The Portland daily press., 1878-10-15
THE IACRINE RACE.
A Full History of the Affair.
The Negotiations Between SQUIRT
uey AND HansaW.

New YORK, Oct 1.-The following state
mept is furnished by the Toronto correspondent
of the World. ard is based on interviews with
Mr.. Ward, Mr. Davis and Mr.. Manghan' the
leading members of the Hanlan CLUB:
Although Courtney's friends early IN the sea-
son boastpd that they would match him against
Hanan for any amount, even $4,000 side,
Messrs. Ward and Davis found, when they met
Messrs. Brster and Webster at Cape Vincent
and Eosenore 10 Septic Der, that they would
not stake more than So, 500. Several courses 10
Canada were competing for the race, notably
Barrie, Burlington Bay, Toronto Bay, Rec
Lake aud Scugog Lake, and Offering purses of
from $4,000 to $1,000, Toronto would have
given almost any reasonable amodnt, but
Courtney at the outset declared he would not
row here He witnessed the Hanlan-Plaisted
race in May, and imagined that Hanlan's vic
tory was due as much to his knowledge OF the
course as TO his prowesS with the oar. This, it
may be we'll to say right here, was the only oc-
cason Courtney saw Hanlan rowing a race
except at the Centennial in 1876 and as the
Canadians friends knew that their man would
probably have to meet Courtney to decide the
championship, they instructed him to take
things easy Hanlan obeyed, and Plaisted led
him for mile, Courtney, who was on the
judges boat, declaring that the Canadian had
fallen away since the Philadelphia race. He
failed to see what everybody who ever saw
Hanlan doing practice trials could have told
him, that the Canadian was literally PLAYING
with bis opponent At Brockville. on the LIST
of July, Mr.. Webster saw Hanlan run away
from Plasted, Riley. j. A. Kennedy and .hers.
The Canadian led them by ten lengths at the
turning buoy, aud was coming home with a
burst that would have left them quarter of a
mile il the rear had he not been checked by
messenger from Ward, who was afraid Web
ster would take the alarm and refuse to give
odds on his man 10 the then taked-of Courtney
Hanlan race. On the Kennebeccasis where
Hanlan rowed Wallace Ross in July, two Bos-
ton men were spotted" By Hanlan's party as
touts or timers for Webster and Bris.er A.
cordingly Ward shifted the flag marking the
two-and a-half mile turn on the practice course
half mile back, making the course six miles,
The timers were by this means I'D to believe
that Hanlan could not do better than SO min
utes or over; and at the premature close of
the race (R)ss tumbling out of his boat) one
OF them publicly boosted that Courtney
luld beat Hanlan nearly four minutes,
This was Just what the Hanlan club wanted.
Davis with Brister aud Webster. The latter
Insisted on Owasco lake and pledged them
selves to $4,000 purse to the stakes, said
purse to be made up of subscriptions given by
and by the hotels in the neighborhood. Han
lan's friends agreed to this, but when MIR.
MaDghan, the honorary Sc cretary of the club
sent a bond for Brister and Webster TO sign for
the $4,000, they refused to become personally re-
sp0nsible and referred him to the railroad com
pany. Manghan found, however, that the
Railroad was n the bands of receiver, aud the
club refused to run the risk losing the $4,000
which would be theirs if aanlon won, more es-
pscially as Montreal offered tho security of
men like Hugh Allen for similar purse pro.
vlded the race was rOwed at Lachine. Fresh
negotiations were at once opened, and Webster
and Brister agreed to row at Lachne, Courtney
protesting. When the time came for the lat
ter's friends to put up the final instalments
they had to admit that they were unwilling to
stake more thao $1,000, and that the Hanlan
Club had TO choose between rowing for this
amount or letting the match drop. They de.
cided on rowing, and 10 order not to prejudice
the efforts of tue Montreal committee charged
with raislug the $4,000 purse by subscriptions,
they kept the f8ilufe of C0urtney's friends to
put up the amount first agreed on secret 1t
was also found that the Montreae,s were slow
in subscribing, giving as the reason for their
backwardness that the championship was not
involved. The Hanlan Club were of the onin-
ion that as Hanlau, the champion of Canada.
had won the championship of the nited States
at Pttsburg they were entitled by the usage in
sporting matters to insist that any race for the
champ onship of America should be rowed on
their own water, Toronto Bay, and Webster
and Brister agreed with them. However, the
club authorized the secretary of the Montreal
committee, at the latter's request, to advertise
| that the race involved the Champ ionsbip al
though as a matter OF FACT there was no such
agreement between the Two sides, written or
verbal.
The public were thus deceived on two i'm port
ant matters, viz the amount of the stake and
the announcement that the championship was
being formally r0wed for, but saving this, the
club declares in the most emphatic manner that
the race was rowed honestly and above board
First of all they are men presumably above
cion all of them m 20 Of means, aud sew
eral of them holding the highest public trusts
They say II any proposition looking to sale of
the race had been made it would have been in
| dignantly rejected and the public informed of
! 1t, but none such was even hinted at. They
were convinced from the first that Haulan
could defeat Courtney. The former has been
tried in private, time and again in all weathers.
at all distances from mile to six, and his time
is wholly unparalleled. The most sanguipe
reports respecting Courtney's time in private
are far higher than tina time Hsnlan has &C.
tually made 10 his trials on the ice-measur,d
course on this bay, where the water is MOI g
OF the smoothest.. Having thus the most alb
solute confidence in their man, more particu-
larry on rough-water course like Lachine,
they told their friends to bet every dollar on
him. The betting, however, was spoiled by the
insane odds offered By too enthusiastic Toron-
tonians moreover, Courtney's hackers had no
money aad were "blutfed" at every turn on the
eve Of the race Brister learned that Ward
and other members of the club who knew Hau-
lan's private record were operating largely.
flem10g, Ward partner, sat in the pool room
with 5,000 and Reeves, a wealthy drover b ad
as much more, while every train brought On
tario delegations willing to invest their last cent
on their man. 1t was then, on the evening of
the Both ult that Courtney's hackers weakened
and rushed in to hedge. The odds on Hanlan
were rising hourly, add Blister and his friends
saw that hedging in Montreal meant giving
to and even to l on Hsnlan. Accordingly
they telegraphed to Auburn aud New YORK.
where at this time the bstting was even, or at
most 100 to 80 on Hanl4n, and bought no Han
Ian pools to cover their operations in Montreal
This, the club declares, was the sole secret of
the panic AS for the race ITSELF Haulan was
instructed "to keep Courtney nicely in hand.
and feel him ell through; to let him lead at
three miles, and then 10 pass him and win BY
couple Of boat-leugths." The objecs of allow.
ing Courtney to take the lead at TIRES miles
was to induce his friends to make three-mie
match after the rsce, that being Courtney's tay-
orite distance. Hanlan, as usual, obeyed his
orders to the letter. Finally, the club saws.
Hanlsn Can beat the Union Springs oarsman at
any distance, and to settle the matter they will
make match for any amount, one. two, three,
four, five, six or ten miles. provided Courtney
will put himself into the hands of men whose
reputation will protect him from Islander and
calumny in case of another defeat. This, how
ever, is out CT the question this fall for Hanlan
goes to England ia December and iu March or
April will begin an assault on the English oars.
men. taking the lesser lights first and endeav-
oring to return home with the championship
Harry Kelly, the ex-champion, has already
been engaged to look aftOr the Canadians in