MERCADES GLEITZE ARRIVES THIS WEEK

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6811, 15 January 1929, Page 11

MERCADES GLEITZE ARRIVES THIS WEEK

To Conquer Cook Strait REMARKABLE RECORDS OF FAMOUS SWIMMER Two attempts are to be made to swim Cook strait within the next few weeks. Miss Lily Copplestone, of Ashburton, will be the first to essay tho task, starting next Saturday from Cape Koamaru in the South Island and attempting to end her journey somewhere in the vicinity of Cape Ohau, in tho North Island.” Good swimmer as Miss Copplestono is, she will find her greatest difficulty that of overcoming tho very cold water, which defeated Webster’s attempt last February. But he had been used to swimming in tho warmer waters of the Auckland province, and the cold was too much for him. On tho other hand this trouble may not hinder Miss Copplestone’s success, as women are notably better able to withstand colder temperatures than men. Miss Copplestone, however, is not the only “Richmond” in the field, for an English girl, Miss Mercedes Gleitzc, of proved swimming ability, also ntends to try and swim tho distance between the two islands, and will arrive at Wellington on Thursday by the Corinthic for the purpose. Longs for Warm Water.

Miss Gleitze has como into world prominence because of her pluck and endurance as a long-distanco swimmer. Just prior to leaving England on December 7, on the Corinthic, she stated to a newspaper representative that s-ke was tired of bathing in cold water, and that she longed to try “the warmer conditions of New Zealand’s sea.” In this she will probably be disappointed, as the waters of Cook strait are wellknown to be very cold, and just as the English seas are open to the icy waters Of the North Polar regions, so are New Zealand’s sea areas smlarly open to the South Pole. In the summer of 1922 Alisa Mercedes Gleitze made her first attempt to conquer the English Channel, and she tried on; eight occasions bofore she attained her ambition. She claimed to have succeeded on October 7, 1928, but as tho swim was not officially tested, and some doubt was cast on her Channel performance by Dorothy Logan’s confession as to her own Channel swim hoax, Miss Gleitze made another trial in icy water on October 22.” The accompanying boat was manned by pressmen .and official witnesses. After swimming for over ten hours she was taken out of the water exhausted when a little over five miles from Dover. Reward of Perseverance. Miss Gleitze then proceeded to Gibraltar, with the intention of swimming tho straits, a feat never before accomplished. She had a Competistr in the person of Miss Millie Hudson, another typist, and the two swimmers left England in the same steamer. Miss Hudson, however, failed to achieve the feat, and returned homo. Miss Gloitze’s first effort was made from Tangier on December 16, 1927, but she gave up when half-way across. On January 2, 1928, sho got to within a mile of Tarifa, but was overcome by tho cold. On January 25 she was nearly drowned in her third attempt, being caught in a whirlpool. Other unsuccessful attempts were made on March 12 and April 3, the latter effort being from Tarifa; sho gave up when about a mile from tho Moorish coast.

But victory came on April 5. Sho started from Tarifa, the most southerly point of Spain, and arrived at Punta Leona, on tho coast of Morocco, after swimming for 12 hours 50 minutes. “I entered tho water at 7.55 a.ra. on the morning of April 5,” she said, after she landed. “After fifteen minutes I almost decided to. return owing to the rough sea and unfavourable tide. I swam on, however, and, the tide becoming gradually moro favourable, I began to make good progress. The water continued rough. During tho last four and a-half hours of the swim it was raining all the time. | Host of Witnesses. “Two fishing smacks carried about 60 Spanish witnesses. Feeling very fit I swam steadily, being caried up and down the straits until I landed at a deserted spot on the Moroccan coast after a 12J hours’ swim. In tho middle of the straits it was very rough owing to a freshening wind, but I struggled through, using the breast stroke. I was ravenously hungry the whole of the time. There is no doubt about the authenticity of my swim. Sixty or seventy people would not lie about it. Nono but the malicious-minded can question it. A fulled affidavit, signed by a large number of witnesses who are being sworn, will be forwarded to me. These signatures will include Dr. B-eni-gio Espinosa, my medical atcndnnt,! Professor Mora Roja, and eight others j who were in the roiving boat. There was no Englishman aboard except Air Henry Solis, who is the son of a retired Britisher.” j Armed with a jagged fragment of | rock from Alorocco and a handful of I Moroccan sand, Aliss Gleitze returned to Tarifa by boat. Sho was greeted '• with the strains of “God Save the King,” from a band and by eheerinng crowds. Apparently tho actual distance swum was 24 miles, although by direct line it is only nine miles. During this summer Aliss Gleitze was ar, Blackpool taking part in swimming carnivals, and then she went to Ireland hoping to conquer the Irish Channel. But after four atempts she decided to

give up because of the intensely cold water. “I just long to feel some warmer water in New Zealand,” she saidio* “far removed from ice floes from the North Pole.” Irish Channel Next.

Miss Gleitzo was asked how wide Cook straits hight be. “Ninety miles ar tho widest parts,” said tho dauntless swimmer, “but I would cross at the narrowest, whero it is sixteen.” Whereupon Miss Gleitze smiled with that wistful bewilderment which is said to have made a remarkable effect upon tho grandees' of Tangiers. , Miss Gleitze says that sho has heard so much about the Alaoris that she longs to see them, and what sho has heard of the Dominion ' has inspired her with enthusiasm. She was born at Brighton, in the South of England, and learned to swim there before she was ten years old. She was educated at the East Hoc Higher Grade- school and went to London eight years ago, w'herc she follows the calling of a typist. She has never been keen on attempting speed records, her interest being in long distance events, If successful in crossing Cook strait she intends to return to England, and will then make a further” attempt to swum the Irish channel, w'hicli lias so far defeated her.