Beach and Hanlan.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 223, 30 August 1884, Page 2

Beach and Hanlan.

(Specially Compiled for the Telephone.) Sydney rose to the occasion of Saturday in unmistakable fashion. All minor sports and ordinary occupations, were abandoned, and the people poured out by tens of thousands to witness the great contest in which so much was at stake, and from which so much was hoped though generally so little expected. Nature seemed to have prepared for the event. The magnificent hydratmos of the south wind, with a few plashes of rain, had purged the air of the unseasonable as unwholesome heat which through Thursday and Friday bred sense and smell of summer in the city. The morning dawned clear, fair, and exhilarating, with a puff of westerly wind, like the coolness of ice in sparkling wine, and at noon a genial sunshine tempered as glorious a day as the heart of any Iwliday-maker or yachtsman could desire. A Homeric shipping list would not contain the names of all the craft which were pressed into service. Every craft in the harbor seemed moving westward. At the Bridge, those who were on the water got the first idea of the land traffic. Vehicles seemed moving in rapid and endless procession, and through them pedestrians trudged along reckless and merrv, —rushing, some scores of these latter, in foolish haste to leap the chasm made by the opening span. A fleet of steamers were ready to shoot through the opening by the time it was ready, and second of them, the Tomki, essayed the narrow passage and centred it with an accuracy that did her steersman infinite credit. Wonderful, indeed, was the land traffic here. Before the span of the bridge had closed again there was an army halting, and with a little natural impatience, for the time announced for the race was approaching, and they were anxious to secure good positions. Tree-tops, with men and boys aroost like rooks in elms; wharfs, jetties, hills, flats, densely covered by thousands, tens of thousands—acres, it might

almost be said square miles, of people. 30,(MX at least were on the open ground about th.Sydney Rowing Club sheds, and half as mam on the various points opposite. THE RACE. On Saturday morning both men wen' through the last operations of their training with a little easy exercise, and after dinnei waited quietly till it was time to start fo) Uhr’s Point. When Beach stripped off hit jersey, and took his place near the jetty, ht looked the very pink of condition, and had a steadfast expression on his face, with some thing of quiet self-confidence in his manner. His movements, and the few words he said were short and decided, and he was evidentl} perfectly at his ease. Hanlan came round from above the jetty with a light, active motion, and a bright face, his whole style and bearing indicating a more sprightly humoi than that of his opponent. He seemed ven fit, and showed in all his actions, while wait ing for the start, that he was ready to row a great race. At about 19 minutes past 4 the men pulled into position between the jetties on Uhr’s and Charity Points, close to the former. The wind was blowing hard, and made it difficult to get the boats together. Beach won the toss and chose the southern bank. This gave him smoother water, while it put Hanlan in the wind. Some five minutes were spent in backing and sidling about to get the right position and distance. Hanlan. who was as quick as a mouse, caught the water once, as he thought he saw Beach nod; but the Australian shook his head, and the Canadian had to drop back. The men then took up another position closer to shore. There was another minute of intense suspense, and then the men got away. Hanlan’s boat had been forging ahead on the wind when the consent was given, and this gave him a slight advantage in starting. The start was made with a great rush, both men rowing at 38 strokes to the minute for some distance from the starting point. It was getting near the end of the first mile where the pace ought to tell on a man if it was to tell at all. There had been a stretch through rough water—a cross choppy. wash that served both of them badly; the wind on the quarter had tested the right arm ; the tide had flowed and the water was slack, yet the pace was fast; the Tomki looming up like a great wall threatening to overwhelm them—all these things brought about a crisis, when it seemed that a decisive stroke should

be made. The rough water had certainly put both men through a trying ordeal. The mile beacon at Blaxland’s is passed at six minutes and nine seconds—fine time—Hanlan still leading by two lengths, yet the Australian rows tn with strength aud pace in even movement. Beach is not done yet, or anything like it. The mile is passed. There has been a big struggle in the last half of it. The fight with the weather, and the approach of the steamer, had been used to the best advantage. That was a splendid chance, and Hanlan used it well; he made the best that could be made out of that combination of moral and physical influences ; but it failed. The Australian hung on to his wake with great determination, and rowed strong and easily. Then we began to see the champion’? teeth showing white, as they had dene several times in the last quarter-mile, and people said “Why, Hanlan’s laughing!”. They thought it was a sign that the Canadian had his man so well in hand that he could afford to smile and coquet with the contest, and presently he would begin to cool his hands in the water, and give exhibitions. But it was not so. That gleam of white teeth was evidently caused by the tension of every muscle in the man’s body, and it stood there as a sign of supreme exertion. Nearing Putney Hanlan’s stroke had come down to 32, while Beach was rowing at 36 and gradually pulling up. At Putney Wharf, which is rather under a mile and a half, the time was 3 minutes 3 seconds towards the second mile. About the full mile and a half—a point, as nearly as could be fixed by the chart, in line with the down-stream shoulder of Putney Point—Beach pulled his boat’s stem level with Hanlan’s stern, and the two rowed on in that position for about two hundred yards further, while a hot thrill ran through us as Beach made his challenge. Up came Beach, while Hanlan, showing signs of exhaustion, handled his boat weakly, and dropped back in the race. Up went .Beach, strong and bold as a lion, and next instant his right oar crossed Hanlan’s left, and they stopped rowing. The skulls were quickly released, while some words passed between the men regarding the foul, and Beach, who seemed rather annoyed and impatient at having been stopped in this manner, struck his skulls into the water and pulled away from Hanlan. The Canadian held up his hand to record his protest, and rowed a few strokes without any weight on them, as if he was not decided what to do next, and had not much strength to do it with. His appearance at this moment was that of a man very much fagged. Meanwhile, Beach got a lead of about seven lengths. Hanlan began rowing again, but the impression became general that he was completely beaten, and peals of excited cheering rang from a thousand lips across the water, while yet we could scarcely believe that the great sculler had been rowed down. The time for the second mile was Omin. 2sec., which includes the delay caused by the foul. At the Gladesville Jetty Beach was still a good three lengths ahead. Hanlan had spurted, but Beach, as cool and strong as ever, answered him, and soon increased his lead by another length. The men appeared to be rowing easily, but were really doing fast work. Hanlan’s stroke was 28, and Beach’s a stroke faster. When the men entered the last half-mile below One Man Wharf there was no longer any doubt as to the result of the race. The air was torn and buffeted with the thousand sounds that told

of a multitude’s delirious joy. The men kept on their way ; they had still a quarter of a mile before them. Beach was rowing still cool and strong, but he saw that the race was his. Hanlan came on behind at a distance of nearly five lengths away. The Australian rowed on, every stroke taken to a fresh cheer, and he passed the beacon very nearly six lengths ahead—Champion Sculler of the World. Another round of cheering arose on the fall of the flag. Beach finished in very good style, and not at all distressed. As Hanlan came up Beach made a friendly sign with his hand, to which Hanlan replied with a nod. Then they were cheered by the occupants of the umpire’s boat. “ Both good men ” was shouted to them. Beach acknowledged the compliment. Hanlan remained impassive, and having backed near the umpire’s steamer claimed the foul. Mr. Clarke told him that as it was his own fault in rowing into Beach’s water he would give the race to Beach. Such was the official ending of the greatest aquatic contest that Australia has ever seen. The third mile was done in 5 minutes 17 seconds, making the time for the whole course 20 minutes 23 seconds, according to the official time.