New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-07-18
mouth crew is vast possibility. Wesleyan, WI
liams. and Trinity chances sre limited.
JoURNEYNG TO THE COURSE.

JOITRNEYING TO THE COURSE.
| GETTING OUT OF sPRINGFIELD-rIE CROWD on
THE RIVER BANKs-PACRED EXCURSION TRAINS
AN AFTERNOON suowER-NEEDLEss DELAYS.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuSE.l
SPRINGFIELD, July 17.-The approaches TO the
Connecticut River from the crowded Main-st. OF
Springfield are not inviting They might not I'M
Justly. be designated as "slums" There is rail-
road to be crossed and at the point where picked
nv way over the secpers there is a bewidering net
work Of switches and turn-outs and superiuous
rails. with locomotives and detached portions OF
trains more OF less in motion distributed ndiscHnl-
nately around. Between this aud the river bank
there are occasional buildings, principally the
poorer class of tenements inhabited by an amphb-
ious race of beings that take 10 the water while IN
their nurses arms and spend the remainder OF their
lives IN letting ont boats for hire Everything con-
ceivable in the shape Of boat below schooner SIZE
including some Of the oldest of little steamboats,
NAV be seen lying along shore this morning Pro-
ceedng down stream great improvement IN the
shore is apparent Trees take the place ot houses on
the eastern bank factory occasionally peeping out
among them. The railroad skfting the shore adds
occasional bits of color to the scene, the smoke
stack and steam-chests of the engines are painted
bright vermillion. Here. too bridge of red sand
stone whose graceful arch would not look amiss IN
Central Park, spans q tributary rvulet The western
bank is rather the lower Of the two, and Is covered
almost to the waters edge with dwarf willow and
scrubby trees, chiefly maple and oak. But little
of all this was by those who sought conveyance
to the race by land. Immense crowds took the cars
and travelled down the eastern shore. An eXtraor-
binary number of vehicles of every description lined
the road and completely blocked the slender facili-
ties of the Agawam ferry. Thousands gave up the
nd larg %
hices went back aud crossed over the bridge to tae
western shore, becoming in several instances VIC
tins of the various msfortunes possible to horse
flesh party of three ladies and n gentleman
dressed in the "Ardes" coOrs. were thrown from
their carriage by runaway horse and suffered SEE
we're but not serious injuries
fla crowd makes a success and bad management
a failure, the regatta would have been both. The
hackncyed statement that every train for days has
been loaded with visitors does not begin to describe
the state of things. The depot has been perfectly
thronged The first train for the regatta ground
came in with doors locked 1t was 10 start at 80.
The instant the first passed the doors, tho boys
sprang upon the steps between the cars, and filled
every inch, hanging on by the ratings The instant
the doors were opened they burst in, and the long
train was filed as it were by magic But the wait
ing crowd in the depot seemed not to be lcssened ut
all. -Four trains of half dozen filled up and
rolled away and still the people kept coming
The day opened lowering and just after noon there
was a shower. At o'clock a considerable number
Of gentlemen, mostly invited guests at the
foot of Howard-st., but there boat, and none
came for an hour, when it became evident that
things were to be OutTageously delayed. Ii was
after o'clock when arrived at the head of the
course in a pouring rain. The crowd was doubtless
as great as it had been before il began to Tan but
l I.r o,,Ir oofo in with
umbrellas presenting "a much less imposing sight
The water lay like glass, and though the shore was
scolloped with every kind of craft known to the
neighborhood nothing afiOat. After we arrived
il was found that there gun, piece of imbe
cility for which the Regatta Committee was
responsible So the crowd had to wait
till the judges boat could go down to warn
the Amhersts for the Freshman race while Yale and
Harvard were to be called out by those near by. Big
crowds at DartmOuths quarters hailed the referees
boat by shout. While on the way down the Crest
the Judges boat which had been going slow enough
from the start got slower and slower and men
| pulled by her in lapstreaks easily. The word was
| started back The rain had ceased and the water
was in excellent condition. 1t was now 10 minutes
| post four Just about the time when the University
| race ought TO have been started. Twenty thousand
people were waiting at the grand stand, three miles
| off and had been sitting there in the rain three
hours all because no charcoal or bituminous coal
had been provided for the boiler fires of the Crest