Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-04-05
FOREIGN NEWS.
A BOAT RACE.
The Annual University Boat Race Be.
tween the Cambridge and Oxford Crews
is Won by the Former-Hungry Work.
ingmen March Aloag the Course.

The annual university boat race between
the Oxford and Cambridge crews WAS row ed
:his forenoon over the Thames river from
Putney TO Mortlske, and resulted, as was ex-
pected, in victory for Cambridge. The
water was sufficiently ''lumpy" to put to a
thorough test the stamina of the men engaged
in the contest
The river banks were crowded. Yankee
enterprise entertained the sight seers almost
as much as the contest between the university
athletes. An American manufacturing com
pany sent up several hundred small balloons
from Putney. containing advertise ments of
their wares and offering some of these wares
free to the finders of the balloons. There
was consequently a great rushing smong the
immense crowds to secure the balloons a.
they came to the ground The sport occa-
stoned by the whole affair was great and in
descrbable.
Amid all this jolity q large gang of rough
and i'll clad men appeared on the scene as il
to remind the holiday makers that there
were some Englishmen who were incapable
of enjoying themselves. These marched in
procession along the race course, headsd ID
by band and bearing banner calling at
tention to the distress prevailing among the
unemployed workingmen of England, and
containing the inscription, ''You live; we
starve."
just at the start of the race, the sun broke
through the clouds and gave a spell OF bright
weather, during which the wind moderated
somewhat.
Oxford won the toss for the choice of sta
tions. The boats were started even and were
kept so BY as fine a contest as was ever wit
messed on the course for about mile. Then
the Cambridge boat was pulled u few feet
ahead. The Oxford men. however, increased
their work, and the boats were again shot
along with their relative positions maintained
without perceptibe change. In this second
stage the race was most exciting, both crews
rowing with great power, and everv man
straing his muscles for the advantage. The
Cambridge men made several desperate
spurts to get away from their competitors
but the latter responded instantly and sue.
cessfully to each, and when Hammersmith
bridge was reached, the Cambridge boat was
but quarter of a length ahead.
mile and a half had now been rowed, and
the contest continued stubborn and fairly
even and exciting up to two and a halt miles,
when point opposite Chiswick church was
reached. Here Oxford spurted. The work
was done quickly, smoothly, and with plenty
OF wind. The boat responded by fairly shoot.
ing along until its prov got even with that OF
the Cambridge, and then passed it by few
feet.
The spectators along the banks and on the
river were now wrought up to a high degree
of enthusiasm, and the contestants were
urged on by cheering that was loud and in.
spring. The Cambridge men responded to
bravo" by work which gradually sent their
boat up even with that of Oxford, and the
verv height of the struggle was reached
The boats were kept even until Barnes
bridge was passed Here neither crew had
any visible advantage, and both were strain
ing to such point that oars in each splqshed.
The rowing. however, was pow erful on both
sides, and the men now on the home stretch
leaned with all their remaining might to the
task of reaching the finish line in the squick
est time possible. The people along the
banks in sight of the struggle, and on boats
following the contestants. were now almost
wild with excitement, and cries of dead
heat" were everywhere heard 1t seemed
inevitable that the race would end in tie.
for the men in both crews appeared all strong
and preserved, and so evenly matched in all
respects that nothing but accident could give
either side an advantage. But near the fin
ish the Cambridge men added one more spur
to their long sustained pull, and 1t moveC
their craft at AZ strokes to the minute, a few
feet ahead, and they passed the line almost
half a length in advance, winning one of the
greatest races ever rowed over the course
AT no point during the entire race had i
been possible Tor either crew TO get more
than half length ahead of its rival u,
to almost the finish, the race belonged t
either side.