The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-03-27
TUG-0F-WAR FOR
SAILOR VISITORS

I "Wela ka hao." A tournament for
I the strong men of all nationaIities
with tug-of-war teams to enter is to
be pulled off within the next ten weeks
and the Honolulu champions are to be
given a chance to test themselves
against the champion strong men Of
Uncle Sans great fleet when the ships
get in. The event is to be partly under
the auspices Of the National Guard
and partly under that of the Fleet
Entertainment committee, while 1t is
expected that the Portuguese, Hawai-
ians, Americans and Japanese will enter
national teams for the contest in addi-
ton to teams representing the Nation
al Guard, the Road Department, the
stevedores, the Iron Works and others.
The big event will be pulled off in
the old fishmarket sometime early in
June. il the plans being worked up
between Mott-Smith and Colonel Sam
Johnson can be carried out, of which
there seems little reason to doubt Col
onel Johnson is promoting the affair
in order to raise funds for the Nation
al Guard treasury, which is being
strained to keep up with the increased
demands made upon it by the organic
ing Of the new companies. Mr.. Mott
Smith IS behind the plan to bring it
before the Fleet Committee in order to
arrange affairs so that the battleship
crews will be invited to hold a tug-of-
war tournament here of their own and
match their champions against the
winners of the local tournament. If
the suggestion meets with the approval
of the committee the fixtures for the
event TO be put in at the fishmarket
will be left ready for the fleet boys
when they arrive here on July IA.
Such a contest, between local and
visiting pullers, would be one of the
most popular events in the sporting
line that could be devised. while those
who remember the intense interest
taken in tug-of-war tournaments in
Honolulu in the past will know that
the local contest is certain to be ex-
citing.
Colonel johnson expects to be able
TO get six good teams at least to enter
and TO be able to so arrange a dlvi-
sion of the gate money that will make
it to the interest of every man on
every team to pull his hardest in every
match, whether in the running for the
championship or not. This will be
done by splitting the gate money and
turning a share over to the winning
and losing teams each night, while in
addition a good round sum for the
championship purse would be hung up.
None of the details of the affair have
been worked out, except in a general
way, but there seems little reason to
suppose that the tournament will not
be most popular and be the means of
raising a good sum for the militia,
which needs it.
Secretary Mott-Smith stated yester-
day that the fishmarket would be left
ready for whatever athletic stunts the
sailors wanted TO pull off, if the COM
nittee approved of il. He thought it
likely that the sailors would like to
give some boxing exhibitions and such
-hings of their own and would like to
see the local athletes perform. AS a
part of the entertainment to be pro-
rided by the japanese, he thought that
wrestling and single stick contests by
he local japanese experts would
lfford splendid sport for the visitors,
he majority of whom are from the
East and Middle States and who have
lad no opportunity of heretofore see
ng much of that kind of sport.