The weekly standard., 1869-09-08
No. s..

The InternationaI Boat Race-Harvard
Against Oxford-The English Crew
Victorious- The Harvards
Beaten Three Boat
sk,Lengths-De-
tailed accounts of the Race, &c.
The great International boat race between
the Harvard American and Oxford English
four cared crews came off in the river
Thames Friday afternoon, according to ar
ranoement. and resulted in the victory Of
the Oxfords by three lengths of the boat,
about 1875 feet. The Harvards were six
seconds behind. The following account is
furnished by the Atlantic cable:
LONDON, August 27.TThe excitement over
the Harvard and Oxford boat race to-day
was intense The city has been almost de-
serted and business quite neglected We
hlcles of all descriptions, bearing Harvard
and Oxford colors, and heavily laden with
people, crowded all the roads leading to the
course. and during the entire day the roads
in the vicinity of Putney, Hammersmith,
Cheswick. Barnes, Mortlake, &C., were
througed with pedestrians. The railway
companies found themselves almost unable
to provide cars sufficient to carry the vast
numbers in waiting at the depots 1t is no
exaggeration to state that probably million
of people witnessed the race. 9G-
.. .,...,-s;i,a-1. THE RACE. 8a5g .li1asla.
The course for the race was that known as
the Metropolitan, or better as the Putney to
Mortlake course. Its length is four miles
two furlongs. The race was rowed up
stream. The boats did not row under Put
ney bridge, but; started directly above It.
The river is about seven hundred feet wide
at this point, and the banks are low anG
level along the whole course For one third
of mile from the starting place the river
is straight; it then curves Ike the letter U.
There are two bridges on the course, the
Hammersmith bridge, one mile and SIX fur
longs from Putney, and the Barnes railway
bridge, three and lialfmies from the start.
The course ends at a, placc called Barkers
Rails, where the direction of the river makes
another U, in position the reverse OF the
first. ~
I The Harvard crew won the toss Tor posi-
tion, and chose the Middlesex side, the out
side of the semi-circe Both boats started
at 5 o'clock, IA minutes 164 seconds The
tide at the start was sluggish, and light
south h-west breeze prevailed, with smooth
water. The Harvards were first to catch
the water, and took the lead, gaining rapid
ly upon their opponents and making forty
five strokes per minute. against the Oxford's
forty. At Bishops creek, three furlones
from the starting place, the Harvards led
half length. Gaining Roadway, they in
creased their speed as they passed the will
lows. Their pace was subsequently slack
ened, and the Oxfords pulled up, but the
Harvards were still three fourths of length
ahead at Craven Point. three -fourtlls OF a
mile from the start. -...-.
The Oxfords now went on with steady
drag. hut the Americans rapidly increased
their lead, and at Crabtree, u mile and an
eighth from the aqueduct, were a couple of
lengths ahead. Beyond this point the Har-
yards were taken wide. and the Oxfords
ouickening their speed reduced the gap, ut
the soap works, mile and half from the
start, to half length. The Harvards now
pulled up with q magnificent burst to Ham,
merslnith's bridge, a mile and three quar-
ters, but in shooting the bridge lost the dis
lance they had gained. Opposite the mid
die wall the Oxfords spurted and came up
gradually to the Harvards, but when oppo-
Site the Danes the boats were found to be
too close, and the Harvards gave way, and
at Cheswick Ait, q miles, the boats were
level. After proceeding fifty yards further,
the Oxfords began to gain, though tempo
rarily, and the Harvards again got even
with them The Oxfords gained rapidly at
Cheswick, where it became clear that the
race apparently told on the Haryards, who
were rather wild at this part of the race.
From this point the Oxfords drew ahead,
=. G. oht ,od a laaH Of tyvp
lengths. The Harvards, rowing pluckily,
held them there for half q mile when they
fell astcrn and the Oxfords, 3S strokes, per
minute, shot past Barnes bride, 3s miles,
three lengths ahead.
Along Barnes Beach the Harvards re-
freshed their stroke, Mr.. Loring, with river
water, thereby retarding their boat. The
Americans then tried to squirt, but found
the effect Intellectual, and the Oxfords get
ting more of a lead, eventually won the race
by four lengths, easing up in the last few
strokes and pulling up fresh. The Oxfords
arrived at the ship at o'clock 36 minutes
and AZ seconds, making the Al miles in %
| minutes 404 seconds The Americans were
well received at the finish, and returning
were landed at Barnes. The race was a
| good one, and excited a degree of enthusi-
| asm along the banks of the river utterly un-
| known in former races.
| 7a FORMER RACES.
| The following lisa table of the past six
races between the English crews Oxford
and Cambridge, rowed over this course,
given for the sake of comparison with the
race Friday:
| 1S64-Oxford. Putney to Mortlake. 2t
48 % seconds. ssl be.ll.. aai 10 I9Isa p.
I 1s65.-Oxford Putney to Mortlake. 81
90 13 seconds.
| 1S66,-Oxford. Putney to Mortlake. rs
4S Is seconds.
/ 1S67.-Oxford Putney to Mortlake. %
80. Half in length, sGsga
! 1S68.-Oxford.- Putney to Mortlake. 20
1S69.-Oxford. Putney to Mortlake. 20
81. Four lengths. ~, ......,-.
BOSTON AND THE BOAT RACE.
| BOSTON. August 27-The citizens here
calmly submitted to the result of the inter
nationalrace, all believing that had it taker
place on our own waters the result would
have been different At first the excitemen
was intense, but when it became known tha
only three boat lengths between the Har
wards and Oxfords decided the match, every