Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-06
VICTORY OF THE POTOMACS
RACE OF JUNIORS DESCRIBED BY
A WITNESS.
How Coxswain slocum by Nerve and
Quick Thought Prevented
Foul.

The quality Of the victory won by the
Potomac Boat Club at the Peoples regatta
on the Fourth of July at PHILADELPHIA,
when they captured and won the rich John
Wanamaker cup for junior Fights, was not
all told in the crowded Geographic accounts
sent out from that city. In fact, 1t Is bare
ly possible that the achievement of Lieut..
Robert Slocum, the coxswain Of the Poto-
macs, has never before been seen in a hard
rowing regatta, and shows the nerve and
skill of those who are the products of
Charles Courtney of Cornell University.
At the start the tiller rope of the Poto-
mac she'll got twisted over the rudder post,
but 1t was not noticed. as Coxswain Socum
seldom. If ever. uses the rudder. depending
on the two sides Of the craft to keep it
even, but in this race 1t was necessary to
do So In order to pass around the num-
bered arch in the trolley bridge. When he
attempted to make this curve he discoy-
cred that the rudder would not act and
that in endeavoring to do SO 1t swerved
him over into the water of the Paramount
crew, where. II foul had occurred. the
Potomacs would have been disbarred.
The Potomacs were well up at this point,
rowing we'll within themselves, and holding
both Vesper and Fairmont on the level but
as the rudder still refused to work, and
the blades Of Potomacs and Fairmonts
were almost scraping. the merry coxswan
OF the Potomacs gave sharp order Way
enough" and his crew Immediately stopped
rowing to the amazement of all, and es-
pecially the crew.
Turning half around in his seat, he gave
the rope several half twists and soon had it
righted, and then settled back and gave
the order. Ready stroke" and ordering
young Brewster to hit 1t up, went after the
other two crews, who had now assumed the
the crew, apparently seized with new life,
sprang on their oars and the shell fairly
jumped out of the water.
1t was only three-quarters of mile from
the finish, Vesper and Fairmont were three
lengths to the good, both touted as the
fastest juniors the Schuylkill navy has ever
sent out. Any one familiar with shell rae
ing knows what handicap that was to
overcome, but foot by foot the Potomacs
gained, so that when they reached the ia
nous little island, an eighth of a mile
from the finish line, the Potomacs were
even with Fairmont. with Vespers half a
length behind.
From this point which is the place at
which the Philadelphia crews generally
squirt the Potomacs reversed the order
for fer the hard rowing they had given the
from them: for they added more steam to
their work. and sitting up straight and
stiff. spirited and jumped over the line. a
good length in front of Fairmont, with
Vesper the same distance behind Fairmont,
the corrected time being 7.59. the fastest
ever made by junior crew over the course
on dead water.
The work of the Potomac crew won the
admiration Of the thousands Of oarsmen.
and Referee Jim Pilkington OF New York
said it was not only the great nerve of the
coxswain that prevented the foul, but also
the fact that In front OF him sat a crew
equally full Of grit and nerve. which il
necessary in all frst-ciass crews.
In addition to the rich John Wanamaker
cup the Potomacs also won a magnificent
shield Of oak. mounted with the silver
legends Of the regatta, fine lay figure Of
an oarsan. anu 81. s a,t1 ass OF Inc SGnhya
Each member of the crew was also pre-
sented with a beautiful gold fob as his
prize.