LATEST FROM WANGANUI

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 130, 25 February 1908, Page 9

LATEST FROM WANGANUI

FINAL TRIALS,

A GREAT RACE EXPECTED. ' (BY TULEGItAI-n— SI'IiCIAI. COnnESI'ONDIiM.) Wanganui, February 24. '.The special up-river excursions were well patronised on Sunday, and the, rows of Webb and'Tresidder were keenly watched. Tho champion took his last row on Sunday .afternoon, and,' paced by Green,, moved in ;faeautiful stylo. ' I am informed that ho did a ; remarkable trial. ; ; Tresidder was also going well. Ho took i a iwinding-up gallop", this afterripbn".' , 1; ■_ ■. '' j Both : : men, • aro in splendid fettle, and': a great raeo. is expected; -Forccaotmg the result, I cxpcct to sco .Webb. tako", tho: lead shortly, after 1 , tho start: Tresidder'niay bo depended on ' to row gamely' 1 and welii-'-and'; give';the. champion a big. con-' tract; : but'iif; tho -latter,,is: Well aihead at two miles, he 'should keop, there. • Tresidder always better- -'at tho" end than' at; tho beginning of tho. row, and if Webb's lead is not a long'-'oiio the'last milo: :a': ; desperato.'finisli, may be looketf for.Howovor, to ' givo a straight-out - anticipation, I expectrWebb :not only 'to get ahead, but to keep there" : without very; groat difficulty. ■ Visitors aro pouring into town from all ■parts, and 'oii .all sides tho match .is .the'.oue' •topic. • " ■ . The race starts.at; 4 o'clock. . The..weatherpromises to be fine and both moil aro confident. ; y'v';: • Tho " Wanganui . Herald ", says. the. stakes aro • to'::bc paid over to 'fho , winner of: tho race during > ail < interval, at Montgomery's. Picture show at the Opera Houso on Wednesday evening. .. PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES. BOTH MEN IN SPLENDID FORM. ;' RUMOURS AND ANTICIPATIONS/: ~ Tho ;weather, promises to'bo/fino'/for'_the race. - Tho raiii- which foil on. Saturday night has coole<l the atnicsphere, /and. removed tho .smoko nuisauec; . . • . ■■■'.' ;."'■/ . •.■ '. ; Tresidder has an '.advantage:, in . weight ,of nearlystone'.. .:. ;; :Bbthm'pii^ form, .but •^rformanci»/f,'''i^liaps ) ''point, a' littlo to!::AVubbi'whilst''.as-;.for: .style,:'there' should So tar tho onen - have nover.inot, and ,al- ; ithough. somb .jiiay; attempt to: ,'sum/up'' their 'chances cn/the resulta orth'o Charlio-Towns'--Thoroughgood, - the. Tresidder-Thoroughgood, and the Towns-Webb matches,; it is not safo ;tb| place';'too' much relianco*on/this method. However, taking the. form in tho matches named for what it is [worth, it may be mentioned that Charlie Towns defeated Thoroughgood by two lengths, and; Tresidder, vanquished Thoroughgood by something less'than a jlongth,' It is .'contended : that Thoroughgood was a better man when he met siddorithan .when ho rowod Towns; 'and it is probable he had improved hi tho interim; but the .fact remains' that Tresidder' was- not so far'ahead of -Thoroughgood as Towns was' at:, the'- end; of/ their .'respective races. v This, does aiot' necessarily mean that. Towiis is a better' man than Tresidder, 'tho'ugji some are' inclined to.'fignro it out that;way. Witli- re-' gard to the Towns-Webb, contest, that proved conclusively, tho .foul notwithstanding, that tho Now Zealandcr was '''too good ' for ; his rival.;. 'According to this' reckoning, ho', is' a better; man' than Tresidder. ' ; This. remains to bo, provod yet, but we h'avo not long to wait now before tho test is made.

; Tresidder's performances show that he: is 'a, first-class! sculler, possessingUioth speed arid 1 'stamina.; , best showing in match,'races' was that ThtSfoughgood.'. '.When ho met;Gborgo Towns ho was unwell, and hb was b'oateri 'easily at tho finish, tho 1 timo for tho Parramatta course being 2tiqin;..-48 ,4-osec. When, Webb defeated C. Towns'tho'timo was; 20iuini;,'4osec.,; over a minute faster.That the champion is a. better, man ; now 'than when he rowed ori : the. Parramatta admits of little ■doubt. :; Tresidder. is well now and thoroughly fit,' albeit ho is. nearly four years .older than when hp met Georgo Towns; It is admitted now by tho' latter's friends that, some six ■years ago Tresidder was rowing so woll that tho Town's party, were afraid of, him. Bo this as :it may, Tresidder has.,at .' times ,in ,years gorio by shown form good enough to win tho championship, and ,as recently as last Julv, when ?ho ; defeated ' Ben' Thoroughgobd : ,, ho; rowed a's well as' ever.; His supporters claim\ that lie: is'now as good a-man, or even better, than ho w-a's then. : He certainly looks to bo in the best''rifi fettle,iand'-is'.very''confident. .'He, is 12st;' Gib., aud 'will row;at_l2st. 81b., whichiis about'.his bbsli;rt#ing'weightrv.',;'.s'/,.'i . - As for Webb,' himself that ho is as well as, could bo wished.Seen..on: Saturday, he leaked to bo in'thb.pink of condition, and. fit to row tho race. of his life.. On. Saturday. '.afternoon ho had, a' go against tho. watch' over tho' full course, .'arid, without : diynlgirig 'any. ■secrets,;l,may:stat6 tliat it was. a thoroughly, satisfactory spin. 'Of course, it does not' db to place' too' much reliance oil such trials ,iri rowingjr as, conditions ..vary so' much," but it can''safely, be snid tliat if tho.chanipion is, ablo to reproduce tho samo form tq-morrow, 1 then Tresidder willUiavo t0..d0 somothins 'remarkably good to-wun,, barring accidents. ■ 'I'hoso who' are iji the. know,- with, regard to ; Tresidder's. best i performances 'on - tho "river during, the last' row .days, are exceed-, . ingly, co'nfiilent, so that it is evident ho has -.shown- jiis frieiids something pretty good. , A ■ rumour. H'hicli isi-in circulation credits Tresidder with covering the full' course in sonsa-' tional time, iniigli quicker " tlian Webb has. done, but, tho; timo-mentioned is simply im- . possible, so that oven' supposing lie has. had ,a' proper trial; over tho : full journey' (which I doubt) ho';'c6rtuinly novo'r did t]io time, nor .*near;;it,-.^vitlv,'which, hb;is..;credited. : ; .That he':is going, to put ',iip;: a--big' l'aco 'is' cortairi,; i ,ahd ''th'e, struggle 'should;bb an;pscit--ing'one ; ,;and'\yho6y'er:wins;miy, depend: upon being reached.;, ■ : Webb/is liiiio years youiigbr,; thaii liis opponent, arid; this"' is style is .'suiieribr,? too,' and :this :; must';;tell:.iri. a desperate race -most- bf . thp way,, as' this is. ■likely ;to -.be:-'-,. -Eroin what'al-havo-'sebn; of the men,:[ f.mcy'W"ebb.has t-he best chaiice, 'and; despite tho fact that Tresidder is likely to keep going all 1 tho way at a fast pace, I consider the present Champion's extra brilliancy will enable him to retain tho title, "as ho can stay as well as. anyone.. If./Trosidder: winß ho will need to provo himself a riiuch, better man than -ho has evor been t'ivon credit for in eithor Australia or New ealand- u'y' many good judges, but "at tho same timo I know that there are not wanting thoso .whoi-maintain that- tho Australian is ' going., to gain tho victory.' His :immediate friends are very confident, and what, is moro are backing their opinion. Hp will bo a hard man to beat, but 1 think that the first, inan-to pass the post will bo Webb. . .;'IDY . TELKBRArH—MES3 ASSOCIATION. V. ' ' Wancanui, Fobruary 24. " It is known' that Webb put up a trial against the watch, which,. if repeated tomorrow, must make him winner. Ho is in tho. pink o f conditioiiy and''his'friends are sangnino about' his' success. . Troaiddei', is equally confident. He has dono some good workj, and his trainer, who has been intimately acquainted with him during all his .athletic caicoiy says lie was never in better iotllc,. and, barring accidents, must win.

;■ VISITORS FROM WELLINGTON. A CROWDED TRAIN. . :r . INCIDENTS 13Y THE WAY. ■■'•(BY TKLMIIAWI—SPECIAL COItItKSI'ONDENT.J ■ The. express train that left the WellingtonManawatu station at 8 o'clock this morning ■ .was'one of tho longest that has ever steamed out of, the Thorndou station. Carriages were added' until there were twenty-two long carriages, ali of which wore filled i with a gay crowd, bound for Wanganui to see tho rowing event of the year, the race for tho Championship of the World between Webb and Trcsiddcr. So-crowded .was the train that' many bad to be content with standing room on tho platform, and in many cases two stowed themselves in seats built for one, but

nothing mattered much. They wero all ill groat spirits, and plenty: of harmless raillery was exchanged. Tho crowd was brightened by tho presenco of the Mornington and Woolston Brass Bands, on their way to the contest at New Plymouth, and Madame Clara Butt, tho great vocalist, and her company, wero amongst tho passengers. Pcoplo joined tlio train at nearly every station, and at Palmerston North it- was found necessary to add four more carriages. The whole of Palmerston seemed to bo on tho platform, which presented a lively scene whprtthe record train drew up. Tho Palmerston North Band, which is also proceeding to New Plymouth, played selections in tho brilliant sunshine, giving the sceno quite a carnival air.

Tho folly of adding more carriages at Palmerston North was apparent at Marton Junction,: where the railway authorities, without advising tho'passengers of thoir intention, dropped four or. fivii carriages, and one half went on; leaving tho ' rest stranded for ; an hour. -Many of the passengers wero highly indignant at'this treatment. . Some who belonged to the rear carriages wero carried on in ' tho dining car. Dozens lost the run of ithoiiy, luggago on[ account. of the re-arrange-ment, of the train, and' several-'who con-, siderod their ■presonco in Wanganui at the earliest', possibkh moment .a 1 , necessity .were filled with, a fine■ fury, and .condemned tho .Government and all its ways in unmeasured terms. ' ' < . : , . ~i Tho second half ,of the train reached Aramoho at i'.Tt p.iji.v' and/- thanks!.ljo,.tho .efforts-put forth by;the staff at, that' station, .'reached. Wanganui .'at '4;40..p.ni.y. two hours late.. ' Theythreaten , to 1 call' this' placo Webbanui: : " .>• ■ ■■ | . . , EXCITEMENT IN WANGANUI. ! .' How;strange it is,,remarked,one individual, that two men pulling in boats can'upset munity liko'.'this, /ind-it is upset!.: Tho town ■is thronged with people! and-ther Avcriuo is ,liko [Lambtou Quay . on, a.' Saturday .Juight. Business may'go hang. .'.The'.shop assistants :stand at. tho :doors and argue , with ;thcir friends about Webb's shoulder muscle, or Tresiddor's squaro chin. ~Tho'slightest pretext -is'good -enough' for a\. yarn,•..and the. employer knows :tli'at the position is unavoid-1 ablo',! 'that it willvpass ;away , as'a -rash" after', to-morrow's 6vent is decided.:','Webb; bluo decorates every blouse and buttonholo, and my heart goes out to Tresidder, the lone Corn; stalk,lbut 'I talio -beart of grace on; noting his squaro chin. By tho scienco of physiognomy ho ought to. bo '.somewhere' near ■' when tho 'judge's flag goes clown. ' -ij: ' .' / . A party, consisting of forty-two, members of tho Wellington Rowing Club, journeyed to Wanganui, in ; a■■ resorvea car yesterday to 'engage in a ehcss, draftghts, billiards, eucliro, c'ribbage, and whist , tournament;'' with , the. Cosmopolitan Club, rand incidentally to soo tho boat race. :,- 1