New-York tribune., 1874-07-17
PosTPoNEMENT OF THE GREAT RACE.

POSTPONEMENT OF THE GREAT RACE.
THE RoUGHNEss OF THE WATER CAUSES A DELAY
TIE RACE TO BE ROwED TO-DAY AT .
o'CLOCK-TwENTY TO TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND
VISITORS PREsENT-AN EXPECTANT CROWD WAITS
THREE HOURS AND GOES HOME DISAPPOINTED
SCENES ON THE ROAD AND AT THE GRAND STAND.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
SARATOGA, July 16-This morning there was
clouded sky and Just the rustic OF breeze among
the trees that left tribe of doubt in the minds OF
the crowd whether the comfort to be derived from
cooler weather would not, after ali, be more than
balanced by the interruption of the race on account
of the disturbance of the lake by the wind The
number of visitors is variOusly estimated. Lean,
cod-bOoded persons, who look down serenely and
mathematcally upon the mass, put the figures at
from 10000 to $1,000, while warm-blooded, heshy
persons who have cOrns and shout wildly at waters,
who go away and never come back, SET 1t at as many
millions, and emphasize the estimate with archtec-
tural profanity.
The hepira to the lake began almost with the
dawn Everybody seemed to have awoke early with
a horrible nightmare that there would be a scarcity
of conveyances Excitable young men with all sorts
of badges flutered around comparing cash accounts
and haggling with hackmen unhappy persons, with
umbrellas and canes, rushed about III a wild and
disheveled condition, making anxious and absurd
inquiries about horses and hacks, and carriages,
and omnibuses several hundred women made up
their minds to stay at home, and several thousand
decided positively that they would go to the lake
if they had to walk which, bless their dear souls! !!
they had not the slightest idea of doing; and
great many hundreds of pleasuTe~seekers of all
classes and conditions in life pushed OFF boldly at an
early hour, foot, through dust and dirt with the
purpose born of desperation, to see the splendid
81, and hnV
remainder of their lives something to talk about.
ON THE ROAD.
All day. the road through its whole three miles
length wa, double procession of vehicles Of all
sorts and pedestrians of all ages going and coming
dodgng and twisting, shouting and cheerng-a
band of confusion and dazzle of color, notunmlXed
with dust. Improvsed vehicles were there without
number well dressed men hung their legs over the
sides and ends of strange, unpainted wagons with
ont springs and deemed themselves aristocrats of
good luck in even such cOnyeyances. EXtemDorzed
seats in extemporzed carryalls jammed full of
men, women and children who were amazingly
good d-natured and tried hard TO look very happy
and a great many owners Of spawned and wind
broken horses found themselves rich on the possi-
bilities Of sudden and unexpected wealth. The man
ner in which the better class of capitalists fetched
up and fled away in creased pocketbooks heragged
and infectious dollar BILL would have gladdened the
heart of the last Secretary of the Treasury and re-
newed the confidence of Mr.. John A. Logan IN the
best currency the world ever saw
TIE SCENE AT THE GRAND STAND.
For hours the stream of carriages and wagons that
drove ND to Moons Hotel and unoaded was con-
stant and unceasing, and there seemed no end to
the tide of humanity that kept pouring in from the
hotel. People scattered along the lake slde by far
the greater portion finding seats Oh the grand stand
at the finish. The scene here was lively and in
spring. The sloping seats aud the banks behind
them were all alive with people, and the masses OF
color the brilliant magenta setting of the fine com
pexion of the far ladies the masses of blue that
gave heavenly color to the groups where the Yale
ribbons fluttered over angelic graces; the red ana
white of Cornell and blue and white of Columbia
the orange of Princeton, Dartmouths green, the
softer lavender of the Methodist Wesleyans, and
brown of the Providence Baptists, with the green
and white of Trinity and the royal purple of Will
liams all waving and hutterng together under the
rustling trees made most exquisite picture. Had
there been no other attraction this exhibition of
grace and beauty, with all its sparkle and life and
animation, would have been well worth the coming
to see.
WAITING FOR THE START.
By o'clock il seemed as though all eligible
places were filed but the crowd kept coming for
two hours a1ter tDat At . III was understood tDat,
on account of the roughness of the water. the light
breeze having ruled it into white caps near the
middle, the race would not be called till g. but il
was patient crowd. and what with flirting and
chatting and watching the movements of the small
craft fitting along the shore. and buying fresh
spring water at five cents glass, the time passed
off pleasantly enough The water at this end of the
lake seemed smooth enough, but with glass the
white caps at the further shore could be distinctly
seen, and the cause of the delay was appreciated.
At $50 gun was heard, and ripple
of expectation ran along the shores. A
little later a six-oared shell shot out from
the Wesleyan float. which was nearest the grand
stand. and pulled slowly up the lake, followed in
few moments by another, neither OF their coors
beinp distinguishabe from the stand. Some ten
ninntes later the three little steamboats, that carried
tbe press representatives andregatta officials started
of. with an air that seemed TO mean business, aud
went puing away up TO the starting point All eyes
followed them till, away yonder at the end OF the
three miles stretch they slid under the shade OF the
woods and vanished from sight. From that time
expectation OH tiptoe, and the crowd stretched
its mutitudinous neck and strained manifold vision
looking up the lake. Everybody waited Tor the
signal gum and rybOdy watched for some sign oi
life aud motion up under The low-lying shadow OF
Snake Hill.
There was another long hour Of patient waiting
as why should Mt the boys be patient, when delay
only continued the agreeable situation III which they
sat- surrounded by the girls aud there were scarcely
any signs of mpatieDce till tbs light began to fade