The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-30
HIGHLY IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.

THE AMATEUR CHAMPION OAHSMEN OF AMERICA
FOUND AT LAST.
BoArHousE NoRrHwKsrEnx ROWING CLuB.l
RfvERDALE, Cook County, Ill, Jan. 70 lS1a
To EDITOR OF TUE HERALD
The proposition of the Columbia College four to
elect themselves tho champion crew and then visit
England ana France as representative American ANA
teurs is itself sufficiently ludlcrous but even this
curious scheme less remarkable than tho letters
anent this matter which have appeared in tho
HERALD aud o,ner New York newspapers
These writer's are, pretend to be- as innocent Of
any knowledge OF American aquatics as River street
VINE is gutess OF grape juice, aud their grotesqua
ignorance, II real and not feignod can only be ex
planned ny the theory that the present financial strn
gency has deprived them OF tho luxury OF buying and
reading the daily newspapers Half dozen OF these
gentlemen not satisfied that Columbia has the
fastest crew. but they do not know who the best
oarsmen, and go maundering about searching for tLs
champions. II would be an act OF simple charity to
ease tho strain tho minds OF those anxious inqui-
rers, especially II be done by merely taking
u lew excerpts from the history Of amateur rowing
in America.
In 1873 the National Association of Amateur Oars
men founded yearly nation regatta and have main.
taiucd it since. Tho winners of those races
ccve IN addition 10 their presentation medals, cha.
lenee prizes OF silvcrware, each piece lcgIbIy in.
scrIbed "rhe Amateur Championship of tho United
States" Tho truth OF those inscrptio
seriously questioned aud is now universally recos-
nzcd. The only institutions whose JEALOUS
partsans ever claimed 10 divide with tho National
the honor OF comforting championships were tho
gattas given by tho Saratoga Rowing Association.
These races, by the large number OF their contestants
and tho widely separated sections OF country from
watch their entries were received, could honestly
claim to be both national and internatona anu the
winners Saratoga though not hoding The technical
championships, were airy entitled to equal h0nors
with tho holders OF the national prizes. THIS
regatta was discontinued in 1877, leaving i1~Ae iiei
competitor OF sufficient dimensions to Iy any
shadow OF right TO interfere in Ihattors
In 1873 at Saratoga, Union Springs won the single
SOULS Argonaut, OF Toronto, the double SOULS and
pair oars and Duquesnc, Of Allegheny CITY, the iour-
cared race. OF these winners only Union Springs on
tered at The National. and Mr. Courtncys boat having
been destroyed on the eve OF the race he was unable
TO compete. Nassau, Of New York city, won the SIM
gle souls; Crescent, OF Philadelphia, the double scu
and pair-oar, aud Arsonauta. of Bergen Point. the
tours thus leaving the honors OF 1878 pretty well
scattered
In 1874, at Saratoga, the New York Athletic Club
won the single and double SOULS Argonauta the palrs
und Beaverwyck, OF Albany, the tours These winners
ali went 10 Lie National aud repeated their Saratoga
victories, thus holding the championship oil 1874 by
In 1876, at Saratoga Union Springs, both single
and double scuiIs Argonauta The pairs and Atalanta
OF New York city Tours. AS in 1874, inc wlnDeu
all entered the NATIONAL and all won, thus doubiy
winning championship honors.
IL 1876, at Saratoga Union Springs again won both
single and double souls, and Northwestern, OF RIVER
due the pairs aud tours Northwestern did not enter
SDOe-Wde.cae-mette
at SARATOGA second In tue iou:s; anu Atalanta, who
Saratoga second in tue pairs and third ~ the
Tours, won both these races at the National, unoa
Springs again securing the single and double SOULS
In 1877 The Saratoga regatta was abandoned, and
the Nalional had no rival. The Triton CLUB, Of
Newark, N j., won tho single scos beating Pilot. Of
Grand Haven, Mich WOvcnhook, OF Troy, N. T.,
ana Hope. Of Now Orleans, L.. Riverside, o. Roeh.
ester, N, Union Springs, Vesper, OF Yonkers,
N. Y. and Yale University not starting. The Quaker
City, of Pnlladeipnia, won The double souls, beating
Muiaals OF Albany, N. Y; Ulysses, Of Troy N. Y,
ana Pilots. wolvennook wltndrawn. rne Emeralds,
Saginaw Guy. Mich won the pairs, beating the
DelIo ScuiIefs tne sey eaU u also Mo a
straigniaway mile and han fouroared race, beating
Eureka. OF Newark D. ,WWs,s, Of
N. y; Woivenhooks, and Detroit, Excelsior, and
Zephyr OF Detroit, Mico. Iu the iour-oared race.
as for the milc aud half, but Watkins Detroit
did not START ana mette won, beating the
SIX others
These prizes arc the technical championships be-
cause gwen anu in The usual aud established
manner, and arc actual championships because con-
petcd for by rst from all parts of the
country. Thcy were won larry hoIoraDly and man.
fully. without quarrel, Jockeying or fouling, IN Races
open to all amateurs, aud there mover were IN the
word any championships OF anything with stronger
tiilu tnan these. Therefore tor the Information OF
ali parties Interested please place prominently ON rec
ord the following s OF the present amateur champion
oarsmcn OG tho Uuited States:-
SINGLE scULLs-Gsorge W. Lee, Triton Boat Club,
| DOUBLE SOULS j. D. McBea,h and Frank Hcnder.
| son, Quaker Guy Boat CLUB, Philadelphia, Pa
PAIK-OARs--Johu Kilforln aud Henry Smth, Emcr-
aid Boat Club, Saginaw Guy, Mich.
| FouROAs, NILE AND a HALF, srRAIGnrAwAY-John
Killoru, Horny smith, Peter Manning and Patrick
McElgunn. Emerald Boat Club
FouR-OAR, THREE MILES, WITH ONE TURN.-Stephcn
| Dusseau, Joseph Nadeau, Henry Durell aud Noses
Nadcau, Snoe-wae-cae- mette Boat Clab Monroe,
| Mlcb.
| All persons having any business with tho amateur
| champions Of America can address their letters as
above.
| Now, gentlemen oarsmeu OF the East your Western
brethren do ot,caim from you any generosity. Judg-
ing from The pst thoy have little reason to expect
justce-all they ask Is decency and some slight
gard for truth Daring tho years mat gone, hia
Eastern crews held the cham rionsnip We were
| allowed TO forget it, lor every week the New YORK.
papers soundea The praise OF the aud
cbroniced the plans and prospects oil 'our gallant
champions Ii year ago any correspondent OF tho
| HERALp had ialsed the question OF who wore tho
amateur Champions even before the indignant
friends OF the Ataants could have rushed their letters
| inio The oIicc, your editorial page woulu
have contained paragraph stating that tins
lucSless correspondent was probably the only
In America who did not know THAI
oarsmcp, tours ana pairs. But now, when tue
amponships havo ''gone West, the columns of Tho
tious concerning the best crews. Not one OF these
letters have even mentioned the names OF the actual
chanpious, and We nave waited Ia VAN Tor tho ex-
pectcd editorial correction. Queer, isn't it?
have ttle acquaintance with The present sculiing
champions, ana no authority TO speak for them. But
do know our Western champions very well aud am
Iamiliar with their character and feelings They
would not take prize or championship unless they
hal won IL larry, and would not care 10 hold any
longer when any oarsmen were found able TO win il
from them II the Columbia crew or any other crew
think tEcy can beat the ohoo mette three.
mile ioaroarci race, or the Emerald nSle and half
pair iouroared race, some lar neutral Western
cuurse-say Detroit or Toledo-thcy can be accomno.
dated. AUD II afraid to try the champions they can
have a shot at smaller game. The North western Row
ing Club did not attend tho National Regatta OF 1877
because, having LOST both their DOW stroke oar,
ind being unable TO Oil the vacant satisfactorily
| they did not think they could beat the crows from
Saginaw and Monroe, and through prudence as they
call it-you may call IL cowardice II you wi--they
stayed away from almost certain defeat. They DID
not enter IN that regatta Tor tho ich
kept out most all oil tho New York ere ws--thought
they could not win and did go--tne only dller.
ence being that tho Northwestern crew acknowledge
that they were afraid whereas the New Workers are
ashamed TO confess Inc true and talk vaguely
about distance, expense, dissatisfaction with tho
N.A.A.O., &c.
IL Is The general opinion Of In this section
that any crew III New York had thought themselves
aOlc 10 boat the Shoe nette they would havq
been at Detroit II that CITY had been 10000 miles from