The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1886-04-06 00:00:00

THE UNIVERSITY BOAT RA.OI.

AN EXCITING STRUGGLE.

Nothing could ha'. been brighter or more pleaxing
to the rye than the extentially Englioh B,OIIDO at
l'utney on Saturday, when at about half .past one,
perhapi a few moments later, the Cambridge crew
i..tied from the I.eander wit hotpot, carrying their
racing night to the water upon which the boat race
.d Peal WA4 to be rowed. There wax no hitch about
the start. .tt first the Oxford men took a slight
lead, and at the Old Tree they were perceptibly in
front f their rivals and rowing exceedingly well.
Thi. remark alio applies to the Cambridge crew, who
mwr.l throughout with the moot admirable courage,
am! never ...oiled to lore heart for a moment, even
when their fortune. appeared dmperate. At the
Pomp Worka the excitement w. prodigious. The
Dark Illue blade* were palpably beyond thew of the
Cambridge crew, and those who were of opinion that
the result ~f the race would, unlex, a foul occurred,
he practically known under Ilammenimith Bridge,
began to think that the victmy wax abloom in the
hands of Mr. Ginlleetone's crew. . .

Fortunately by this time the tide wan beginning to
run in a slack faaliiiiii. PM that the difficutier of the
Surrey arch were minimised. In the anim•th water
under the lee of the Soap Works the Cambridge men
crept up to their opponents, and it very anon became
evident that neither boat could obtain tire tench
coveted lead through the bridge. In the end both
boats passed under at precisely the frame in ~,,, eta,
anal if the race had ended at that point it cool('
hardly have been declared anything but a dear' hest.
Very little apace Was there to apare between the •airs
at the peerage, but the difficulty was solved with
complete mimes., the time Inl 1.0 this critical point
being 7 min. ill secs.
Ar ell.na IV the bridge Isadi lesm pssesl the Surrey
atation bogan to be of supreme advantage to the
Oxford men, who by the trifle they sv• re opposite
Iliffen's were almost clear. The r ixford men, who
had by this t.' • slackened their length of stroke.
continue" to go ahead, and when they memos! the
river with a length, iserhspe a trifle more, in the way
,d rime lead, they were able tar take their (filaments'
water, anal the cry, "Oxford wins," was distinctly
audible above the inarticulate of the crowd ,
and the clank •d the machinery in the steamers.
Meanwhile, a careful "immerser could see that, irt spite
~1 an oriessional roll. if,,. Ca.uuaridpn. hare WMIM in the
best of time, while the Oxford men, although their
Isdy work was Anima perfect, were uncertain in
time, especially upon the bow side. It was also
notice dile that. idthortith 'pith crews were evidently
Irani premed. the Camlwidge men Were reaching out
better than their rivals, anti putting the whole of
their weight into their rowing. in the Oxford boat,
it t be confeased —alit...tele in lescrilting si
;rlll3llt a race it is all ungrateful task to find .snv
fault whatever -the rowing became a little short.
Tiviee Mr. Pitman called Nein his men (Of an effort
anal satocireded in slightly mincing the internal
between the boats, bin on each occasion the Oxford
.sien nepowled by a cantata spurt, and regained their
advantage. Oppoite the Duke... Head at Darner
the final and the desperate struggle for the mastery
beinh and the confide. a lectotors witnewesl a sight
which nobody who saw it will ever readily forget.
goickenitur the rate of stroke, Mr. Plonan.began to
mind, anal was splendidly noutported by the men
behind him. Mr. Girdleetone, too, arcelerated the
rate of atroke almost at the wunes m•iment, but the
fierce race which had taken place over the whole of
the proceeding part of the course haal been too
much for the heavy men. Not once since the word
" Go" bad been pronounced hail the Oxford
stroke enjoywl a single interval tif conapara.
tire leisure in which to greedy his crew. Ifilaiwly
the C.'antbridge crew began to creep tip, until, as the
two boats pawed under the bridge an 17 min. IN nee.
from the start, the nose of the Cambridge ship was
level with No. sin the Oxford boat. Beyorid the
lwidee the water was comparatively smooth, and the
onoditions were greatly in favour of the Cambridge
men in their light and feet veered Once the Cambridge
coxswain barked as though he was about to try to pees
on the Surrey side of the Oxford oars, but he churned
hi. mind, and wisely, since npon the Middlesex side
there was smooth water, to which he had an alsolute
title if he could get there Ant. Opposite the Ship the
noses of the boats were absolittely level, or appeared
Sash. so from the steamer behind them, and the Cam.
bridge crew, inspired by elMeent, and, it must be
added, in justice to their feather-weight oriltswain,
admirably steered, rapidly forged ahead. The °shin!
111•111 hail been compelled to low a little way in order
to give up to than opponents the water which they
could no longer retain, and they never recovered what
b they but. They height the race out t a the Uttar end,
Situ fought it manfully, so that when the poet was
;mewl and the riot WM fired the Cambridge beat dial
not seem to be mire than half a length ahead, and,
sueutlillif Inse Meal many credible Judges, dial unt win
by mach more than thy, length of the forward canvas.
The time was fidinin. 29ltees., anal the victors were
officislly credited with a win by two thinls of &length.
Thus ended nns of the finest liont moo ever rowed
upon any water, a rate In which every Inch of the
way from Putney to flows Park Boat House hut
I boon fought with • gallant pertinacity not only
admirable but also extrsordirunry, The race was full
of keen excitement from the starting point to the
Anieh, and was worth • day's journey to see at any
point