The New York herald., 1874-07-16

|
old Oneida, managed then. as ever since. to draw
literally Boston's Oldest families. Tor there were
4 Curtis, Paine, Dwight, q Livermore, VIII
| lard and Miles, all Boston men or from the i'm
mediate vicinity. Little idea had they then OF the
| race we see to-day The race was, as to-day
straightaway, but not three miles, only two, and
Harvard won 1t by two lengths. Three years
elapsed, and then on the Connecticut at Spring
field, came
THE RACE OF 1885,
This time Yale challenged Harvard, and had two
stx-oars the Nereid and the Nautilus, each longer
than the eights already mentioned, each being just
forty feet and nine inches Ohio and Tennessee,
Canada and the Bermuda Islands, had each man
there. Harvard sent two rivals-an eightoar,
forty feet long, and four-oar. thirty -eignt-the
former called the Iris the latter the Y. Y. The
race was from Springfield down river mile and a
half and back, and in twenty-five mtnutes-excel-
lent time, considering the ark they rowed In
Harvard came home the winner, beating the
Nereid two minutes the Nautilus three, and her
own four-oar the Y. Y, three seconds, after de-
Quoting the allowance Of eleven seconds to the
oar. Harvard here, too, had some men worthy OF
note-Benjamin Crowntnshield and John Homans,
OF Boston, and an Elliott and q PaTkman both
from Savannah-whilc in the four Baltimore and
Charleston each had an Erving, men whose
pTOWc5S lS'uot yCt ioiSottCu, uhu Al thO w" GOV
Alexander Agassiz. This year, too, Mr. Smaley
stood Judge for Yale. Yale's stroke is described
'convulsive and quick" while Harvard showed
much more skill and GOODNESS In handling the
Oars.n pair OF silver-mOunted black walnut
sculs-rather an humble affair they would make
nowadays-were the prize In 1852, and this year
1t was set OF silk colors from the citizens OF
Springfield. The wind was light, the water
smooth and 1t ralned some-a habit not
entirely forgotten on race days. In the evening
after the race three Of the Y. Y. aud three OF
those from the Iris rowed over the course In the
Yale boat the Neretd, in 2lm 45s.. or in Is
seconds less than the winning boat, thus demon
stratng that the Yale men could not complain OF
their boat.
ON THE GOTH OF MAY. 1853,
at Harvard's invitation, Yale, Brown and Trinity
met Harvard at New Haven Dartmouth and Co.
lumbia, though invited, not appearing, ana fixed
q three mile race allowing any kind OF boats to
enter giving twelve seconds per oar to the smaller
ones. Friday, July 23 the time set for the race
and Springfield the place, but the Saturday even
ing previous while the crow were practising on
the river, their boat run down by another craft
and overturned and the stroke oarsman, George
E. Dunham, was drowned. This melancholy
event-the only fatal accident, we believe,
in the whole record-c0mbined with the
non-arrval OF American college racing crews
from Brown and Trinity, broke up the
race. No arrangement was made for another
meeting until February %, 1859. when
delegates from Harvard, Yale, Trinity and Brown
met at Providence, R T., and decided to adopt
substantially the plans of the preceding year. The
place above was changed, and on the afternoon OF
the
10Th OF JULY, 1859,
at Lake Quinsigamond near Worcester, took place
the first college race on that water, which has
since become 80 well known to all younger Ameri.
cans. This year also marked new ers
in college boat racing for now for the
first time were actual bona tide shen boats used
in OF these contests, and great sensation they
made among the oarsnen. Harvard had one,
six-oar, built by Mckay, Of pine, 40 feet long and
about 20 inches VIDE, while nowadays they add II
feet to the length and reduce the width to q
inches and even less, pretty narrow craft, ont
would think, in which to intrust six men. Yal,
also had one As feet inches long, and from tn!
same builder. Harvard also entered a six-oaret
crew in the lapstreak Avon, and Brown made he
maiden EFFORT in another lapstreak, the Atalanta
1t is too bad that one of the pioneer colleges tI
| these races has not Of late years developed sum
cient boating spirit to come and take her chances
| again. The race was over the regular three
mile track, or rather mile and half out and re.
turn Harvard made the then best time or 19m. 1Ss.
beating Yale over 500 eet and by exactly GO seconds
! the Avon by I'm. 55s. and the Brown boa,
by 5m 22s. The day was cloudy, and the gusty
east wind blew the light Brown boat over to I'd
the west bank, which accounts for her having
been so far behind at the close.
ON TUESDAY, JULY a. 1850,
at not far from five O'Clock In the afternoon, Har
ward, Yale and Brown again met on the same
| m nd Rro
carried coxswaius, while Harvard did without, ant
the same was true this year also. The boat Of the
latter was 40 feet long and 81 inches wide, whll,
Yale's was eight feet longer and four inches mar
rover. Brown, eager to beat a light boat, sue
ceeded but she weighed only 12O pounds, ant
shipped 30 much water as to throw her out OF th
race. Harvard went away hard at the start, tool
o decided lead over Yale, while the latter
was equally polite to Brown. In thi
order they went away to the stake
rounded, ana Harvard now for fourth time cam
home the winner in the good time OF Ism. 80 S.
Yale taking 1sm. IS. and Brown 2lm. 15s. Bot
this year ana the one before Harvard's strOK
oarsman was the famous Caspar Crowninshield
while, singular coincidence, on the day followin
there rowed in the single scun race the man VIII
was afterwards to become Yale's most distin
guished, and most deservedly distinguished, oars
man, the man who taught her alter incessant ant
disheartening defeat how at last to win. Durin
the next three years the terrible civil war en-
crossed all thoughts and these friendly naval ba
ties were deferred until towards its close
AFTER THE WAR,
in response to challenge from Yale, Harvar
again came forward, and on the afternoon OF FIR
day, July 20, 1864, on the same Worcester course
met fair and complete defeat at tn
hands of her plucky rival, the latter covel
ing the distance in ION. Is. to Harvard's 19m 43
Harvard had the larger and really very power
ful crew, and for this unwelcome result had n
one to blame but herself. Proper coaching an
training might not have made her win; but the
could have narrowed the gap between her and he
conqueror, and they should have. One OF tn
defeated crew was without much doubt th
strongest man who ever rowed in a Harvard boa
The boats had now heightened out to
and 40 feet and had narrowed to 81 inche
NcKav still builr for Yale. but Harvard nO