Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-04-04
TELEGRAPHIC.
The Great University Boat
Race.
THE CAMBRIDGE CREW WINS
A Very Close and Exciting Contest
A Neck and Neck
Race.

.pfctot to the Herald bg hssocfaied Press
LONDON, April Cambridge won
the university boat race on the Thames
this morning The sky was cloudy, the
weather mild, and the wind pretty
strong at the start, and during the race
The water was sufficiently ''lumpy" to
prt to a thorough tes, the stamina Of the
contestants. Betting was in favor OF
the Cambridge crew. The river banks
we're crowded with people, thousands
N lking the race an event for holiday.
A crowd, rough and i'll clad, appeared
on the scene, as II to remind the holiday
makers that they were Englishmen, in
capable of enjoying themselves. The
roughs marched in procession along the
race course. headed by band. and bear
lug banners calling attention to the dis
tress among the unemployed.
The boats were started even and were
kept so by as fine a contest as was ever
witnessed on the course for about a mile,
then the Cambridge boat puifed a few
was exciting. The Cambridge men made
several desperate spurts to get away
from their competitors, but the latter
responded instantly and successfully to
each and when the Hammersmith bridge
was reached, the Cambridge bow was
but quarter of length ahead. A nile
and half had now been rowed and the
contest continued stubborn, to Hanson
fairly even, and exciting up to the two
and a hall mile point opposite Cheswick
church. Here Oxford spurted, the boat
responded by fairly shooting along. un-
Ill It's prov got even with that of Cam
bridge aud then passed IL by a few feet.
Thd ontestants were urged by cheering
that was loud and inspiring. Cambridge
gradually sent their boat up even with
that of Oxford and the boats were kept
even until Barnes bridge was passed.
Here neither crew had any visible ad-
vantage and both were straining every
point, each oar dashed foam and
splashed. The people along the banks
and on the boats following were now al
most wild With excitement and cries of
tdead heat, dead heat" were everywhere
heard, but near the finish the Cambridge
men were able to add one more squirt to
their long sustained pull and it moved
their craft at AZ strokes to the minute,
few feet ahead and they passed the
limit almost half a length in Advance
end winning one of the grandest races
ever rowed over the course. The ex-
citement at the close was thrilling. AT
no point during the entire race had it
been possible tor either crew to get
more than half length ahead of its
rival.
u. to almost the finish the race
belonged to either side and the
excitemf among the partisans
along the river bank was increased from
minute to minuteafrom the start, by
the continuous eveness of the rowing
and eau alizalinn of the advantages un-
tiIthe splendid finish relieved the excite
ment which broke and dissipated in
thunders o..applause. The race is every
where pronounced the greatest ever
.,ulIed on the Thames since the dead
heat OF 1877. The length Of the cours
was four miles and a quarter. The
time made by Cambridge was % 29A,
the longest occupied in any of the Unl-
versity races since the contest OF 1877
The tide was poor and the race was
rowed against strong head winds almost
the whole way. These two facts sutii-
ciently explain the time made in vie"
OF the continuous hard pulling done by
the crews The men OF both crews were
very much exhausted at the ii iish.
The Oxford was steered badly.