Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-04
O,oONNOR ASD tsAUDAUR.
The ScWliing Race Between Them
Turns Our to be a ElZZIe.

SAN Francisco, March 3.-The boa
race between William O'Connor, o
Toronto, and Jake Gaudaur, Of St. Louis
| for 81 900 side and the championship o
America, was rowed this afternoon ovel
the Alameda course, an arm of the Sa1
Francisco Bay, about five miles from this
city.
Early in the afternoon q stiff breeze
began blowing, and long before the time
announced for the race to take place, il
was evident that the water would be
rough but, Notwithstanding the swell
which was on, both men evinced desire
TO row. Alfred j. Tobin was chosen
referee, and w. R. Vice, time-keepcr.
O'Connor's judges won the choice for
places, and he was given the inside
course where the water was much
smoother than on Gaudaur's course.
After some delay the men were sent
away at O'Clock, O'Connor catching the
water first. AT the start both men were
thirty-six strokes per minute. When
about three hundred yards from the
starting point Gaudaur lost his stroke,
owing to the rough water, but regained it
and made a spurt till the quarter was
reached, when he again lost the water,
and turning his boat around he came
back and gave up the race. O'Connor
steered somewhat wildly about the half
mile point, but soon regained straight
course and made the turn-a mile and
a-half-in nine minutes and twenty sec
onds.
On the home stretch he quickened his
stroke and made the starting point in
nineteen minutes and forty-fve seconds,
and was declared the winner of the race
by the referee.
Only small crowd assembled to wit
ness the race, owing to the fact that
the report was current that it was
already fixed. The report seems to be
strengthened by the fact that Gaudaur
gave up with so little effort, although
handicapped by rough water. Betting
was very light, and but few pools were
sold on the race. Outside money was
offered on O'Connor with the odds of two
to one, but there were very few takers.
SAN Francisco, March 3.-The Er-
aminer will say tomorrow: Jake Gau-
daur rowed short quarter of a mile
against William O'Connor over the Ala
media course this afternoon, and then
quit. The champion continued over the
yourse and then went off to count up
the gate money, and assure himself
that he was not here in the West
for his health only. From Gaudaur's 8
quitting, the sporting people argue that
the race was con the level" on the
ground that it it had been pre-arranged
affair, Gaudaur would have gone over
the course and the finish would have
been close enough to look like a
race. Be this as it may, there
were from 5000 to 1000 people,
who paid half dollar each to
see race and went away disgusted be-
cause they saw only one man 60 over the
course. There would have been some
trouble at the gate ifthere had been any
body for the crowd to demand the return
of the admission fees from, but the ticket
takers were not there when the crowd
started home"
Commenting thereon, the Chronicle to-
morrow will say: 1t is needless to say
that the race gave general dissatisfaction,
and to none more so than to those who
had been speculative enough to
back Gaudaur. Why such vet
eran oarsman as he is should
cease after rowing for 8 minutes and 52
seconds needs explanation, more espec-
tally as the water, rough though it was,
did not prevent two or three oarsmen
fron rowing to the turning.point in their
ahalls