Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-03-28
OXFORD TRIUMPHANT.
Fifty-third Boat Race ON the Thames
Between Oxford and Cambridge
Won BY Former.

Putney, England, March 2s.--The OK
ford crew, to the surprise of almost every
body, won the fifty-third boat race be
tween the universities of Oxford ant
Cambridge by about one-third Of lengt!
after An exciting finish.
Thus Oxford has won thirty races o
the series to twenty-five won by Cam
bridge, the dead heat in 1877 making ur
the total number. This is the seventh
year in succession that Oxford has defeat
ed Cambridge.
The time was 20:04; the course was thu
usual one-from Putney bridge to thu
winning post above Ship Inn in Mort
Lake, distance about four and one fourth
miles.
In the early hours heavy downpour ol
rain drenchsd the gathering sght-seers
and caused thousands to remain at home
As result the crowds along the banks OF
the Thames were much simmer than
usual.
Cambridge was hot favorite at to
and few takers.
Cambridge embarked first, won the
toss, and chose the Surrey side of the
river, a decided advantage as gale was
blowing from the shore, or about south
west, raising lumpy water everywhere
and quite little sea at bad places.
The crews embarked at 1858 p. m. Al
a pistol shot at / :O2, both boats got away
sharply, Cambridge pulling pretty
thirty.six to Oxford's slightly more
powerful sweep of thirty-four. There
wEs little to choose between them until
the clasper's boat house was reached, ap.
preaching the first half mile, when the
Cambridge boats nose showed slightly
in front.
The two crews we're pulling with great
determination and splashing somewhat
on account of the rough water.
OXFORD SHOWED AHEAD.
At the half mile mark Oxford drew
up and showed ahead at Walden's. There
was great cheering, for this made it ap.
parent that splendid ding.dong race
was to be rowed.
Gold, the Oxford stroke, evidently had
his men we'll in hand and ready for some
thing in squirting work without any dan
ger Of the distress signal being dis
played.
But Fernie, the Cambridge stroke,
quickly called his crew together, and pull
ling long, powerful, clean telling stroke
with the high feather characteristic Of this
years Cambridge crew, inst the stroke
for such weather and water,-regained
the lead at Crab-Tree wharf, nearing the
one and half mile post.
Gold, meanwhile, was calling upon the
dark blues to hit her up again. The Ok
ford boat Tapped up to and passed the
Cambridge craft at the soap works, amid
terrific cheering from both shores.
Passing the soap works, Oxford kept up
the pace and lead by nearly a length at
one time. Fernie called upon the light
blues for spurt and they responded with
such vim that the Cambridge boat shot
under the Hammersmith bridge a short
length ahead of Oxford, and according to
tradition should have won the race.
Gold, however, was as fit as fiddle and
game to the backbone.
AT the lead mills, on the upper side of
the Hammersmith brilge, the crews We re
both pulling a powerful 80, and the pro-
phets, who declared that Oxford would
20 to pieces after the first two miles,
looked glum and uncomfortable, for
there were no signs Of collapse among
Colds sturdy youngsters.
The race continued very exciting until
the finish. The official time Of Oxford
was twenty minutes and one second, which
has only been beaten over this course
upon three previous occasions.