The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-07-09 00:00:00

THE SPECIAL FLEET REGATTA.

Those who didn't come to Weymouth on Saturday leak
to see the dashing Regatta, which was got up for the
sailors of the Fleet, Jun • very unusual treat by sticking
to business so closely, while we in Weymouth did pretty
much what they are doing all overuse country hay
while the sun Aooe.—only eeme of ours got their bay in
rather wet. This snu how the Regatta came about. We
have • gentleman here who hug more bristle In him than
be knows what to do with, and he Alla up his time by
keeping no all alive, no Run there'o no peace in Weymouth
since he has been amongst us. We remember what a stir
there is in the church when a new preacher comes, and
preaches so straight that none can go to sleep in the Pews,
as they used under the old eler,tyman. So It Is in Wey-
mouth now we are always 101 l of stint, and don't know
whet is going to happen. Our runless inhabitant had
made shocking fun o • muddle into which the officers of
the Fleet got in trying to remove the Forest wreck, and
this year, now we have • double fleet of ironclad ocean-
going shim, and turreted monitors, he took another turn,
and wanted the Admiralty to have a grand sham field end
review. Of course most people thought 'twos absurd to
expect the Admiralty to sp.nd some thousands of pounds
for the good of Weymouth, or to show off their Fleet by
way of • treat while the Congress is going on. But the
meeting was got up, and we had the usual fine speeches
which speakers like so much to read, we cheered at the
ships going up the Dardanelles, we gave Earl Beaconsfield
all the spare strawberry runners we could find, and turned
him out a brand-new Duke, we hailed patriotism as the
first of the virtues,
... . . . .

"Seguin' irritant animum demises per cures."
into English, and clearly proved that, in order to keel, up
the position of Kerl•nd among the nation., it wee
advisable to have • Review of the Fleet, and that review
not just for the pleasure of the Queen at Osborne, but for
the delirbt of IR.M. subjects—off Portland R mds. Having
let off our patriotic eteam and talked Buncombe till we
were on. of breath, the next thing was to gat something
beyond "Von at punters& nibil," out of the meeting.
Therefore Kr. Groves and Mr. J. Sherren propmed •
regatta, the meeting jumped at the idea, sad our restless
Inhabitant travelled about the town gathering up subecrim
Sons till be and his friends got something lees than £lOO,
quite enough to give prize. for Jeck, who works more for
glory than pay. The lending tradesmen gave their
ruiners and half-guineas freely, and I bear the committee
became no trend with their money that they wouldn't
take half-crowns, nor would they condescend to mai the
right to print the " 'Krect card,' though first • guinea
and then • "fives" were offend them for die privilege.
Everything went swimmingly except the fixture, for the
Admiral had hit upon • Saturday, of all days in the waist.,
for the Regatta, and this of course took half the gilt off
the holiday at once. "H." moved heaven and earth in the
railway sphere—front the traffic managers to the station-
masters, to induce them to run special excursion train.;
but they put us off with talk of how much "Weymouth's
interests were at heart," and that kind of stuff you hear
from candidates at election times. I don't believe they
: know how they should get hack their excursionists home
if the trains couldn't leave between seven and eight on
Saturday night, Then oar etir-about worked up the
tradesmen to give their assistants • holiday; and some of
• them ware "merchant princes" enough to wee; while
others had too much on band and couldn't let their
: customers starve. ft turned out for the public profit that
the card-right wasn't made • merchandise of, for Mr.
Wheeler and Mr. Sharron competed with each other, and
anybody could get a capital card cheaply, and I hear some
th,sosseds were sold.
. . . .

When the day cause it was like that white gunboat that
steamed into the Bey— a real "Blazer." The sky was
cloudlea, and the sun shone down on the ma till

" I closed my lids and kept them close
Till the hells like pulses beat
For the sky and the sea, and those and the sky
Lay like a load on my weary eye."
At midday it was really too bright, and fortunate were
those who did net venture out on the parched sands and
the shelterless sea. But as the afternoon drew on, and the
gun declined, • light breeze fanned in, and the people who
had hidden anywhere in the town began to come out by
hundreds on the Esplanade. The hosts which were going
to race gathered in a black mass round the committee
barge, while every other pert or the Bay was either white,
or very light blue, while the hills *round seers very light
'oven, the gunboats were shining all white in the sun, and
it wu not until the boats begins to gutter, and the Lively
and stew other dark-coloured veasels put shade into the
picture that you could bear to look at it. The Weymouth
and Portland steamers announced excursions round the
Bay, and the Jersey steamers followed their example, sod
both got good load. of panengert My duty was in the
committee herrn, where we were rowed by a smart boat
of the Weymouth R iwing Cluh, whose blue and gold
challenge flag was carried about everywhere in the after-
noon. Aldermen Howard, hoe sec, to the committee, was
steaming shout ins substantial steam launch, with officers
of KM Navy, end not without the charming preeence of
the fair sex. I can't tell you who sure on board, hut I
heard "Chichester I" called pretty often towards this
hunch, and I suppose some gillant ofilser of that name
was directing part of the goings on. In our commutes
barge we had Captain Wilson, of the Thunderer, a line,
tall gentleman, who didn't spare talking to the sailors ins
way they untierstowl. Captain lin Lanititna Lorraine, of
the Gorgon (by the way she is not half oe queer-looking
now she's painted), Lieutenant Gibson. the gentleman
and hearty • drat" of the Thunderer, with a voice
that rung along the line of boats like a greet
gun, "A pietnl is nothing to it," said his captain, ',tauten.
ant Lenox Napier, In civilian dew, Builf.comniander
Jackson, of the Thunderer, and the Commander of H.M.S.
Hector, loesiblee occasional visitors from the Fleet Our
town's committee included big Worship the Mayor, who
took care the party should poi be dry, soil did not forget
the teetotalers Mr. W. J. Harker, to quiet glory at the
regatta being no eucceesful. Dr. J. A. Sherren, Mr.
Nangle, Mr. T. B. Groves (the tirst of them three, if not
all, had been putties out the mark boatel There were
plenty of others unnamed ; but we were not too crowded.
for Supt. Vickery had lent us • number of tribesmen,
who kept order on sea nearly as well as they do on land.
By the way, on land he had • force of police from Bristol
and other parts, and so we were saved from the risit of
some Bristol thieves, who ran home as soon aa they saw
their police at their railway station bound for Weymouth.
As we look to the bind we see that the crowd of the
general public are filling tip the stone part of the Pile-
wee, while the wooden part is black with the mailers of
the rowing crews. The II•vor would not let the public on
the wooden Pier because Kr. Councillor Roberts thought
it was not sale; but it was loaded with sailors, and surely
I spied some ladies en the elevated stand at the end.
Away to the Nolle the ramparts of the Fort and the
slopes of the promontory were sprinkled with groups of
sightseers. But the meet striking sight ma aeries
the mouth of the hay, where the Lively despatch
vessel (Admiral Sir A. C. Keys and Admiral
Fanahawe, from Portsmouth, on board the gunboat., Tay
and Tweed, and the torpedo gunboat, Bustard and /Kayser,
Interspersed &mons beautiful white-uiled yachts. To
them came at intervals the Premier and Prince steamers,
and the larger Aquila and Cygnus, each well loaded with
people, and craf to of all sines from the great sailing launch
of the Hector under gaff topsail and full of blue jackets,
the double-width rowing launches that sully carry 10
each, and almost all can row in therm, the liteered cutters,
pinnaces, whiten., ens galleys, and punts, while steam-
driven boats of all eases rush fussily sad swiftly hi all
directions. You know all about the chalk hills of
Lulworth, the green elopes of Eingsteed, the dark wood of
Southdown, and the flat of Lodmoor that framed the
Picture until we come round to (Mr Weymouth &Pin,
line, the Esplaeade was not very crowded at the north
end' but near the New South Gardena and Devonshire
buildings the people gathered thick as bees, and a brisk
business wan going on in shall baskets, views of Weymouth,
agate jewellery, light drinks, and heavy sweets. Gabe
were here ready to take people anywhere by land, while
the waterrnen continually exhorted you to go across the
Ferry or out for a snit The Pile-pier gates are besieged
with people, and you could hardly get through to the
barricade on one side of which WU the mistake of the
dy4—titti.drinking booth,
heck to our beryl, you would have seen
the bugler 'tending by Gent Vinson to sound the
" sseenibly." while a modern fitted cannon is watched
over by a petty °dicer. ready to second Lieut Gibeon's
voice by a loud bang. There is none of that smoking rope
or hot poker business here, for the cannon was diech•rged
AbY.cfriiecitiuunfictuplieukitonthdousagsh.ri"ttlr B
the recointee missed
teLt..d onatez..
cannon kicking wildly am in the old times. The starting
Ii luso scientifically managed by mesas of • "gram" cable.
You might have observed that • rough stout rope
stretched from the barge away towards the shore, and to
this the boat bong, each by • brie, so there was none of
that edging forward "back-water r and contention about
the start that so bothers the committee at many boat
now The pleasure boats didn't give the rowing crews
enough room, especially on the right, or weith-esetivard,
and consequently some of the beet crews fouled each other
and lost the race. But for the details you must see the
formal report, wherein we speak "by the card."