Scrapbook of Samuel and Elizabeth Logan and family
Samuel Logan grew up in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. He established a boat building business and he and Elizabeth had six children including my great grandfather, John Maxwell Logan.
John Maxwell Logan took on as his opponent in a sculling match, Charles Rowell, who was making his name internationally as a long-distance pedestrian and became the recognised world champion. The following has been transcribed from a newspaper article.
A race of some interest took place over the new University course last evening, for a £10 cup and the honour of the amateur championship of the Cam.
The competitors were—John Logan, boat builder (of the firm of Logan and Son), who won his spurs at the Ely Regatta in 1879, and who is well-known in aquatic circles, and Charles Rowell, a stiff-built sculler, a trifle older than his opponent, engaged for the most part at Maidenhead but well-known to frequenters of Searle's.
Rowell having recently beaten young Tom Clasper on the Isis, challenged Logan, who is as finely-built an oarsman as one could wish to see.
The pair met at six o'clock yesterday and rowed a time race, Rowell taking first station. There was scarcely a pin to choose between them at the Willows in Long Reach, and at the Railway Bridge Logan seemed to be well in it; but from this point his opponent made the most progress, and at length Rowell was declared the victor by four seconds.
Charles Rowell (1852–1909) was an English athlete: a famous runner and celebrated exponent of the sport of pedestrianism race-walking.
Rowell was born in Chesterton, Cambridge in 1852, and was sometimes known as The Cambridge Wonder. He was initially hired as a pacemaker for champion Edward Payson Weston, but went on to have his own career. He was particularly successful in the 6 Day Race of the "go-as-you-please" style where competitors could walk and/or run as they wished, and which featured as an annual competition between the USA and UK from 1874 to 1888. Interesting article, courtesy of The Cambridge Museum, Castle Street, Cambridge. https://capturingcambridge.org/museum-of-cambridge/museum-exhibit-stories/maypole-paul-pry/ He died in August 1909.
In 1877 a trophy and substantial prize was created by Sir John Dugdale Astley, the Astley belt, for the greatest distance on an indoor track over 144 hours. Rowell won this twice in 1879 and then retired from the event to concentrate on contests of 12 hours per day for 6 days. The first time he covered 500 miles, the second 530 miles despite illness which meant he had to withdraw for eleven hours, but caught up with and overtook the others. In 1882 he set new world records for 100 miles (13:26), 24 Hours (150 miles) and 48 hours (258 miles/415 km), and 300 miles in 58:17:06 (a record which still stands today).
