Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-20
BRITISH AMAzONS
Women Who Could Pull an Gar
With the Best of Men.

In the boat races that have from /
time immemorial been rOwed on the \
Hamoaze. the estuary Of the lamar
and the Tavy that forms part Of the
harbor Of Plymouth. the women Of
saltash have often distinguished them
selves. In Around and About Saltash" .
p. E. y. Porter writes of Ann Clan
VILE. whose amazonian feats of oars I
manship made her famous all over Eu- /
rope:
some sixty or seventy years ago the 4
rev OF SaltRsh women was often seen /
not only on the Hamoaze. but wherever /
AQUATIC sports were held. 1t was not |
often that Ann and the crew that she |
stroked were beaten In a matchmaker /
by other women.
They competed for prizes at Hull,
Liverpool Portsmouth and Dartmouth.
and It must not be supposed that a
crew Of men ever yielded the palm out
Of masculine courtesy, for. as a mat
ter OF fact. the men did not at all relish
being beaten by parcel OF females
In some Of these contests Mrs. Har-
riet Screech. q daughter OF Ann Clan
VILE. who had fourteen children, row.
ed with her mother. As she was the
youngest member OF the crew she
pulled bow oar. the least arduous post
In the boat.
'Once this crew. rowing 4 match at
Fleetwood in the presence OF Queen
Victoria. gave the men so sound a beat
ing that her majesty asked to have
Ann presented 10 her.
However, the most famous event
OF AIMS life took place in 1885, when
Captain Russell OF II. NJ. s. Brunswick
suggested to her that she and her crew
should go to Havre TO the regatta there
and challenge the Frenchmen, a pro-
pOsal 10 which she readily assented.
When the Frenchmen heard Of the
challenge from les Anglalses de Salt
nshe they shrugged their shoulders.
for they scarcely regarded II as Sc
rious. And when the women appear
ed In their white frilled caps prinked
out with blue ribbons, In their short
petticOats and white dresses, with blue
neckerchiefs tied over the shoulders
and crossed behind the back, they look
ed puzzled.
THE challenge OF the Engiishwomen
created stir not only in Havre. but
for miles along the French coast and
for many leagues inland too. And in
England the greatest interest was
aroused.
when the day OF the regatta came
there was vast concOurse Of people
10 witness the contest Every quay,
hilltop and housetop from which a view
OF the course could be had was crowd
ed. Every one was on tiptOe Of ex-
pectatlon. Before tho start the Salt
ash crew had a pull round TO show
themselves Their steady stroke the
way in which they bent their backs to
their work and the perfect ease and
grace with which they pulled made
the French open their eyes.
"Ann and her crew had not the best
start possible. nor at FIRST did they
have the advantage. Five minutes aft
or the start six boats we're ahead OF
them. But they soon tested their OPP
ponents' nerve. Ann. who had the
stroke oar. gave the word:
Bend your backs to II. maidens,
and hurrah for old Englandr
zone by one. with a cheer from old
Ann. they passed the six boats. AT
last they drove their boat. with the
British color flying gayly at the fore
into the lead. IL was a long course
and hard pull. but they soundly
thrashed the Frenchmen. Ann and her
'maidens' beat them by 100 yards. The
members OF this famous crew were
Ann Glanville. Harriet Hosking. Jane
House and Amelia Lee. A man acted
as coxswain.
Mrs. House was so elated at the
victory that on reaching the commit
tee boat she plunged into the water
dved under the vessel and came uT
with a dripping and dropping cap or
the opposite side.
Arm Granville died in 1880. at the
ege OF elghty-hve, dignined, vigorous
aud handsome to the last. Her char
acter was summed up by a neighbol
IN these words:
"'Eer was honest to a farthing. clear
as a smelt and kind hearted as I
queen"