CHANNEL SWIMMERS FAIL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 30 September 1907, Page 1

CHANNEL SWIMMERS FAIL

During the past week two attempts have been made to swim the English Channel (writes a London correspondent under date August 9th), but the task of equalling Captain Webb's feat still remains to be accomplished.; On Monday last Ted Heaton, who essayed to swim the Dover Strait last year, and had to give up after six .hours' immersion, tried again. He made a. better showing than a year ago, but after ten hours and a few minutes ha had to acknowledge himself beaen. The weather was fine, the sea calm as a mill pond, but the swimmer was much bothered by patches of very cold water, and a fit of nausea caused his retirement when he was four and a-half miles from Cape Grisnez.

The second attempt was made by Jabez Wolffe, who started on Monday from the South Foreland Light, somewhere about 11 o'clock in .the morning, and about an hour after Heaton started

from Lyddon Spout. A fortnight: ago Wolffe essayed to swim the Channel, bnt an old, leg injury asserted itself, and after nearly eight and a-half honr!s swiml ming he was compelled to give up. This time his leg was in good shape, and the swimmer made very rapid progress -with a side stroke that he kept going at 24 to 26 per minnte. He had' plenty of company in the water, Weidmann- (the Dover aspirant to Channel , honours), a young lady named Smith, and other swimmers taking turns with him!- whilst a Highland piper on the accompanying tugboat made merry music to -keep up Wolffe's spirits. For ten hours he plugged along comfortably, feedinfe at frequent intervals, and as night tell, the lights of Calais came into .view. Everybody was surprised ,' tot find the French coast so near, for during daylight a heat haze had rendered.it impossible to accurately gauge .the .swimmer's position. Up to the., thirteenth hour Wolffe continued ,to swim. strongly, but- then he began to tire. He stuck to his task, however, and seemed bound to succeed, for he, got within threequarters of a mile of Cape Grisnez, and was by no means "spun out." Then, as bad luck would have it, a south-westerly wind came up)' -the ipafer becamej'popj ply," and try as he would, the swimmer could make no further advance shoreward. He' indeed, began to drift away from the land. For a time/ he 'refused" to be beaten, but shortly after 2 o'clock on Tuesday morning he .turned to his trainer, who was in the tug, and called out, "I'm done." The traijier begged him to try a little longer, and Wolffe did his best to respdijal/fie straggled on for a few minutes longer, arid, then collapsed. Weidroann happily was at hand, and with assistance ' managed' to get a rope round the' swimmer's body. Wdlffo was hauled on .board the' tng, put into a hot bath, and quicltfy recovered. He had been in the water 15 hours and a quarter, and in that time had' covered — swim and drift — about 38 miles. It was a wonderfnlly fine swim,, and, excepting Webb's, equals anything that has been accomplished in the Channel. It is very difficult to gauge the real value of a Channel attempt. The currents that abound in the 20 miles of water that divide England from France may retard or speed a man to such purpose that his swimming may be made to appear either fast or slow; but if there is such a thing as a Channel swimminc record. Wolffe certainly holds it. With

the exception of Holbein he has Kone further than any man, and in, less timr. Holbein's great swim of August, 1902, occupied 22h 21m, during which lime he swam from Cape Grisnez to within three-quarters of a mile of England. Wolffe swam the reverse way, but achieved the same result in 7h smiu less.

Columbia University, to which Professor R. C. Maclaurin, of Victoria College, Wellington, has just" been aped, is noted for its size and status. It has 5000 students, and nearly 400 <professors and lecturers. The mathematical department, to which Professor Maclaurin is going, , is staffed with 13 professors, 8 assistant professors, and 23 lecturers and instructors: The appointment of Prbfessoir Maclaurin to Columbia was not of his < vn seeking. He was approached directly by the university authorities, apt? the offer made was of such a favour ; 'o character that, much as he had wished, and, indeed, as he had; intended . lie could not refuse it. The secret ■ of the , Royal Society (London) y~' "* cd to recommend a man of emu n the scientific world for the app^'tlmcnt, and Professor Maclaurin's 11am" »as at. once selected. Professor Vaclaunn will take a chair which has Ere rpecially created to encourage pc-"' t-iaduate research ill mathematical p'" ■".•'• and that work Professor' Jtfaclom in will do exclusively, having notbins 1 *) do with the ordinary teaching of i.:-.oer-gradu-at«B.