SWIMMING THE CHANNEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19419, 30 August 1926, Page 9

SWIMMING THE CHANNEL.

MARRIED, WOMAN'S FEAT. A NATURALISED AMERICAN. FINANCIER WINS £20,000. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. (Received 7.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z.-Reuter. LONDON, Aug. 29. Another American woman, Mrs. Covson. has succeeded in swimming the linglisl) Channel from Cape Grisnez to Dover. She accomplished the feat in 15 hours 38 minutes. Mrs. Corson entered the water at Cape Grisnez' at 11.32 p.m. on Friday and stepped ashore at Dover at 3.10 p.m. on Saturday. She began strongly at a rate of 19 strokes a minute. She had partaken of a breakfast of cocoa and loaf sugar and chocolate. Her husband accompanied her in a boat. The. last four miles were gruelling, but, Mrs. Corson fought her way through the flood-tide. She was exhausted when she reached the shore and staggered into the arms of friends. She beat the refcord ot any man for the feat, but her time was about' an hour behind that of Miss Gertrude Ederle on August 6.

Mrs, Corson was born in Denmark, but is a naturalised American. She is 27 years old and . the mother of two children. Prior to entering the water she said: "You can bet your life I will swim the Channel. What do you think I left my husband and children for ? You make me feel homesick asking me if I can do it."

Mrs. Corson attributes the sound state of her health to the fact that she does not drink alcoholic liquor, or smoke, or keep late hours. She said: "There you have it in a nutshell." .

A message from New York says Mr. Walter Lissburg, a tyre dealer, financed Mrs. Corson's swim and the cost of her training period. He had placed a bet of £IOOO at odds of 20 to 1 with Lloyds that Mrs. Corson would swim the Channel before September 1. He has therefore won £20,000. Mr. Lissburg has now issued a challenge on behalf of Mrs. Corson to "everybody concerned," Miss Ederle included, to swim around Manhattan Island for a purse of £SOOO. Miss Ederle's adviser says he will consider the challenge when he has received it.

The Sunday News says Mr. Lissburg intends to give Mrs. Corson £SOOO.

The following is a list of the swimmers who have succeeded in swimming the English Channel:—

1875, August 24-25.—Captain Matthew Webb (Dover to Calais). Time, 21h. 45m.

1911.—September 5-6.—Thomas N. Burgess (South Foreland to Le Chatelet, near Cape Grisnez). Time, 22h. 35m. 1923, August 6.—Henry Sullivan (Dover to Calais). Time, 27h. 25m. _ . 1923, August 11.—Enrique Sebastian Tiraboschi (Calais td Dover). Time, 16h. 23m. ' ■ '

1923, September B—C. Toth (Calais to Dover). Time, 16h. 58m. 1926, August 6.—Miss Gertrude Ederle (Cape Grisnez to Kingsdown, Kent). Time, 14h. 34m.

, 1926, .August 27-28.—-Mrs. Corson (Cape Grisnez to Dover). Time, 15h. 38m.