The New York herald., 1879-07-05
Annual Regatta Of the Metropolitan
Association of 0arSmen.
MARRIED BY THE ROUGH WATER
Eleven Boats Capsized and Their
Crews Submerged.


In the day that the whole affair devel-
oped into a long drawn out swimming match.
in which eleven crews the contestants. as
they were unceremoniously dumped" into
the river after the other. The gaiiy
tagged steamers and the shells floating about
the course gave indications of regatta, but the
scene along the shore, where men were be-
Ing ished out by the police and rolled
barrels, looked more like dress
rehearsal the Royal Humanitarian Society. or Of
The Association for the Resuscitation of the
Drowned. The Wesleyan. Carman. Argonauta,
Pioneer Nereus. Columbia of Brooklyn.
Resolute Nautilus, Carman Six. Ariel
and Dauntless boats all were sunk. and the crews
~ they came on shore had evidently from their in
voluntary movements. swallowed whatever spare
water the boats had not taken in. For the
hrst five minutes after the men landed the shore
was q dismal sight while men and boats were
being emptied Of the ''salt waves. after
which the men were 'hung ont to dry and the
sport went on. The police were very efficient as
.nshers OF men, this occasion. and As their hands
were too full to add pleasure to business no one
was hurt. and the very damp oarsmen went home
bruiseless and happy.
PECULIAR ARRANGEMENTS.
The arrangements were of q nature peculiar to al
similar affairs. displaying disregard Of promptitude
in starting the races, which almost ingenious it
SO cleverly missed every appointment. The chef
d'anvre of the whole however. was the management
early in the day of the Ladies' Barge" huge
boat which anchored below the finish,
and left it's devices till afternoon the first
races were rowed away from it. It was supposed
to be very select and highly desirable as a place
of observ alton, and loaded with about one
hundred people and two thousand sandwiches. the
and miserable After the first racing President
Goodwin ordered them finished at the barge, but
the later races all the boats sank before reaching
it. No better proof of the melancholy feeling
he OF the NIGHT
more dismal statistic is furnished in
the fact that 1885 sandwiches for various
was coupled with disappointment on that unhappy
barge But will say for the officials that the de-
lay In starting the was due in great measure
to the accidents which befell the during the
contests
The association had two steamers provided. one
for the officials and the press and the other for
spectators. and both followed the crews over
for observation. The scene at Carmansvie was
very pretty one. the dark green background
bright colors Of the oarsmen and steamers
nestled close to their base, Under the trees
and there were booths and tents giving
the place the air Of miniature fair.
were plying and doing the correct thing in the way
of waking the echoes as they passed the point
Overhead the sky was perfect ana II the water had
that ielement. 1t was rough. to be sure, but
- philosophical individual remarked. determined
- find comfort ''it would be much worse had Sandy
Hook been chosen instead of Carmansville."
A RETRosPRcT OF ILL-LUcK.
The association has been very unfortunate in all Of
its regattas IN having rough water The first
held on the Kill Won kull. and all who rowed
row in such place again. The no' next wtSH one. e.
in August. 1873, rowed at Pleasant Val
than he frat md his xviobi N try
out from l7sth street down to 14sd street. oppo
worse than either Of the other two. for the
slight breeze which blew from the south made
been safe for any one who could not
swim to have ventured far from shore,
ns IN snd less Of in right 0ussT
out out. OF the question. and after the
fsas arss 1t. two 'n or a., three races the winning winning
on: out Of u the water is barely possible that
tine. tine Hudson gd may be good course ;,t At
not be policy for the association to try it again ct
present after having such luck two years in
the association to hold their regattas near
New York and. at the same time,
one race. and thus avoid rowing in heats,
which is so unpopular among rowing men, and
Hudson as being the most available; but. objec-
tionable as heat rowing may be. it is
more than half OF the crews sink before they
can get over the course. The only real good
In the vicinity of New York the Passaic
and Harlem River courses. on either of
which one is almost TO get good water,
one of these. If the have to bo rowed in
heats or else go further from New York and get
bome good lake course.
The officers of the association did everything they
could. under the circumstances to have everything
pass of pleasantly. and they to be congratu-
lated on the in which the many
steamboats, and tugs kept out OF the way tor
only once during the whole day did any OF them
and even this once was purely accidental.
and did no great injury. and had the water been
smooth 1t would been one of the most success
tul and interesting regattas held about New
York.
At eleven O'Clock, half hour late. the frst race
FoUR-oAREp SHELL RACE.
The Atalanta Boat Club entered for this W.
J. X. Eustis. stroke Downs and Eustis are
famous oars. and seeley in the freshmen
that of the Carman Rowing Association, COM
posed OF j. Banks Il. B. saul. 8. +. Knapp.
Jr. ana A. Il. Mills, stroke. The Ataiantx
the favorites at long odds before start and
the result OF the rade showed plainly that the
crew was no match for them. The wind
was freshening considerably as her came pad
ding down to the start. and the water
iumpy that they came to the referees boat
out quart and taking in q gallon, they
hurried TO the line. and, after due caution
from the referee got the word and shot
away at a 80 stroke. the Atlantas drawing away
psRceptibly in the first fifty yards The Carmen
oarsmen were pulling in very bad form. specially
noticeable in No. 1 and No. s. while the Atalantas
were going along finely under their accustomed
long, easy stroke
At the quarter mile the latter crew drew to the
front by half length and at the Carman dock clear
water was between them. The Carmen bow
vas now watching the Atalanta boat constantly,
md pulling seriously of time the boat
ell further behind. OF the sugar house
there were two lengths of clear water be-
tween the boats. aud in desperate
squirt put on by the Carmens they ap.
preached each other in line, by which the
Harlem boys gave their opponents their
wash unintentionally. Pulling off again the
Carmen crew seemed to go all to pieces and row
ng in ragged form, dropped to 81 strokes a minute
md fell further to the rear. The Atalantas now
,ased up and held their opponents well till within
an eighth of mile of home, when the Carmens
spurted and tried to their lost ground with
sfew powerful strokes Eustis crew came away and
won by three clear lengths in SIN. 25sss.