St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-23

steam whistles. Ashore and afloat there
was a gay show OF bunting, Along the
course balconies were filled with gaily
dressed ladies, and the sight was one OF
constant brightness.
The start took place from the stone
road bridge at Putney. The patience OF
the waiting crowds at this point was at
length rewarded by seeing the Cam
bridge crew leave the boat house OF the
Leander club in their boat, and taGe
the water as the challengers in the
race. In a few moments they were out
in the tideway, their light blue caps
and Jackets and their oar-blades OF the
same tint
Being Conspicuous
in spite of the confusion caused by a
few tardy launches and wherrles
struggling to get out of the way and
succeeding mainly in getting in It,. The
crew certainly looked very pretty as
they padded leisurely with machine
like precision 10 the mOOred SKIN from
which they were to start. 1t is needless
to say they were Justify cheered by their
friends and SympathlZerS. Hardly had
the noisy greeting subsidized when the
Oxford men emerged from their head
quarters at the London Rowing club
and took their boat to the water-Side.
Their appearance was the signal for an
outbust of hearty cheering for those
who fancied the dark blue crew.
Cambridge won the toss and chose the
Surrey side. Once out from the shore,
they padded With somewhat more Vigor
than their opponents to their appointed
place, the dark blades OF their oars
| d piping SimultaneOu l. with clOckWork
regularity. Each crew being now held
at its uOOred boat, the men prepared
for battle by stripping OFF their flannel
Jackets and sweaters and settling their
balance. Cambridge having won the
toss, had selected the Surrey side of the
river. The tide was running strongly
and there was slight wind. The crews
having stripped,
Little Remained TO Distinguish
one from another. except the colors of
their oar blades. All being in readiness
the official starter fired his pistol, and
amid the shouts of thousands of admir-
erS and the hooting and screaming OF
steam whistles and sirens, the crews
shot up stream to decide their 1ittletl
contest. Close behind them followed
the umpire in tiny steam launch, and
| at a respectful distance four clumsy
| padde-wheel steamers of the kind used
for the ordinary passenger traffic OF the
river, These wallowing leviathans
| compared with the racing crafts car
ried certain privileged personS-o be-
| ing loaded with guests OF the oxford
| university boat club, a second with those
| of the Cambridge club, another with
! friends of the umpire and the fourth
| with the representatives of the London
| press. YellS of excitement and shouts
| - IN
all along the course as the boats came
in sight, and as they passed craft of
| every kind to be seen on the Thames
| closed in behind and crowded after
1t was exactly 4:34 when the pistol
was fired. Cambridge took the water
first and obtained a slight lead. which,
| as ClaSper'S boat house was reached,
! amounted to about three feet. Both
| crews were pulling
Pretty and Close Race
to Hammersmith bridge, a mile and
| three-fourths from the start. Here Ok
| ford, who in the intervening distance
| had forged to the front. had lead OF a
| q uarter of length. The light blues,
| however, let themselves out passing
| the bridge, and their squirt placed them
| level with their opponents. The posi-
ton they were unable to maintain, and
when the lead mills, very short dis
1 lance beyond Hammersmith bridge,
were reached, the OXOnianS were again
! slowly but surely regaining their lead.
| Never afterward were the Cambridge
| crew able 10 catch up with the
| OXfords. At Chswiek Eyot, the
small island in the. COrney beach,
about two miles and half
! from the start, the Cambridge crew
| 10 an0rbar tout THAR nffOrtS
were vain, the OXonians, who were then
three feet ahead, easily keeping the ad-
vantage. Trouble was anticipated at
| Barnes bridge, little more than three
! and a half miles from the starting point,
! but both cOXwainS handled their boats
| kilifulIy, and the open water beyond
was reached without accident. Oxford
| was now a length and a quarter ahead.
! The light blues struggled manfully to
| OyeItake the OXOnianS, and passing
through the Osier beds their sturdy
| strokes began 10 tell a little i'll their
! favor.
Inch by Inch
| they gained, but the Oxford crew, with
| ali their reserve strength brought into
| play, Swung backward and forward,
! fairly lifting their she'll from the water.
! Both crews struggled desperately for
| lllG llidSlCl1 DuO lilN OAlOih NANhs w
spite the twenty-five pounds heavier
weight in their boat, pulled the more
| powerful and telling strOkeS,and passed
| the finishing line two and hall lengths
| ahead of Cambridge.
| The official time was 1917, the best
time ever made over the course, the
best previous time made by Oxford last
year having been 1921. The scene OF
the finish was one of whirling hub-bub
and agitation. The victors were greeted
with tumult of applause, which was
answered by counter cheers from
the friends of the yanquIShed, to whom
the cry of "Well rOwed, Cambridge
was offered good-naturedly in recogni-
ton OF their gallant fight. The river at
once became a scene of turmoil, and for
a long time tangle of laulches, tugs,
rOwbOatS and other vessels had as much
as much as they could do to keep out OF
each others way. Some slight collisions
| occurred, but no accident Of a serious
nature resulted. Oxford has now won
| for four years in succession. For the
four preceding years Cambridge was
the victor. The Oxford boat carried
| I,471 pounds and the Cambridge 1,447.