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Swan Song. The worst was yet to come. Five miles above the finish waited murderous Cottonwood Rapids, where the clawing waters, leaping up in snarling talons, funnel through a 20-ft. passage. Thousands of spectators had gathered there for the climax. First through was Bock, showing the strain in his taut face, then Paris, spilling again. Then came Champion Seidel, flashing his two-bladed paddle and maneuvering his tight-fitting craft by swinging his hips, hula-like, to meet crosscurrents. He shot through with expert ease, emerged from angry Cottonwood to come in fourth at the finish.
In all, a record five craft went the whole way; no boatman was badly hurt. Elapsed-time records showed that the winner was Erich Seidel, who, after starting last, had skimmed upright down the wild Arkansas in a record 3 hr. 4 min. 32 sec. While cheers echoed off the Rockies, Winner Seidel stood by unresponsively, fighting a case of stomach cramps. His companion. Theo Rock, who wound up second, sang a swan song. "For a man of my age, this race is enough," vowed he. "There is nothing in Europe to compare with it."