SWIMMING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 12, 27 December 1911, Page 4

SWIMMING.

Ladies swimming over long distances is evidently becoming very popular in the United States. Miss Kellie Schmidt, of Alameada, and Mrs Beulah Soderer, of Santa Cruz, contested the mile championship of Californi i on September 9th, and the former won in 48min Bsec. The course was open water, and the sea fairly rough, so that the time is hardly a guide. Miss Rose Pitonoff recently accomplished a very line performance by swimming from the Battery, New York, to Steeplechase Park, Coney Island ; and as a consequence the same performance is being attempted by at least six other ladies of New York. Several other long swims are also recorded, among which is one by Miss Alice Aykroyd, who swam from Charlestown Bridge to Boston light, a distance of nine miles “as the crow Hies,” owing to tides and cross rips the swimmer had to travel twice as far. Some few years back Australian lady swimmers attempted several long distance swims in Brisbane, Melbourne, and in West Australia, but the idea has been dropped lately for the shorter and more popular sprint races.