Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1869-09-01


oar with an energy far surprising the toll Of
him who fights only for his bread. They
were fortified with the traditions of forty
years, many of them years of victory for
their cherished university. They had the
sympathy, and when necessary the aid OF
the best boatmen of the world, and at the
end of their training were universally pro-
nounced the best amateur crew England had
ever shown.
Still the Harvards were fairly and kindly
treated. The press commented on and adj
mired their Yankee pluck in coming so far
end facing SO many disadvantages to meet
almost certain defeat. The famous London
Rowing Club made them honorary members,
gave them the use of their boats and houses,
and in every respect facilitated their training.
Every preparation was made that the race
should be a fair one. Boats and barges were
compelled to keep off the course, and no man
of the million spectators complained of I'M
fairness to either party. The umpire was
Thomas Hughes, late a member of Parlia-
ment and well known in the literary and
" muscular Christianity world.
On the day of the race the Harvards re
manned during the morning in their quarters ;
the reports of their condition seemed omin-
Gus, for it was known that Simmons, the
strongest man of the crew, had been suffering
from diarrh9a, and LOring was troubled with
a boil. 1t was a quarter to ) when the Ok
ford boat shot out from the boat-house of the
London Rowing Club, a little more than half
a mile above the aqueduct at Putney, and
padded down the river TO the starting point.
Though they showed no colors at first, 1t was
easy enough to recognize them for they were
as typical Englishmen as their opponents
were typical Americans. Some five minutes
of suspense passed before the Harvard shell
was seen to shoot out from the southern
bank, and glide down to its opponent. The
cheers were chiyalrically loud and long as
they rounded into position alongside. The
Oxfords, for all their training, looked stout,
particularly when compared with their com
petitors. The Yankees were eaunt as grey
hounds, and the Britons as bluff as bulldogs.
Any one could have picked out which were
the AMERICANS as they lay sheIv v- tL~i- ~
and almost any one who went by looks alone
would pea the Americans cut a. the more
powerful men.
At tho word they sped away quietly and
and, though the English experts
that Oxford had by far the better
form the quick dash Of Harvard wasquIte
equal to it for mere grace, however it may
hove been for power And the power did
not seem lacking at FIRST, for amid the hutter
of the mighty multitude the Harvards sped to
the front. At three furlougs they had
gained half a length and were still gaming.
Their quick stroke seemed to sing a song of
triumph. They reached the Willows, and
the stern of their boat was even with the bow
of the Oxfords. Here there was an evident
slack in their speed, and the Oxfords crept
up a quarter of a length. A nest of cheers
from Beverly rang out a story Of English sat
Three-quarters of a mile were
thrown to the rear, and still the Americans
held a good lead. AT Craven Point the Ok
fords doggedly maintained their provoking
steady drag, while the Harvards spurted
like mad Dung Wharf and Rose
Cottage flew by. A streak of daylight was
opened between the two boats. The gap was
increased, until at Crabtree, a mile and an
from the start. At the Aqueduct the
Americans were fully two lengths ahead.
They were pulling at the rate of forty-three
strokes per minute, the Oxfords holding
their own at thirty-eight strokes. Above
the point the coxswain OF the Harvards
Rugged the Middlesex shore, and the OxfOrds
quickened their speed. At the soap works,
a mile and a half from the aqueduct, they
had closed the gap, and Harvard held a lead
of half a length by the skin of their teeth.
Hammersmith Bridge was dead ahead,
and both boats were going for it like terrified
water spiders. The bridge was reached, and
a subdued murmur from the spectators above
the ears of the rOwers as they enter
ed its shnooT. From the soap works to the
bridge Harvard went with magnificent speed, !
but in shooting the bridge their distance was
lost. Opposite the middle wall the Oxfords
and came up gradually to the Har-
wards, but when opposite "the doves" the
boats were found to be too close together and
the Harvards gave way. At "Chiswick Ait"
e II miles) the boats were level. After pro-
fifty yards further the oxfords began
to gain, though temporarily, and the Har-
Yards again got even with them.
Oxford gained rapidly at Chiswick, where
t became clear that the pace apparently told
- IL Iu-o-1. - 1881 -@NAar x-l1 - !
part Of the race. From this point the
Oxford drew ahead and in a few strokes OBJ
aimed a lead of two lengths. The Harvards,
pluckily, held them there for half a
nile, when they fell ~astern, and Oxford at
strokes per minute shot Barnes
Bridge g miles) three lengths ahead.
Along Barnes Reach the Harvards refresh
ID their stroke (Mr. Loring) with river water,
hns retarding the boat. The Americans
ried to squirt, but found the effort %inefect-
Ial, and the Oxfords getting more Of a lead,
Won the race by two lengths in % minutes,
nd 4 IL seconds, easing up in the last few
trokes and pulling up fresh.
This time, taking into account the several
llowance of oars has been beaten but
hree times in all the English University ra-
es, and is far ahead of the average. The
World, which gives an accurate map of the
purse, shows that owing to the courses of
he river the Harvards were obliged to row a
distance than the 0xfords, and that !
ais surplus was greater than that by which Z
le victory was won. All agree, also, that O
lie steering of the American boat was faulty. Q