Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-09-24
SUNDAY SPORTS
The Men and Boys Of Aquatic
InclinatiOns Take to the
Water = The Regatta
Near Mound City
on Yesterday. p.
Our Forest and Stream Reporter
Attends and Takes a Few
Notes on Boat Racing:

Notes on Boat Racing:
How to kill time and pass away Sun.
day is the great conundrum with many q
man and youth who do not attend church
and who have ohoms attractions. They
must do something. Base ball is played
out and suburban beer gardens are not
a%ourishing this season. There is no
public park to visit, and humanity has to
be amused in some manner. Land
amusements having ceased, and man be-
ing in nature. according to Darwin, lux
ley, Spencer and other scientists, some
what of the fishy order, because, accord.
ing to their views. all life came originally
from the sea and progressed slowly and
through connecting links from some en-
bryo state to the high position of a nam.
NAL, that vertibrated animal with warm,
red blood and a double system Of circu-
lation-no wonder man takes to water
like a duck or a gar.fsh.
TIE REGATTA.
Yesterday afternoon the steamer Cons
Millar left the landing at half past two
o'clock for the Mound City course, six
miles up the river, and carried up some
four hundred people, including men,
women and children. Arriving at the
place, which is in the big Arkansas bend
halfa mile above Mound City and oppo-
site the head Of the Old Hen Island, the
crowd scrambled ashore, and the Cons
Millar returned to the city for another
load Of passengers. The bank at this
point presents a desolate appearance. 1t
is clear for some thirty yards back, when
a dense forest Of scrub timber com.
mences and extends back for miles
through the swamps. People sat down
on the bank Of the river and on old logs
and philosophically awaited the return
Of the steamer. They watched some
sixty skiffs and three steam tugs which
we're in the bend. Each skiff was loaded
with either men or boys, and they pulled
aroand recklessly and had races, but
fortunately no skiH upset and no one was
drowned. Several men who loved range
shooting had their rifles and targets With
them, and they amused themselves exer-
cising their skill at one hundred yards
range, and discussing the mysteries of
bulls eyes, c%enters, %inners, cutters and
misses. There was no tent or house in
sight where n could regsle the inner
man with a glass Of lager or q ham sand.
wich; there was not even a glass Of ice
water to be found. These discomforts
were not noticed at first, but as the two
hours of waiting dragged along people
began to grow weary and get FESTIVE,
which caused numbers to wish that they
not been induced to leave the city. AT
half-past five o'clock smoke was seen
down the river, and in a short time the
Cons Millar came up with three hundred
passengers. Whenianded those on board
made a rush to get ashore, while those
ashore made a rush to get aboard, where
seats, lager beer and something to eat
could be obtained.
TIE START AND F.A.sH.
1t was not long before Admiral Kelly
had the a boats at the starting point.
The boats and crews we're IS follows:
DeSOto Club boat, H. G. Dent-W.
W. Maingault, coxswain; s. D. Young,
stroke; S. S. Lewellyu, fifth waist; Vim.
cent BOro, fourth; D. L. Robinson, third;
j. NJ. Ennis, second E Muzzio, bow.
Bluff City Club boat, Katie Podesta-
j. j Cresl, coxswain; Bob Lee, stroke;
NJ. McNulty, fifth waist; John Bridgewa.
ter, fourth; Mike Fell, third; James
Brown, second; c. W. Hunter, bow.
The steam tug Lulu was anchored up
in the bend at a distance roughly est.
mated at one and a half miles, thereby
making the pull three miles. The rival
boats locked like big spiders on the
water, the long oars rising and falling
slowly. Admiral Kelly appointed and
located the judges end referees, and
stated that the race would be for a silver
cup.
Amid loud cheers the admiral fired a
pistol, the long bars swept forward aud
backward and the boats we're of. The
Bluff City boat secured a fine start, and
at once shot to the front. The DeSoio
boys started badly, caught crabs, splasbed
water and found themselves almost i'm.
mediately two lengths behind, The Bluff
City boys pulled strongly, steadily and
beautifully, and increased the distance
between them and the DeSoto boys every
stroke. The StakeboAt was reached in g.
minutes by them, and they rounded
rapidly and stretched for the finish.
The DeSoto boat reached the stake.boat
in seven minutes and was some ten
lengths behind the DeSota boat. Down
the home stretch both boats came, the
Bluff City boat increasing daylight until
she passed the judges stand, fifteen
lengths ahead of her opponent. There
was tremendous cheering and great WAiv.
ing of handkerchief as the decisions Of
tho inAnnn mara -nnnnnnnnd