Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-09-29
WEISGERBER WINS.
SATURDAYS SCULLING STRUGGLE.
Wheeling's Boat Race and Largest Crowd
Fifteen Thousand People View
the Match-Referee's
Time: 20;58t.
A MATCH PULLED By MOONLIGHT.

A MATCH PULLED By MOONLIGHT.
The boating season at Wheeling has
probably closed and like Time, its
"noblest effort was its last" We have
had few races this season, but what was
lacking in numbers was more than COM
pensated in quality. The fine match OF
Saturday has elevated Wheeling, from
almost obscurity, to a high place in
aquatic circles. For ii was 4 fine match;
and if George w. Weisgerber may be
pardoned a proud feeling of victory,
certainly there should be, about Louis
Felsing, little of the gloom OF defeat. If,
as Weisgerber says, Felsing did not
show front in the race, surely the latter
deserves the lilies to the victor's roses,
for a stern chase is proverbially a long
chase and the loser was plucky to the
last.
Saturday morning dawned as cloud
less as a martyrs future, and II the
weather had been made to order and
taken on probation, it could not have
proved more suitable for the pulling OF
a great boat race. The only anxiety
was felt over the water, fears being en-
tertained that shell might crawl upon
a bar. This seemed reasonable, as in
many places the riverbed was creeping
to the surface as if to join the throng OF
spectators and pick up loose bet. The
sequel proved these fears groundless.
Early in the morning a restless crowd
began TO pervade the city, all of the
principal streets bearing evidence that
something unusual was about TO trans
pire. The surrounding country gave up
its inhabitants and the hard-handed
farmer and soft-palmed sporting man
for once had common object. Never
did Wheeling contain a larger crowd.
Pittsburgh sent down two excursions OF
about 600 people each, and smaller lots
were picked up at the way stations
along the route. 1t is estimated that
II, 900 persons viewed the race. From
the Belmont mill to the lower end OF
the course, the bank was lined with an
eager, struggling, betting mass OF hui
manity with but two wishes divided up
amongst them-l7,OOO souls with but
two single thoughts.
A DELAY.
Most ofthe large crowd had assembled
by 4:30 o'clock and fOndly imagined this
race would come off earlier than its pre-
decessors. But it did not. Five
o'clock came, and the sun sank
behind the western hills with
out waiting for the start, and his
bright regent rose coldly in the east and
endeavored 10 make up Tor 1t. The
crowd thought it was 10 be treated to a
race by moonlight and had settled down
10 await that contamination, when DIR.
T. o. Edwards, the referee, appeared on
the bank and waved his bandanna as a
signal TO "bring out the men," The
stake boats had been previously set,
Welsgerbers on the Ohio side, he hav-
ing won the choice of positions.
COMING OUT.
At5:3O o'clock, Felsing came spin
ming down the river from the Nail City
boat house and hitched the tail end OF
his shell to the stakeboat that Haunted
his colors-blue. Presently some cheers
announced that Weisgerber had con-
cluded TO come; some louder ones an
nounced his appearance and a yell OF
coming triumph was sent up as his
boat shot off, described a graceful circle
on the water and backed up to his flag
boat.
BETTING.
These preliminaries passed unnoticed
BY many. They were too busy. They
were betting. Asusual, Pittsburgh sup
ported the wrong man and left money
here. Our neighbors have twice picked
the winner before leaving home and
then come down here and turned sum
mersault. With few exceptions the
Felslng men demanded odds. The ar
guments they advanced to support this
was the fact that they had given odds on
both of the other races. Their logic I'M
pressed some, but not others. Most OF
the bets made were even, as but few
of the Weisgerber men would give
odds. AS consequence, many
persons carried their wealth to
the course and back without
putting it up. From what passed be-
meath our ewes, it would be safe to say
that at least 5000 changed hands, be
the same more or less.
THE RACE. IA
The announcement that the men were
in position and awaited the starting
word, interrupted diplomatic financial
schemes, and a grand rush was made for
the bank. Precisely at 5:32, or DAP, or
exactly at some other time, according to
which thermometer you swOre by, the
word "Gow was gwen and the two
shells darted Off as if they had an en-
gagement down the river. Weisgerber
took slight lead at the start, which
Felsing closed within 80 yards OF the
flag boats, and for the next 200 yards
the men pulled along as though hitched
together. The six-oared barge "James
Hamilton, with Referee Edwards
aboard. followed down the course, look
ing for all the world like one OF these
acknowledged insects.
The contestants were pulling at this
time about 81 strokes TO the minute, a
pace too great to be long continued, and
which dropped shortly afterwards to -.
Before reaching the buoy boats, Weis-
gerber got down to p, but they were
long strokes, and covered as much wa
ter as Felslng's 80. When the buoys
were turned and the boats straighten-
ed up" on the return, Weisgerber showed
nearly two lengths ahead. Neither men
seemed pulling his best as Benson's
Ferry was passed, but on reaching
WhiSkey Run, both spurted, Weisger-
Der making as high as IS strokes a
minute.
Bv this time it had dawned upon the
crowd near the finish that Weisgerber
was to be the winner, and a pandemon-
ium of bowls and wells arose in tribute.
Men. women and children rushed down
the bank and crowded to the river shore
to see the line crossed and
wEISGERBER THE WINNER
bv about length and hall,
Then came the farce OF Misunderstanding.
The winner turned, in accordance with
AQUATIC courtesy, and backed his boat
up TO his defeated rival to grasp his
hand. Their palms touched, and the
floating multitude within earshot strain
ed their backs and craned their necks
10 catch the treasured words that might
fall from the lips of the great. This is
what was said:
Felsing-"Fatty, I'm not satisfied yet. y
Ill I -, I can't holm