The New York herald., 1878-07-06
The Lesson At Henley.

The victory of Columbia at Henley is one
at which all American oarsmen will rejoice.
Unable to get on a satisfactory race Mt home
she crossed the Atlantic, faced every student
crew in Europe that dared meet her, gave
them months of notice, SO there should be no
surprise, and the result is superb triumph.
She met them on their own most famous
course Among her opponents were gradu-
ates of years standing-a fact which would
have rendered them ineligible with us-men
culled with the greatest care from hundreds
of good oarsmen, though she herself had
hardly dozen from whom to select. and she
has rowed them all down; rowed them until
one man tainted, and until the famous
Oxford oarsmen actually ran into the bank.
She has borne herself throughout in way
most creditable to us, winning hosts of
friends, and in training, steering. coaching,
rowing, and all that makes race, proving
herself superior to the best student oars
men in Europe.
The victory of Columbia is in q measure
dimmed by the defeat Of the Shoe-wae-cae-
mettes. They were beaten by a stomach
that is to say, in the great race, the race in
which the four Americans whom most OF us
held to be the fastest, met the unquestion-
ably fastest amateur four in Europe, we
were beaten, one, and probably the toughest
and most enduring one Of our four going to
pieces in the middle of the fight. They
had shot to the front as promptly as usual
they were rushing ahead at the terribly
fast stroke which no other crew has yet
pulled successfully for any such distance
as they have But London, old, expe-
rienced and wary, followed the sinuosities
of the Berks shore, kept out Of the slight
current which the "Shoes" could only
breast, and finally, drawing level, began to
90 by. Then came the call for the "spurt,
the sharp, shrill, unearthly call of the now
far-famed '.Sweet Waters" which no man
stomach" said "No." It had been upset
for some hours back, but its owner, Cap
tain Nadeau, whose confidence at Henley
seems to have been as freely out
spoken as it was at Watkins-and there
it was very marked : thought he could row
for almost the identical cause which broke
Will Simmons nine years ago on the Put
ney course, before Harvard had rowed half
way. Unfortunate as it ali is, and espe-
cially that they cannot have another trial,
they must stand by their accidents on race
day. The "Shoes" have now known defeat
at the hands Of the London four abroad, as
they have from the Emeralds at home.
They have fought gallantly, grandly, in
boat it was shame to let them row in, in
such an important fight, and they have
been beaten. If London would only recon-
slider, and race them over the Putney to
Mortlake course, that would settle conclu-
sively where lies the superiority.
AS for Lee, even the Sportsman comedies
that he won the race, mistaking an old
stump for the finish post, and SO stopping
prematurely. But he is to have chance
for the championship on the l7th, and then
may the change Of climate which has let
neither him nor the Shoe-wae- -cae-mettes
alone have done its work, and may he in his
best form lead the way over the last twenty
feet of the course Us he has done SO far over
the rest Of it.