Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-09
NEW RECORD MADE
FOR THE POTOMAC
Recent Regatta Pronounced the
Most Successful Ever Held
on Any Course.

The middle states regatta OF 1906 IL
| claimed to have been the most successful
| single day regatta the world has ever wit
messed The NATIONAL regatta held at
| Worcester, Mass, this year had thirteen
| events, with ffty-nine entries. and 1t took
| two days to row them on. the noted Henley
| of England with Its eight events and forty
six entries required three days, the Can
adian Henley with its eleven events and
thirty-Tifne entries occupied two days, while
the middle states OF Monday last with its
seventeen events and seventy -seven entries
took only one day to row. and although
there were numerous fouls in all of the
! other regattas, the middle states, with al
most twice the entry, did not have single
| mishap. This comparison shows the mag
nitude of the work performed on that day.
as well as the possibility of making the
Potomac river the one place for all big
national regattas. To say that visitors
who for the first time beheld the beautiful
river as spectators or the oarsmen who
dipped their blades and fought its surface
for glory and honors were surprised hardly
conveys the impression created, Tor all
were carried away by the river, 1tS-envf-
ronments and the hospitality of the people
they met There was not a dissenting
voice raised to counterfeit the expression
that it was the greatest, most perfectly
conducted and successful regatta held on
amy course in America Representative
Barchfeld was one of the invited guests on
board the torpedo boat Talbot with the
referee and officials and was very earnest
in his expressions. In extending his COM
pliments to President Jne. Hadley Doyle he
| said: Il have seen three Henleys and
every national regatta held for a long
time, but never before have I witnessed
such regatta this middle states. 1t is
compliment to our country. the city on
Washington and especially so to the local
Potomac Beat Club who. / understand,
have single handed managed this great af-
fair. l hope hereafter to see all big re-
gattts this beautiful river this unsur-
passed course, which is in my views the
best, and will help your club keep 1T SO"
This sort of praise kept coming all day to
the PotOmacs. from President Pifkington
and Secretary Eortmeyer of the n. A. A o.
and many others who were on board the
Talbot. With this praise Of everything
from outsiders the local committee did not
feel as If local pride counted for much,
as home folks seemingly did not warm up
| sufficiently strong to please them. They
obtained 1890 chairs and placed them on
barges, with fine view right at the I'm
ish. but they went begging. as not one
third of the seats were purchased.
Counting the Cost.
The officials of the local committee are
busily engaged in going over the figures in
This reckoning viii take several days more.
as the bills are slow in coming in. but the
promoters are hopeful that the assets will
nearly counterbalance the expenses. The
original estimate of cost was exceeded be-
cause the regatta outstripped itself and
brOadened out to greater proportions than
was dreamed of by any of those interested
in the affair. The work performed by the
Potomac Boat Club in the middle states
was extraordinary. for they handled sixty
one shell boats, over Ave hundred oars and
SOULS, riggers and crates, and the only
accidents was the slight splitting of two
sweep oars, due mostly to inferior packing
at the horne of the club. This work was
one of the features of the regatta and was
carried to a success by Mr.. Clarence Dun
bar Davis. chairman of transportation.
whose railroad training made him an ex-
pert in such matters, and at the same time
had seen such heavy work handled SO
smoothly.
Performance Of the Juniors.
The records made in the regatta wipe out
all previous ones of the Potomac river or
any other stream in America. Think of
five Junior crews rowing down under the
S-minute clip and you have the record for
all times, for it is seldom a crew of this
class gets down to the even time, but to
get below it and five of them at a clip, Is
| marvel in rowing history The vic
toriouS Potomac crew owe their victory
solely to the fact that they won on their
merits as oarsmen, as true opponents of
the Dempsey style Of rowing, and that
start to finish they rowed straight, me-
thOdical stroke of thirty-four and never va
ried it once. True 1t looked several times
as if they spurted but such was deceiving.
for while the other crews spurted and
spurted again, Potomacs kept ding donging
at thirty-four and it was only when the
other crews fell off in their spurts that 1t
looked as if the Potomacs. too, were spurt-
ing. 1t was only a methOdicai well-timed
system of rowing that carried the Poto-
macs to the front and won for them the
record-breaking race. One of the cleverest
and finest pieces of rowing witnessed dur
ing the regatta was the wonderful burst
of speed shown by the Analostans in the
last leg of the race, from Aqueduct bridge
to goal AS they neared the bridge the
Analostan's rudder post was farthest
astern. but they shot under the bridge
they commenced sprint that will go down
as great piece of rowing history. The
stroke was sent up to rapid firing gun
system, forty-six, it is claimed, was the
count, and Immediately the crew COM
menced to gain on the leaders, and 1t was
a clever sight to see the white shirts pass
ing the blue of "Ariels" the stripes of
'Vespers' and the red of "Atalanta," and
then make play for the leaders-Potomacs.
The sprint lasted all the way down to the
Rocks" of Analostan Island, where the
strain told, and they fell back the Poto-
macs clearing the line with water clean
between them. 1t was a great exhibition
of rowing and the work was praised by
friends and foe alike. while it nearly set
their adherents who were at the finish line
crazy.
The patrolling of the course by the u s.
cutter service was so admirable that the
association has addressed the Secretary of
the Treasury and Capt. Worth G. Ross, in
command of the service. letters Of appre-
citation and thanks. The same course was
pursued toward the police department as
fI,nxr ,1ar fffafa, ntl l..
In keeping order around about the boat
houses.
IN nnEMEMT alIoTAKEN