Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-01-03
49, .s,-~---t-,.- ..-.s .-,"-. .,s'-s
AMAz0(hS
Women Who Could Pull an Oar
With the Best Of Men.
WON FAME ALL OVER EUROPE.

wv oSVS WV
Only Beat Thsir Own cSuntrymsn,
but Went to Havrs and 0utrowsd
Half = Dozen Crack French Crews.
In the boat races that have from
time immemorial been rowed on the
Hanoaze. the estuary Of the lamar
and the Tavy that forms part Of the
harbor OF Plymouth. the women Of
SaItash have often distinguished them.
selves. In Around and About Saltash"
l.. T.. Z. Porter writes of Ann CLAN
Vile. whose amazonian feats Of oars.
manship made her famous all yer Flu.
rope: W.
Some sixty or seventy years ago the
crew Of Saltash 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 match-never
by other women. yl@
They competed for prizes at Hull.
Liverpool. Portsmouth and Dartmouth,
aud 1t must not be supposed that a
crew Of men ever yielded the palm out
Of masculine courtesy, for. as q mat
ter Of fact, the men did not at MI relish
being beaten by a parcel Of females
In some Of these contests Mrs. Hair
riet Screech. a 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 ardu0us post
In the boat.
Once this crew, rowing a match at
Fleetwood in the presence of Queen
Victoria. gave the men 10 sound q beat
ing that her majesty asked to have
Ann presented to her. .
However, the most famous event
OF AIMS life took place III 1850. when
Captain Russell Vt II. NJ. s. Brunswick
suggested to her that she and her crew
should 50 to Havre to the regatta there
and challenge the Frenchmen, a pro-
posaI 10 which she readily assented.
When the Frenchmen heard Of the
challenge from les Anglaises de Salt
ashe they shrugged their shoulders,
tor they scarcely regarded it as Sc
riDus. And when the women appear.
ed In their white frIlled caps prinked
out with blue ribbons. In their short
Wtticoats and white dresses, with blue
neckerchiefs tied over the shoulders
and crossed behind the back, they look
ed puzzled.
The challenge Of the Englishwomen
created a 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 a vast %concourse Of people
to witness the contest. Every quay,
hilltop ana housetop from which q view
Of the course could be had was crowd
ed. Every one was on tiptoe Of ex'
ectation. Before the 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. o at first did they
have the advantage. Five minutes aft
er the start six boats were ahead OF
them. But they 500 tested their op-
ponents' nerve. Ann. who. had the
stroke oar. gave the word:
bend yonr backs to It, maidens.
and hurrah for old Englandv
lone by one. with a cheer from old
Ann. they passed the six boats. At
last they drove their boat. With the
British color dying gayly at the fore.
into the lead. 1t was q long course
and a 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 Granville. Harriet Hosking, Jane
House and Amelia Lee. A man acted
az ,coxswain.
"Mrs. Ho,ise was 80 elated at the
victory that on reaching the commit
tee boat she plunged into the water.
dived under the vessel and came up
With a dripping and dropping cap On
the opposite side. S ..s1 (
Ann Glanyille died in 1880. at the
age OF eighty-6ve, dignifed. vigorous
and handsome to the last. Her char
acter was summed up by 4 neighbor
10 these words:
"'Her was honest to a farthing, clean
as a sinelt and kind hearted az 2
queen"
Rose to the Occasion.