The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-10-17
SPORTING.
The Long Talked of Hanlan-Court t.
ney Race Postponed.
A MISCRBANT CUTS COURTNEY'S
BoAT-sUsPICIONs OF FOUL PLAY.

NASHVILLE, N, Y. Oct. 1851 p. m.-There
were immense crowds here and other places
along the course of the long talked of race be-
tween Hanlan and Courtney at Chatauqua
Lake today, SO great was the interest IN tne
race. In fact the accommodations IN TINS
neighborhood have been uncomfortaply crowd
ed Tor day or two. Special trains from New
York, Pittsburg, Cleveland and 9th er places,
have po1 red in multitudes, and there were
hundreds roaming along the streets unable to
find chance to lay their weary Dones on any.
thing softer than board. A vast number of
sharDers gathered here and the railroad station
was surrounded by booths, in which wheels of
fortune, roulette, sweat cloths and other games
that are dark, were in full operation.
Many well known oarsmen were present,
among them NJ. +. Davis, j. a. Kennedy, f.
A. Plaisted, George III. Hosmer, Jamesy, and
Evan Morris. Every paper OF Importance in
the country has one or more men on the
ground, and several OF the great English
dailies arranged for special dispatches. The
Sportsman of London will have a full report
by cable, so general is the interest of the Eng
fish in the career of the man who brought the
championship from the Thames across the At
lantic.
The course was marked by line of flags on
either side of which the contestants were to
row. Mile flags were red, the half-mile flag
red and white, the quarter-mile flags red and
blue, and the eighth-mile flags white, while
those on the starting and turning buoys were
red and white This line separated the men.
The turning stakes were forty yards apart.
The Judges we're as follows: AT the start
and finish Capt. Il. j. Hubbell of New York
for Courtney, and David Ward OF Toronto Tor
Hanlan; at the turn, Charles Kirk Montrose OF
New York; on the referees boat, James IL;
Brister of Auburn, n. Y, for Courtney, and
John L. Davis of Toronto for Hanlan. The
two judges at the start and finish agreed upon
James Douglass of Toronto as umpire. The
Judges at the start and finish were statione d in
barges on the lake.
The race was to have taken place at
| O'Clock this afternoon. The following des-
patch from New York to-day, explains itself:
A private dispatch from Mayville states
that Courtney's boat was sawn in twain last
night, and the referee is to decide whether
| there will be any race to-day or not.
| 1t seems Courtney's attendants left the boat
| in the house for an hour to go to the village.
| When they returned they found that the door
on the river side had been forced and both
boats disabled The one to have been used for
| the race was sawn two-thirdS through and the
| working boat was cut entirely in half. There
| was great excitement and a riot was feared.
There is general feeling of distruSt at the
part of Courtney in the boat-cutting affair,
many believing that he or his men are at the
| bottom of it. 1t is automatically stated that
Frenchy johnson polished up both boats in
the morning, but knew nothing OF the affair
| Courtney's hackers swear dire revenge and are
convinced that he caused the boats to be cut
| himself. Courtney was refused to use one oil
| Hanlan's boats. A permanent postponement
| is probable.
Courtney's shell was one of Waters best,
| and her lines were remarkably graceful and in
dictate speed. She was very light, weighing
only % pounds, with outriggers. Courtney
| has tested her, and was perfectly satlSned Wltn
| her performance.
| Hanlan rowed over the course at O'Clock
at a rate of 80 strokes to the minute. A meet
ing of representatives of the press was held