The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-14
"ToM BROWN" ON THE BOAT RACE.
An Interesting Letter.

An Interesting Letter.
The well-known author Of "Tom Brown al
Oxford, who was chosen as the referee OF the
recent International Boat Race. sends the fol
lowing interesting letter, dated August 80, te
the New York Tribune
Itake the privilege of an old correspondent tc
send youa few remarks on the late lnternatloaa
race, though by the time You get this probably
everything that can be said about it will have
been said. IL any excuse is needed you must
find it in my peculiar position, that OF referee,
and my consequent unequalled opportunities
of observation. And first, let me express my
own great pleasure at the very tavorable INA.
preston which your men have left on every
one here. We have had for the first time, so
far as am aware, large enough sample over
at one time OF your young men belonging to
the classes which frequent universities, to ena.
bic us thoroughly to realize and appreciate
the sort of stuff those institutions turn
out on your side OF the water. ,0i
students from harvard. Yale and other
colleges over in numbers; but what you
want 10 enable you to judge OF the tone
and influence of such places is to see, not in
dviduas but groups; and to those Interested
in such studies, and lucky enough to be able
to avail themselves of it, the opportunity
offered at the White House, Putney, during
| the past six weeks, has been ipvaluable-for
there were not only the crew and the two spare
oarsmen, but quite number Of young Ameri-
cans, past and present members OF Harvard,
| friends or acquaintances or the boating men,
whom you met in the quiet, high walled garden
| OF the White House, or on the river during the
| practicing. Aud no one can have 80 met them
without carrying away the most pleasant recol-
lections. They are fine. manly, straightfor-
| ward set, as quiet and modest as any young
slers Of their time OF life in our own good uni
veisity sets, and yet with plenty Of ideas, and
not the least gwen over too exclusively to
| athletics. / have for mauy years held that
| the more the two nations see OF one another
the more they will like each other, and the
better it will be for the world; and certainly
the 1869 visit Of the Harvard crew and their
friends has nightly strengthened that belief.
To come, however, to the crew as crew.
When first SOW them, fortnight or 30 be-
fore the race, they looked as fit as men could
look-eyes clear, skins bright, and not an
ounce Of spare flesh on the lot. had great
treat at my first introduction, for by Mr.. Bai.
kie's Invitation went up with him and several
old Harvard men in their little steamer close
behind the boat, from Putney to within a cou-
pie Of hundred yards OF tho winning post l
was struck at once by the very great nervous
strength which the men showed. Man for
man, and allowance being made for weight,
believe they would prove decidedly stronger
than their opponents. was also struck, and
puzzled at the great pace they got upon their
boat, and kept up; tor they did not pull in the
form we all believe in, AMI they did not keep
good time. There seemed to me to be more
individuality about their work than any Ok
ford or Cambridge coach would allow; and l
believe, now that the race is over. and one
has had the chance Of watching them
carefully in the. supreme struggle, that
this is really where their weak spot was
found. Each man had email peculiarties Of
style Of his own which interfered more or less
with the perfectly machine-like uniformity,
which we hold to be absolutely Necessary for
getting greatest speed out of wood on water.
The suppression Of individuality weakens q
nation, but it strengthens boats crew. 1
take it it in our little steamer, which was always
within easy speaking distance, there had been
competent Harvadian authorized to peg
away With, Two, you're quickening," 'Bow,
&c., over and over again, and if this had been
done constantly throughout the training, an
important number OF odd seconds might have
been knocked of the four mile course. Coach
ing OF this kind simply addressed to uniior
would sf have mhaaEaRe Stflh III fhg gRhs
cretion OF the stroke; butit would have given the
style chosen the highest chance. The stroke
cannot possibly doit himself, for 1t requires the
most constant and exact watching. The men |
rally unconscious OF the minnie faults to which |
it should be addressed. The coxswain canno. |
do it, for he is too low, unless he can stand up
in the boat, q feat which, since the days OF
outriggers, is not much practiced; besides, he
has his own work to do. In fact, such coach |
ing can only be given by some one not In the !
boat, who can devote his whole faculties to the |
task. Your men really mustn't despise or neg
lect it when they come over again. 'Ehey are |
60 absolutely frst-rate in strength, staying |
power and pluck, that it is q thousand pities |
they should throw away point in Compare
lively trifing matters. / cay nothing OF what |
I believe to be more material point, the catch |
at the beginning ofthe stroke, and the compare
lively shallow sweep Of the oars through the |
water, with which Oxford pulls, and which |
believe you will come to. Every inch OF the oar |
which dips above the blade is lost power. 10 |
these axioms, believe, your men may 20 back |
converts. But to come to the race day. l
have been familiar with our river for quarter |
Of century, and have seen most OF the great
inc the scene Of Friday last have never Wit |
ness:d. You will have had enough, however, |
of descriptions Of the crowds Oh the banks for |
the whole four miles, and OF the roar OF that |
GREAT multitude which followed the boats from |
one end OF the course to the other. We shall
never see the like again, and the one small
grudge we shall owe you will be that You Will
have taken the Zest even out OF our university
matches in the future.
I was sorry to find your crew not looking
quite so we'll op the morning OF the race.
Stroke and three were both more or LEGS out OF
sorts. think they must have been rather too
long without change in that riverside air. he
Putney atmosphere tells against irst-rate con-
dition, belle 5e, after fortnight or 80. The
course was very well kept, and the boats got
away famously. There we're some OF the best
Judges OF rowing in England in the bows Of our
steamer, and as watched the boats could
hear their comments. For the first part Of the
course the Middlesex Station, which your men
had won, has a slight advantage. Harvard
was leading by half boats length. "They
never can keep it up to thu Crab Tree" was
tie comment looking at the number of strokes
a minute, but the Grab Tree came and they
had Increased their lead. Soon afterward
comes the point VIII the boats cross,
and the advantage oi station reverts to
the Surry side. "Oxford will collar them
now" not bit OF it; Harvard went over still
we'll in front. Under Hammersmith Bridge the
lead was still we'll maintained, and soon after
ward, when Oxford at last came gradually up
and was almost level, Mr.. Loring again called
on his gallant crew, and they drew almost
clear ahead again. Two miles and upward OF
the course was over. Chiswick Eyot, the goal
OF our short course, Was reached. and more
than one good Judge began to look very grave,
aud doubt whether 'they ever could be pump
ed out" Here, however, the pace at last began
to tell, and the crisis came, and then the want
OF coaching became apparent. The mechani-
cal part OF the science was now all i'm