WAS GAME, BUT HAD NO CHANCE

NZ Truth, Issue 1210, 7 February 1929, Page 5

WAS GAME, BUT HAD NO CHANCE

A CRY of "Cheerio" through the darkness, a splash, and the attempt by Lily Copplestone at swimming Cook Strait, postponed because of bad weather from a fortnight before, had begun. It was after midnight last Friday. At least 15 hours of swimming . lay ahead of the girl from Ashburton. Fifty-six minutes later, without having been given a chance of proving whether her swimming powers were equal to the task or not, she was lifted back into the dinghy that was showing her the way, beaten by the cold. Lily Copplestone had left Ashburton on the previous Tuesday, travelling from Christchurch to Picton on Wednesday. On Thursday morning she left -Picton for Te Awaiti, the bay just inside Tory Channel that is the centre of the Sounds Whaling industry. There she stayed with W. Toms, an old whaler, who knows everything there is to know about the treacherous currents and tide-rips of the ; Straits, and who was going to set her course for her and row the dinghy that was. to accompany her.. • She swam for a little while m. the afternoon, and then had. a good sleep that lasted till nine o'clock at night. Toms declared that it. was unlikely that Cook Strait Would again be m such a gentle moodasitwas just then fop some time, and Lily decided that she would make her attempt. Physically, she was as fit as could be. She had had all the sleep that was necessary, all arrangements had been made, and, m short, it seemed that she had been unusually lucky. Was Soon}Sea-sick A launch set out from Picton about 8.30 p.m. carrying R. S.. Rhind, who was going to represent the N.Z. Swimming Council, a few friends and reporters. At Te Awaiti it stopped to pick up the swimmer, her mother and Toms. Wellington Head, which is on the South Island, just at the entrance to Tory Channel, was the spot from which Toms had decided that Miss Copplestone should leave. Going out of the channel ■ towards this spot there was a bit of a sea running because of the tide coming m, and when the launch struck the rough patch, Miss Copplestone was sea-sick. In spite of that, however, she was feeling very confident when the launch reached the Head. Covered all over with black. grease and wearing waterproof goggles, she stepped into the dinghy with Rhind and Toms, seeming very glad that this time there was going to be no postponement of the attempt. She was landed from tne small boat, and dived into the sea at once striking out strongly behind the dinghy, which was pointing towards Cape Terawhiti. It was then 12.20, just about an hour before full-tide. ■•■.-. ■ A start made at this time, - Toms considered, would give the swimmer the best chance, for though the first two hours would be hard, after that the tide would be helping all the time. It is probable that had the swim|||||||||||l!lllllillllllllllllll!llllllll!lll!llllllllllllllllllllll!ll!llll!llllllllllllllllll!llll!ll

"I'M FROZEN STIFF"

Too Much Publicity Did No Good to Lily Copplestone Who Tried The Straits WILL WEBSTER BE FIRST?

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Correspondent.)

Lily Copplestone has been unfortunate m having received so much publicity before she made her attempt to swim Cook Strait, so that all New Zealand now realizes that her attempt failed almost as soon as it started. It is doubtful, however, if anyone could have done much better. Webster, swimming m the daytime instead of at a time when the vitality of the human body is supposed to be at its lowest, did not stay m a great deal longer, and his physical condition when he gave up was much worse than that of Miss Copplestone. / She could undoubtedly have gone on longer, but to. do so would have been foolish once she knew that she could make no real impression on that long and tide-swept stretch of water. ■■'■■ The estimated distance covered, one and a-quarter miles, was

short, but it was expected that the first two hours would be hard swimming. .

mer been able to stay m the water long enough, this theory would have proved very sound, for men who have depended on their knowledge of the tides for their living are not likely to make any mistakes. The launch was kept moving very slowly, generally about 50 yards or a little less from the dinghy which the swimmer was following, though occasionally it went close alongside.

It was quite evident that the swimmer was getting along well, for Toms had to keep his oars going all the time.

Previously the swimmer had asked one of the younger men on the launch to get m and swim with her for even a short distance, as there was no firstrate swimmer on the launch to give her this encouragement. This was surely a bad miss m the

organization, which was probably traceable to lack of finance. The friend, who started on his first effort at pacing when Miss Copplestone had gone about 200 yards, stayed m the water only a very few minutes. He found it not as easy as it looked. Though the swell was not very high, and' there was practically no break, the smack of the top of the swell often gave the swimmer a mouthful of salt water. . Still she kept on, swimming strongly m the wake of the dinghy. When the powerful spotlight on the deck of the launch was not m operation, Rhind shone an electric torch on the water m front of the girl. . Afterwards she said that the light was the only thing she could see through her goggles. When the launch was fifty yards or so from the dinghy, the only thing those on board it could see of the swimmer was the yellow dot of her bathing cap m the middle of the patch of light shown by the torch. When the. spotlight was turned on, it showed a brilliant path out on the sea, with Toms at his unenviable task of keeping the dingy moving steadily m the swell. - "Is it cold," he called. "Cold's not the word for it," the girl answered, but quite cheerfully. The 1 young man who had been m before decided to try it again, but found the water too cold. He was m only for between five and ten minutes, and when he came' out he was certain that Miss Copplestone could not stay m for more than an hour. Though he was well rubbed down, As Cold As Ice and then wrapped himself up well, it was not for half an hour that he said he was warm again. A little later Lily could be heard from the launch talking to Toms and telling him she was "frozen stiff." He advised her to get out if she thought she could not stay the distance. A few, minutes later at 1.18, she decided to take his advice and she was pulled on to the dinghy and then transferred to the launch. The attempt' had failed m less than one fifteenth of "the time that Lily Copplestone would have had to stay m the water had she been successful. Almost unconscious, and as cold as ice to the touch, the girl did. not appear to be at all exhausted, for she had been swimming strongly right up to the last. Rubbed down and covered up warmly, it was not long before she was fast asleep. Toms considers that the first two hours would have to be hard swimming if any claimant for Cook Strait. laurels wants to, get the best conditions for the greater Kart;",6f::tiie ! .distance. He ha'dVsaid : before the swim began, "If sheu.can : stand tbe cold, she'll do it," and he? still ..believes that it would have beeh'/so. \ Lily Copplestone herself believes that no. one will ever swim the Strait. The cold, she says, is £00 great for the human'body to stand for long. What will Webster say if he does, start next week? . ... dlli!lll|[|||llllil!lililllllllllllllilii!!l!IIIW