MISS GLEITZE SUCCEEDS

Taranaki Daily News, 9 April 1928, Page 7

MISS GLEITZE SUCCEEDS

GIBRALTAR STRAITS SWUM PLUCKY FIGHT FOR 24 MILES SIXTY WITNESSES SWEAR By Telegraph—Press As&i.—Copyright. A. and N.Z. Madrid, April fl. Miss Mercedes Gleitze told newspaper correspondents at Tarifa and Tangier© that she swam th© Straits of Gibraltar yesterday. Despatches published in the Madrid newspapers to-day said that Mils Gleitze started her fourth attempt to swim the hitherto unconquered straits from Aloma Island, off Aarifa at 8.55 in tho morning, arid arrived at Punta Leona, off th© African coast at 9.20 it night, taking 12 hours 25 minutes for the journey, which is pproximately 15 miles.

Mies Gleitze then told the correspondents that she swam the straits and returned to Tarifa by boat at midnight. She reiterated the statement, and added: “The first hours seemed as though I would make no progress at all; but in the afternoon and evening I improved, and felt that I would succeed. I finished without difficulty.” Miss Gleitze returned to Gibraltar and produced a certificate signed by 00 people, all Spaniards, who witnessed her swim, alto ' the military _ governor of Tarifa, testifying to th© genuineness of her claim; : ' i

The statement of the military commander at Tarifa says: “Before God and on my honour Miss Gleitze swam from the lighthouse at Tarifa Point, landing at Punta Leona.”

Miss Gleitze says none but the malicious can question the swim. She was accompanied by two .fishing smacks and rowing boats, th© crew of the latter feeding her, playing a gramophone and singing. She apparently swam 21 miles. Direct th© distance is nine miles.

Miss Gleitte made her third attempt to swim the Straits of Gibraltar on January 24.' After' swimming for five hours she was caught in a whirlpool and .nearly drowned and abandoned th© swim. On landing Miss Gleitze seemed very upset, but showed no signs of exhaustion. * In describing her adventure she said: “It was terrible. I had just completed tho fifth hour and was getting set, though the continued darkness (for there was no moon) was making me rather sleepy. I had made good progress when suddenly I was seized by th© whirlpool and irresistibly draggea down and down in spite of frantic struggles. I screamed, and as my head went under I felt the side of th© boat. It was the end, and a very bitter en l, too, but better than being defeated by bad weather or adverse currents.” In her fourth attempt Miss Gleitze started at noon on March 11 from Cape Tarifa, 15 miles south-west of Gibraltar. She gave up that attempt when sb© was 1J miles from tho African coast. She was then in an exhausted condition, having been in the water 7 hours 45 minutes. The water was choppy in the-later stages of the swim. Subsequently th© plucky girl announced that she would make one more effort to accomplish the feat. Mies Gleitze swam th© English Channel from France to South Foreland on October 7-8 last year. She was in the water 15 hours 15 minutes. She had made seven previous unsuccessful attempts to perform that feat. Subsequently she failed again in an attempt to retrieve the honour of English women swimmers after the hoax perpetrated by Dr. Dorothy Logan.