Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-09-04

THE INTERNATIONAL Boar RAcE.-The
University boat race, between tho oxford and
Harvard crews, on the Thames was rowed on
the uflerno0h of the s7th, ahd resulted in the
defeat of the Harvsrds amer a very earnest
and mir struggle, by four Doatlengtlis, about
one hundred and scventy.fve feet and six
seconds time. The Harvard crew, though
defeated, have won reputation. Better time
over the course has been made, but the time
was better by two minutes than the average of
the English contests. The day was fine one,
and the interest In the affair was indicated by
the turn out Of the people, the crowding of
everv available spot for witnessing the sport,
and the general suspension Of business We
condense the facts from the correspondent of
the Tribune. The river over which the route
lay was nearly semi -cirCular--or, perhaps mere
strictly, In The form Of horseshoe, with the
heels curved outward. The row was against
the tide. The choice of position fell to the
Oxfords, who, either from courtesy or other
considerations, gave the Harvards the inside
track Perhaps, however, they were influenced
by the thought that the current was less in
proportion to the distance from the channel.
Upon the start, the Harvartls took the water
first, and, getting the lead, they increased
upon 1t for three-quarters of mile, making
fofty'three strokes to the minute, while the
Oxfords made but forty. This rate was stead
lily adhered to by the latter throughout the con-
test, but their opponents are said to have been
little irregular. The Harvards held their
lead for mile and three quarters, but in shoot
ing Hammersmith Bridge lost the two lengths
they bad gained. The Oxford, or English
boat, here came abreast, and afterward were
enabled to take things rather comfortably. In
their dOgged adherence to their pull, the Eng
lish showed their superiority of training, while
the HarvaTds' stroke was fatally quickened
from the coming up of the other boat The
Oxford boat arrived at the goaLship at five
o'clock 80 inmates and AZ seconds, making At
miles in 20 minutes 4015 seconds. The enthu-
siasm along the banks was without parallel
in any former races. Prom the national char
acter of this contest it IL of course little un-
pleasant to be beaten. A different result, how
ever, was hardly expected, as all that could be
gathered, from English or American journals,
foreshadowed it. 1t should not be forgotten
that the art which at Oxford is based upon the
accumulated experience Of generations, at Har-
ward is almost an acquisition Of yesterday.
Neither should it be forgotten against what
fearful odds the American crew went into the
contest Pulling in strange waters, with
strange organization, in strange climate,
against men who were perfectly at home and
know every inch of the course by heart; pull
ing, too, against the very finest crew that Eng
land mad ever put into boat it was nothing
short OF desperate encounter, into which they
had thrown themselves, and their success
would have been little less than marvellous
Courtesy, of course, will lead to "a second trial
between these crews, on this side, when the
oxfords will be put under some of the same
disadvantages that were experienced by our
boys, and a truer settlement of the question of
relative merit perhaps arrived at.