A DIFFICULT SWIM

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 240, 11 July 1928, Page 17

A DIFFICULT SWIM

ACROSS BRISTOL CHANNEL ACCOMPLISHED BY E. H. TEMME (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, July 9. The Bristol Channel, where tides and currents uro particularly complicated and strong, was swum yesterday by K. H, Temme, the Loudon insurance clerk who swam the English Channel last August. Temme crossed from Penarth, Glamorgan, to a point near Weston-super-Mare, in 6 Hours 35 minutes, thus beating by 40 minutes the time taken by the girl swimmer, Kathleen Thomas, who accomplished tlic feat last year. Miss Thomas was yesterday in the tug accompanying Temple. The distance across is about twelve miles, but Temme swam aboiit twenty miles, most of the way in rough water. [There have, been many attempts to cross the Bristol Channel, but such are the great difficulties in the way of success that very few of tho swimmers have got. beyond half-way. Although the distance is approximately 12 miles, those who have succeeded have had to cover a much longer course owing to the dangerous currents, with seven rivers running into the channel, and the tide one of the highest in the Wdrld. > Tho records show that only three attempts to cross the Bristol Channel have been successful. On August 26, 1912, W. W. Francis entered the water at the Outer Wrack Buoy, Penarth, and swam to a point beyond a line drawn from Newport Lighthouse to the Bell Buoy, a distance of about thirteen miles, in four hours 32 minutes. Miss Kathleen Thomas, of Penarth, swain from Penarth to Weston-super-Mare, at tho beginning of last September, in seven hours twenty minutes, accomplishing tho feat on this course for the first time in histbry. She was twenty years of age at the time. Her record has been beaten by Temme,’ the only other swimmer to complete the journey. Temme gained the distinction of being the first to swim the English Channel from France Isst season, his time being 14 hours' .2(1 minutes. He succeeded at his first attempt. Temme, who captains Lloyd’s Swimming Club, is twenty-two years of age, stands 6ft. 2in. in his socks, and weighs 25st. 111 b. He is known as-a sprinter as well as-a .distance swimmer.]