New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-04-04

tried that sort of thing personally, because go
steamer but from the number Of barges stationed this
year along the Surrey Shore seemed to that the
view from the banks must be seriously interfered
with. Perhaps the majority Of the carriage company
don't great deal whether 1t is not They 20 for
the spectacle and the spectacle does not consist OF
moments glimpse OF two boats flashing by and they go
for the holiday and picnic and for the pleasure OF sit
ting three four hours in carriage with three OF four
friends and eating cold lunch in their company, ming
led with champagne, which to-day must nave peeh GNU
enough without iceing. That is all very nice but IL Is
not rowing, is it the same thing as seeing reo
from end to end, which only few favored nor'"iS o
do. The opportunity of seeing 1t in That way Is ohc Vi
the compensations OF Journalism
The steamer question, which raised some difficulty ast
wear was solved this year by allowing fourth Last
year there three-one for the umpire ana one or
each university. The young gentlemen OF Cambridge
and oxford who manage this matter had persuaded them
selves at first that accommodation need be PROVIDED
for the Press. 10 private match, they SAID Ihey
did not care whether it reported in the newspapers
or not They aftorward far changed their minds on
that point TO devote part of each University boat to
the newspapers but with the result Of overcrowdng
them little This year special steamer for the Press
agreed upon, and Mr. Wormald of Belts Life, who
has always looked after his colleagues Interests with
great managed TO the fastest steamer for u.s.
fear the University men were not pleased with the
result of the new arrangement. Four steamers are
certainly too many, and as the University au-
thorities will issue too many tickets, their boats
had chance. The steamers Of the umpire and the
Press took the lead to-day at the beginning and Kept
to Mortlake, and the oxford and Cambridge men can
hardly have the race at ALL ain sorry for them
have known what is to be in steamer shut out from
all view of the racing ahead That III the bad
old days before the great was taken under proec
ton by act Of Parliament before the Thames Con-
servancy thought 1t worth stopping the river
traffic for, and before the police undertook
TO keep down steamers and small craft together,
and make broad path of unobstructed water from Put
ney to Mortakc. To tell the truth, they never quite
succeed The work is thoroughly done except with re-
spect the small boats But if live to forty moro
annual races do not believe there will ever be one the
fortunes Of which will not be less imperied by
idiot in tub with oars in his hands which lie can
not The police strong against strength and can
outwit the cunning attempts to circumvent them.
Against sheer stupidity they powerless, and sup
pose the boat that gets in the of the University
is to become historical the dog TIC Derby course,
and much more infamous.
Our steamer started usual, from the Temple Pier,
but started in weather not usual even Tor LONDON ana
quite without precedent on racing anniversary. we
have been having snOw-storms for some days. To-day
we have had FOUR and OF rain nterected The wind
blow fresh and bitter from the northeast. There has
been much that, though it will not lie in the
streets, the parks covered with It, ana
the leahess trees on the river banks hung
thick with it. and roofs and cornces were
drty-white and the steamers decks covered, when
went on board with mixture OF snow ana mud tnat
was dirty without being white at ALL The snow came
down botches. For weeks we have been rejoicing in
a warm Spring such as you have no idea Of in the
Northern States and tho fruit trees had been in BLOSSOM
and the buds bursting on the other trees, and
March in fact good month rs the latter half OF
Nav is in Ncw-YOrk. We all believed the boat race
would be charming picnic than ever. IL would
be hard 10 reckon how naEy spring costumes
OF light and dark blue have been got ready
for today and had to be sadly laid aside this morning
The steamers that passed their way up the river
as we lay at pier though they showed here ana
ribbon of the right hue for the most part as dun
as the sky itself Ii there were any blue dresses 'hey
were hidden under gray waterprOos ana inc pohheIs
were clouded over with dripping umbrellas When we
had quilted pier the river showed the same depiess
ing appearance everywhere the water itself and on
either dreary bank. AS we neared Putney,
there was little TO be seen Of the usual
fleet of steamers and small boats hurrying 10
get through the bridge before its closing certain
number there was, but not tenth OF what one COM
monty sees at that hour and in that place. Putney
Bridge which is OF the great thoroughfares lor
sehtseers on such day, and which ought 10 be filed
with continuous stream of vehicles and footpassen-
gers was almost literally empty. began TO fear that
the newspaper men going TO be the only spectators
of the struggle. Things looked worse still III the village
of Puney and on Fuham banks There was no crowd
anywhere Who could expects crowdto stand Tor hours
in the mud under such sky, and exposed to such
storm Some of us went shore in desperate hope OF
killing in some way, the hour that had TO be got rd OF
before the boats could be expected to show But tho
streets of Puney hardly more lively than the decks
of our steamer and finally driven into the bar
of the star and Garter and enivened the passing mo-
ments by eating sandwiches and drinking beer There
WAS not q crowd i'll that popular hosiery ana Ior
once the Cambridge men escaped a mobolng within a
hahour of stepping into their boat 1t was mockery TO
ask a man how he found himself on such morning. III
may sound like bad joke, but it is the solemn truth
that we are all blue together and the least so are GER
tanly the Cambridge men, whose confidence IN coming
victory kept their spirits superior even to the weather
As we we're rowed back TO our teamer-three or four OF
pswe entered into a compact to say nothing whatever
about the weather. and nothing about the scene ON shore
and only TO write much as we could see OF the race
itself which in the midst Of the binding snOwsqua that
inst then came promised to be very little indeed After
NV four hours on the steamer very willing to keep
my part of the bargain
The two crews came out very punctually, the start
having been fixed 1O and both crews having their
boats afoat before that tme So much depends on the
state of the tide and the neap tides 80 uncertain that
one can be Of the start within half an hour OF
so The flood this morning happened to make early
From where the four steamers were moored-Jus'
above the Aqueduct-tO the lighthouses may DC
$50 yards but thick was the snow that NOBODY coo
tell what crew was first the water, and even when
they we're halfway down, TO we disputed whether II
was Light Blue Dark Blue proved to be the latter
Cambridge followed in a couple OF minutes need mol
describe again the arrangements for starting They
have been followed believe everywhere In America
We had good view OF both eights while they were ap
proaching and then while they were waiting for The
word. 1t was plain that the popular verdict IL
| favor OF Cambridge style was just one, Ii any
| estimate could be formed from their appearance