The Portland daily press., 1900-08-08
The "slushed" Boat of
the Texans,
Indiana a Close Second For the
Prize Cup.

The committee on entertainment could
not have given the blue jackets OF the
visiting fleet a better time than that of
yesterday when they arranged a series
of boat races. The public was interest
ed also, as Fort Allen park was packed
with the largest crowd seen there for
many a day and along the wharves were
hundreds OF people waiting for the pistol
shot which announced the start, For
the sport OF yesterday we are indebted in
a great measure to Naval Cadet j. W.
Iimmons of the Battleship Kearsarge,
who knows what a good stroke is for, as
recently announced he has feathered
many an oar while at the Naval Acade-
my 10 make these races a feature OF
yesterdays celebration committee was
appointed consisting of Col. &c. MiIli-
ken, Aldermen DriscoIl and Gerrish, and
they appointed A. A. Frates, referee
Joseph g. f. Connolly, starter; the judges
being Lieut.. John Berry Of the revenue
cutter Woodbury., Joseph Clary and j. P.
Buckley.
The fire boat was put at the disposal of
those in charge, and yesterday at 2 p. M,
they started for the Kearsarge to talk
over matters preliminary to the fun.
1t was decided that the course should
be from the Grand Trunk wharves to a
line of buoys between the battleships
Kentucky and Kearsarge buoys to
be in line with the stern of the Ken
tucky-the course covering, all told, dis
lance say of a mile and half. The start
ing line was marked by stationing the
cutter of the State Naval Reserves at
one point in a line, the terminus of which
was to be at the wharf just named.
So now we are ready for the entries in
the first race, a 12-oared cutter one.
Crews from the New York, Indiana and
Texas pull up for place. Some one
says the Texas boat was slushed with
vaseline or some like substance The
boys have to acknowledge the corn, -
and then the word goes to the others,
are you willing Texas shall race? Eyes,
come the reply from the jolly contestants,
1--WE can beat her any way
Of they go, New York takes the water
first, with quick, steady stroke and leaps
to the front with Indiana a good second.
The slushed boat was not in it from
the start, but is was nip and tuck be-
tween New York and Indiana. They
turned the buoys almost at the same
time, one to port, the other to starboard
and on the return had a most exciting
finish. 1t was unfortunate that the
Judges were not On line to determine
with accuracy the result of this race.
Using their best Judgment, how ever, they
awarded the race to the New Yorks and
gave them as prize a handsome silver
cup. 4
The second race was for single banked
gigs and as there was only one entry,
the Indiana crew rowed over the course
and received $15. The third race was for
the double banked gigs. New York,
Kearsarge and Massachusetts, entered the
latter might just as we'll have not done
so, for the crew was outclassed. 1t was
pretty race from starts to finish. Kear-
sarge showed we'll at the start, and they
were encouraged for "dance her along,
''pull steady came from her admiring
friends. The crew was encouraged,
bending over their oars, and through
nearly fouled by the New Yorks at the
finish, crossed the line as winners and
were awarded the prize of SIS.
The final event of the races was for all
Corners and when the start was given
Texas, New York and Kearsarge crossed
the line. At first and until reaching the
turning bouy it looked like the Kear-
sarge race They lost, however, as they
turned the bouy, and on the home stretch
had to succumb to the superior coxman
ship of III. Thompson, chief boatswains
mate of the New York, to whom the vic
tory of his colors is in a great measure
due. AS he received the SIS prize he was
| congratulated for if the occasion had a
hero, as all occasions do, he was the man.
Among the very interested spectators
from the naval brigade were DR.. Ames of
the Kearsarge, Lieut.. Harry George of
the Kearsarge, Capt. Il. p. Kane, U. S.
M. G. of the Kearsarge, and of course
Naval Cadet Timmons, swho did SO much
to make the affair successful.
AT VHE TREFERSON