The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 1910. ARNST THE WINNER.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 20 August 1910, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 1910. ARNST THE WINNER.

.'s .".,.c ;•:, ,:....i;ple f.i' "k.r.v to npoil >' >> ..'....■-,. L..;,.;,;> g.M.'.ging a lia'-■;'μ-i ,, i> , ! far' , f>s wo luvio seen in ,;irf i.:r ;i ioim while is piovi led hy tiK> f-(i!)ic'i account of the ArnstHarry l>..at ni.o on the Zam!r.vi. In th , '* 'as: 1 wo havo a rich and |:.>wori'iil company spending r." n r a t'.■'•■;;'s:ilid p;.:ii!'s sterling in (, lei t'i a , ! , , erf ;sp its town and river, u:i:l yet omitting the essential detail of c.i-ranging t;j have a proper report written and cabled concerning the race upon which t! oy spent their mur.ov. Fnr a bathet-ical treatment of n pictrescpie s ibjec-t, what could '>e a more glaring example than this •'■-(it fl;it-H(>rrx's the "prize i:clcs" quote:! in the advertisement i)lr.-.!■ ii iin>:!i;-:liately adjoining 'Ik ■•-no in which this article appears):—

LrVIXGSTOX, A:i 3 :: st 18. "Artist still retains the world's chiimpiojiship by two lengths. T':o mepting 1/ •; been looked forward u> wit. , ! great interest evei si;::o llioy :le:!:'.od to meet for tin p iiso p :L -,'.p \y; iho Charterer Citjupauy. Barry is the most scientific oarsman in the world, wihile Arnsfc is the ni(>st) powerful. The weather was perfect, and the course excellent. Acting-Administrator Carden and his suite wore present, and the attendante was large. The blades were in great evidence, llipjjos caused no trouble. .Both men left the Zambesi Boating Club's landing for the starting point amidst cheers. Arriving there no time was lost in acquainting the scullers of the conditions governing the race. Dr Thacker, for Arnst, chose the north bank, which gives the ad vantage of deep water right along the cnuitso. The champion was as brown as a berry and looked fit. Barry koked anxious, but was r.';o very fit. Arnst scaled 13st Gib, and Barry list 81b. ft was a beautiful start, Arnst striking 32 to the minute and forging clean a.head, gaining a length in the first half-mile. Ba.rry struck 33. At the mile, Arnst was still leading by a clear length. Prom there -home Barry rowed with a forlorn hope, and finally gave up about 200 yards from the finishing post. Barry was quite satisfied, and declared that the best man had won. He was in trouble at half a mile from the start. The climate here did not agree with him. Arnst says it was his hardest win. , '

However, the baseness of the very few features that the above-quoted report possesses is chiefly a matter for the company. But there are some side issues of it which require to be challenged. Arnst really; is a champion of champions—ns the present writer- had the temerity to prophecy he would bo a few days before he put Wanganui into permanent mourning by his first defeat of gentlemanly Will Webb. But when the cablegram assures us that Arnst declared his win over Barry to be the hardest win ho has bad, it is time to raise a protest. Tho hardest win that ever Arnst had, and the hardest that he ever will hare, was that which he achieved on Wanganui River when he defeated Webb in their second contest for the the world's championship. A great many exaggerated accounts of that extraordinary race have been given by purblind admirers of Arnst, but the plain fact is that Arn.st w'.is rowed out to his ultimate ounce when ho reached the winning post on that occasion, and that over tho •last half-mile of the race Webb rowed the faster race. Small wonder that le was so. We have no intention of disparaging Arnst , s abilities one iota—his superb performance ovei the fir.st two and a half miles of that race effectually disposed of any winning chance Webb might have had against any opponent only a trifle less doughty— but we fell bound to record our protest against tlmt species of idolatrous adulation which is precalent amongst ow people \vh?never a champion arises. A Wellington newspaper, only three days ago, repeated the story that so fai Arnst never lias been liaiiid pushed in a race. The writer of that statement did an injustice to Webb when he penned it.

If any cool brained man will reflect upon tlicfaet that in the socoi:l Arnst-Webb race nearly two minutes were cut off the previous "best world's record" for the distance, it will become apparent that almost equal honours went to the loser of that race as to winner; and, further, that any assertion that Artist was not extended simply marks the maker of the statement as being sell deluded. Artist's performance ihit day was marvellous; but if he had made it with something of force left 'in reserve it would have been a performance superhuman. Some day in the far future there will be discussions and disputes regarding I his matter of Artist's greatest race— es pecially so if it happens, and we believe it will, that Arnst will sCull on, unbeaten, for years and yearsand there will be theories raised as to what time Arnst actually coukl have put up on Wanganui river on the ever-memorable occasion of the world's new record being made. Wo say, now, that Arnst could not hove done the'distance one second, fasror. When the race ended he collapsed in his boat, and within twenty second? of the time of that collapse the Presr boat was close enough to Arnst'i skiff to allow the occupants to view him from a range of a very feu , yards. He was as near being in a faint as ever any athlete was; thp signs were unmistakable to any mar who himself has rowed a race and experienced similar symptoms. ApaH altogether from the fairness of giv ing to Webb the credit due to him for his plucky and almost succossf.il stern chase after a redonbtabh champion, tlx? people of those islands should not vicariously inflate them selves with the pride of insular pro jiidiee. They have produced a mav vellously fine sculler in Arnst-with the aid of an Australian tutor; bur th«y shoiikl remember that, champion of champions though he has proved himself to lie, he is morelv finite after all, and that anothei Xew Zealander showed himself to bp very nearly his equal, <lespit<> whai some unreasonable supporters ol Arnst may say. Without hyper hole, we jcin in congratulating Arnst on having so worthily upheld the re piitation and fame of Sow Zealand in a far country, against a goo.l man and in a sportsmanlike manner