Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-13
CREWS ALL SET
F Or CLASSIC
BOAT RACE
Police RigidIy Guard to Proven,
Threatened 0utrageS BY
Suffragettes.

PUTNEY ENGLAND. March :,
Under conditions never before knou-
in the history of the classic cor,o..
the rowing crews of Oxford and Cav,
bridge faced each other here TODAY e..
the sixty eighth race over the Tba,o.
course from Putney to Mortlake.
The unusual feature of todavs evsD,
arose from the elaborate precautior.
which had been taken to prevent ir,ar
ruption of the contest, owing n n,
threats which militant suffraget,os
had made to break up this long and
honorable struggle for aquatic sp-
premacy between the two great seats
of learning. These threats came as
shock to the British people. who have
come to regard this traditional rowing
event as a hallowed institution.
The Thames was guarded on bott
banks by soldiers. police and private
guards all night, and no woman. how
ever plausible her explanation, was al
lowed to approach the lighthouses.
Patrol launches, filled with police
steamed up and down the river for II
had been suspected that the women
might attempt to plant mines in the
river bed-not for the purpose of TAX
ing human life. but to disturb the sur
face of the water and make the race
impossible. Despite the danger Of in
terruption, which, after all. added to
the tingle of excitement. the crowd
which gathered along the course was
fully as large as ever before. The
weather was fair, with light wind.
Oxford Betting Favorite.
oxford, which has Won every raos
since 1908, ruled a favorite in the bet
ting. The oxford men made up a DOW
erful and formidable crew. In their
practice they worked we'll together and
had the added advantage of being nat
ural oarsmen.
The Prince of Wales. who is an ar
dent follower of aquatic sports, came
down from London to see the race. The
launch Mariana was set aside for his
use, and the oxford coach, HarcouIt
Gold. was an invited guest on board
Both crews were astir early in the
morning and took practice spins, their
shells being fanked on both sides by
police patrol boats.
At that hour a light mist covered the
Thames and hung low over the wooded
banks of Surrey on the south and Mid
dleseX on the north, but the weather in
dications were that it would be dissi-
pated by the sun before the hour for
the race to begin.
From technical standpoint, today's
race aroused more keen interest in
followers of rowing than ever before,
for the Cambridge crew chose CEN
ter seated shell for the first time. The
light blue Cambridge oarsmen had
bad luck early in the training season,
but toward the last picked up, and there
were many who, after sizing up the
crews critically, refused TO wager e1-
cept at even money.
Hundreds of Women Spectators.
Among the spectators who came
down from London were hundreds of
women, many of them from the fami-
lies of the oarsmen or members Of for
mer crews. There were about 10000
persons swarming the banks at 10
o'clock. In an effort to prevent mill
tant suffragettes from spelling the race,
the police refused to allow women on
bridges spanning the course or in boats
along the course.
The riparian courses, the bridges.
boat houses and launches were ablaze
with light blue and dark blue colors
Blue balzers predominated. The SUI
fragettes spoiled the usual pretty scenes
of pretty women in barges and Launches
whit heir blue frocks and blue para
soils, for the authorities were taking no
chances