The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-31

OXFORD WINS THE
GREAT BOAT RACE
Contest Was a Hard Fought and
Brilliant One.
CONSTANTS GOOD WORK
WEATHER BAD AND WATER
ROUGH, BUT CROWD LARGE.
CONSTANTS GOOD WORK

London. March 30.-Oxford's cox
swain snatched victory from Cam
bridge today in a boat steering race.
after the light blues Cambridge had
led by length and a half at Barnes
bridge, an advantage which at that
point is supposed to mean a sure vic
/ tory
The crews We're SO evenly matched
that clever steering meant everything,
In this alone the dark blues (Oxford9
had the advantage. The weather
could hardly have been worse. Rain
fell all night and with a. strong south
wind, made a disCOuraging outlook The
race was up stream, ON a flood tide,
quarter at the start, which was made
at 1925 a. m
Both crews rOwed down to the start
ing skiffs. There was little TO choose
Fbetween them in action or physique
At Colonel Williams signal the crews
caught the water together, but Cam
bridges snappy stroke gave them a
shade the better of the start Cam
bridge rowed thirty-fOur strokes to the
minute at the start and Oxford thirty
i've, which brought the dark blues
abreast of Cambridge and gave them
a fractional lead, which they lost be-
fore Hammersmith's bridge was
reached. Cheers rose from Cambridge's
mersmith's bridge half a length ahead
On the Oxford steamer there was deep
silence and anxiety.
At ThOrneycrOft's very rough water
was met, and the turn of the course
brought the wind around and ahead
There the superiority of BrocaS OK
ford bOat showed itself. Both crews
dropped their stroke to twenty-nine,
but Oxford was the steadier.
Cambridge Was Gaining.
Still Cambridge gained. At Barnes
bridge their lead was a length and q
half Then the Oxford champions on
the Oxford steamer gave tongue for
the first time and yelled encourage
ment to their crew. The response was
instantaneous, and as Misunderstanding
as the pace had been for the first mile,
which was one second under the rec
ord, Oxford quickened her stroke to
thlrty-tWO and then to thirty four, and
Cambridge quickened TO thirty-six. But
the latter lacked the driving power of
Oxford, who went up, foot by foot.
The crowds on the banks caught the
contagion of the struggle and surged
along toward the finish.
Oxford crept slowly up and Overcame
the Cambridge lead in spite of the
constant quickening of the Cambridge
stroke. On the Cambridge steamer
the passengers following the race
cheered despairingly and Cambridge
quickened again TO thirty-six, then 10
thirty-eight, and finally to forty.
The Oxford bow Tapped the Cam
bridge stern for a time and the race
hung in the balance. Oxford quick
ened to thirty-siX and Cambridge
struggled gamely. but lost her hard
won lead by inches, failing signally in
her steering st each turn while OK
ford never lost an inch on the geoIa-
etry of course.
In the last 200 yards Oxford's bow
began 10 show ahead and she reIent-
lessly overhauled Cambridge, who
rowed strong 10 the finish. Neverthe-
less. deep hrOated cheers arose as the
crews flashed between TIE red flags at
the finish. and Cambridge saluted OK
ford as they ceased rowing.
Then, TO the American spectators,
came a surprising feature. The win
ming crew rOWed TO their landing place
and carried in their own oars and boat
instead of being themselves carried in
on the shoulders of, their admirers, as
would happen in the case of an Amer
lean crew.
The time at the main points of the
course was Craven steps, , minutes %
seconds; mile, 5 minutes 81 seconds
(beating the record by one second
Hammersmith bridge, Z minutes 80 sec
onds; Chiswick, II minutes IS seconds;
Barnes bridge, 10 minutes.