The times dispatch. [volume], October 26, 1913, Image 55

About The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
({T AM going to swim the Channel
I In order to demonstrate thatv
"*? woman la the physical equal
of man. I am going to put a stop
forever to all this twaddle about the
weaker 6ex. Yes, I am a firm, be
liever in WomarvSuffrage."
So declares Miss Lily Smith, -who
la known up and down England as
the peer of all lady swimmers in
Great Britain, and who is frequentlv
referred to as the "English Water
Lily." You may pick up your morn
ing paper on any one of the remain
ing days of this month to read a
Ixmdon dispatch telling of Miss
Smith's success In swimming across
from Dover to Calais, for she intends
to try it before tho first November
morn makes its appearance
Miss Smith is a Buffragette, yet
does not advocate the throwing of
hatchets at prime ministers or the
smashing in of plate-glass windows
In order to get the vo'.e. Other
women may pursue the militant
course, even her two athletic sisters,
If they wish, but by demonstrating
that the sexes are physically equal?
Intellectual equality she takes for
granted?she expects to be of better
service toward winning the franchise
for her sex. "~
The distance between Dover and
Calais Us twenty-eight miles, and
were it a question of distance alone
Miss Smith's task would be an easy
one, but the Channel waters are
treacherous, embracing as they do
many currents and counter currents.
Only two human beings have suc
ceeded in swimming across this bit
of water that has made the history
of England what it Is, the first person
having succeeded having b?n the
famous American swimmer, Captain
."Webb. He did so In 187o Just a few
years before he lost his life in an
attempt to ewlm the Niagara Rapids.
In 1911, thlrty-slx years after Cap
Oh, Yes; She Understood. '
A teacher in on? of the publlo
Schools was endeavoring to impress
? pon her pnpils the fact that a plural
subject taken a verb in the plural.
"Remember this," oho said, "girls
are, boys are: a girl is, & boy la. Now
do you understand It?"
Every hand in the room was raised
in assent.
"Well, then," continued the teacher,
"who can give me a sentence with
girls?plural, remember?"
This time one hand waif rained, and
that belonged t?o a pretty little miss.
"Please, ma'am," she said, with all the
assurance of a primitives reasoning, "I
can give a sentence. 'Girls, are my
hat on straluM?' "
Not a Racehorse.
A man was attending to his motor.
"Trouble?" asked a bystander.
"A little," was the laconic answer.
"What power car is it?"
"Forty horse," came the answer.
"What seems tx> be the matter
with it?"
"Well, from the way she acts. I
should say that thirty-nlno of tho
horses were dead."
A Glad Relief.
"TKank Heaven, those bills are got
rid of," eabj Bllkins fervently, as he
tore up a buvidlo of statements of ac?
counts dated May 1.
"All paid, el:?" said Mrs. Bllkins.
*'Oh, no," said Bllkins. "The dupll.
cates dated,Juno 1 have come in, and
I don't have to keep those auy
longer,"
tain Webb establlsned his unique
record, the feat was again ^accom
plished, this time by a Yorkshire
blacksmith named William Burgess,
but between the date of Webb's suc
cess and that of the Englishman's
swimmers Innumerable have had
their tries at it, only to be helped
out of the water before the French
shore was reached. Not all of them
were men, for at least two women
have had their chances at it. They
were Annette Kellermann and Rose
Pltlnof. It is seen, therefore, that if
the "English Water Lily" crosses
successfully she will have Just rea
son to be proud.
She lias tried it once. On Septem
ber 11, 1912, she dived from the gov
ernment pier at Dover :and started
out with a strong stroke for the
other side and kept at it for six and
one-quarter hours, but then, like Miss
Kellermann, she was overcome with
seasickness and had to give it up.
Nevertheless, she had covered a dis
tance of twenty miles in that time,
which is something of a record In
itself.
Honors have come to Miss Smith
and other members of her family so
often, however, that their novelty
has worn off. Her father fa James
G. Smith, a superintendent in the
London County Council Fire Depart
ment, and wears many medals for
bravery and life saving. Two years
ago he made his way through smoke
and ammonia fumes in order to res
cue three men who were entrapped
in a burning refrigerating plant, and
for the deed won the plaudits of all
London. But he Is a man who would
rather not talk of his own triumphs
and prefers to epeak of those of his
daughters, for Lily's sisters, the
^ . v f-f ;
How the Channel Has Baffled All but Two Swimmera.
Only Two of tho Countless Attempts to Swim th? EnglUh Channel Havo Succeeded. Captain Webb, (A), an American, First Accomplished tho
Feat in 1875 and He Was Followed 36 Year? Later by William Burgess, (B), an Englihsman. Annette Kellerman, (E) Gave It Up After
Going 20 Miles and Rose Petanoff Also Failed. Wolffe, an English Swimmer, (D), Covered 17 Miles of the Distance and Lily Smith, Who
Is Now Going to Mako Another Attempt, Onco Camo Within Eight Miles of Reaching Calais.
Miss Lily Smith, One of England's Prettiest and
Most Athletic Suffragettes, Who Will Brave the
Treacherous Currents of the Channel to
Prove That Woman Is Man's Physical Equal
Miss Lily
Smith
?nd 'Her
Sisters
Gwendoline
and Nellie
Who Are
Almost as
Much at
Home in
the Water as
She Is.
Rose Pitonoff, the American Swimmer, on Her Unsuccessful
Attempt to Swim the English Channel.
Misses Nellie and Gwendoline, aa
well as herself, have won medals
again and again for feats In the
water.
Lily had earned the title of "Cham
pion of all London" before ahe was
fifteen years old by virtue of her
success In many competitions. Dur
ing her sixteenth year ahe'swam for
five hours eide by side with Jabez
Wolffe, who was at the time at
tempting to cross the Channel. The
young girl's daring on this occasion
was quite disquieting to her father,
for though he knew that she was a
capable swimmer he did not like the
Idea of seeing her sporting in such
treacherous waters for euch a length
of time.
He and his daughter were on the
tugboat that was accompanying
"WolfTe, and when they left the Eng
lish shore no one in the party sus
pected that Lily intended to enter
the water, even though she was
wearing a bathing suit. Suddenly,
when they were half way across, she
announced that she would try to
swim to land and dived overboard.
Both she and WolPe had to give up
the struggle, however, for a Btrong
wind came up and, blowing In exactly
the opposite direction than that fol
lowed by the current, kicked up such
rough water that for the most of the
time the swimmers
could not be seen by
those on the tug.
In her seventeenth
year MIsb Smith made
the flfteen-mile ewim
from Richmond to
Blackfriar3 Bridge, in
the Thames. She was
pitted against thirty
four men at the time
and crossed the finish
line ahead of twenty
five men, having cover
ed the distance in four
hours and nine minutes.
This was in 1907, and
that marks the date of
the flrBt swimming com
petition in which wo
men and men were
both entered. She made
equally good showings over the
same course in 1908 and 1909.
She first made England elt up and
take notice when, in 1910, she cov
ered twenty miles through rough
water In six hours and thirty-five
minutes. She started at Dover,
Btruck out for Ramsgate and then
came back down the Channel to Deal.
This was the most remarkable feat
accomplished in the water by any
woman up to that tlmd and bore o\it
the prophesy made by that great
Mitt
Lily
Smith,
Wearing
Some
of
the
73
Medals
She
Hat
Worn
In
Swimming
Contests
6portsman, Sir John AstlGV, when In
3ST6 Agno9 Beckwith, a girl still in
her 'teens, swam from London Bridge
in Greenwich, a dlstanco of Ave
miles, in one hour and 6even mln
\ites. The Baronet said at that time,
"T should not have believed it pos
sible had I not seen it with my own
eyes. After this I can say that I am
eure the time will come when a
twenty-mile swim will bo accom
plished by a woman."
Not content with merely doin^
My Secrets of Beauty--B.v Mme. Lina Cavulieri.
SUMMER, that added 50 per cent
to your stock of vitality; that
brightened your eyes and
melted nway pounds of superfluous
flesh, that gave your movements a
new strength and freedom, has
robbed you, you complain, of the
beauty of your arms. Even the one
who ordinarily sees only perfection
in you has looked with disfavor on
their coarsened brown surface.
You are right. It is time to do
something about it, for the brown or
freckled skin that did not look amiss
protruding from short pink or blue
linen sleeves will look quite other
wise against the delicate background
of your evening gown.
Begin by doing what would have
protected your i>rms and saved you
much of this mortification as to their
present appearance had you but
known. The dipping of the arms
into salt water at the shore has
coarsened the texture of the skin. #
This was because you did net take
the precaution of well-informed
housoworkers, who are careful to
preserve their good looks, rubbing
olive oil or mutton tallow freely
into the arms before they are ex
posed to contact with the water. By
doing this dish washing Is roLbed of
its terrors. From this time keep
your arms as motet with oil or tal
low as formerly they were with salt
water. Soon the texture will im
prove.
The Ballne air, combined with the
salt water, may have Irritated your*
skin, which is naturally sensitive. In
that case use no soap, but Instead
use a handful of oatmeal or of al
mond meal when bathing your arms.
The sensitiveness wlil disappear and
the skin resume a silken texture If
you patiently apply this lotion at
morning and at night and as often
between as circumstances permit.
Orange flower water 6 drams
Glycerine 9a ounce
Powdered borax 3 drams
If your arms have been sunburned
at mountain shoro or field, begin
promptly on your return from your
vacation, or before, to use a good
bleach on them.
This spread freely on the arms as
a paste gives gratifying results with
a few applications.
Beat, until light, the yolk of one
egg, forty drops of benzoin poured
Into the egg drop by dftjp, and an
ounce of glycerine and an ounce of
rose water. After spreading this
thickly over the arms from wrist to
elbow, wrap loosely around the
arms a long strip of cheese cloth,
fastening the bandage at elbow and
wrist with safety pins. These shpuld
be allowed to remain on the arms
all night. *
Some girls dislike "bother," though
I have noticed that they pay the pen
alty of this dislike to take pains to
preserve tfiieir beauty, by either look
ing unkempt, or at least less iovely
than they might. If you dislike
"bother" or are really too busy to
"fuss," as you Americans say, with
these nightly applications, give your
arms dally baths in this easily pre
pared arm tub:
Into two quarts of warm water
pour two heaping cupfuls of oatmeal
and add a dozen drops of benzoin.
Plunge your arms Intp this bath to
the elbows, leaving them thus to
soak for five minutes or longer.
Into this bath some English jvom
en who have beautiful arms pour the
Juice of a lemon to whiten the arms,
but It Is more effectual to rub tho
arms thoroughly with slices of lemon
after the bath.
After these bathe rub cold cream
freely into the arms, or use an oil
instead. It is mere extravagance to
use your expensive face cream for
such purpose. Olive oil or cocoanut
oil will Bufflce.
Have you had a good look at your
elbows since you returned from your
Summer vacation? Probably those
neglect^?/- parts of your body haven't
met your eye for months. Hold them
up beforo tho mirror and critically
inspect them. I thought so; you are
horrified. You ask how long they
have been brown and*coarse and
calloused? No ono knows or will
tell, but those elbows can quickly
and easily earn you the reputation
of being neglectful of your appear
ance?In other words, of not being
well groomed.
.Copyright, 1913, by tho Star Company. Great Britain Rights Reserved.
Half fill your hand with olive or
cocoanut oil and rest the elbow of
the other arm in It. Gently massage
it round and
round until the
starved elbow has
been well fed.
Treat the other
arm In the same
way. Then re
peat the process,
resting the elbow
thla time In half
a lomon. This
will whiten them
as effectually as
the former pro
cess softened
them. Or should
they be perslsten
Jy discolored, mix
n teaspoonful of
powdered pumice
with half that
quantity of lemon
juice and rub the
diucolered spot
gently with It.
Perhaps much rowing or golf play
ing or swimming has forced thaP
outor bono of the, wrist to come into
unlovely prominence. Massage the
knob gently with cocoanut or olive
oil. As the tissues surrounding the
unsightly bono are fed, they gradu
ally nil out and surround the pro
truding bone, veiling if not quito
hiding it.
The freedom from long sleeves
(?) DAVIS 5rElCKME.VCRi
Mme. Lina Cavalierir Whose Arms Are Among
Her Greatest Charms.
If that be true, do noi use ouc of the
coarsening depilatory powders on
skin already coarsened by Summer
exposure. Instead, nid the process of
whitening the arms by bathing them
in equal parts of peroxide or hydro
gen and witch hazel. The peroxide
gradually whitens tho hairs, at the
same time weakening their roots, so
that ultimately some of them will
fall out.
what had been prophesied, Miss
Smith decided to do something ip.
the following year which would go
further than any prophesies made up
to that time?she decided to swim
the Solent from Southsea to the Islo
of "Wight and return, a distance of
twelve miles each way.
6he trained faithfully for this
event all during the Spring of 1911,
for the proposed feat was a difficult,
one, having been performed pre
viously by only one swimmer, Horace
Davenport, who accomplished it in
1884.
Leaving Southsea on the minute
of G o'clock, August 21, she started
bravely on the first leg of the Jour
ney, reaching Rvde Pier, which
marked the end of it, at 10: <5. She
merely touched the pier, and imme
diately started on the return Journey.
When within live miles of Southsea
she received a serious cut on the
knee from a submerged barrel with
which "she came in contact She did
not give up the struggle, though the
wound bled profusely, but bandaged
the limb while still In the water and
then resumed her task. She kept on
plucklly for half an hour longer, but
the injured member proved to bo too
great a handicap, and so, Against her
own wishes but acting on the advice
of her trainer, "Waiter Brickett, Bhe
gave up the battle.
This was a remarkable perform
ance because the Solent waters are
even more dangerous and flow with
greater speed than those In the Chan
nel. It was her showing on this oc
casion that won her the confidence
of her friends and the praise of her
compatriots, and from then on she
has been regarded as a fit candidate
for the cross-channel swim. She was
still fresh when she was forced to
leave the Solent on account of her
Injury, and this In spite of the fact
that she had swam nineteen miles.
That she would have finished?and
in good time?had she not met with
the barrel, there is not tho least
doubt. '
During that swim it was her lot
to pass very close to H. M. S. Thun
derer, which was in the Solent. The
officer on watch earned a little no
toriety for himself by ordering a
boat manned and lowered and having
It row around and around his ship
when she approached. He was under
the impression that Miss Smith was
merely swimming from shore to the
Thunderer, and he was determined
that she would not bo permitted to
"land" on the vessel. Hence, he had
put out a boat to keep her off. When
those who were accompanying her
on a tug shouted through a mega
phone and told Miss Smith's real
intention, the boat was called in and
every man on tho Thunderer came
on deck to give three cheers for the
plucky'English girl.
Miss Smith's next accomplishment
In tho water was a swim from Worth
ing to Brighton, a matter of twelve
miles, which she did in four hours
and thirty-five minutes, coming in
only six minutes after Jabez Wolffe,
How to Restore the Lost
Beauty to Your Arms
and exposuro to aim and air may
havo caused the hair to grow more
profusely than you like on your arms.
who swam In competition with her,;
Not all of Miss Smith's triumphs
were won in long-distance events,
nor were they confined to competi
tions held 1n England. In 1909 ah?
went to Fiance, and at Rouen auo
ceeded In capturing third place In a
competition Involving eleven men be
sides her, the one woman. In a 1,000
metre race held over a course In the
Seine during that same year she led
the way right from the start to the
finish line, and was followed by all
the other competitors In the race??
eighteen* of them, and all of them
men. ^
In all, Miss Smith has won seventy
three medals for her prowess.
Tho Channel ewlm, which aho hafl
tried once and which she will try
again, has been attempted many
times by Jabez WolfTe, who is fre
quently her trainer. Wolffe once got
within three miles of the French*
shore, being forced to leave tha
water.
Annette Kellerman -was the firsts
woman who ever made the attempt
and who was qualified to make it.
Seasickness brought about Miss Kel
lermann's withdrawal after she had
been In the water over four hours
and had travelled over twenty miles.
"Seasickness will be the greatest ob
stacle to all women who attempt to
swim tho Channel," she announced
at that time, and she was evidently
correct, for Miss Smith was troubled
with mal de mer when she tried it
last, year, and she has never before
been so troubled in any of the lonfj
swlmB she had made.
Will 'Miss Smith end man's suprem
acy In tho water? She will no|
be the first woman who has at
tempted to do so at least. In 190D
Mme. Isacescu, an Austrian woman,
swam forty-eight mlle3 In the waters
of the Danube and did It in eight
hours and ten minutes. No man has
succeeded bo far in equalling that
record. ' Mme. Isace&cu became fa
mous after that, and was looked
upon as one who would, without
doubt, be able to swim from Dover
to Calais if she but made the at
tempt. Her friends and all those in
terested In Bwlmmlng in Austria
urged her again and again to try it?
but she would not do bo.
Agnes Beckwlth, mentioned above,
established some records that have
never been lowered. Over a ten-mile
course in the Thames she swam in
two hours and forty-one minutes.
She swam twenty-five miles In the
ocean and took only nine hours and
thirteen minutes to do it. Her record
for twenty miles was six hours
and twenty-eight minutes.
Another record held by a woman
is that of Miss Annie Johnson, an
English girl, who, in 1899, succeeded
in remaining under water for three
minutes, eighteen and one-fifth sec
onds.
But If Miss Smith succeeds in
crossing tho Channel her record will
eclipse a 11 others held by women?
and mainly for tho aid and glory oC
woman suffrage.