Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-22
OXFORD OARSMEN
Outrow Their Cambridge
Competitors.
A Day of Rarest Sport on the
Thames.
Yhe Contest Was One of the Closest
on Record.
The Victorious Crew Crossed the Line
Only a Quarter Of = Length Ahead.
Time 22 Minutes.
Associated Press Dispatches.

LONDON, March 2l.--The forty eighth
boat race between Oxford and Cam
bridge, decided this morning, was won
by quarter Of length by Oxford;
time, % minutes. The race was over
the usual course, from Putney bridge to
the slip at Mortlake, about four and a
quarter miles.
The attendance, as a whole, did not
equal that of former years, owing to the
early hour at which the race was rowed
and to the prevalence of sleet storm in
the forenoon and bitter cold weather.
Oxford won the toss and chose the
Middlesex or north shore side.
The rival eigh.tts igh.ts started prettily
and successfully at HOO a. m.
sharp. As the crew bent to their
work, hail and snow was falling upon
them in no pleasant fashion, and a
strong cross northwest wind was raising
very ,lumpy sea. Both crews had been
expecting bad weather and consequently
they both utilized high wash boards.
Cambridge at first got away with the
lead, pulling shorter and somewhat
quicker stroke than Oxford, and at
Clasper's boat house, the Cambridge
boat was ahead. The Oxford bent to
her work, pullinga long dragging power.
tul stroke, peculirr to the oarsmen OF
that university. This stroke soon told ;
Oxford was leading slightly at Craven
cottage, six furlongs from the start. At
Grab Tree one mile and three furlongs
from the start, Oxford had lead by a
length, but under the influence OF a
~,o-;oJ of hr.nbt c,,,,chino uhicb c,1c-
ceeded the hail and snow, Cambridge
spurted neatly ahead in fine style. This
effort redoubled the cheers from the river
banks, and at the soap works, one mile
and three and half furlongs from the
start, the two boats were apparently
"nose and nose" both pulling evenly
and strongly.
1t was then evident that stubborn
contest was in order, and those who had
been laying heavy odds on Oxford began
to feel sad, while corresponding feeling
of jubilance was experienced by the
friends of Cambridge.
Nearing Hammersmith bridge, one
mile and six furlongs from the start,
Cambridge again made a magnificent
squirt, pulling finely, strongly together,
and passed under that bridge quarter
of a length ahead, amid scene of tre-
mendous excitement. Their time to
this point was 8 minutes and Sc seconds.
Cambridge's gallant squirt, which re-
suited in their being first under Ham
mersmith bridge, according to tradition,
ehould have landed their boat first over
the winning line. Oxford, however, did
not lose heart, but bent down all the
more doggedly to work.
At the oil mills, two miles one and a
half furlongs from the start, the two
boats were even with each other, and
the excitement grew in intensity.
A determined, plucky struggle took
place as the racing eights passed CHS
wick, about 21a miles from the start,
the tremendous cheering from the river
sides causing each man in the two boats
to strain every nerve to win. Oxford
when nearing Chiswick was leading, but
it was by few feet only.
At Barnesbridge, over three and a
half miles from the start, Oxford was
leading by half length. Here every
thing seemed to depend upon the power
of squirting which remained in the two
crews. The river banks were literally
packed with hoarsely cheering crowds.
Coolly, without an outward sign of ex-
haustion, the contesting crews tugged
at their oars with the utmost brilliancy
and nerve.
The struggle in the last quarter of a
mile of course will be long remembered
in the aquatic world. 1t was simply
magnificent. Oxford had all the work
she could do cut out for her. AS the
boats rounded Barnes bend, Cambridge
was rowing pluckily, and with plenty OF
strength, but Oxford passed over the
line by quarter Of length, amid in
tense, almost indescribable excitement,
winning the grandest race rowed on the
river Thames in many years. Oxford's
time was % minutes. Betting was
noninally three to one on Oxford.