The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-11-28
A GOOD OARSMAN,
jim Ten Eyck Talks
on Wallace Ross
Career.
WON MANY NOTABLE RACES.
A Happy Joyial Fellow at
Home in Any
Gathering.

In the death Of Wallace Ross, a one
time great scUller and. oarsman, James
A. Ten Eyck of this city feels keen re-
greet for he was for several years an
intimate friend of Ross. Mr.. Ten Eyck
related several incidents of the aquatic
career Of Ross and characteristics of
the sculler in a conversation with The
Spy man yesterday. 1t made Ten Eyck
smile to recall some of the jokes that
Ross perpetrated. for he was quite orig
inal in his way
One of the best stories Ten Eyck told
was of an occurrence that took place
In Methodist church strawberry sup
per In Sodus Point on Lake Ontario.
"A regatta had been given in that place
and all the big fellows We're present
They were invited to the strawberry
supper and went. All sat together ex-
cept Ross. The superintendent of the
Sunday school presided at the supper
and called for several speeches. He
walked around among the people AS
he passed the scullers one of them di-
rected his attention to Ross, saying the
latter was an excellent speaker. The
superintendent addressed Ross and in
NAtti nm ~ LIZ obdEt. INoSS Thought
he was being invited to a place at the
table and threw a knowing look at the
other scullers. He was surprised when
he was led on the platform and intro
duced as a speaker. But he wasn't
floored
A previous speaker had just told a
narrative Of his extensive travels in va
rious parts of the country, mentioning
as one of the wonderful sights straw
berries growing on one side of a rail-
road track while there was snow and
ice on the other. Ross told how he ira
Veled much also, and vouched for many
of the remarks of the previous speak
err "But, " he added, while I won't
pretend to deny that he saw strawber-
ries growing on one side of track with
snow and ice on the other, I must say
l think it must have been a pretty wide
track"
Ross wound up that memorable
speech by calling attention to the re-
gatta which was to be rowed in a day
or two, informing the ladies that
grandstand had been built from which
a good view of the races could be had
and the price Of a seat was only so
cents.
Ross has the distinction of winning
the largest prize ever given in a regat-
ta 1t was In the Hop Bitters regatta,
rowed In Providence in 1880. Ross won
first prize which was $4,000. Jim Riley
of Saratoga got second prize of $500
and James A. Ten Eyck third prize of
$500 The distance was four miles with
a turn, and Ross time was 29m., 54s.
Mr.. Ten Eyck mentioned a peculiar
incident that took place after the re-
gatta. There was such a crowd Of peo-
pie in Providence al the time that
room could not be had anywhere. The
scullers, finally ran across hotel keep
er with whom they had an intimate &C
ouaintanceship The best he could do
was to-allow them to lie on a floor, He
took one corner of a room and each of
the three scullers, two of whom were
Ross and Ten Eyck took another.
There was $4,000 on that floor that eve
ming" said Mr.. Ten Eyck yesterday,
While relating the story
Speaking of the oarsman, MI len
Eyok said:
of the greatest oarsmen ever produced
on this side of the water. He was
powerful man, as sturdy as an OK, TOOK
good care of himself as general rule,
and made a record for himself of which
any oarsman might well be proud.
personally, he was a most delight
full man to meet. He always had
pleasant word to say, and was a great
practical joker. He was never at loss
TO find something to say at the right
time, and was a ready speaker ana
he had a good many speeches to make
during his life, because Wallace was
bonOred more than once with medals
and other tokens of the esteem OF ms
friends and the admiring public, ana
unon these occasions he was oblged 10
talk and he always did it well.
"He was a natural oarsman, ana ne
had rather get into shell and race
than do anything else, and he could
20 some. too. Ross people were water
people. and he came by his ability nat
IIrally. His father was sea captain
snd wallace was before the mast on a
3sailing vessel for several years lie also
Of one time pursued the life of tlsh-
arnan. and these things made him as
Familiar with the water and its pecu-
liarities as one could be
- have heard him tell some very IN
tarasting stories OF his life while on
ono of the fishing schooners which were
~ xoe,1e then. Some of the narrow es-
nanes they used-sto have in stormy
weather were Embarrassing experiences
"Ross was a hard man to row against,
and was a hard man to deteat.
suppose that nave roWeq asd 1r.t,a M
in 50 races, both here ana IN blsIa ~,
AZ M NE both scored victories over the
Ether otiT and succumbed to defeats by the
ott,e He,was a courageous oarsman,
and md weather or water did not trouble
him If the other fellow was ready to
20 zoo ont he was, and was always one OF
The frst men to be on the course.
'i' SHe was a fast starter, and could al
,,,s1s row good race, but, like the rest