The record-union., 1897-04-04
In the Annual Boat Race Between the
Two Universities.
First Time Since the Beginning of the
Series of Contests in 1929 That an
American Rowed i'm Each Boat
Was Close Race, the Time Being
the Second Best Which Has Ever
Been ROwed Over the Course.

PCTNEI Gngland), April 3.-The
nfty-fourth annual boat race between
crews representing the Universities of
Oxford and Cambridge was rowed to-
day over the usual course from Putney
to Mortlake, distance of four and one
quarter miles. Oxford Won by barely
two lengths. She time was 1912 OK
ford has now won thirty-one out of the
fifty-four races rowed, and has been the
winner eight years in succession.
The weather was bad for boating.
The sky was overcast, the wind gusty,
some rain fell just before the start, and
the atmosphere was raw and cold. The
betting was D to l on oxford.
The usual crowds assembled at all
points of vantage along the course The
rowing experts expected that Cam
bridge would get the best of the start
and that oxford would lead from Ham
mersmiths bridge to the finish.
Following We're the crews: Oxford
j. j. Deknopp bow, 159 pounds; c. O.
Edwards, No. ,, 40; c. X. Phillips,
No. g. 1GS; c. d. Burnel No 4, 1913; +.
E. BalfOur, No. >, 1SS: r. Carr. No &.
lI9; W. Z. Crum, No. Z. 11O1a; H.
Gold, stroke, 1651a; H. r. Pechell cox
swain.
Cambridge D. E. Campbell Muir,
bow, 1872 pounds; A. S. Bell, No. >,
! III; E. j. d. Taylor, No. 3, 49,; ]. II.
| Howell, No. 4, 179; w. A. Bieber. No.
3, 1873: d. Pennington. No. 6, 1I11b; w.
| Dudley Ward, No. Z. 116; w. j. Fernie.
stroke, 16I; E. C. Hawkins, coxswain,
Liz.
| 1t was expected that there would be
an unusual amount of interest in this
race throughout the United States. as it
was the first time since the beginning
| of this series of contests in 1929 that
an American has rowed in each boat.
j. j. DeknoDp of oxford College of
Albany, N. Y, was in the bow of the
dark blues. and 3. H. Howell of Trinity
Hall, Cambridge and New York City,
was No. in the boat for the light
| blues.
| The start was fixed for 2:15 D. M,
| an hour and quarter before high
water. At p. m. the wind had fresh
ened and was piercing cold, promising
to be at the back of the crews the
whole day, and making it possible that
| the record time might be beaten. H.
! Gold, the oxford stroke, and w. J. Fei-
ME, the Cambridge stroke, in interviews
with the representative of the Associate
ed Press just before the race, said that
their crews were in the most fit condi-
ton for the contest.
| The Cambridge men were the first to
embark, having won the toss. and chose
the MiddleseX side of the river The
start was made at 2:24 p. m william
effected an admirable start. Fernie of
Cambridge got off the mark sharper
| than Gold of oxford, and at the Dukes
Head, Cambridge, a minute after the
start, had the nose of their boat in
front. The light blues were pulling
thirty-six to the minute, while oxford
was striking thirty-four, with the long.
clear pull so characteristic of the 1897
oxford crew. 1t soon began to tell,
and at Claspers oxford was a quarter
of a length ahead, was coming away,
and was soon half a length in the lead
which was never increased.
At Walden's Oxford's men We're row.
ing we'll Within their strength and
pulling in the most admirable style.
They passed the Crabtree wharf three
quarters of a length to the good
Abreast Of Harrois Fernie of Cam
bridge, who was we'll supported, squirt
eQ anu SCcceeQeu III SllSHlly TeQuclHS
the dark blue lead, though oxford was
rowing in the most perfect form, which
could not be said of Cambridge. oxford
shot under Hammersmith bridge a
length ahead, amid uproarious cheers
from the dark blue partiSans on both
banks. There Cambridge began to feel
the effect of Oxford's wash, and at the
lead mills, the other side of Hammer
| 10 s.,xy
and fifty yards from the start, the race
was practically over. Gold was coming
right away and leaving the Cambridge
boat as if it was standing still.
At the Doves, one mile, seven fur
longs and sixty yards from the start,
Oxford was rowing thirty-three and
Cambridge was striking thirty-two
with the dark blues increasing their
lead to three lengths at Barnes bridge,
where oxford was still in perfect form.
and it was very obvious that Cam
bridge had enough of it. Some of the
light blues were palpably distressed.
At Barnes bridge Fernie called for
final effort, and for a time the Cam
bridge crew gained on their Oxford riv-
ais. The latter, however, without I'M
duly squirting, passed the judges boat
easy winners by a bare two lengths,
and in the second best time. 10 minutes
and II seconds, in which the race has
been rowed over this course. The best
time was IS minutes and Al seconds,
when Oxford won by one length and
four feet This years dark blue crew
won by less than a third of length
last year in 20 minutes. Cambridge
finished eleven seconds behind Oxford.
The time of the dark blues at the
Crabtree was 3 minutes and % sec
onds; at Hammersmith bridge Z min
utes and 20 seconds; at Chiswick
Church II minutes and 3 seconds, and
at Barnes bridge 16 minutes.
CHICO, April 3.-At $50 this evening
fire WAS discovered burning from the