Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-04-11

CHOULD any boy reader Of this article
- 90 to the old city of Strassburg in the
summer time, he may perhaps be lucky
enough to see a new kind Of outdoor sport :;
and if he does not find it exciting, and does
not dream of introducing it into America
when he returns, he will be a queer boy.
Almost every visitor TO Strassburg climbs
the great Minister tower, counts the
st0rks' nests on the tops of the Chimneys,
wonders how the steep tiled roofs can be
huddled so close together, and then looks
far over the fertile country beyond the
city walls and thinks, if he is wise, that
from this Minister tower one can see as
beautiful a landscape as there is in the
world.
But The American boy does not always
care for landscape; and if he will step to
the very edge Of the platform and look
down, he may find something more to his
mind. He will see gray birds circling
around the pinnaCles and statues that
make beautiful and huge FACADE of the
building upon whose summit he stands,
and his eye will 90 past the birds, down,
down to the stone pavement, where men
and horses are nothing but black speCks,
and the street winds down to the river.
There, on the river, if it is toward even
ing, he may catch glimpse of red and
blue boats, and see a crowd of people
along the river wall. If he asks the Gus
todian of the tower what is going on down
there, he will be told that it is the Ganse-
spiel, the goose game. But what in the
= I,, lir,,h Il he
winding tower stairs again, turn to the
left over the castle square and walk
through the narrow Calf Alley. In four
or five minutes you will come out upon the
ILL.,
The stream is broad and straight here
for a distance of two or three hundred
Yards. Both banks are lined with people.
lust opposite is a little boat-landing,
crowded with bare headed young fellows
talking and gesticulating as il they were
disputing over an umpire The game IS
about to begin A dozen boats, each with
a crew of four and passenger, push oil
from the landing, half of them pulling up
stream fifty yards or so and then turning,
while the other six go downstream and
turn in the same way.
The boats now face one another. Pro
ieCting over the stern of each there is
built a small platform, three feet long by
two in width, originally designed for the use
of fishermen in hauling their nets. 1t
looks like a spring-board fastened there
to dive from.
The moment the boat turns, the passen-
ger, who has been CrouChing in the stern
- l., l. 10
lap, rises and steps out upon the platform.
1t is a perfectly smooth board, and the
barc-footed passenger, clad in old clothes
or even a bathing suit, moves carefully.
Slowly he settles into position, with his
weight well forward upon the left foot, and
then raises to his breast the pole with
which he has been balancing himself.
You see now that it is not a pole, but a
stout lance some eight feet long, with
Crosspiece near the butt, and furnished
with a leather tip about as large as a ten
mis- ball The young Alsatian is knight
of the tourney.
From the landing comes the sudden
crack Of a pistol, and from opposite ends
Of the course two boats shoot forward,
each with its motionlesS, upright figure in
the stern. As they near each other there
is low word from the captains, and the
oars are shipped. The crowd on the
shore is huShed with excitement.
The boats glide past each other in
front of the landing, and just as their
bows overlap, the upright figures lean
forward a little, the lanceS touch, cross ;
that tall knight on the red boat gives the
slightest turn to his wrist, and the tip of his