St. Paul daily globe., 1886-04-04
Oxford Defeated by Cambridge in One
of the Prettisst Races Ever Bowed
on the Thames.
Every Inch of the Course Contested, Gam
bridge Winning 0nly by a scant
Half Length.
Bell and Snyder Have Another BIZ
cycle Bout, the Former Proving
the Victor.
snowden, the Worlds Champion,
Easily Wins the Six Days Race
on Skates.
The Oxford Colors Rehind.

LONDON. April 3.-The annual univer-
sity boat race between the Oxford and Cam
bridge crews was rowed over the usual
course on the Thames from Putney to Mort
lake, and resulted. as was expected, in a
victory for the latter. 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 put to a
thorough test the stamina of the men en-
gagged In the contest. The betting was in
favor OF the Cambridge crew. The river
banks were both crowded, thousands
OF people making the race
won the choice of stations The boats were
started even and were kept so by as fine
contest as ever was witnessed on the course
for about mile. Then the Cambridge
boat was pulled few feet ahead. In the
second stage the race was exciting. 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 bow was
but quarter of length ahead. A mile
and half had now been rowed, and the
contest continued stubborn,
FAIRLY EVEN
and exciting up to the two and one-half
mile point. Here Oxford spurted The
boat responded by fairly shooting along un-
til its prev got even with that of Cambridge,
and then passed it by few feet. The con-
testaDts were urged ON by cheering that
was loud and inspiring. The Cambridge
men gradually sent their boat up even with
that of Oxford, and the beats were kept
even until Cambridge was passed. Here
neither crew had any visible advantage,
and both were strainng to such point that
each ovsr-passed Prov and splashed The
people along the banks and on the boats
following were now almost wild with ex-
citemeRt, and cries of ''dead heat' were
everywhere heard. But near the finish the
Cambridge nen were able to add one more
squirt to their long-sustained pull, and it
moved their craft at forty-two strokes to
the minute few feet ahead, and they
passed the limit almost half length in ad-
vance, winning one of the greatest races
ever rowed over the course. The race is
everywhere pronounced the greatest ever
pulled on the Thames since the deaf heat of
1877. The length of the course was four
and One-eighth miles.
A THUNDER OF APPLAUSE.
The excitement at the close was thrilling.
At no point during the entire race had it
be en- possible for either crew to gain more
| than half length advantage. Up to al
most the finish the race belonged to either
side, and the excitement among the par
! tisans along the river banks was increased
| from minute to minute from the start by
| the continuous evenness of the rowing and
equalization of advantages, until the
splendid finish relieved the excite
ment. which broke and dissipated il
perfect thunder of applause. The time
made by Cambridge was 22:291S. the
longest occupied in any of the university
races since the contest of 1877. The tide
was strong and the race was rowed against
strong headwinds almost all the whole way.
These two facts sufficiently explain the
time made, in view of the continuous hard
pulling done by the crews. The men Of
both crews were very much exhausted at
the finish. The Oxford boat was steered
| badly.