The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-09-22
The international Boat Race.

THE following comment of one Of the Lon
don Journals, on the international boat race,
between the Oxford and Harvard crews, will
be interesting to our readers:
The excitement to-day over the great inter
national boat race has been intense. The
banks of the Thames have been lined with
spectators since an early hour. and the city
has been almost deserted: business is quite
neglected vehicles Of all descriptions, bearing
the Harvard or Oxford eolors, heavily laden
with people. crowded all the roads leading to
the course during the entire day. Roads in
the vicinity Of Putney, Hammersmith. Ches-
wick. Barnes, Mortlake. etc, were thronged
with pedestrians. The Railway Companies
found themselves almost unable to provide
cars sufficient to carry the vast numbers wait
ing at the depots. 1t is no exaggeration to
state that probably a million of people wit
messed the race. The Harvard crew won the
toss foT position. and chose the Middlesex side
or outside of the semi-circle. Both boats
started at 5h. lam. 6!s. The tide at the start
was sluggish, and light southwest breeze
prevailed. with smooth water. The Harvards
were the first to catch the water, and took the
lead, gaining rapidly upon their opponents,
making forty-tye strokes per minute against
the 0xfords' forty. At Bishops Creek, three
furlongs from the start, the Harvards led half
length, gaining Roadway. They increased
the lead as they passed the Willows, but their
pace was subsequently slaekened and the Ok
fords pulled up, but the Harvarjs were still
three quarters of length ahead at Craven
Point. three-fourths Of a mile from the start
The 0xfords now went with a steady drag, but
the Americans rapidly increased the lead and
at Crab Tree, one mile post from the aqueduct,
n enupln Of lenrrfbz aha,d p.rn,I bar
the Harvsrds we're taken wide. and the Ok
fords with quickened speed reduced the gap,
at the Soap Works, mile and half from the
start, to a half length. The Harvards now
pulled up with magnificent burst to Ham
mersmith Bridge. a mile and three quarters,
but in shooting the bridge they lost the dis
lance they had gained. Opposite Mil Wall,
the 0xfOrds spurted and came up gradually
to the Harvards, but when opposite Davis
the boats were found to be too close together.
The Harvards gave way at Cheswick. two and
one-half miles, and the boats were level.
After proceeding fifty yards further. the Ok
fcrds began to gain, though temporarily, and
the Harvards again got even with them. The
0xfords gained rapidly at Cheswiek. where it
became clear that the pace had apparently
told on the Harvards, who were rather wild at
this part Of the race. From this point the
0xfords rapidly drew ahead, and in few
strokes obtained the lead by two lengths the
Harvards, rowing pluekily, held them there
for half a mile, when they fell astern of the
0xfords, who at thirty weight strokes per min
ute, shot Barnes Bridge-Ss miles-three
lengths ahead. Along Barnes Reach the
Harvards refreshed the stroke oar, Loring,
with river water, thereby retarding the boat.
The Americans tried a squirt, but found the
effort Intellectual, the 0xfords getting more of
the lead and eventually winning the race by
four lengths, easing mp at last a few strokes
and pulling mp fresh. The 0xfords arrived at
the ship at O'Clock sc minutes ~ seconds,
making the Il miles in % minutes 400 seconds.
The Americans were well received at the finish,
and returning landed at Barnes. The race
was good one and excited degree of en-
thusissm along the banks of the river utterly
unknown in boat racing.