The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-10-18
A Mute, Inglorious Fizzle'

who went to Pittsburgh on Wednesday
expecting 10 see q boat race between
Kennedy and Hegner, and one of those
who can exclaim, in the language Of
Cheap John, "Sold sgain!"
The articles called for race to be
rowed in single scull working boats
on Wednesday, October l6, between the
hours of one and four P. M" over the
upper Monongahela course, at Pitts
burgh.
The terms on which the race was to
be rowed compelled the men to row
from a point near Opperman's copper
verks, or rather, Glenwood, rsving two
miles and half down the river and
back to the point Of starting. Kennedy
and his friends were ready by two
o'clock, but from one reason or another
Heguer was detained at the lower end
of the course until nearly four o'clock,
and until we began to think the first
contest between the parties was to be
repeated and an after dark race be
rowed. Finally the judges and referee
got into boat and anchored out in the
river and signalled the men to come out.
Kennedy was first to put in an appear
ance. He was naked to the waist, and
had a white handkerchief tied about
his head, as in the first race. His boat
was a wood colored one, twenty-one
inches wide, twenty-five inches deep
and very sharp at the bow, bearing, in
our unprofessional eye, a very close res
semblanee to very narrow light skiff
1t was now few minutes after five and
Hegner had not put in an appear"
ance. The course was as smooth as
glass though chill y wind prevailed.
Because of Hegner's failure to be at
the starting point at the last hour
named in the srticles-four o'clock
some of the friends Of Kennedy insisted
that he should demand the stakes.
This he very honorably refused to DO,
saying that he would "row for them and
win them that way" 1t is doubtful if
the claim would have been sustained if
made, for the judges were not in position
at four o'clock. We merely allude to
the matter because we see it stated in
some papers that Kennedy put in a
claim for the stakee. He chose 8 much
more manly course, and we give him
credit for it.
In few moments Heguer came fly
ing down the river in boat technical
" known as q shell" his working
boat, built according to the articles Of
agreement, coming down behind him.
As soon as he appeared in the shell,
Kennedy said be wouldn't row against
him in that" and pulled to the Max
Moorehead Boat Club house, where he
was quartered, and took his boat out Of
the water and put it in the boat house.
AS Kennedy started away, Hegner was
ordered by Mr.. Hirsh, Of the Mckee
Boat Club, who was one Of the judges,
to get in his boat. This he did. Word
was sent to Kennedy and he came out
again in his boat only to hear Hegner
declare that he wouldn't row against
him in that boat. Mr.. Hirsh then for
Hegner protested against Kennedys
starting in the boat he was in. He
said it Was lap streak shell, and not
working boat. as required by the arti-
Giles. The friends of Mr.. Kennedy met
these objections by producing plates
issued by the New York Boating Asso-
citation to show that their boat met in
every particular the requirements OF the
articles. After q dispute about the
matter among the judges, it was referred
to the referee, who said it was a subject
with which he had nothing to do, and
he refused to decide it. The judges
then declared the race of. pulled up
their anchor and went ashore, leaving
crowd of deluded and cursing specta-
tors on either bank.
Itappears that the trouble in regard
to the boats grew out Of the following
facts: Each of the men had working
boat built BY the came man, whose
name we forget, but who is q member
of the Mckee Boat Club, whose house
Hegner used while training. They were
of the same length and width, and, to
all appearances, exactly alike. Ken
nedy's friends claim that the boat built
for their man is lop-sided, and that he
cannot sit in it, in evidence Of which
they cite the fact that on Sunday last,
while he was leisurely rowing over the
course, his boat swsmped with him, and
be was three quarters of IN hour in the
water before being rescued. They said
it would be risking their mans life to
start him in any such boat.
Hegner's friends say, on the contrary,
that Kennedy found that he could not
beat the average time made here in the
race, in his working boat, and that Ken.
nedy got q second boat built that gave
him a vast advantage over Hegner.