Page
SENSATIONS.
OF SPORT
THE CHINA MAIL TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1981.
Page 9 *
FIRST MAN TO SWIM THE CHANNEL
But not even
even Webb could master Niagara
By FRANK WRIGHT
The bruised and battered corpse was fished out of the water at Lewiston, seven miles below the tempestuous Niagara Falls, It was clothed only in a pair of scarlet silk trunks, but they were enough to establish identity.
Those red silk trunks, so well known in 1883, told that the raging, watery avalanche had claimed its most famous victim Shropshire-born Matthew Webb, sea-captain and swimmer extraordinary. He had died in a suicidal attempt to swim the roaring rapids and whirlpool below the Falls.
daredevil Fearless.
Webb Spent the best gret of life at-
isiting essational fons as swinter.
As a 10-year-old, he divrit Into the River Severn to save one of his seven brothers from drowning. Later he rescued r:tÇrunfts kate had fallen overboard from a steaner In The Mersey.
Crazy mission
In 1874, bo wo the first medad awarded Stilope golễ by the Royal Home Scentsy for swimming nearly half an hour in an Aonte jade in a effent lo cease a seaman Blow
over bomul
Sports Diary
Pulche
TODAY
MEETING
meeting, Urban
Council
Chamber, HK Seinash Rarkets, 3.30
J
ROWLS
Laitten! Pales second round matches
at Beerem, KCC, KAGO, PRC, 520 pin.
GOLF
But of at Captain Webb's none compared during deeds, with น
his historic feat of eu- durance in August 24, 1875.
wehr-
Barly that afternoon, ing the same red trunks in which he died, the bold captain dived off the end of Dover Pier and struck out for the coast of Francosome 21 miles away.
A
in
direction.
the
cam-
But, Eradually, the long swim developed into a night- marish Journey. alung by Jellyfish, swept miles Dit course by the ide, and weakened by cold and fatizue,
Wouldn't give up
in
A 11 pm, clearly visible the bright moonlight, he was twelve and a half mths from South Foreland, only eight from Cup Gris Nez. But the tide was gainst him new and stroke ru-
It seemed a crazy mission. Ne symmer had yet conquered the English Channel in the face of as gen-sicknest, sch hazards bitter cold, fogs, stops, plete exhaustion, variable tides quired great effort.
and encounters with shouls of
Soon he was so extusted and Jellyfsit.naking
so little progress that Stinging earfish and
the Morever, Webb had chosen to
guardian Jugger's crLw difficult ITATE
Prepared to pull him out of the water. But Webb refused to give up, and as the Culuis boat pass-
great cheer from the passengers. Nor did he have the advan- tage of the fast and
Hours went by and slowly the powerful wwww stroke. Like everyone marathen swimmer came nearer Then the tide else in those days, Cap! Webb Cap Gris Nez. turned
was he the slow, patieal cruelly wwar with Last-struku.
being curried Castward, towards Calais. Many extra miles were Fadded to his journey.
Nightmare journeyed by, he was encouraged by a
The barrel-chusted English- in started well, making good thue with the aid of the tide.
Chintre Cup, at Deep Water Day. Accompanied by a lugger Dam,
TOMORROW SOCCER
Shloki: quarter-finaly Stanley semi-finals and final AKFS Kround, 0.20 pm
BOWLS
Drd Division: KBGC 11KCC, 5.15 pn.
ARCHERY
Summer League First cound at BAF Ko Tak, Sighters 60 p
MADDOCKS BY Four D. Jones
ZIP UP YER SKIN,
KID. WE'VE GOT A MAN TO SEE. LET'S SPEND THE DAY „TALKING MONEY
and,
i
for a mile or so, by an inquisi- tive perpulse. be maintained a Floody rate of 22 strokes a minate,
and
Verge of collapse
By Binte
o'clock In the morning-20 hours after he lud divid eft Dover Pier Webb was almest within a mile of the boat, French roast, A nali pocket by Je-came out and shielded him for a belf-temu, | slightly from the wind
old white," but Webb's worst- urval
I was just beginning.
From
Bendant The was sustained Webb masinaval heipings of c-liver uil brantly, and not coIERI.
CAROVE, KID WE
GOT WORK 10 DO
WHO IS THIS MAN - AND |WHAT MONEY
MATE
LIKE
AFE AGENT CALLED JIM THE GREEN]
MAN
BUT SURELY I'M S
TREK
NOT READY I'VE ALCATE AGENT
NO TRAINING
=
As the Calais bont passed by, he was cheered on by the passengers..
He seemed to be making no goggles, real progresa
as be
struggled and
weather forecasting turned to long-distance swim- selentie knowledge of ming with a 50-mije effort from
to Woolwich The Last, andy-wreking tides, he had achieved what one! Graveseni mife. Any moaient he appear-medical expert hus since back.
Over
ed likely to collapse with ex- described as "possibly the grent-
lest feat of endurance haustion.
world of sport."
But still be pushed forward with tired strokes. Que eye- witness wrole that he showed "the courage af a man who would rather sink thaj elve up."
Fetod in Landan
That fusi mile look Webb more than an hour and a half to Then, as his feet complete. touched the bottom, he began to struger towards the shore and had to be assisted up the beach. His epic swim had lasted 21 hours 45 minutes.
in the
and
Against all advice
of
SPORTSMEN IN THE NEWS
The young champion of "an old man's game'
By RICHARD BERRY
When Peter Line was a toddler, one of his plea- sures was to roll oranges along the carpet of the living room in his home.
It was a good game, which no doubt most toddlers would enjoy, should they possess such tolerant
mothers as Mrs Line.
The game Was tolerated in Bowls la not a game that al- Peter Line's house because I tracts much attention in the was hoped that one day he ¦ British newspapers, if it is would bowl, not an orange over mentioned at all, it gets pushed a carpet, but a wood across a down the page along with such bowling green.
netivities as archery and pigeon racing, well away from reports The piher day, tolerance had of the fan games like soccer and its reward. Peter Lige won cricket.
the top honour in the bawiing | world, 10 singles eḥampion- ship of the English Bowling Association ai Morilakč.
No fluke
Yet it is often played with
a delermination and a will to win that players in more popular sports could copy. In this atmosphere Peter Line His behaves with authority. At 30, he is a
young man spectacles soften the rugged take the title in need to
lines of his face, his height gives what is regarded as an elder him a gangiing appearance that man's game. But his success belies his sinewy body with its was not u fluke. He was the strong, clever bowler's hands.
His pleasant personality dis
sporting En grandfather Hulses a Twelve dass carlier, Webb Then followed a series
were excellent players-and no aggressiveness which has, per tind piade his frat hij 19 swim swimming and diving exhibi-
doubt put
on Peterhops, been best cummed up by the Channel, giving up affer | tions, including
00-hour
coach Line's mother over that orange the American baseball nearly seven hours when a
ink at the Royal swim in a
Leo Durocher ("Nice guys finish Peter bowied business. Westminster Aquarium and first wood on a green when he storm broke. Now he was a
last") and Australian cricket contest national hero, feled op both :ix-day
of Lambeth sides of the Channel.
captain Richle Benund ("I hate Baths, which he won with 01
was only alx years old,
being beaten"}, ARIA CRITE of 74 miles, after more than 08 aux a half hours in the watge.
a
favourite.
His father
pressure
By his twenties, Line, a p expert in the Civil Servies, was respected for his prowess on greens all over Britain.
He was entertained by the Lord Mayor of London, made, guest of honour at innumerable public functions, given nearly But all these stunts paled in For three YOUTH, he W29 £2,500 raised by public sub-comparison with the glamour selected to represent Euglund
scriptions.
of
Last
of being the first conqueror
in bowling internationals. One hundred swimmers have the Channel. He was a Hillary year he was dropped, but there
without an Everest and in swimming longed to achieve another "Imat Mortlake since succéggled
he is no doubt that with his suceess he has won back
the Channel, the majority'
!
fest" which
the easter France to England possible Bruised by the constant slap-
direction. But such was Webb's amaze the world, ping of water against his face great pioneering effort that his and neck, the exhausted Webb confessed: "1 felt distressed over the last two miles and would not have given anything for my chances."
feal was not emulated in either direction for another 38 years and more than 70 people tried. His me
tai Eroni England France was not healea for near- ly 60 years.
Webb
loved the role of
At
becolite the 27, he had first nun to cross the Channel strictly under his own power. national hero, After several Without such modern
bids as 'years of basking in fume, he re-
I BID YOU KIND
| GREETINGS, JIM
THE GREEK-A
WORD IN YOUR
| LOVABLE BAR,
CLAMBAKE, I CAN HEAR THE RING OF YOUR CASH REGISTER BRAIN FROM HERE
SHEAFFER'S Imperiat 1
ballpoint with"Reminder clip
would his place in the England team.
So, on July 24, 1883, the reckless, danger-loving sea- capialn donned
those old swimming trunks for the lani time, and, against all advice, sjuhboruly dived into the 39 mph current beneath Nlacara Fails.
For hundreds of yurds he was swept through the rapids at a fearful pace; then, as he lifted his arms in a gesture of hope lessness, he was drawn into the sinister whirlpool never to be seen alive again. He was just 35 years old,
All rights reservad
Channel attempt abandoned
Dover Sept. 18. Dogna Sahlo, a 30-year-old Turkish civil engineer. tonight abandoned his attempt to swin front France to England, after being 151⁄2 hours in the water He was buffeted by rough seas. and only reaching mid-Channel,
Sahin, who is from Istanbul, tried the Channel earlier this year when lie swam for 12 hours 155 minutos without completing
the trip. AP.
auccessful
(All rights reserved)
CHESS
By LEONARD BARDEN
02
Here is a problem by B. J. de C. Andrade (Observer, 1034). White to play and mate in two | moves.,
London apres Service.
FERDINAND
J1484
THE TROUBL
WITH YOU MAN, I
YOU AIN'T GOT CONFIDENCE
TO WHAT DO I OWE
THIS PLEASURE - AND WHAT'S
IT GOING TO COST ME?
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