The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-02-04
AMATEUR CHAMPION OARSMEN.
THE CLAIMS OF THE COLUMBIA AND NAUTILUS
CREWS CONSIDERED.

CREWS CONSIDERED. 9f
Boar Housg, NoRTHwEsrERN ROWING CLrB(
RIvERoAtE Cook County, III, JAN %, 1875 !
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
Having in former letter established the identity
OF the present amateur champion oarsmen OF Amer
lea. remains for to locate tho actual rank OF
those aquatic prctenders who falsely claim champion
ship honors. AS long as these claimants remained
quietly in their proper sphere they could justly ex-
pect immunity from public criticism, but when they
assume t. appoint themselves tho representative
amateurs Of America, they cannot complain II their
record shall be carefully examined "in That nerco
light that beats about throne" Some OF your
corresp ondents beslaver Columbia with such inds-
crimnatc euogy that evidently In their case friend
ship has swallowed judgment and others abuse the
s'blue and white" with zcst apparently ENGINEERED
by Intercollegiate Jealousy.
Both of these classes can safely be left to 'work
ont their own destruction and we need deal only
with those who offer some show OF for their
opinion.
Some inform us that Columbia won the amateur
championship by defeating The Argonautas aud Woven
hooks, which Is much such statement as n some Que
should say that Hannis the trotting championship
of 1877 by beating Sheridan, Prospero aud Lady
Pritchard and making record OF 2:l9M thus entirely
ignoring Goldsmith Maid ana Rarus and Lucille Gold
dust crow canriot lose what they have not got and
they do not own. Neilhcr Argonautas nor Atalantas
made any entry at the National Regatta tried In
any way to win the amateur championship Of 1877.
Wolvonhook, with courage worthy OF all praise, did
enter there and pulled pluckiy against crews much
heavier and moro experienced than themselves, but
only came In third in the tbree-mile raco and were
fourth last in their trial heat for tho mile and
half straghtiway. Winning the amateur champioDs
ship from these clubs would much resemble the tri-
di,ona task OF 'taking tho brceches from High
landern +.
Others claim that Columbia holds tho amateur
championship because she challenged Harvard Tor Il
match and was refused Harvard, by her races last
year, the championship OF three American col
leges--Yale, Columbia and Harvard. sha does not
hold the intercollegiate championshp, when, II
such thing exists, must be in tho possession OF
Cornc, who the hast " nners oil that,honor And
college crew, champion or on-champon, has ever
been within hailihg distance OF our best amateur
crews Ii Colubias challenges had all been accepted,
and sue had beaten both Harvard and Cornell. she
would still be ''the length OF street, away from tho
amateur championship.
Next are those who claim the championship for Col
umbia because twice during 1877 nor crew the
be worth anythinA Tho Excelsior Club, Of Detroit are
the amateur champions Tor they are at the head OF
the Detroit River which larger than the HAIR
lcm has and larger Clubs moro and iator oars.
men, and Is IN every way OF superior rank to tho
Several acknowledge that Harvard has the fastest
eight Cornell the best SIX but this has nothing
this argument upside DOWN. A club with good four
might not have any more good oarsmcn to Ill out q
SIX or an egn ana might sh%s rs We o nave sesa
last four But when club has last SIX or eight by
what process OF deterioration would tho best four men
OF this six eight lose their skil and speed and be-
slow iourS
Then wo have .sOli Oarsmau." who objects to any
examination OF colunRia's oisht-oarod record and
says
Ibase my Judgment the men who now sit in
Columba's boat ana not on former college crews. The
rowed last and every race More
over. their rowing evenly excellent
These statements peculiarly hard to understand
lila TN fpNfc 4 q M hat
during the month OF January, when "Oid Oarsman's"
letters dated, any men are "sitng IN Columba's
boat" and the meaning Of that phrase rs very
obscure If he means the who taking
their daily exercise at Woods Gymnasium he must
win. Colgate. Sage ana Timpson, and that they have
never yet rowcd, much less won any race. II he
the which won the four-oared race at the
Metropolitan Regatta, beating their only competitors,
tho Argonautas, he must have forgotten that this
crow was composed OF Messrs Sage, Edson, Timpson
and Goodwin and that they never rowed but this one
race II he refers to tho that won at Rutherurd
Park and twice at Harlem, and which Is tho only CO.
iumbin crew that has rowed three could
have showed seventy cxcellent rowing" he is
still! boiuddled, for that crcw-Boyt, Colgate
politan Regatta by tho withdrawal OF ME- BOYD. who
| Is not mentioned in connection with Co.
,lumblas crew. VIII solo Oarsman" please explain
| what does mean and give US their record OF
| even excellence?
The various crews alluded to by your correspond
| ents have included seven Columbian onrsmen-
| Messrs Boyd, Colgate, Edison, Goodwin, Ridabock,
Sage and limpson--and the only intelligent method Ut
|
ex animation OF Their Individual records. omtting OF
course tho scratch OF their own club. which
| they rowcd only against each other.
July 15 1874, Columbias 'six-oared crew. including
Timpson and Goodwin, the intercollegiate race ut
Saratoga. IL was the unanimous opinion OF all disn
terrsied spectators Columbia went of with
| speed than judgment, that at tho mile and a half
stake Harvard had caught Columbia, and Yale had
rowed both down and was In the lead, and that
but for the YaieHarvard collision these Two crews
IN have been first and second, with Columbia GER
tany no better tran third. Allowing this theory
| fs mi m
that day, they could claim thereby worry high
amateur rank. Tor all these college crews were
| II Atalauta, Argonauta, BeavefwycK, Wah-wah-sum
ana Excelsior had each bad their sixoared crews at
Saratoga ana been allowed to start this the
| Prob abilities That they would have como in nrst
second, third lourh and fifth, aud that the ieaaing
college would have obtained only the sixth plucc
July H. 1S75 Saratoga, intercollegiate sixoircd
| race, Columbia, Including Goodwin, Sage and Boyd
camo In second, Cornell nrst
juno II, 1876, at Harlcm Regatta, four.oared raCo
| Columbia, with sage Boyd and Goodwin, obtained
second place. ATLANTA first, New York Athletic third
Column ia CANNED have won this race, and may
have been right their claim, for the manage ent
OF the affair much muddled. but at the besit
merely question OF few feet, and the Two crews
were certainly OF almost icy equal speed. In cst
mating the value OF this performance 1t must not be
forgotten that although Tue Ataantas at this
time the amateur champ ions this not their cham
pon crew. Lyon out, Downs had moved from
| bow to No. g. aud Blake was In the bow. Mir. Blake
has rst class oarsman slace sliding seats
invented, and is, moreover. too small 10 work
| ell, ctvcIy with ouch a crew as the Atalantas
GIVING the ngufeS approximately Ouy, una from
memory, the stood :-Stroke side-Eustis, feet
| III inches, 155 pounds Rodgers, o feet inch, la
pounds Total, II ioct OF length aud $50 pounds
| weight. Bow s,de--Downs, feet inches, ITO
pounds Blake, feet inches, $50 pounds. Total, IL
foet inches OF length, 20 pounds weight. Difference
between bow and stroke sides, nine inches in length
sixty pounds Ia weight OF men, No skill and care
in training and no Individual excollehce OF each man
could ever make FIRST class crew out OF such elo-
monts. You might as we'll hitch up Great Eastern
and Mollie Morris IN double harnoss and expect them
to trot III 222 as TO try 10 make rst class crew with
| such d.sgimilar as Rodgers aud Blake
July IS at Saratoga, International Regatta, tho
| Columbia crew, with Sage Boyd aud Goodwin, came
III third Cornell first ana ,rvard sccoud, ana in tho
| Freshman race, with Ridabock in Columbia's crow,
the boats finished in tho order in the univor.
| SHY race-Columbia beaten by Cornell and Harvard.
Angus, 81 at Philadelphia In the National Regatta,
race Columbia, with Sage Boyd and Good
win, beat Vesper, oil Philadelphia IN trial heat, ana
In final were beaten by AtaIanta In this iaal boat
| there oni, II broken oar. dispute and fresh
start, and Boyd tainted at the mile post, that the
very unsatisfactory and hardly tested the
| morris the