when my companion. Dvorecek. had to give up after six hours. However. I was getting stronger, and the waves seemed to be getting smaller." Emulating Lindburgh? '•'My food consisted of powdered chocolate and three bananas." He said he landed at Dover at 1.45 on Thursday afternoon, after 19| hours, which is the best time. Michel's record was 11 hours 5 minutes, and was made in September last year.

The United Press says the Czecho-Slo-vakian Legation in Paris says there is no confirmation yet from Dover. Spacek may or may not have thought he would emulate Lindbergh's lone, unexpected dash. Certainly his methods were uncosiventienal. He did not use glasses, ■with the result that he became temporarily blind. He was only rubbed with two pounds of grease. "I consider it useless,*' he said. '"I kept warm by fast swimming.''