The Florence daily tribune., 1899-01-05
A GREAT BOAT RACE.
THE BENNlNeroN's CRACK GREW -
A COSTLY SURPRISE
The Story os Fourth of July Rowing
Contest st Honolulu which Emptied the
Pocket. and L@cer>tcd this FesNA0p of
Uncle kam's Jackies-

Pocket. aud IAcer>tcd this FesN.As of
Uncle nAm's Jxckies-
"About as dismal a Fourth of July
as ever / experienced On board man
o'-war," said an eS-sailcr 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 a bunch before she left for
her Pacific cruise. and several of the
oarsmen had been memt RS 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 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 Pacifio
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 ~ warm as they make
'em after our crew put it on so many
other man-o'-war crews. giving them n
couple of minutes. the start OF us, too,
on numerous occasions and still beating
them disgracefully.
1.-THE people of Honolulu arrape-,l
an aquatic festival for the Fourth of
July-the Americans down there cci~-
brated the Fourth just as enthusiastic
ally MS we do up here-and the Ben
nington's crew figured in it lsrge<y
Our ships colors Were at the fore IN ~
two races that were run with pios-l
Kanaks crews. and the third and i~t
race OF the day was one in which ow
crackajack eight was to figure, tn. osh~
races having been won by snhrrcys
practically picked At random from
among the strongest seameu.
"We thought this race WAS at orr
mercy. 1t was to be four sided affair
one crew of Kanaks sugar field workers,
crew of Kanaka policemel and the
racing crew of the yacht Eleanor, be-
longing to Mr.. Slater OF Providence,
that had pulled into Honolulu harbor
from JapaU n 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
the crew OF Kanaka policemen. which
seemed the mosS formidable.
1.-THE race was over the four mile
course carefully blocked oct in the har-
bor-whioh was very SIN ooth-by the
Honolulu aquatic sportsmen, aud 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 u months pay on the success
of the Bennington crew. and we bad
to give y to /. too, for it was generally
conceded that we had the race at our
mercy.
1.-The start, as / said, was good, and
the Bennington's crew showed in front
nrst and started ont apparently to make
, runaway race of it. The Kanaka po-
iicemen's crew trailed after them, pull
ing steadily, then the Kanaka sugar
workers and, good ten lengths to the
rear, the Eleanor's crew. This was the
way it looked for the finish when the
Beunington'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, IT'S all ver-Benningtonl 7
was heard all over the bay. When the
stakeboat was rounded, it was noticed
that the Eleanor's boat was sort of get
ting "a move ON itself, and the men
were working like machines at long,
Steady stroke that certainly looked as II
it was cutting down the Bennington 8
lead and the lead of the two Kanaka
boats.
1.-Two minutes after the stakeboat
was rounded the Eleanor 8 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 it.
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,
to make the thing more 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 howling farce
The Eleanor's crew just romped thei,
cutter in ten lengths ahead of our cut
ter and the Kanakas a quarter of a
mile in the rear.
"You never saw such disgusted lot
Of men in your life as the men and
officers on the Bennington. The Flea
nor's ship company had taken all of the
to / money they could get ON board
orr ship, for they knew they had good
thing up their sleeve. The Eleanor's
crew on the whole trip around the