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West Coast Times, Issue 299, 7 September 1866, Page 1 (Supplement)

Under the head of " A Eace for £he tele, graph wires," the " Sydney Empire" lifis the following :—": — " Few persons hare the slightest conception of the trouble and expenditure required to obtain possession of the telegraph wires, when the ' mail arrives' at either of tlie colonies. The arrival on Tuesday morning of the first Panama mail was the occasion of a bonafide and most exciting boat race-. The „ appearance of the Kakaia had been most eagerly looked for, fox* some days, by the boat* 1 crews employed by the ' Argus,' Melbourne, and Messrs Qreville's Telegraphic Company, for the purpose of landing the jfirst messages, and obtaining possession of the wires. Theboati brought into requisition were small whaleboats. ' In the ' Argus' boat was <3reen, the ex-champion, Mr C. Cook (the' shipping re* porter of the ' Sydney Morning Herald,' who is employed to land the telegrams for the^ Argus') and two others, In the service of Eeuter's agents, Mr M'Gregor and three able ' bodied men pulled, the well known butcher's boat Fairplay, the property of Mr Playfair of this city. Both crews reached the mail steamer outside of the Heads,' and boarded and procured their despatches from her, and were towed up as fav^as N 3?ort Denison. Here they, let go, andoa keen contest ensued, as might hav.e been anticipated, M'Qregor's crow being 0 at a slight disadvantage as regards positipn. This,- however, they lessened by degrees, and before passing Fort Macquarie were slightly in the leadv, Eroni this point the boats 'diverged, the 'Argus' boat rnaking'for Campbell's wharf, and^M'Grregor forj'the central steps at the Custom-house. Thus-the ' Argus' crew had a much shorter distance to pull, yet both boats reached the shore within a few seconds o one 7 'another. At both points conveyance* were* waitiug, and up the different streets both vehicles went at full gallop, and when they entered George street, Greville's Telegram Company had a very considerable lead, and their telegrams, in* consequence, gained precedence, and the messages having been already prepared, -were transmitted to Victoria, • Queensland, and throughout the Colony. The distance pulled over by the two crews is about a mile and a quarter, and was.doneata terrific pace. Both* crew's e^ruined every nerve, »nd piled with tt dett>wi»at;io», seldom wjs Mil #4 to * fltew»pfo» tyK#w mtfft*'