New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-09-11
THE INTERN TIONAL RACE.
THE LATE REGATTA ON THE THAMES.

result
writer asks If the admission of the coxswain does not
counterbalance the weight in the boat III not the
American system of rowing is the best. He regrets
that the question was untried but considers that the
Hsrvards have no advantage over the Oxfords. With
a cOxswan they lost in steering, without one they
would have lost more. He hopes that If the return
match is accepted both crews will row I'M their own
fashion. If that course had been followed in the
late race it would have been quite fair and more
instructive He considers it hard, however TO pick
holes in race so well contested and so CALAMITY
won.
WHAT TOM BROWN THINKS ABOUT 1T.
LONDON, Aug So take the privilege Ofan old
correspondent to send you few remarks on the late
international race, though by the time you get this
probably everything that can be said about it will
have been said. If any excuse is needed you must
md il in my peculiar position, that of referee and
my consequent unequaled opportunities of obserya-
tiOn. And first let me express my own great pleas
ure at the very favorable impression which your men
have left on every one here. We have had Tor the
first time so far as / am aware, large enough
sample over at one time of your young men belong
ing to the classes which frequent Universities TO
enable us thoroughly to realize and appreciate the
sort of stuff those institutions turn out on
your side of the water. OF course, every
year we have individual students from Harvard
what You want to enable you to judge of the tone
and influence of such places is to see, not indi-
vduals but groups and to those interested in such
studies and lucky enough to be able to avail them
selves of it, the opportunity offered at the White
House, Putney during the past six weeks, has been
invaluable-for there not only the crow and
the two spare oarsmen but quite number of young
Americans, past and present members of Harvard,
friends acquaintance OF the boating
1,,1,
men, whom you met IN the quiet, nigh
walled garden of the White House, or on the
river during the practicing. And no one
can haveso met them without carrying away the
most pleasant recollections. They fine, manly,
straightforward set, as quiet and modest as any
youngsters of their time of life in good uni
versty sets, and yet with plenty of ideas, and not
the least given over too exclusively to athletics
have for many years held that the more the two
nations see of one another the more they will like
each the 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 a crew: When
first saw them fortnight before the race, they
looked as fit as men could lOOk-eyes clear skins
bright and not an ounce of spare flesh on the lot.
mad great treat at my first introduction, for by
Mr. Blaikie's invitation went up with him and
several old Harvard men in their little
steamer close behind the boat, from Putney to
within a couple of hundred yards of the winning
post. was struck at once by the very great ner-
vous strength which the men showed. Man for man,
and allowance being made for weight, believe they
would prove decidedly stronger than their opponents.
also struck and puzzled, at the great pace they
got upon their boat, and Kept mp; for they did not
pull in the form all believe in, and they did lot
keep good time. There seemed to me to be more in
o1,o thair DIT
Cambridge coach would allow; and believe, now
that the race is over, and one has had the chance
of watching them carefully in the supreme strug-
gle that this is really where their weak spot was
found. Each man had small peculiarities of style Of
his own which interfered less with the per-
fectly machine-ke uniformity which we hold TO be
absolutely necessary for getting greatest speed out
of wood on water. The suppression of individuality
weakens nation but it strengthens boats crew.
take it If in our little steamer, which was always
within easy speaking distance. there had been com
petent Harvardan authorized to peg away with,
1.-TWO, you're quckenng," Bow, you're quicken
inCD Eyes in the boat" &c, &c, over and over
again and if this had been done constantly through
out the training. important number OF odd sec
onds might have been knocked off on the
four mile course Coaching of this kind simply adj
dressed TO uniformity, would have had no bearing
on the STYLE which would still have remained en-
tirely in the discretion of the stroke; but 1t would
have given the style chosen the highest chance The
stroke cannot possibly do it himself for 1t requires
the most constant and exact watching. The men
cannot do il for themselves, for they are generally
unconscious of the minute faults to which it should
be addressed. The coxswain cannot do it, for he is
too low. unless he can stand up in the boat, feat
which. since the days of outrggers. is not much
practiced; besides, he has his own work to do. In
fact such coaching can only be given by some one
not in the boat who can devote his whole faculties
10 the task Your men really must MT despiseOr
neglect it when they come over again. They are so
absolutely f1strate in strength. staying power, and
pluck that it is thousand pites they should throw
away point in comparatively trifing matters. lsay
nothing of what believe 10 be material point,
the catch al the beginning Of the stroke and the
compaTatiyely 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. To these
axioms Ibeleve your men may 90 back converts.
But TO come TO the race day. / have been familiar
with our river for quarter of century, and have
seen most of the great races during that time but
ANYTHING approaching the scene OF Friday last !
have never witnessed. You will have had enough,
however of descriptions of the crowds on 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.
was sorry 10 find your crew not looking quite so
well on the morning of the race. Stroke and three
were both more OF less out of sorts think they
must have been rather too long without change in
that riverside air. The Putney atmosphere tells
1.alfa Oft "a fort