, 1866-10-12
Sixteen I1oata Enter for tho prtxc-A
Yankee Hont Entered by lieutenant
Ira Harris, Jr., Wins.

Ixn1AsApoIss AE-ENA1, Ind, scptusobcr IS.
To The Editor Of tie Army and Navy Jouszat:
siR:-l iruye lust received fr"m my BROTH |
following account q u regatta which took
place At Chcrbourg, France. on the 81 In
slant. mud in which Ill American boat wa*
the victor. The account waa not intended
for publication, but the interest have ta-
ken In reading It, warraute me In forwarding
Vcry respectfully, your ob;xt ecrv't.
". Il. HARMS,
Captain OF Ordinance aud BreTct Lieutenant
"Thc race vas for double banked boats Sof
all nations, pulling not more than sixteen
oars, md from twenty nine to thirty tive feet
lung. The boat I entered WAS shlrty-f,ur
fcct long, and only pulled twelve OARS. She
10 fact, regular beauty. but should pull At
least fourteen oars. My crew Was partially
selected from the best men on board, and
Part the regular crew Of the boat.
:" only drilled fotr days, bnt we worked
tom as smooth Us glass and covered with
senp. When we pulled in among the French
eeats In taking our stand, everybody vas
surprised at our appearance. The other
.. as entered were sstssn IN m number and
ron; the hes, one, think, belonged to a rear
Admiral, attached to The navy yard here.
Al pnll.d sixteen oars and Heavy picked
men.
':lAll the betting was on barge belonging
to the Commodore OF the Flandre {tron.elad
1rigntc): and barge which belongs to the
Prince Napoleon's yacht Jerome Napoleon.
Tie latter is splendid boat, md won the
recent race at Tonlon. Ny men were so
boat, that the French judges didn't think we
could do ansthins, and almost doubted my
own judgment. Nc took our places, minc
being about the middle of the sixteen: the
second gun fired, aud We we're otf. Got
on the outside Of me, belonging to the shore
maritime Ptelet, got Oft too soon, and JAM
med the hitch on his line, before the cox
swain could cast of. She was thrown out
altogether.
''The next boat to her was the Flandrc's:
We gained on her SO fast that she gave up
trying to Keep ahead, and tried to foul us, SO
as to throw both out Of the race. aud let some
other Frenchrnan win. She drove us IL little
out OF the track, but by urging the crew for
bows, ard then crossed her, throwing her
out. rs she tried to do with Us. Then NC
mudc strong and steady strokes for the stake
bnoy, with the white Navy Yard boat a
gfg Of the flagship Magenta, and the Princes
barge behind, and the rest Of no account.
Alter about minute, we could see that,
at the swinging stroke We were going, nc
gained on the white, but the people on shore
al said That we never could Keep 1t up. The
American Consul went to the ADMIRAL aud
snil that VIC were pulling TOO quick, but the
old gentleman said that we would beat, aud
.aat ana rd ,nas senns .nsn an Ess knsT '
Wen, We came up with the white boat.
We slowly passed her. which drove her Grow
nsar'y crazy, and they yelled out and
strained 20 hard that they irokc four Of their
oars. Still they had a fast boat, u good cox
! EHT1fr md mn ,,tffHsr In hon rt,n
his work, a14l We had to Keep up to our
| quickest work to yet the inside trnck before
reaching the buoy at 1000 metres; but we
did 1t, and crowded him outside (which is
| OF wet hlm.) This Enve us n boat's length
Ahead. und allowed 1nc to ease the men lit
| tie. There were then eight b,,oys III rDW
for us to pull around bcf,re returning.
! We started round thrm MI, hut the white,
the Jcromcss, and afterwards one or two
I more, went between the bnoys and started
back. .{They either did this tn mis}eaii me-
ard give the race to the pea green, which
was cnnlinE up fast. or cEsc did mt know
about the course.) had hard work to keep
the crew, too, wanted to, but / made them
| kcep the course, and In a minute tile others
I wcsc turned buck hy tue bout stationed by
the hloys, and VIC Ind gained by their false
mannnsrc ships length on the white. Tie
reu green wnr tho nearest, and some tlistatcc
nllc,Itl Of thc rest.
| snow cnnc the work, for 1t wne necessary
to Keep the men well In llatnl, or they would
lose their wits1, fi,r II WIS against the Wind,
nhl IL that cate sixteen oars to twclyo Is ftur-
thl odds for hohte nf the satnc size. But tic
| men worked well, kept cuol, uud patd attcu-
tion IL what was safl 10 them. VT Wclcngthcncd
the stroke. Aid never SAW boat pulled
through! race With 30 little loss by bal rtw-
Ing: We just kept onr distance ahead I'LL
within five hundred yartts nj home, When the
men Of Our ehft> syfn Wet,, IN fir. limits NJ c}t