New-York tribune., 1912-03-31
CREWS SWAMPED IN RACE
struggle Between Cambridge and
oxford Declared "No Contest"
Tn BE RE-R0WED ON MONDAY
pouph Wac Causes Fiasco
When Shells Become Heavy
and Unmanageable,
rBy Gable 20 The Tribune J

r,,,r.v. England, March 30-The sixty
18th annual race between the oxford and
co-hr,6se crews over the course from
vo-,'ake TO Putney this morning was de
,,srAo no race" by the referee after both
.b.us swannped and became unmanageable.
rbA Judges decided that the race he re-
rou.d on Monday. Weather conditions
,.rA 60 bad that. in the opinion Of many
,,5 us-ernoen, the race should never have
h..n started The dav broke clear and
.o,r, with the river surface like a sheet Of
ssss Soon. however snappy wind came
ovt Of the west Showers Of rain followed,
and although they passed off the breeze
rev in velocity and kicked up a nasty
cash which precluded the possibility Of
clean workmanship or fast rowing BY
aiming the toss oxford chose the course
m the Surrey side Of the river which gave
,bs Dark Blues some advantage, however
slight.
oxford was robbed of what might have
been an easy victory by the weather. The
csrbridge boat first went under after
rowing little more than one mile Water
Was shipped soon after the start and as
the men splashed along the boat rapidly
filed. The oxford crew hugged the shore
and kept going along carefully until it
reached Chiswick Egypt which is situated
st about the three-mile mark. There they
we're forced 10 stop rowing The men tried
Railing for a few moments. but were forced
70 take the shell ashore, and after empty
,ng the water out they finished tho course.
The race marked the fourth time that
Bourne. the oxford stroke, has faced the
starter and three times he has rowed his
crew 10 victory. Bourne was particularly
anxious 10 win to-day and establish a new
record. which might stand for years. Gold,
Pitman and stuart, famous Oxford strokes,
have stroked three winning crews, but
never has one man rowed TO victory in four
consecutive races Bourne himself was
foath 70 row on such q day. Rather than
dissruoint the great crowd which lined the
hanks ~ rho river, however, he decided 70
20 ahead and the contest proved "a he ono
Of rla lrosde,t farces ever witnessed on
the Thames
~ an earl' hour the TOW paths and other
points Of vantage along the river began 70
III with thousands. Apprehension was first
felt when d shower Of rain drove over the
course. but the sun soon appeared through
the clouds and cleared the sky. The wind
kicked up a wash at some Of the more eX.
posed points along the course. but the spec
tators on the whole believed that nothing
urtoward would occur 10 mar the spectacle
oxford was fayorite. and all were wishing
for Bourne 10 win his fourth race as stroke
While the thousands Of spectators roared
out in mighty cheer the start was made
~ = - o'clock and the race was on. The
dark t!Ve of Oxford flashed in the van in
the FIRST two dozen strokes. soon, however.
both rrevs were in diH1culties, owing 70 the
roush water.
m they drove. however. Clean rowing
was bsvond the ability Of any crew. and by
ths time Harrods Stores were reached, just
little over q mile, Cambridge was forced
70 abandon the boat which was sinking
The majority Of the crew were capable
Swimmers and reached shore. The re-
maindey were rescued by the referee.
Euesing the shore. and trying only to
keep its shell aAoat the Dark Blue craft
went ahead slowly and kept out of rough
water until ChiswiCk Eyoj. where the river
bends Here II was that they padded
ashore and baled the water out That
was q clear breach Of the rules, and the
ultimate decision Of mo contest" was then
assured
sssconds, but Oxford had already consumed
more than eighteen minutes when Its craft
was sVamped.