Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-06


most as hard, for
America has suc-
| ceeded once where England has totally
/ failed
1t Is twenty-seven years ago this summer
| since the first American amateur boat grew
| went to England to measure blades. Dur
| ing the winter Of 1S67-0S a number of let
| tiers were exchanged by the rowing men Of
oxford and Harvard relative to a race dur
| iEg the following summer. A three-mile
! contest between Fights was considered, but
| tie race fell through, as it was impossible
TO reach an agreement on details. But a
| race as arranged for 1869 for the Putney-
| Mortlake course on the Thames, something
| over four miles. 1t was between tours with
| coHswains. The race was rowed August
| IL, and was as determined a contest as one
| could wish to see. oxford won by three
quarters Of length Of open water in q
| minutes and II seconds. The time shows
| that 1t was a hard race.
Bells Life, the great English sporting au-
| thority, said Of the race: "A more gallant
/ or determined contest-one alike honorable
| to Vctors and vanquished, and worthy IN
every respect of the first meeting between
! the amateur oarsmen Of the old and new
| Worid-it has never been our lot to chron-
icle and We imagine that few of those who
| mad the good fortune to witness the strug-
| gle from start to finish will readily forget
| the scene presented yesterday on the
Thames from Putney to Mor.lakc" The
hIe also said: Though beaten. the losers
| nave assuredly lost no laurels In this con-
! Test; on the contrary, they will feel that
| their opponents found them foemen worthy
| or their steel"
English Crews Come.
1t was not until 1876 that English and
American oarsmen again met Three Eng
| ish crews entered in the centennial re-
| gatta on the Schuylkill at Philadelphia
| London Rowing Club Trinity College of
Cambridge University and Dublin Univer-
| sity. 1t was the first time that English
crews appeared on American waters.
twenty thousand persons lined the river
banks, and there was the greatest interest
| In the occasion. Dublin University was
beaten in its trial heat by the Eurekas OF
Newark, n. j., and Trinity was beaten by
ale, the Well-knoWn Bob Cook rowing
bow. The London Rowing Club defeated
the Northwest Crew of Chicago and Yale
in its trials. In the final the Englishmen
were pitted against the Watkins and Beav-
erwyck fours.
II has been said the visitors lost the race
through paying too much attention to the
Watkins crew and neglecting the Beaver
wycks, who crept UP on them unnoticed,
and, by fine squirt near the finish, won by
three feet.
MI John F. HuneiSer safd in an article
puoIshed some years ago, in speaking OF
better 10
portunlty to compare the crack crews of
England and America than during this
great regatta. The London four were per
feet types Of English athletes heavy,
braWny and stalwart and q revelation to
the oarsmen of this country, from the fact
that such rowing and such clock-like pre-
clslon OF stroke had never been seen be-
lore. In contradistnction to this, the Yale
crew were representatives of the style of
the true American athlete-greyhound-
QUILT, 1.-the, why, with muscles like whip
cords, and as black as Indians from ex-
posture to the summer SUM-"
Columbia Wins at Henley,
Two years later another international
aquatic contest followed. The crack Co
lumbia College four, stroked by Jasper
Goodwin, rowed at the Henley regatta and
won the Visitors cup for college fours
They defeated Dublin University and Uni
versity College of oxford In the trial heats,
and HEREFORD College, oxford. in the final
The victory caused immense enthusiasm in
this country, and established Coumbia's
eminence in boating. 1t undoubtedly had
great effect In inaugurating rowing In
college tours, which prevailed for number
OF years. Columbia's victory is the only
one America has gained in foreign waters
Cornelrs 81 Trip Abroad.
Cornell. after rowing In tours for two
years, decided that she had a good enough
crew to pit against English brain and
Drawn, and determined to capture the Wis.,
itors' cup won by Columbia. Her entry at
first was rejected for the requirement that
foreign entries should be made come
months prior to English entries WAS not
complied with. but the crew sailed, never
theless, determined to challenge the win
ner If barred out. The regatta authorities,
however waived the requirement, but re-
fused to allow Cornell to row for the Wis.,
itors' cup, holding that 1t was l. cup for
college" tours. whereas Cornell was uni
YerSity. No amount OF explanation awaited,
and Cornell was forced if it wanted q race,
to enter the contest for the Stewards cup,
a race open to fours from all the world
The trial heats were rowed June 90. 1881.
Cornell drew a position in tho heat with
the London Rowing Club and the Thames
Rowing Club. Cornells crew weighed 664
pounds; Thames, 631, and Lordon, 656. the
average weights being: Cornell, 166;
Thames, 155 and London, 164.
Shortly after the start Cornell and Lon
don fouled and the crews were sent back
for another start. There is little doubt
that Cornell was to blame, for she was Try
ing to cross the bows of the other boats to
secure the inside position. The old Henley
course had a bad bend, and crew having
the outside on this bend was never known
to win. Consequently Cornell having that
position, strove to leave 1t, to get the
pole" as trotting horse men say. There is
little doubt, then, that she was in fault.
But public interest in the race was SO grea.
ent to make point Of the matter. and the
umpire wisely ordered fresh start. Again
Cornelrs four jumped into the lead, which
was maintained until the crews reached lie
bend Then the race became a procession
The crew having the inside went ahead and
the others fell in behind. No crew could
row against that current on the outside
station.
In order to obtain a race with a college
four a contest was arranged between Cor
nell and Hartford College, oxford 1t was
supposed that this would be an actual in
tercollegiate contest. But the Hartford
College four was not the Hartford crew that
rowed that year for the Visitors cup, but
a crew composed Of two college men and
two graduates. 1t was, in fact, the crew
that defeated the Thames Rowing Club for
the Stewards challenge cup. The race was
rowed Saturday morning, July 2 over the
Henley course. 1t was nip and tuck until
Cornell's shell ran into the bank from hug
cling the shore too closely. squirt put
them on even terms with Hartford, but
again poor steering ran them too close to
the bank and the port oars upset a child
So much time was lost by this catastrophe
that Hartford obtained a commanding lead
and Cornell padded in. 1t might excuse
Cornelrs bow to state that the veteran
Thames crew lost their race on the pre-
ceding day by running into the bank where
Cornell did. Since then the course has been
changed.