The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1868-08-06
HI COLLEGE REGATTA.
Boating Contest. of aud Val

III NONAhhNh hhph #
-
boating Contests OF Harvard and Yale.
Boating as an institution dates back in
Harvard to 1874 In September Of that
year a low, black eight-oared boat called
the Star was purchased and its name
changed to the well-lmown Oneida. Think
of prOpeling an eight-oar boat 81 feet long
and 4 wide with ashen oars againstthe fail
gossamer shell Of to-day that has TO be
widened whore the men sit to let them in Mt
all. How grandly the "Old Oneida" would
get beaten If she would dare 10 show herself
with her men Sin holiday uniform Of simple
blue stripped calico" alongside the slender
needles that to-dny speed like arrows to
the distant goal She held the post Of
honor at Harvard till 1857, and had for
companions the Iris, the Undine, the Hu-
ron, and the Atlanta. Harvard's first race
with and victory over foreign boats was
that of the Huron with the Wave Of Boston,
In 1Si9 she had three eight and one six
Dared boat The FIRST race between Yale
and Harvard crews took place at Centre
Harbor, on Lake Winipissiogee IN. H.
on the third Of August, 1852, when the
Oneida carried of the black walnut oars,
which now with n small host Of trophies
since captured, grace nm nlcove of Harvard.
Hall. Many lasting friendships were then
formed by the students, as they remained
together about one week.
In the second race with Yale, which took
place ut Springfield IN July, 1856, the H0r-
ward boat then the Y. ~ WAS victorious.
In July, 1853, what would have been tie
third intercollegiate race was deferred on
account of the drowning Of Mr. Durham,
the stroke oar of the Yale boat. In July,
1853, in the regular College race at Wor-
cester, HarSGrd again beat Yale this time
by Just GO seconds. On the day following,
in the regatta given by the city Of Worces-
ter, Yale won her first victory over HaI-
ward by two seconds. and it is claimed that
if the Harvards had possessed a rudder,
this would not have occurred. An offer to
row Yale again at $1,000 to $500 found no
takers. Immediately after the Harvard
men reached home, Mr.. James Holt, of
Cambridge, invented the f%oot-rudder for
them, which is now 30 common in all club
boats.
In the fourth, in 1860, the lannon's Caspar
Crowinshield crew again beat the Yale men,
though II was prevented from taking n part
in the city regatta OF the next day by the
illness of one of its members. In the six
oar race on that day, the famous Gersh
Banker crew, Of which Joshua Ward was
stroke or, beat the Yale crew, and would
probably have vanquished the Harvard had
the latter entered the mce. The then un-
p~recedented time of 1894 was made by
the yictoTs. The course then was known
10 be considerably shorter than II since
rowed by six oars in Lake Quinsigamond.
The war prevented further racing until
1864, when, in the fifth struggle in which
the two had met, Yale won her second VIC
tory over Harvard in 1871, with the crew
of which Wilbur Bacon, her most famous
athlete, was stroke oar. On the follow
ing day the Yale crew declined TO enter
the city regatta, for the reason that one
member was unfit to row. In 1865, in the
sixth inter-college contest, Yale, with Mr..
Bacon's crew, beat Harvard in 1S42k, and
repeated the operation in the city regatta
the next day. In 1866, Harvard bent Yale
in Is AGA, in q terrible thunder shower, and
there was no second days races. In 1867
Harvard was again victorious, beating Yale
n minute and twelve seconds, in nearly
one-half q minute less time than had ever
been made on this continent, viz, in 1924.
The Oneida and New York crews, in 1866
and 1856, were not representative crews,
chosen with care from the whole College,
but only the best that could be had in
these particular clubs.
Thus il will be seen that out Of the eight
contests gotten up by the students them
selves, Harvard has won six and Yale two,
while in the two Worcester city races in
which they met, Yale was both times VIC
torious. The record, therefore, stands
thus: Harvard six times successful and
Yale four. Harvard combines what adj
vantages she could Gull from the system in
vogue Mt Oxford and Cambridge, with the
method she used previously. Each class
| hou n. hnON plnh with tYa Dpacf-
dent, who attends to the duties of
President, Treasurer and Secretary,
and its Captain, who selects, places and
trains the crew OF crews. Yale has sub
stantially the same class club system which
IL found TO work better than that formerly
prevalent, when q club was frequently
made up Of members of two or three or all
of the classes. The four Presidents and
four Captains, together with those Of the
law and scientific schools, constitute the
University Club. This, too, has its Presi-
dent and Captain, and the latter may Sc
lect his crew from any Of the four classes
in college. The expenses of the various
clubs are generally met by subscription,
and occasionally by assessment too. The
present system has had two years trinl,
and has worked more successfully than any
other yet devised. The Harvard Univer-
sity Club is entirely tree from debt which
presents a striking contrast to the condi-
ton of those of Oxford and Cambridge,
which are almost irretrieyably involved,
and have been in the same pleasant state
for years. The bont houses at Harvard
were built by past classes, and consequent
ly a mere triAe for ground rent annually is
oil the charge in this direction. Ofthe one
hundred Harvard men who row more OF
less during the year, the direct expenses
for boating do not average more than $40
per capita. ..i .u.