The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-18
new FUN ON OCEAN LINERS.
THE CIGARETTE RACE ONE OF
THE RECENT INVENTIONS.

1t Involves q Test OF woman's Ability u
LiEht . Matcf-Hurdle Race for
stewards aud q Contest for Musicians
Women In an EgE Race-Golf at Sea,
The increased size Of ocean liners permits
passengers nowadays to engage In sports
not possible on the smaller boats.
On q recent trip Of the White Star liner
Baltic to this port the passengers witnessed
cigarette race. There were six contest
ants, and they had as assistants six pretty
girls.
Each young woman was supplied with a
dozen parlor matches. According to the
conditions OF the race the contestants had
to run 100 yards along the upper promo
made deck to where the young women stood
in line. The runners carried unlighted
cigarettes In their mouths and the chief
object Of the race was to get the cigarettes
lighted with the aid of the women at the
other end Of the course. The man returning
first to the starting point with his cigarette
burning was the winner.
The contest looked simple and doubtless
would have been il any OF the women had
known how to light q match. Striking the
matches on deck was prohibited. No match
strikers were allowed. The women had
either to strike the matches on the soles OF
their shoes or TO light them as the average
man usually does.
The woman who helped her partner to win
resorted to the schoolboy trick Of lighting a
parlor match by exploding it between her
teeth. Three of the others scratched them
on their boot soles
The other two tried the more convenient
method. One OF them wore white pique
dress. 1t is known that she tried five times
before she finally succeeded in giving her
partner q light. Five yellow streakR along
the side gore OF her skirt showed that.
The passengers on the Atlantic transport
steamer Minneapolis witnessed a hurdle
race on the last trip Of that ship from Lon
don. The stewards Of the vessel were the
contestants and a committee of passengers
arranged the conditions.
The start was on the main deck aft, and
the contestants had to run along the port
side, up over the boat deck, or highest deck.
descending to the main deck forward by
diving down canvas ohutes, from the sun
deck a distance OF 20 feet. The turning
point was at the second hatch forward,
and the runners were Obliged to ascend to
the sun deck and run along the starboard
side to the finishing mark.
That this journey homeward might be
more interesting. ditch made by filling a
rubber tank with water was placed half way
along the sun deck. The stewards had to
scramble through this ditch. Their half
drowned appearance at the finish greatly
amused the passengers. The purse which
the tourists subscribed was the only sport
that the stewards got out of the race.
Promenade decks have broadened in
modern liner. This additional deck space
permits pastimes at sea that could not have
been practised on smaller ships.
During a recent trip Of the Cedric from
the Mersey. one Of the sports was water
bucket race that resulted in much splash
ing and profanity. Each contestant was
Obliged to carry on his head bucket seven
eighths filled with water, and to run 100
yards. the use Of the right hand alone being
permitted in keeping the pail steady. The
and the spectators gave the contestants a
wide berth as they came rushing along the
deck.
On the same day on which this race was
tandem hurdle races, with steamer chairs
rugged as hurdles, and an egg race for
women. The latter event provoked much
amusement.
One of the conditions was that each con-
testant should pick up by means OF a table
spoon three eggs that Law on the d eek a
different points In the rs yards that she
had to run This might have been COM
paratively easy, were it not for the rolling
Of the ship and the consequent rolling OF
the eggs.
Mons OF the contestants ives allowed to
use her second hand in getting an egg on
the spoon. Hence the seriousness Of the
contestants and the amusement OF the
onlookers. The sailors viewed the affair
with much disfavor, especially as a number
of the eggs were broken. Each damaged
egg held more then David Harum's famous
pint, according to the tars.
Another novel contest recently originated
on shipboard was race among the MEM
bers Of the band Of the North German Lloyd
steamer Kaiser wilhelm der Crosse, The
musicians had to run thrice around the
upper promenade deck playing their favor
lite Instruments.
Each player had a different air to per-
petrate and the result as two or three rushed
BY in a bunch was remarkable. One of the |
contestants, the cornet player, beat the |
others by half block, but the judges dis
qualified him because he was playing the |
air assigned to the trombone player, whom |
he passed early in the race.
Tugs-of-war have long been a pastime |
among ocean travellers, but never until
recently did the members OF peace con-
gress engage in the sport. The contest |
occurred during the last August trim OF the
OF ten representing the Parliamentary
Industry were the competitors. The Peace
members had enough fight In them to get
the umpire's decision. The event took
place on the saloon deck OF the Campania.
and the victorious team was headed by
Count Albert Apponyi Of Hungary.
Few of the older sports are now INDUCED
In at sea. The exceptions are quot pitch
ing and Switchboard. Sea golf is fast
driving Switchboard from the list, and
athletes at sea view the suggestion Of ring
pitching with about as much contempt as
old-ume poker players accord the idea Of
playing casino Golf at sea is more or less
on the Switchboard order, except that the
field is bigger and the pastime more ex-