The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-07-29
Prove Interesting and Exciting TO Those
Who Witnessed the Spsrt.
The Senior Four-Oared Event Won
Easily by the Pennsylvania
Crew-The First Heats in Both
Association Senior Singles Close
I Finishes. -

Is. BOSTON, July 2S.-With one excep
stion, the first days races in the big
7. regatta of the National Association of
Amateur OarSmen, held on the Charles
River, proved interesting and exciting,
the senior four Dared race, which was
: won by Pennsylvania easily, leading in
: respect to close finishes. The first
heats in both the Intermediates souls
and the association senior singles was
not far behind in the way of furnishing
excitement, O'Keefe of Springfield,
winning the former and John Rumohr
of Rat Portage, Ont, taking the latter,
If the two-mile pub of the intermedi-
sate Fights had been allowed as race,
that, too, would have to be recorded as
"a contest full of excitement, but I'M
fortunately one of the crews-the Yes
pers of Philadelphia-met with an ac
cident and the other three, refusing to
fheed the referees whistle, kept ON to "a
grand finish, with the New York Ath-
.letic Club in the lead. The referee.
however, decided no race and the
event will be pulled off tomorrow.
Better water. weather and racing
could scarcely have been desired and a
crowd of 5000 on the river bank en-
joyed all three immensely.
The great senior -oared shell race
was easily the feature of the afternoon.
Three crews were enterd for tn race,
the Pennsylvania Barge Club of Phil
adelphia. the Brockville Rowing Club
of Brockville, Ont. and the Western
Rowing Club of ST. Louis, but the lat
ter crew was almost left behind from
THE very start of the other two. Penn
.sylvania and Brockville were very even
.ly matched but the former ad stroke
in Dempsey that practically won for
them the race The Canadians had
the best of the start, and with a per-
feet finish stroke and an easy swing
seemed to have little difficulty in
maintaining lead to the turn. Penn
sSylvania, however, was not a length be-
hind when the mark was reached and
would have undoubtedly been the same
distance off if they had not made a
bad mess at the turn. Brockville, how
ever, swung their boat round in quick
time and were four strokes to the good
when the two crews squared away for
home. 1t was here that Dempsey put
the fire into his crew that at the end
gave them the flag. He dug and tore
water until it boiled behind the frail
shell, and at the mile had driven bis
craft until it Tapped the Rockville shell.
From. that point to the finish the con-
test was exciting, and the two crews
were cheered at every stroke. A hun
dred yards from the line Dempsey
called upon his eliminates and doing
two mems work himself. the Pennsyl-
yanians managed to shoot their shell
over the line ahead of the Canadians.
with the smaller races out of the
way the four big eight-oared crews
the New York Athletic Club. the Yes
per of Philadelphia, the Atalantas of
Springfield and the School Boy crew of
the Boston Athletic Association-start-
ed up the river for their two-mile
sIraightaway contest There was some
slight delay at the start, but at last
all four got away with the New York
Athletic Club in the lead. An eighth
of a mile from the start the Vesper
crew suddenly stopped rowing and No.
Z threw up their hands. The starter
called and called for the other crews
to cease rowing. but the fight was too
fierce and not one of them dared to
give UP. although the starters warning
was re-enforced by the whistle on
hoard the referees boat. The three
crews however. still kept on. and the
race developed into grand contest
between the New York Athletic Club
and School Boys. There was great
commotion as the crews neared the
finish. and the two went over the line
amid cheers, and it was not until the
Judge at the finish had announced the
decision that it was known which went
over the line first The Atalantas were