Smyrna times., 1898-10-05
A GREAT BOAT RACE.
THE BENNINGToNs CRACK cREWGQT
A COSTLY srfRRIsR

A COSTLY sr'KpRIsR
49, -
The Story OF O Fourth OF July Rowing
Contest at Honolulu Which Emptied the
Pockets and Lacerated the Feelings of
Uncle Sans JacLies.
"About as dismal Fourth Of July
Rs ever l experienced on board q man
o'-war," said an ex-sailor of the navy
now living in Washington to a report
er, "was Independence day not many
years ago down in the harbor OF Homo
lulu. The Bennington had an all star
racing boats crew. The eight had just
happened to be assigned to the Ben
nington in bunch before she left for
her Pacific cruise, and several OF the
oarsmen had been members of the Co
lumbia's crack boats crew that walloped
all of the British navy's boats crews in
English waters few years before.
The Bennington's s cutter was one OF
the best in the navy, and she had been
built for a racer. Before we left the
Mare Island navy yard for south Pacific
waters the ships racing crew had easily
beaten all of the other crews of the
ships lying at the yard, including the
tiptop crew of the Olympia and the
Boston's fine crew. We thought that
we were about as warm as they make
'em after our crew put it on SO many
other man-o war crews, giving them
couple of minutes the start of us, too,
them disgracefully.
1.-THE people of Honolulu arranged
an aquatic festival for the Fourth Of
July-the Americans down there cele-
brated the Fourth just as enthusiastic
ally as we do up here-and the Ben
nington's crew figured in it largely.
Our ships colors were at the fore in the
two races that were run with picked
Kanaka crews, and the third and last
race of the day was one i'll which our
crackajack eight was to figure, the other
races having been won by subcrews
practically picked at random from
among the strongest 'seamen.
1--WE thought this race was at our
mercy. 1t was to be four sided affair
one crew of Kanaka sugar field workers,
a crew of Kanaka policemen and the
racing crew of the yacht Eleanor, be-
longing to Mr.. Slater of Providence,
that had pulled into Honolulu harbor
from Japan few days before. Our
crew didn't pay much attention to the
yachts racing crew and were only fig
uring ON the distance they could beat
the crew of Kanaka policemen, which
seemed the most formidable.
1.-THE race was over the four mile
course carefully blocked out in the har-
bor-which was very smoothly the
Honolulu aquatic sportsmen, and the
start was first rate. There wasn't man,
fore or aft, on the Bennington that
didn't stand to 60 broke to the extent
of at least months pay ON the success
of the Bennington's crew, and we had
to give to l, too, for it was generally
conceded that we had the race at our
mercy.
1.-THE start, as I said, was good, and
the Bennington's crew showed in front
first and started out apparently to make
a runaway race of it. The Kanaka po.
licemen's crew trailed after them, pull
ing steadily, then the Kanaka sugar
workers and, a good ten lengths to the
rear, the Eleanor's crew. This was the
way it looked for the finish when the
Bennington's crew rounded the stake
boat and started for the return trip.
"Some of the Honolulu men who hac
their money up on the two Kanaki
crews actually began to square accounts
and the cry, It's all over-Bennington I!
was heard all over the bay. When tn,
stakeboat was rounded, it was noticed
that the Eleanor's boat was sort of get
ting q move ON itself, and the mel
were working like machines at long
steady stroke that certainly looked as i
it was cutting down the Bennington
lead and the lead of the two Kanaki
boats.
1.-TWO minutes after the stakehoa
was rounded the Eleanor's gang wsr
right abreast Of the Kanaka cutters an
gaining on them with every stroke, am
the cox'un Of the Bennington's cutter
hearing the yells of warning from tn
; Bennington bluejackets ashore, locke
behind him and saw the Eleanor cutie
only two lengths behind him and com
ing like an electric launch. Our GREY
was tired, and that's all there wa
about it.
;. "The Eleanor's crew had held them
selves in for the finish, and they Gel
tainly did make Garrison finish of il
The yachts cutter shot ahead of on
- cutter good mile from home, and theI
to make the thing more CALLING, til
crew actually stopped rowing until til
Bennington's crew was alongside agaiI
Then they took to the oars again, an
from then on it was a bowling fare,
The Eleanor's crew just romped the.
cutter in ten lengths ahead of our Gu
= ter and the Kanakas a quarter of
mile in the rear.
"You never saw such q disgusted Il
of men in your life as the men an
officers on the Bennington. The Ele
nor's ship company had taken all of ii
8 to money they could get on boar
our ship, for they knew they had a goo
thing up their sleeve. The Eleanor
crew on the whole trip around Il
world that was wound up at San Fra
cisco had not been beaten once in Gu
ter race, and the yachts sailors b.
made all kinds of money in betting ,
8 their crew. 1t was minor sort of co
ISOLATION for us when we found out tn
five of the Eleanor's racing crew we
ex-American man-o'-war's men,"
Washington Star