The New York herald., 1875-09-13
AMATEUR 0ARSMEN.
A Review of the Rowing
Season of 1875.
UNIVERSITY MEN AND AMATEURS.
The College, International and
National Regattae.
STYLES OF ROWING.

The aquatic season of 1875 is fast drawing to Close
the great regatas and nothing but the rowing
Of few match by prominent and energetic clubs
remains to bring the term to conclusion On the
whole the present has proven to be the most successful
reason in tho history OF American boating. Better
rowing has never been shown greater improvement
In style and thorough acquaintance with the true
principles OF Craftsmanship have been exhibited than
In any previous period in the boating experience OF the
OF this country There have been a fcw
genuine surprises
UNIVERSITY REGATTA
The victory OF Cornell in the University regatta was
not so much matter Of surprise to those who devoid
p prejudice and partisanshp regarded rowing from an
unbiased standpoint as IL to those who regarded
Harvard or Yale as the real possessors of the correct
principles of rowing aud almost certain victors in the
university contest of the year.
How many persons, this time last year and in the
barly part of this there who looked Yale with
her famous Cook captain and stroke carry of the
victory of 1882 at is Yale's year said some and
faith in Cooks ability TO reach the goal his ambition
iimed at was general. Harvard also, was determined
10 victory and by doing be able to make good
claim which some OF the more ardent admirers of the
magenta put forward, 'that Harvard would have won
Ihe race OF IA but for the foul which helped Columbia
10 cross the line first" The time made by Columbia in
hat famous is sufficiently good show that even
If the contest had been rowed from start to
finish, without "foul'' or ''auke," Columbia
would not have been far from the line when
The first boat crossed If the blue and white were
not the FIRST to show tho way This year Columbia
Ihowcd up agan-not the winner it is true danger
Dusly close on the victor Cornes victory as before
stated, not great surprise fever a worked
carefully conscienously, and with firm determine
lion q 10 tn chanc thaea
students of Cayuga did and they did their prcm
nary with cheerful hearts and good spirits They
worked together like They we'll dts
ciplned, and acknowledged with cheerfulncss the au
thory of the man who had the right to command It
is not always in boats crew, but it In the
Cornell boat before the race, and when the great day
came these men of Cayuga Lake rowcd from under
the shadows of Snake Hill return to 1t again
but the champions all the the American
universities engaged in the College regatta OF '75.
AMATEURS REGArTAs
Tho discussions and comments about the college
regatta had scarcely subsidized the prcpar-
alton for the international regatta of amateur oarsmen
began to spread. Few considered that the chances
that the Saratoga people had resolved not
10 have fall meeting and but for the cxertons of a
Iowa very few--members of the Saratoga Rowing
Association there would have been AS 1t was so
little interest evinced in the that there
to row that 1t will require good deal Of persuasion
bring some of the best crews there again unless there
is change in the management of affairs. The best
of the country hand, however. The
Beaverwycks Of Albany, there, with their repua-
ZION of last year to sustain, and with n nothing
inferior TO that OF twelve months ago; the Mutuals
Df ,he city, the rivals of the Beaver
wycks and fine looking lot of as one need
wish to see; then came the Argonautas, pucky,
lfrn dot n win hoy huf
prepared to abide by the decisive results of hon
orable defeat Whether they came of the re-
gattas at Saratoga and Troy conquerors or con-
quered 1t the determination of the crew. month
before either regatta not to row again this On
The ground they refused two challenges before
The Saratoga and Troy events. The Buffalo were
also there and better to-day 1t would be diff
6cult to get together The 'ttle Duchcsnes they
formerly called by many, there to battle for
the honor of Pennsylvania, and the Atalantas'
University four, whom most people considered
bring up the of the six competing boats instead of
leading the van, had also entered the lists
SARATOGA LAKE.
Before the race that gave victory TO the Atalantas
lew had confidence in their ability. II was impossible
to say why how such idea prevailed John Eustis,
stroke Of the Wesleyan six had proven himself n
good oarsman and John Custer stroke of the Williams
six, his equal IN every respect Rodgers, No. in
the crew, was powerful man, and for large man
snguarly easy and free in his movements in the boat
Moreover, he good oarsman. Downs, the bow
man, had to be regarded ga weak spot" in
the boat the experience of every he has rowed
In has since shown Yet although the Ataanta Club had
laborcd hard to get this together, when 1t
ccedcd and had the the boat in training on the
Harlem, and subsequently at practice Saratoga Lake.
they had little confidence the four and so mean
,doo t,oir thott tho
handsome victory as men ever achieved without an
encouraging word n friendly greeting from the men,
Of the club for the honor OF whose coors and flag
They gave their best strength. Not with any other
on that AXE The Albany men poured in in thou
sands TO their famous Bcavcrwycks and favorc
Mutuals do their best Buffalo stood to its dnuntlcss
crew, which, under moro favorable circumstances,
might have won the
WHAT MIGHT
When tho fours started the Argonautas the
Bualoes and Duchesnes side by side in the order
named. The Argonautas had the outside position The
race was not onethird rowcd when the Duchesnes be-
gan TO crowd over the Bufaocs much that the
referee found It necessary them ''ook out
keep or They obcyed, but again fell into the same
error, and we're again warned OF by the referee At
lhis time there was little difference in the boats
at nobodys race yet, and the stakcboats wero
nearly reached The interference of the Ducbesnc
whether Intentional not had caused Buffalo crew
almost stop rowing for fear OF a foul
seriously nterfercd with their work and caused much
lrrcgularity IN their rowing. They also forced
somewhat into the Argonautas S water. All things
considered il was detrmcnt and drawback both
lnc DucncSneS ana tnc bunalOeS-the one Or 1tS bad
steering tho other for the effects which that bad steer
ing produced Had the Duchcsncs rowed a straight
and the Bunaloos not been mtericrcd with the
results OF the might have been different. As was
lhc Bulaocs beat the Duchesnes, the famous Beaver
Nycks the Argonauas and Mutuals and were only
cngth and half clear water behind the winning boat
BEAvERwYcKs AND ARGoNAUTAs.
Great surprise manifested because OF tho posi-
lions these two famous had in the race Tho
Albany crew good condition physically as
lhey were last year They had made change in the
boat 10 he sure but tho change was not for tho worse
Doncaster r0wed well any man in the boat and
better than some of the others The crew do not row
well together-not nearly well as last year, and
wilson III the bow rows too much with his arms 10
make his rowing effective They roll their boat terribly
when they "hit her hard" and Shells like all other
boats, Will not travel fast OF "a straight keel" So far
ns the Argonautas were concerned they were handi-
capped III their boat before they started She was from
twenty-five to thirty pounds heavy for the crew,
tnd she was SO deep and wcdgckc that In turning the
akcboat they were sure to lose much valuable time at
he most critical period OF the struggle Even with