Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-09-01
A GREAT BOAT RACE.
THE eENNiNeToN's CRACK CREW GOT
A COSTLY SURPRISE.

The Story of q Fourth of July Rowing
Contest at Honolulu Which Emptied the
Pockets and Lacer.ted the Feelings of
| Uncle Sans Jackies.
| "About as dismal a Fourth of July
as ever / experienced ON board a man
o'-war," said an ex-sailor of the navy
now living in Washington to report
er, twas Independence day not many
wears 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 boat s crew that walloped
all of the British navy's boats crews in
English waters few years before.
The Bennington 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 tho
| tiptop crew of the Olympia and the
| Boston's fine crew. We thought that
4 we were ABOUT IL WslIUl buslhS
| 'em after our crew put it on so many
other man-o'war crews, giving them a
couple of minutes the start of us. too,
on numerous occasions and still beating
them disgracefully.
''The people of Honolulu arranged
an AQUATIC festival for the Fourth of
| July-the Americans down there cele-
brated tho Fourth Just as enthusiastic
oil do haro-ar6 Pom
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 tho third and last
race of the day was one in which our
crackajack eight was to figure, the other
races having been won by subcrews1
practically picked at random from
among the strongest seanen.
eve Thought this race was at our
mercy. 1t was to be a four sided affair
one crew of Kanaka sugar field workers,
crew of Kanaka policemen and the
racing crew of the yacht Eleanor, be-
longing to Mr.. Slater of Providence,
that had pulled into Honolulu harbCr
from Japan a 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 oct in the har-
bor-which was very SIN ooth-by the
Honolulu aquatic sportsmen, and the
start was first rate. There WASH man,
fore or aft, on the Bennington that
didn't stand to go broke to the extent
of at least a months pay on the success
of the Bennington's crew, and we had
to give to 1, too, for it was generally
conceded that we had the race at our
mercy.
''The start, as 1 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, good ten lengths to the
rear, the Eleanor 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 had
their money up on the two Kanaka
crews actually began to square accounts, |
and the cry, 1T all over-BenningtonP
was heard all over the bay. When the
SIakeDOdG WAS rOunueu, IL was nOIlCSu
that the Eleanor's boat was sort of get
ting a move on itself, and the men
were working like machines at a long, |
steady stroke that certainly looked as if |
it was cutting down the Bennington S |
lead and the lead of the two Kanaka |
boats
1.-TWO minutes after the stalleboat |
was rounded the Eleanor s gang were |
right abreast of the Kanaka cutters and |
gaining on them with every stroke. and |
the cox un of the Bennington's cutter, |
hearing the yells of warning from the
Bennington bluejackets ashore, looked |
behind him and saw the Eleanor cutter |
only two lengths behind him and COM
ing like an electric launch. Our crew |
was tired. and that's all there was
about il.
1.-THE Eleanor's crew had held them
selves in for the finish, and they Ger /
tainly did make Garrison finish of it.
The yachts cutter shot ahead Of our
cutter good mile from home, and then,
co make the thing more Calling, the
crew actually stopped rowing until the