Show TWO T VO views of Miss Gertrude Ederle Americas America's crack mermaid and sketch I showing the dangerous and tricky English channel that she will attempt to cross from Dover England to Calais France 0 5 c I S 3 By ART CARLSON One Ono of the biggest sportive events on the summer program Irom an Individualistic point of view at least will be the attempt of Miss Silas Gertrude Ederle Americas America's crack mermaid to swim the dangerous channel Miss Ederle to make the effort erfort that has ended In failure for nearly every one ever having tried the feat the latter part of this month or early In August World wide Interest Is being aroused over this 17 year old girls girl's titanic task And her efforts to achieve something that no woman has yet jet et accomplished will willbe willbe willbe be watched closely by the universe In general and In circles in particular ONE OF TOUGHEST TASKS Attempting to swim s the English channel Is s a mountainous job Its It's one of the toughest on the en- en tiro Ure athletic curriculum Its It's H Indeed a real task for formen formen formen men stout of heart and strong of limb let lone alone a amere amere mere meie slip of a lass endeavoring to turn the trick Only five men anon have ever succeeded In negotiating the 20 mile 20 mile stretch between the shores of England and France Three were Americans Captain Americans Captain Mat Mat- Matthew Matthew thew Webb Charles and Henry Sullivan Webb was the first according to reports lIe He got across In itt 1875 An n Englishman named William Burgess was next in 1911 And In the summer of 1923 followed follo ed tho the Enrique and Sullivan In that order made mado the record time 16 hours 35 minutes Three women have been unsuccessful Mrs I J von of Austria hung hun up the premier perform perform- performance ance anee She was In the water 10 hours She was re reported re- re reported reported ported to have haH covered slightly more than half the course Annette Kellerman Australia's sensation of 15 years Jears or so ago swam for six hours until forced to give up owing to sea And Miss Lily Smith of England lasted five 11 hours SHE HAS MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT Miss Ederle's chances In the tricky waters of the channel are problematical of course Many believe shell she'll she II accomplish the feat others think failure awaits her Frankly Frankl she site has the mechanical equipment to get across She Sho has tho the courage the determination the confidence But Dut whether or not she possesses the stamina the endurance required on such an exacting Journey journe is something else again The treacherous tide the changing currents the ice cold water water all all these factors must be taken Into consideration too And any anyone one of them may prove her undoing In her swim from the battery in New Nev York to Sandy Hook she showed she alto must be reckoned with strongly She negotiated the distance in seven sonn hours 11 minutes cutting seven ven minutes off the best time ever made by man on that course which Is slightly short of the stretch from Dover to Calais across the channel MUST GIVE HER CREDIT But Dut her American effort cannot be compared with the channel attempt For the rise and fall of the tide over there is four times greater grealer and fiercer cur- cur I S 1 4 S. S me aI 64 J LN f rents to correspond The water Is considerably cold cole er or And there thore is a nasty chop almost continuously The magnitude of the effort can best Lest be realized realize when It Is mentioned that some of the worlds world's grea great great- est eat long distance men swimmers have been unable to successfully battle the various obstacles encountered encountered encountered In the span of water between the two coasts coast Time and again they have been taken talen taJ en out o otheir otheir of their course when only a short time from the French Frenc shore and have had to give up the attempt Gertrude Ederle may rail fall In her efforts She ma mabe may maybe maybe be unequal to a feat never before attempted by a an American water nymph But nut whether she Is or no not duo lUO credit must be given her for attempting one o othe or of orIbe the Ibe toughest tasks In sportive performances She's at least game and courageous enough to try tn And that's something g. g |