Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1874-10-08

Il. W. Head, stroke.
II. Lewis, second.
J. Paul Brown, third.
W. N. Hamilton, bow.
]. l.. jackson. coSswain.
Pioneer
W. II. Smith, stroke.
j. II. Cameron. second
A. II. Smith, third.
JOS Richardson bow.
A. ID. Poole, coyHwain.
Bdcl,plor--
J. II. Lewis, stroke.
W. II. Bowers, second.
JOS. Seabrook, third
George Mccall, bow.
Chas. Campbell, coSswain.
The gigs were the same ~ in the former con-
test, and the uniforms, in which the crews APP
peared, were unchanged.
The supervisors Of the race We're Umpire,
Washington Hastings; Starter, q. N. Caleb
Judges-Third street bridge, J. Horace Rudolph:
Market street bridge, u. Il. Hance W. Il W. r.
II. bridge, A. ID. Warner Timers, W. W. Lob
dell, Eugene Thompson and DR.. @. r. Jefreris.
TIE RACE.
About o'clock the crews pulled down for the
start and took up their respective positions in
the stream-the Pioneers on the North side, the
Undincs in the middle, and the Bachelors on the
South side. At BIG the start was given, oil the
boats obtaining good send off. The Bachelors,
on the start but held it, by vigorous work only,
to the Market street bridge, the other crews
pressing them 10 closely that at this point they
were not more than from half to tiree.quar-
tiers of length ahead. The other boats were
almost bow and bow. But after passing under
the bridge, the Bachelor gig moved away from
the others gaining as much as three boats
lengths at the turn. The Undne and Pioneer
gigs still maintained their relative distances. In
rounding the buoys, the
BACHELORS AND uSDINEs FoULED
by which the PROV of the former was driven sew
eral inches through the side Of the latter but by
csreening the Untline gig on the ininjured side
it was prevented from taking in water. The TIL
Ter rope OF the Bachelor gig became cntangled
by the collision, and it being impossible to
sIraghten il again this crow ceased to contest
| for the race and came in several minutes after
| the other boats No accident beiel the Pioneer
crew and they completed the course in 90 min
utes and 2 seconds, the Undine crew follow
| ing in % seconds. The time made by the Pio-
neer crew is 81 seconds less than was made by
the Bachelor crew in the regatta of July last.
HOW THE "rouI." OCCURRED.
The "foul, it seems, was caused by the sinking
of the Pioneers buoy As in the last race, n
turning buoy for each OF the crews was placed in
| the river above the W. q W. Il. II. bridge,in .he
water of each boat, and in straight line across
| the stream. The buoys were all placed in their
proper positions an hour so before the begin
| nlDb OF ING race DN u MI. Niller VINO naN Dcen
assigned to perform the work, and he says that
| when he left them all were floating. Subsequent
| ly he discovered that tho buoy Of the Pioneer
club on the north side had disappeared, but he
| had not then time to prepare another buoy aud
place it before the race began. When therefore
| the Bachelor crew came up they perceived but
| two buoys, and snpposipg there was none
| for them turned their boat at the turning point
as near as they could judge, and in doing so col
llded with the Undines boat which was turning
own, leaving the right hand buoy for the Pho
neers, which was, in fact their own, the Pho
neers' buoy having sunk. All the buoys, it seems,
had changed their positions somewhat. Until
this time the race
HAD BEEN VERY EVENLY MATCHED.
The crews had worked nobly, displaying their
excellent training, and it is matter Of univer-
sal regret that this interference occurred. All
the crews claim tho with more less show
OF justice, and opinion is much divided as to
what the result would have been had not the
foul" occurred. This of course. is all specula-
ton, for no one could possibly foresee the end,
nor were there any good grounds apparent upon
which TO predict the result. The hrst half ri
the race had been with the tide--the last half
would have been against it, requiring an eXertion
| which might have produced varying success to
| the crews. The question, therefore, TO be set
tied is, not which boat might have won, but
which one did Will, or WAS there any race ut all.
| These questions the Umpire decided very pro-
| perry not to adtudge at once, but appointed all
other time FOR hearing the statements of the
| crews.
! TAKING THE STATEMENTS.
! At s o'clock, the Umpire, crews and press re-
| porters, gathered at the place OF meeting, Mr.
+. l.. Holmes office, in Masonic Temple building,
to hear the statements which the crews had to
make. 1t was first agreed that the coxswains
should be spokesmen for the crews, and Mr..
| Joseph l.. jackson was called first, who put in n
| rYr,tr ,lltu fall. Fol.
| the Undine crew turned their own buoy, in their
own water, and III doing so fouled with the
Bachelor gig that they were turning their
buoy in advance of the turning their buoy by
| the Pioneer crew, and had it not been for the
collision they would have won the race. For
this reason they claim it.
Charles Campbell, coXswan OF the Bachelor
crew, was next called and stated that when his
| crew arrived at the buoy there was none for
| them to turn, but they undertook to turn where
| they supposed their bouy should have been, and
III doing so struck the Undne gig. At this time he
claimed his gig was three lengths ahead of both
| the others, and this he made as his plea for the
| race.
| The Pioneer coxswain, J. l.. Smith, WAS next
called who stated that his crew rowed the race
| in their own water without interference and
at the time of the collision had sufficient head
way to warrant the Umpire in giving them the
race under rtiie 18th.
A. ID. Warner, Judge at the W. & W. Il. H.
bridge, stated. that he could see but two buuys-
the one on the right OF the creek and the other
| little to the left and he presumed a little ont
OF the centre. curve in the creek would have
obstructed his sight of the buoy on the left had
u been III position. He was under the impression
that the bachelor crew turned in the Undnes'
water, and committed the % FOUL
Mr.. Miller stated that he had placed the buo,s
as directed and IN the same relative positions as
last year-that when he left them they were all
loating, but short time afterwards he dscoy-
cred mat the one Oh the north side had sunk
A great many questions were asked Mr.. Miller,
but the above is the gist of his statement
Inc Umpire held the atterunder advisement
promising a decision to-day.
DECISION OF THE uMrIRE-A NEW RACE ORDERED.
The following is the decision of the Umpire,
Washington Hastings, ESQ, which was handed
70 harry 4. Cause, Esq, commodore of the
Chrlstiana Navy, this morning
WILMINGTON, DEL, Oct. 9TH, 1874.
Gentlemen of De Christiana Nary:
In rendering my decision on your race Of Sat-
urday, the 3rd inst. of which had the honor Of
peihS named as Umpire, l cannot forbear 10
state that appreciate fully, hope, the respon-
siDillty you have seen proper to place upon me
IN matter so full of interest to yourselves.
From the evidence produced at your meeting
on Saturday evening. it appears that the col
lsion which occurred between the boats of the
undine and Bachelor crews was purely accident
al, and occasoned by the fact that one of the
buoys which had been placed for the turning o.
the boats, viz the one on the northerly side of
the creek, having sunk, confusion was thereby
created in the minds of the Captains of all
the crews which led tho Bachelors, who
were leading at the time, to turn at u point
where they supposed their buoy ought TO have
been (see statement Of Mr.. CampbelD, the I'm
dimes to turn the buoy which had been placed
for the Bachelors, and the Pioneers to turn the
buoy intended for the Undines (see statement
Of Mr. Miller all supposng that they were turn
who, supposing there was no buoy for them
selves, were doing the best they could without
one.
Unintentional as it evidently was on the part
OF the Undine crew, the fact nevertheless re-
mains that they were not in their own water at
the time the foung took place but in that of the
Bachelors. and being so, they WERE under rule
8th OF your Navy, at their own peril and risk and
liable for any mishap occurring under such cir
cumstances.
These being the facts in the case as between
the Bachelor and Undine crews as understand
them it only remains to review the evidence in
the contest as between the Bachelors and the