New-York tribune., 1871-08-24


IN A,o 9s-The first we" w
-. aots 90 81 John, from the oe'A -
s.oa,aor coming mn the Bay of Funuy; sl,o 1 u,or-
s,o i1ao tI,ot he is approaching s'a'eS "a hlaal
., 1c,er coasting all DAY N'"s
"'"O'"' Iores Of gray granite lo0N'' '"1
and savage Snoi'o 90 we round headland and
Appe@, ,A''0 II of the ST. John River Is qhte I'M
;. II rises from the "s'e'e eus " e1,S u
.,,.rit % a birh HILL and is surrounuer W u " e.
NJ. ,reen that contrast oeau''u"y WIZ, ''
"ii.ar brown color OF the houses anu 'no
rTeen Of the pines that dOthe the uiS'an'
80 when one lands, however,, atter iorcine
..o, nv the hardest pushing through the gIea'
-, crowd of men and women VINO throng Vno
80 % see the steamer come ln one mus only
""%ii ,rircial town of ugly wooden houses,
A.. che most part. and dusty lu-paved,
r,sb,ded streets. The enchantment Of
she distant view vanshes completely on near ap-
nroacb There are two broad business streets, OF
nIon substantial brick stores and in these streets
there is hurrying to and fro of vehicles and pedes
TRANS that indicates brisk and prosperous trade;
and upon the wharves there is much buying and
selling shipping and unshpping, of hay, lumber,
and fish the three great staples of the commerce OF
the Province All the rest of the town is wooden
and stupid. For more than week past uue Vi
peOple has set in from the other Provinces Oh tho
Dominion and from the States to see the great III
ternational boat race as the affair OF to-day was
called The St. John people stared at these VlsitoIs
with the curiosity with which Out-ofthe-"ay peopie
look upOn strangers, but did little 10 rehoeI 'neh
comfortable After the first two OF three steamer
loadS had arrived the subsequent comers met with
beartless reception from the landlord of the only
kpt-elass hotel in the place He positively could
not accommodate them and they roamed, IN be-
vldered disheartened way, about the streets, car
pe,- bag in hand, ringing at the doors of frowsy
Loarding- and appealing to the hospitality OF
dismal, dirty little taverns, until wearied out or
s1Wtaken by night, they were glad to put up with
sueh wretched quarters as they could get.
BEFORE THE START.
The race was fixed for the absurdly early hour Of
soven o'clock, on account of the probability OF still
weather at that time in the morning. Later in the
Say there u usually stiff land breeze at THE season
Trains and boats commenced bringing people from
the city as early as haf-past o'clock and by day
break there were thousands of people standing and
shiverng upon the banks in the raw, chilly air,
mued to the ears in shawls and coats for it is dis
ullly cold even in Summer in these high atitudes,
until the sun gets we'll up in the heavens, and the
sipping, eager air comes straight down from ice
bound Labrador.
When the thick white mist lifted from the river
and doated away over the hills, and the sun came
sut it was evident that the weather would not in
terfere with the race. The day was perfect. The
sun flooded the valley with brilliant light and the
air was cool, crisp. and exhilaratng. BY o'clock
about Is 900 people had gathered along the eastern
shore of the stream for distance of two miles from
the starting point. In TOrryburn Cove and in tho
cutter side of the a dozen steamboats, and nu-
merous schoOners tugs sloops and small boats were
noOred.
The pink colors of the ST. John crew were every
where TO be seen in tile crowd. The ladies wore
mink scarfs pink ribbons and bows, and some had
pink dresses and parasol gotten up for the OCCASION
while the men sported pink neckties, rOsettes, and
buttOnhole libbons. The sympathies of the specta-
tors were overwhelmingly with the st. John men;
Oay now and then could anybody be found displaying
the blue of the Tynesders and these were English
men, or people from she Upper Provinces, who have
little liking for the New Brunswickers. The prefer
enee shown for their own crew by the st. John
folk seemed 70 sprng not from local pride alone, but
from cordial personal liking, and they praised
them as good steady lads" honest industrious
young fellows" a credit to the town." &c. The
betting however continued to be all the other way,
odds of two to one and three to one beng freely
offered on Renforths crew up to the moment of
starting.
4 little before T. Fulton and his men came walking
down the raroal to the cove from their quarters,
m lie and half above, and were warmly applauded
and encouraged as they passed. They went on board
a ting. stripped and got into their boat. In few
minutes Rcnforth's crew came down 10 the water
and padded out to the judges boat. The surface OF
the river had been of CLASSY smoOthness all the
morning but a breeze now sprung up, making
slight ripple.
THE START.
The boats were got in position.
"Nlw give the word said Fulton; "the quicker
the better"
Both crews looked smiling and confident, the
Tyne men being rather more stoid and less nervous
than their antagonists.
"Go,7 shouted the judge, and away they shot,
rowing very rapidly, the st. John crew making "A
strokes n the minute and the TyIesiders A. The
Englishncn got ahead few feet at the start and
sOol settled down TO a steady stroke of 80 to the
minute while Fulton kept up the rapid stroke with
which he started The crowd on the shore In Tory
burn Cove set up great hurrah when the boats got
oil. and the shout was taken up and carried through
the line of spectators stretched along the river bank
and grouped upon the hlsides until it died away in
the distance toward the upper end of the course.
After the first two minutes the ST. John crew
gained the little they lost at the start and began to
draw steadily ahead, working with immense vigor
and with tbs perfect precision of machines Rem
forth seeing that he was falling behind, increased
his stroke to 49, and made powerful spurt still the
st. John crew gained. 1t was Renforths belief,
often expressed before the race, that the first mile
would settle the contest and he put all his energies
to his work at the start.
TIE CATASTROPHE.
When the boats got opposite Applebys Wharf in
a line from the starting buys FutOns crew being
aiuii length ahead, to the great astOnishment of
everybody the Tyne m,n ceasi d rowing, and but
three of them could be from the shore in their
boat The two in tine bow rOwed slowly to the shore,
and as the boat neared the land Renforth was seen
lpt,, IL -. A.