Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-07-16
COLLEGE Reeatta.

Thursday, the 18th, crews from clever
American colleges, will row at Springfield
Mass, on a three mile straight away course
No previous contest has excited the Interest
in advance that this one has, and brief no
tice of college boating will show the growth
of the practice.
In England, Cambridge and Oxford have
Tor years contended against each other, and
since 1857 there has not year passed with
out its contest. In the seventeen races Ok
ford has been successful in eleven, winning
continuously from 1861 to 1869. Since
then Cambridge has been uniformly vic.
torious. The celebrated Loring crew from
Harvard, four years ago crossed the ocean
for an international rowing contest, only to
return defeated by their English competitors
after gallant struggle.
Yale and Harvard in 1852 rowed against
each other on Lake Winnipiseogee in New
Hampshire, and Harvard won. In 1855 an
other race was rowed at Springfield, and Har-
ward was again successful. No more racing
followed until 1859, when the contest was re-
newed on Lake Quinsigamond, near Worces-
ter, and in that year and the succeeding one
the victories of Harvard were repeated on a
three mile course, one turn, in 1918, and
1883.
When the "war broke the country up,n
it also broke up these contests and they
were not rene wed until 1865. Seven con-
tests followed on the Lake Quinsigamond
course between Harvard and Yale; the win
ming crews with their time being as follows !:
1864, Yale, 1901; 1865, Yale, l7.42t :;
1866, Harvard, Is 43f; 1867, Harvard,
1922; 1868, Harvard, 7.4St; 1869. Har-
ward, 1902; 1870, Harvard, (by FOUL
2O.3e, Yale's time, Is As.
After 1870 Yale refused to row again on
the Quinsigamond course and Harvard pro-
posed general rowing association. Yale
would not enter into this project and kept
out of the 1871 contest. The preparations
were made for three mile straight away
race at Springfield, and Harvard, Brown and
the Massachusetts Agricultural College boys,
or Aggies,' rowed against each other. To
the amazement of every one, and of Harvard
especially, the " Aggies'' won in the un-
precedented time of 1646l The victory OF
the Aggies gave the colleges who had al.
ways yielded to Yale and Harvard, an init
nation that they were not invincible, and
last years match found SIX contesting crews.
The result proved that the Amherst boys
were the " best men, for by faithful work
under their trainer, Biglin, they were ena-
bled to make the best time ever recorded.
The result was that Amherst Won in 1852
Harvard came in in 1857 Agricultural,
!7.l9; Bowdoin, l7.3l; Williams, 17.o9
Yale. 1913. In all the late matches the
boat is about fifty feet long, twenty inches
wide, and rowed by six men.
This year eleven crews have been practic-
ing at Springfield for the last three weeks,
and tomorrow decides what promises to be
the best contest yet had. Among the most
promising crews are said to be the Amherst,
composed largely Of those who won last year,
and this year under the training of one of
the Wards, Harvard, Bowdoin, Dartmo nth
and Cornell. The Dartmouth GREY, is severe
ly crlti cised in its manner of rowing by some
of the trainers Of the other crews but thew
have had the advantage of Biglin's instruc-
tioD and from their length rather than their
weight are dubbed " Dartmouth Giants
The contests of the last two years have
shown the folly of selecting the winners in
advance. The contesting crews with their
average weight are as follows; Amherst, $50,
Agricultural, 1853; Bowdoin, 159 ; Column
bia, $50; Cornell, 155: Dartmouth, l66;
Harvard l55; Trinity, l48; Wesleyan,
149; Williams, 1853 Yale, 156.