New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-24
THE UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE.

THE CREWS, THEIR PRACTISE AND CONTEST.
AN EASY VICTORY FOR oXFoRD-THE CAMBRIDGE
STYLE OF ROWING DESCRIBED AS ROUGH,
RAGGED AND AwKwARD-THE SUPERIORITY OF
OXFORD sTRIKINGLY APPARENT ON THE RACE
DAY.
IFRoN AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEI
LONDON, April 13.-In writing OF the UNI
versty Boat Race which took place this morning. ma
myself in the position OF the man VINO was re-
quired by his college examiner to write an essty on
Snakes In Iceland must not however adopt his ready
way Of answering the question when ne sald lheIe
are no suakes" though strict truth may very fairy
say there has been no to-day The Oxford Crew had
it all their own way with the exception of the slight ad-
vantage given by the start to their opponents sun the
boat to have become an INSTITUTION ana even
though oxford had the contest entirely in its own hands,
must tell you something about It, None OF the ele-
ments OF spectacle wanting. The morning broke
into beautiful Spring day, there a slight breeze
and the sun shone seldom shines IN early Spring
in this doeful climate or spectators were not
wanting. II true that the early start brought ess
people Putney than have been seen before but the
absence Of these more than atoned for ny the
crowds who lined the banks in the reaches lower down.
while at the nsh attendants at the contest
and considering that this is the hryseventh race and
for the last twenty-five years il has been annually rowed
over the course Of to-day, there persons who are
=
never many people.
ONFORDS ADVANTAGES.
The race always considered to be entirely In the
hands Of oxford. Public opinion has all along declared
itself in favor of the dark blues, and that opinion seemed
receive additional force when the were seen
side hy side on the Thames. The oxford men came to
Putney with the un,peakable advantage OF having in
their boat five OF last years crew. Whe their opponents
only counted two Of last years mon. Moreover, the
Cambridge men TO have had sufficient prelim-
phaticay bad; il happily described by competent
critic az rough ragged, and awkward" They
labOrcd under tho additional disadvantage or
having been ordered and changed about M
the last moment Indeed, they had been upon
the Thames couple OF days before the captain made up
other hand bad been well trained and possibly they dd
not need Il much They were smart aud pulled wen
together Fortunately, Also they met with no accident
or mishap like the Cambridge men, one OF whom had
been WWel and Absent from one or two or the dairy
practices. II not then to be wondered az that the
should at have been laid on the oxford men,
The betting started about fortnight at something
like f. and the odds have steadily increased To the
morning OF the race, when the Cambridge Crew found
few suDuOIter1 AT 1 to l. At the start reckless
spirits we're even found To offer to l. On the whole,
both crews below the average OF merit, and
the time IN which the rOWcd shows II 10 have
been one the sOwcst record II IS true, the err
cunst4uces not favorable to a fast time race.
sIugnry heavy rains hai swollen the body OF the
stream 30 that the tide did hot flow quite long
expected and consequently the boats had not that
assistance bU the other hand, II only IN the
torncy ard Horse Reaches that they felt the wind In a
WAY when could seriously impede Their progress Sew
elI races have been rOwcd IN less time than this IN
which circums Of wind and tide werH more osai-
analogous than they to-day. The latest published
names aud we ght, OF the crews are: