The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-05-23
THE RoAT RACE YEsTERDAY.
James IIamiII VS.. walter BrOwn.-.The
Champion Beaten..-IIe Claims a
"FOuI'---The Matter Undecided.
EIolll az PiLL,lllLrnh Gn,eiLl

The great scul boat race, about which
there has been so much talk and specu-
lation for some weeks past, took place
yesterday, as arranged, over the ''Mo-
nongahela Course" distance five miles,
between our townsman, James Hamill,
the7acknowledged champion oarsman
OF America. and Walter Brown, OF
Portland, Maine, also known toraqua-
tic fame. The race was for 81, 600 a side,
and OF course the Championship. Con-
corning this contest there has been a
degree of bitterness of feeling evinced
which did not exist on like occasions
previously. Soon after Browns arri-
val In the city, and when he had but
fairly set to work at his training, a let
ter from him appeared In cotempo-
rAry, the tone of which seemed to indi-
that the chances were decidedly
against him. Following this his
trainer, John Shea, deserted him,
and, in justification of himself, pub
lished card tFaducfng Brown,
charging among other things, that
he had made overtures to ''sell
the race" This charge Brown en-
phatically denied, and in his cores
pondence to his Eastern friends, said
he had resolved "to win or die in his
boat" In apparent substantiation of
the charge of"selling," John Hamill,
brother of the champion, published
letter corroborating the statement of
Shea. This circumstance, while many
doubted the statement, placed Brown
in peculiar position; but he appears
to have set himself assiduously t. work
to win in the race at every hazard, and
thus to put at rest imputatfons on his
character. In regard to his training,
and also that of Hamtll, we have al
ready made note, and need not recapit-
ulate.
. BY noon there was ocular. evidence of
the interest taken in the race. Many of
our citizens in the different manufac-
turing establishments, forming a con-
siderable proportion of the foreign ele-
ment, 'knocked off work" for the day,
and collected about the wharf. The
sporting fraternity, and those interest,"
ed in the contestants to he extent of
rlsking their money on the result, con-
gregRted at the "head quarters or in
the localities where the latest direct in
formation was obtainable. "A number
of gentlemen from the East arrived on
the day previous, and were circulating
about, whilst the friends of Hamill, 1--WE
Lledn IlOS6 COuuQSuJ OI MS SUCCESS,
were largely in the majority. Brown
was not without ardent advocates, and
seemingly in fairly Proportionate mum
bers. The odds were offered in favor OF
Hamill, greater or less according to the
degree Of confidence, but freely taken.
We did not observe much betting, but
the amount risked on the result must
be very considerable.
The rac5 was announced to take place
between two and three O'Clock, but we
understand 1t had been agreed on Mon
day evening not to start before three
o'clock. By two o'clock n large con-
course of peUplelined the Monongahela
wharf, the housetops and the MOnon-
gahela bridge, and also the south bank,
while on the top of Mount Washington
we noticed crowds collected at different
points. In the river, steamboats, were
jammed, while skiffS and other smaller
craftSS thickly dotted the surface from
the bridge to-the Point.
The weather was unfavOrable, aud
became decidedly incletnent. The sky
was overcast, a stiff breeze prevailed,
and by half-past two O'Clock a shower
6fraih fell, Continuing at least for half
an hour. There was a'shoW Of clearfug
up, and sensation IN the vast multi
t1de announced the fact that the rival
oaFsmen were about stoi take atp the
water from their respectiv I've training
quarters. Another shower quite as
heavy as the first, but not soslopg in
Continuance, caused another postpone
ment, and the idea began TO obtain that
there would be no race. KS ~