The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-08-31
A GREAT BOAT RACE.
The BENNlNGToN's CRACK CREW GOT
A COSTLY SURPRISE.

Contest at Honolulu Which Emptied the
Uncle Sans Jaekies.
"About as dismal a Fourth Of July
Us ever | experienced on board man
o'-war," said an eX-sailor Of the navy
now living in Washington to report
or, 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 boat 8 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 i'll the navy and she had been
built for racer Before we left the
Mare Island navy yard for south Pacific
waters the ship 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 ID ON 80 many
other man war crews, giving them
couple Of minutes the start of us. too,
on numerous occasions and still beating
them disgracefully.
1.-The people of Honolulu arranged
an aquatic festival for the Fourth of
July-tho Americans down there cele-
brated tho Fourth just as enthusiastic
ally as we do up here-and the Ben
nington's crow figured in it largely.
Our ships colors were at the fore i'll the
two races that were run with picked
Kanaka crews and tho third and last
race of tho day was ono i'll which our
oraclkajack eight was to figure. the other
races having been won by subcrews
practically picked at random from
among tho strongest seamen.
"We thought this race was at our
mercy. 1t was to bo u 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 harbor
from Japan few days before Our
crew didn't pay much attention to the
yachts racing crew and We're only fig
uring on the distance they could beat
tho crew of Kanaka policemen, which
seemed the most formidable.
1.-The race was over tho four milo
course carefully blocked ont in tho har
bor-which was very smoothly tho
Honolulu aquatic sportsmen and tho
start was first rate. There WASH { a man,
fore or aft on tho Bennington that
didn't stand to go broke to the extent
of at least u months pay on the success
of the Bennington crew, and we had
to give 3 to /, too, for 1t was generally
conceded that we had the race ut our
mercy.
Tho start rs l said, was good, and
the Bennington's crow showed i'll front
first and started out apparently to make
IL runaway race of it. The kanaka po-
licemen's crew trailed after them, pull
ing steadily then tho Kanaka sugar
workers and. good ten lengths to the
rear, the Eleanor 3 crow. This was tho
way 1t looked for the finish when tho
Bennington crew rounded the stake
boat and started for the return trip.
"Some of tho Honolulu men who had
their money up ON the two Kanaka
crews actually began to square accounts,
and the cry, 'it'sall over-Benningtonf
was heard all over the bay. When the
stakeboat was rounded il was noticed
that the Eleanor's boat was sort of get
ting IL move on itself, and tho men
We're working like machines at long,
steady strokeekhat certainly looked as if
it was cutting down the Bennington 3
lead and tho lead of the two Kanaka
boats.
1.-TWO minutes after tho stakeboat
was rounded tho 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 yclls of warming 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 it.
1.-The Eleanor's crew had held them
selves III for the finish, and they Ger
taiuly did make Garrison finish of it.
The yachts cutter shot ahead Of our
cutter good mile from home, and then,
10 make the thing moro CALLING, the
crew actually stopped rowing until the
Bennington crew was alongside again.
Then they took to the oars again, and
from then ON it was bowling farce.
The Eleanor's crew just romped their
cutter in ten lengths ahead of our cut
ter and the Kanakas quarter of
mile III the rear.
you never saw such disgusted lot
of men i'll your life as the men and
officers on the Bennington. Tho Flea
nor's ship company had taken all of the
8 to money they could get on board
our ship, for they knew they had good
thing up their sleeve. The Eleanor $
crew on the whole trip around the
world that was wound up at San Fran
,isco had not been beaten once in II cut
/ ter race, and tho yachts sailors had
made all kinds of money III betting on
their crew. Ii was n minor sort of con.
ISOLATION for us when we found out that
five of the Eleanor's racing crew were
oxAmerican man wars men -
/ Washington Star
/ Winning race horses are generally
bays chestnuts or browns. and for every