Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-21
CLOSE CALL FOR
NINE STUDENTS
Georgetown Varsity Shell
Swamped by High Waves and
the Stiff Wind.

Nine Georgetown students had narrow
escape from drowning yesterday afternoon
when the shell of the varsity crew sank in
the waters of the Potomac, swamped
by the high waves and the southwest wind,
after the Georgetown varsity and Henley
crews had just completed four-mile row
from Dixie landing to the Long bridge.
The men were all ducked in the ice-cold
water, but were rescued by the Georgetown
launch and, except for injuries to two men
John Duff, the coxswain, and La Plante.
No. g. who were cut by the propeller as
they were trying to swim TO the launch
all got off safely.
The boat was in charge of Coxswain Duff
and was made up as follows: John Stuart,
stroke; Capt Rice, No. I; Dowd. No. 6;
Foy, No. 5; Moran, No. A. La Plante, No. 3;
Lynch, No 2, and Reilly, bow. The eight
had turned about, after shipping considera-
BILE water, and Coach Russell had given the
two crews word to row for the boat house,
when the varsity shell was noticed to be in
distress Immediately the launch drew
near, and was just In time to rescue the
f1oundering crew, which had been thrown
into the water.
The boat at this time was a little above
Long bridge and drifting toward the Dis
trict Shore The strong wind was rapidly
blowing both shell and launch on the stone
wall which protects the speedway. Coach
Murray Russell showed himself equal to
the emergency, and it is wholly due to his
GOODNESS and generalship that all We're
saved and that the boats got off with such
little damage.
John Stuart's Pluck.
Although the coach was ably directing
CO.., el,a -
John Stuart, the varsity stroke and man
ager Of the crew, who saw at once the dan
ger in which his precious craft lay and
its impending destruction, and he Jumped
into the freezing water. again taking his
life in his hands, for at one time the launch
washed him up against the granite wall
and he barely escaped with his life. Again
he dove under the overturned shell with a
rope and unassisted made it fast, so that 1t
could be towed to the boat house by the
launch. After unlocking the several oar
locks, which the men could not unfasten
owing to the sudden dip, and collecting the
sweeps, which were floating about loose,
Stuart was dragged into the launch almost
exhausted and half frozen.
The launch was uninjured, but the shell
crashed into the wall and her bow was
paired. and the coach himself will repair
it so that the varsity can use 1t in a few
days. Duff and La Plante were fixed up
at the college, the former having received
a bad cut on the wrist and the latter on
the knee.
Second Case of Swapping.
This is the first case in the history of
rowing at Georgetown that a shell has sunk
without being struck by some other OBJ
ject, and the second case of shell swamp
Ing. In 1904 an eight-oared shell contain
ing the second crew ran on the IAree
Sisters rocks and was telescoped, sinking
Immediately but as the water was warm
and all the occupants could swim the men
reached shore without help
The water was only slightly rough when
the Georgetown fleet composed Of the var
sity, Henley and prep crews started on
their long row down the river, but upon
rounding the bend in the Potomac by the
Potomac boat house a high wind swept
the lower waters and the boats shipped
much water from the tremendous waves.
The prep crew returned to the home boat
house in safety and did not stop on the
way, but the Henley boat had more DIFF
fcult time returning. They shipped water
until the seats were immersed and then
put into the Analostan house, where they
took their shell out of the water and dump
ed most of it's contents and then proceeded
home without further interruption. Just
as the launch with her half-froZen pas
sengers and towing the injured shell reach
ed the Georgetown boat house the wind