Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-06-26
Intcrna,ionnl Roa,-r,c,.g

The mail reports of the International boat
race have been received, and they are not pleas
ant "eading for the Atalanta club and their
friends, or, indeed, for any American who thinks
the possession of the champion boat crew
worthy object of national ambition. The rest
Of US, pretty numerous company, who set
small store by such honors, are able to retain
our equanimity and smile at the SCOTS and eers
of the London press and the fiery denunciatons
OF the correspondents of American newspapers,
who feel bitterly the humiliation of what seems
to them national defeat, and take their revenge
by abusing the unfortunate Atalantas, whose
failure to win the race assumes in their
eyes the magnitude of crime hardly
less black than deliberate treason. Mr..
Smaley, the Tribune correspondent, is the
most furious of these; his resources for CON
temptuous expression are severely taxed to
give utterance to his rage and disgust. He in
PRODUCES his account of the race BY referring TO
the odium he incurred by bis harsh criticisms
on the Harards when they rowed against Ok
ford two years ago, and his unpatriotic remarks
about American rowing in general; but, excus-
ing himself by the protest that it is the Atalan-
tas fault, and not his, that he has to.tel an un-
popular story, he proceeds to tell what he knows
about rowing with vehemence and heartiness
that will amuSe some of his readers and enrage
Others ~ Gl4
He processes to write as if no question of ma
tional pride were involved in the performance
but it is evident that his disappointment and
chagrin have prompted him 10 hurl upon his
II,
would not have thought of bestowing upon the
defeated crew, ifboth had been English and he an
impartial spectator. Their training, he says,
was conducted on principles that would have
done discredit to respectable lunatie asylum.
Their practice was carried on under conditions
which made improvement impossible. They
attributed their defeat to every cause but the
true one, which was that the English knew how
10 row and the Americans did not. Their row.
Ing was violation Of every principle which lay
at the foundation of good rowing. 1t would be
easier TO take four men who had never been in a
boat and make good oarsmen of them than TO
teach the Atalantas TO row. and their faults are
so fatal that success against a properly taught
crew is hopeless. Their rowing affords good
example of nearly every serious fault which
Oarsmen can commit. Their great merit was in
uniformity of appearance, which is hardly more
than saying that they were uniformly bad
These are some of the expressions in which Mr.
Mr.. Snalley gives vent to his vexation. To an
American who understands rowing so well as
Mr.. Smaley thinks ne does, and we do not dis
pute his knowledge of it, the melancholy issue
Of so pretentous an undertaking must have been
peculiarly exasperating, and we are not much
surprised OF his petulant remark that the Alta
lantas or other crews who may be meditatng
repetition of their exploit, "haye no right to
subject their fellow countrymen at home and
abroad to the modification of such defeat as
yesterdays"
For the benefit Of those who think they too
know something about rowing, and are curious
10 learn what were the definite faults Of the
American crew, we append Mr.. Smallcy's cata-
logue of their defects:
"Ihe oar was dropped into the water with no
effort 10 catch hold Of it at the point of entrance
and TO begin the stroke there aud then, and row
it through from the beginning with uniform
power and speed. The full power c. the Atalan.
"a men, such as il was, was not applied to The
oar till the oar had been q perceptible fraction
OF time In the wafer aud had Travelled part Of
the distance II had TO go before coming out. II
was catch that was wanting. When pow
er was brought 10 bear, il was ne. the whole
power Of the body and legs, il was the arms that
did the work, aud though the Atalantas will
say that am mistaken, aud that they row with
their legs, and all the rest Of themselves, that
only proves they don't know what rowing
with the legs meaus. When the stroke ended il
ended under water, aud the oar was half ieatll.
cred there, and when II came out they stopped a
little while 10 yet il 10 rights again. meeting the
oar with their bodies, rounding the shoulders
(an almost nfalible sign Of bad rowing, and
then 10 the effort 10 make up Tor lost time rush.
ing forward, or as The technical phrase Is, wlish
is much moro picturesque, "bucketing" forward
with a curious wriggle Of the body and sudden
projection OF the elbows, which were equally
awkward TO look at and hurtful to the speed Of
the boat. II You have followed this description
which + have tried 10 make untechnical YOU viii
see that the difference Of the two STYLES Is lnndn-
mental In The American boat the dominant
idea waslto get the oar back into the water as
soon as possible after the queer hang at The
finish OF the stroke had come to an end and
they seemed 10 think that the longer II could
be kept In the better But what the English