New-York tribune., 1868-04-18
BOATING.
THE OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE BoAr-RAcE.

vhstber n man cares for rowing not, the
snectacIe Of the Oxford and Cambridge bost-race
would repay him for voyage across the Atlantic
Merely "a spectacle it is magnfcent-so brilliant.
40 peculiar, so unique that ! am tempted 10 say
never saw it's equal II is barely an hour since the
race ended. and, though l sit down TO wnte
about it burning with the excitement OF
the race itself, it is still the spectacle
and not the rowing which has made the deepest I'M
preston and comes uppermost in my memory "no
dare imagine such panoramaf Where else VIII you
sec nine miles of men and women lining the sNei
banks, from one to fifty deepi 1t is impossible 10
estimate numbers-you may say half million OF
million spectators as you like. The enthusiasm Oh
such morning Is enough to lead the soberest JUG
ment astray. 1t is far too hot to cool at an hourS
notice into intelligbl description and nave nO
relish for the duty which cannot shrK' Oh senuins
of an account by this afternoons mail
7 be,ieve no GOOD Judge of rowing has expec.eu
co..t,;A,o 10 win The crews have been practicing
daily for n fortnight Oh the Thames ana Whlie OA-
ford was not reekoned up to the mark OF soe
wears Cambridge has been doing Work OF very
doubtlul character indeed This was dlSappoino-
ment to everybody, for even Oxiora men more 'i"n
hor u;shed Cambridge might win this year. Seven
wears of successive defeats had SO discouraged 'ho
Light Blues that it was long doubtful whether they
terial was not abundant and of spirit to use
It there was great lack. When, finally, toeraDie
eight had been made up, one of them was suddenly
killed by the accidental discharge of his gun, ana MS
comrades seized upon this excuse for WltndraW
nj The indignation of the University compeIeu
them to take up their task once more but there mas
not been much heart in it. do not mean tley nave
not done what they could TO win. There was notii,
ing to be discovered in any public trial whcn
like ANYTHING but hOnestetort TO wln' Du1 ~ was
effort without hope, at any rate without 'he en-
thusiastic confidence which alone can carry mon
through task so arduous
Notwithstanding all this, the public never sno"eo
itself so keeny interested in the race First nun
dreds and then thousands of spectators came every
aav from London to watch the two crews in their
practice. There has been every day In every news
naper n detailed report of the proceedings OF eaen
crew. On Thursday, when went mp to see the trial
of Oxford with the watermen, there must have been
more than 10000 people strung along the towing
+ nath from Putney TO MOrtlake And here may
clear up for Others what long was mystery TO me-
Che character of the course over which the Ohi-
yersity race is yearly pulled. Putney Is SIX
T. miles above Westminster Bridge pleasant
village. Oh sloping banks, lying deep under the
shade of many trees. The river is about as wide as
the East River at Fulton Ferry. Mortlake Is
village four miles and quarter higher up between
the two the river in irregular g. which is not
completed till some distance beyond Mortake Har-
ward men will therefore understand that there can
be no very sharp turns and there is in fact nothing
90 compare with the windings Of the Charles above
the magazine. They could do as well without cox
swan here as at home except that the course is not
kept clear of small boats. OF the two bridges
famous in all rowing annals, the first is Ham
,persmith, a mile and three-quarters above
Putney the second, Barnes bridge. less than
n mile below Mortlake. The piers OF each are
very wide, and offer obstruction in steering ex-
cept as one boat or the other may get slight advan-
tage of position, and on account Of the current
There was an example to-day when the Oxford cox
swain shot the pier close in shore ON the Surrey
side at the risk of a foul with mass OF boats lying
ON tleir oars-a brilliant little piece of nerve and
Reneralship which gained him half length. The
boats start from point cables length above Put
ney bridge, and finish at point opposite the further
end of the village of Mortlake The course is by nc
means determined with the nicely of measurement
customary in Boston and Worcester.
There have always been great complaints OF the
steaIners which follow the race with spectators, and
moro than once the fortunes of race have been ser-
ously affected by their crowding upon the racing
boats For the first time, this year they were puf
under police supervision, and the police ander the
orders of one head, and perfect order was kept
y Above Putney bridge was stretched buoyed cable
TO which every steamer except three was required to
. make fast AL commerce was suspended, no steam
boat, sailboat, OF barge being permitted to pass
either Putney or Mortlake from 81 till after the race
All arrangements were in the hands of the Thames
Conservancy Board, backed by an act of Parliament
giving them for the purposes of this race complete
control over the rver with fine of f20 for each act
of dsobedience the part of any steamboat captain
As said they compelled each steamer intending to
follow the racing boats to make fast to cable well
asteru of the starting point The three exceptions
were the Thames COnservancy steamer,
tho Umpire's steamer, and the steamer
on board which the Prince of Wales
witnessed the race, which were ranged in limo in
front of the other steamers. There were, perhaps,
forty in all As stood on the deck Of the Umpire's
boat counted eighteen ON one side sstern, each
crowded and many over-crowded with passengers.
They never saw much Of the race, for the three
steamers which had the lead kept it, and were all the
way close astern the two outriggers, and must have
ridden them from the view of the forty that fol
lowed For my place on the Umpre's boat was in
debted as have been for many other courteses in
England. to the fact of being an American.
Hours before the the roads leading to Putney,
70 HammeIsmith Bridge andto Barnes Terrace, began
10 be thronged Twas warned to drive out early from
London, and some of those who went carriages to
Barnes Terrace arrived as early as o'clock indeed,
some secured places the night before, though the
hour Of the race was not till III this morning. From
o'clock till the start carriages. horsemen, and foot
men streamed in an unbroken line across Putney
Bridge. BY 10 the banks crowded at H. banks,
windows roofs trees walls were black with people.
Yet this was the starting point, and the poorest
of all places for view of the race.
Oxford was the first to show and appeared at III
O'Clock, stripped, aud padding easily down to the
Umpre's boat. Cambridge came out soon after with