The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1874-10-08
A TUBREGATTA.

"A AOo otkSEtA11As
A correspondent of the Eueni,,g
Post sends from the Warm Springs,
Va, the following amusing account
of a tub race at that celebrated wa
tering place:
The session of the Circuit Court
was chosen as fitting and proper
time to do honor to the water gods
and nymphs who preside over these
health-giving fountains. A naval
tournament in the shape of q club
race" was suggested. The committee
appointed to take charge of the mat
ter Immediately drafted and posted
the following notice: "a tub race
will take place place this afternoon
at halfpast four. Entries can be
made until 9 o'clock, when the lists
will close. The course will be straihgt
across the ladies' bath. A silver cup
will be awarded to the victor. Tubs
will be furnished by the committee.
Costume de Rigeur, socks, pantaloons
and undervest. All those of the guests
who have attained the of age eigh-
teen, and are in favor of an economi-
cal government, are cordially invited
to take part in the contest. DR.. Dan
iel A Langhorne will present the
cup with few appropriate remarks.
Admission free; children under ten
years Of age half price" The follow
ing gentlemen entered the lists: j.
G. Davis, H. E Davis, T. r. Stone,
Washington, D. c.; Waker F. Gait;
William H. Parker, Richmond, Va;
J. D. Potts, North Carolina R.
Green, Richmond, Va.
jackson, the chief badmeister, pre-
sided over the solemnities, attired in
the garb of Neptune, the trident be-
ing represented by an old pitchfork.
Ann, the badmeisterinn, sylph-like
.colored lady weighing about two
hundred and twenty-three pounds, in
light summer costume, was chosen as
the representative of the Nereids; she
was dressed in pure white, with water
lilies in her hair, and added much to
the charm of the entertainment by
the simple grace with which she en-
acted her part.
At the appointed hour the contest
ants took possession of their tubs, and
the sport began. It was agreed that
they should have half an hour to fam
iliarize themselves with their craft be-
fore the real trial took place. Mr..
Parker attacked club navigation"
with the greatest earnestness and Wig
or. Time after time he would empty
the water from his tub and attempt to
reseat himself for the perilous voyage,
with invariably the same ,esult-a
somerset and the momentary disap-
pearance under the water of both men
and tub. Nothing daunted, he was,
in second, up and at it again. The
wonderful gravity which he displayed
in these never-ending struggles with
the foaming and bubbling waters, as
we'll as his dignifed bearing under
constant reverses, elected much we'll
deserved sympathy from the assem-
bled crowd of ladies and gentlemen. I
counted seventeen successive immers-
ions before he became firmly seated in
his tub. Meanwhile the elder Mr..
Davis had solved the problem. Secure
ly seated in his tub, he was triumphant
ly padding his canoe across the
stormy deep amid cries of "Hurrah
for Davis!' $50 it Davisw "Davis
forever!" &c., &c. Soon they all got
the knack Of the business, and the
contestants were sailing around the
bath in every direction. Then began
the races.
The great difficulty was to get
across without taking in any water
Mr.. Green, of Richmond, was the on.
ly one who accomplished this feat
He started dry on one side of tht
bath, arriving dry on the othe,
side, and was Immediately rewarded
with carefully prepared mint julep
administered by fair hands. (He has
since informed me that whenever dry
he applies the same remedy viii
the happiest results.) A wreath o.
flowers twined with laurel was placed
on the head of the winner by one o:
the fairest daughters of the South.
DR.. Langhorne was very felicitou'
in his remarks on presenting the cup
He began with the early history O
navigation. touched upon the progres
in that art made by the Phenicians
dwelt eloquently upon the long voy
ages and discoveries of the Mortimer
J spoke with poetic fervor of that won
derful passage across the then un
known sea made in 1472 by on
} Columbus alluded in passing to tn
) ocean race between the Henrietta. th
Vesta and the Fleetwing; brought u
down to more recent times by com
pairing the present race to the Colleg
; Regatta at Saratoga, and then point
/ ed out wherein the trial Of speed jus
f concluded differed from all other boa
! races Of which we have any recore
) Said he: "There may have been pre-
| vious tub races, but have never ye
heard Of a regatta among the mou1
tains, and on warm water at tha
The famous Admiral Suisse whor
Ofenbach has immortalized in vers,
, top-boots and spurs, never in his wile
est moments dreamed of organizing
no11u on 1uo rnn uafo,.V "