THE DAY OF THE RACE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 131, 26 February 1908, Page 8

THE DAY OF THE RACE.

INTERESTING INCIDENTS. 111 A drizzling .rain, wafted up' ,by a light soutli-easter, ushered in.tho momentous day.' When Wanganui rubbed the sleep out of its eyes, at a strangely early hour, and pdered out of tho Window, it was to find, that heavy rain had fallen during the silent hours, and the places had become depressingly so",iry ■For this to occur on the day of the great race, after two months x of brilliant drought, was almost too much to bear, arid lamentations loud and varied: wero heard on every hand. Tho drizzle mado the wholo'of tho forenoon shabby, but, nothing daunted, ,i fair crowd,. ; perspiring under greatcoats and oilskins, trudged , umbrellas through the mud to where tho little river boats lay snuggled Alongside the! river' boach, ius't above the bridge. The 'rain ha'd, however, a serious effect-in keeping those, peopta in town' who. would havo gone up "'the river early had the weather been fine. A thousand had been ' booked-a fortnight ago-to' go up' by the 7 o|plcck .boats,, but up to 11 'a.m. only 900 people had been ferried up. The bulk of the crowd strolled up and do.ivn tho avonuo in the. drizzle,'looking as blue as tho badges thoy wore. Tho up-river course is easily accessible by road from Wanganui on either bank, so that Mr. Tuck and liis stea-

mers did'not have it all their own way. Every vehicle with wheels still ablo to rovolve, every- bicycle, motor-car, and horse, wcro pressed into the scrvico, with the result .that tho vantago line was. heavily sprinkled with onlookers. It was the same, on the river. The town's fleet of motor boats and pleasure boats began to skim up the river at an early hour, and even tho Maoris sought to turn an honest hand by. taking loads of people up in an old war canoe. The ancient vebiclo of transportation, towed by a launch, left betwoeh 7.and 8 a.m., crowded with a yelling troup of Maori men, women, and. children, all being supporters of "Win" Webb. Another Maori canoe left Wanganui at 11.30 a.m., impelled by the paddles of some twenty women..

In the forenoon it rained, at midday it poured, and even at 2 p.m., whilo waiting for the officials' boat to start, it rained aggrssively. The rain must have been extremely local, for wo had not steamed' four miles out. of town before it ceased, and we were surging across a mirror fitted between the hills. On either side the roads had become busy with people, all hurrying tho same way—t-rtps, buggies, horses, bicycles, motor cars, etc., rattling along at a fine bat towards ono spot—tho banks ' above tho finish—and; they wore a really fine sight. Just below the finish is a sharp bend in tho river, and high' above on the hill right ahead a fine panorama of' the straight could be obtained.

BLACK WITH PEOPLE. This was literally black with people, as was also the right bank looking down stream,' which was serried with a line of onlookers, who, from the river, were clearly silhouetted against the sky. "The sides of tho river were olive with small craft, from

the coracle of the river gamin to the lean, sinuous canoes of.the Maoris; from the little Native canoe fitted with a two-horso power motor to the' powerful taniwha of the upper reaches. AN'EXCITING SCENE. A touch of. the' picturesque was lorit to the scene by tho Maori encampments round the finishing point. Tho Natives have taken a special aud particular interest in Webb, and to _ show, their loyalty thoy have made an abiding place at tho poiiit of 'victory, and when ho camo home triumphant yesterday they danced a liaka of joy led by tho wellknown chief \Takarangi MetcKingi. Flags' fluttered from tho river fleet,' whistles wero sounded, and tho river , banks rang with cheers when tho judge's gun bangodtho news ■that tho raco was finished with Wobb'over :tho lino first, and in tho twinkling of an eyo the fine stretch of water that a moment or two before only held the,two scullers was surcharged with a, flotilla; that had emerged from its sylvan Occlusion to do homago to Wobb. After tho raco Tresidder, sculled nomo the whole seven miles and a half to Wanganui in the wash of an oil'launch;Tho last seen of Webb by the umpire's .boat" was tho oarsman being patted and caressed by a. boatbad of Maori womon, who had pulled alongside the craft on which the sculler had hoisted his shell. i ■ ,