New-York tribune., 1897-06-22
ROWING WEEK on THE HUDSON.


With the beginning of the intercollegiate boat
Ing week il is evident that the eghtOared races
on the Hudson are attracting more attention
| and arouslng more genuine interest than have
rewarded rowing contests in this country FOR
many years. Their drawing power is not quite
| equal to the Queens Jubilee, but certainly II
that great celebration had not conceded in point
OF time with these aquatic competitions they
| would have come pretty near filling the field
OF public observation in American eyes. ms
revival Of interest in a sport which had lost
much of its Oldtime Importance can be easily
explained by the unique conditions which exist
this wear. The arrival Of Mr.. Lehman, the
most famous and successful OF coaches, whose
thoroughly wholesome love Of amateur athletics
in general and of that branch in which he has
won distinction in particular led him to put his
skill and experience at the service Of Harvard s
long discounted and rather discouraged oars
men. was enough Of itself TO arouse unusual
| interest In contest which would put his prirl-
| ciples and methods to new test. The suDse-
| ouent restoration Of friendly relations between
| Yale and Harvard and CorBells courteous ad-
| mission of the former to her already appointed
race with the latter greatly enhanced the gen.
! eral satisfaction and when Columbia and Penn
sylvania were entered for places In the pro-
| qramme of the week. though not for the chief
event. the college rowing regatta Of 1897 as
| sumed n character which has been lacking for
| more than twenty years.
| Doubtless there are many persons who hope
| that the triangular race on Friday will be the
| first in long series Of contests to which other
| connections will be successfully admitted until
every college which can turn out crew OF
decent quality is struggling for the pennant and
the spectacle which was presented at Spring
| field and Saratoga in the early seventies Is re-
| produced on the Hudson. An impulse Of that
sort is not unlikely to be impaired by the events
| of this week at Poughkeepsie but we DO not
believe that It will lead to such result or that
the result would be satisfactory if it did. Some
of the older colleges. and especially lale nave
| been accused of breaking up the Saratoga re-
| gattas. but that is not fair statement or the
| case 1t may be admitted that Yale liked them
still less than any of her rivals but in reality
| they were not broken up by any college They
| broke down of their own weight. 1t was i'm
nossible TO guarantee safe, equitable and pleas
| urable conditions. There were too many COM
| pettors. and the probability of unhappy COM
| plications ending in an accidental victory was
| too great The melancholy crowd that drifted
| away in a dreadfully impecunious condition
| from Saratoga in 1874. after waiting for three
| days TO see a race which most of the spectators
voted failure convincingly testified to the
truth upon which Yale subsequently acted.
That the Hudson is better adapted to the
reourements of six or eight or a dozen crews
| than Saratoga Lake has not been proved, and
| cannot bc proved this year. In fact, there are
several important questions which the present
week NAV settle adversely TO the supposition that
the Poughkeepsie course is suitable for three
or even two fragile boats in a race. While the
crews have been training there during the last
two or three weeks the water has been unfit to
row on n great part of the time and there is
more reason than we wish there were to rear
| that fate will order tedious delays and post
| nonpments The New-LOndOn course Is much
more trustworthy in this respect as long ex-
| perlence has proved: but the Thames certainly
| has not enough good water for many boats at
| n time Possibly scheme Of rowing in heats.
| after the custom at Henley, may be evolved in
consequence of the coming contests at Pough-
| keepse. There is much TO be said in favor or
| such an arrangement, and an American Henley
would doubtless be popular for time at
| least 1t has TO he considered, however, though
| the fact NAV be regretted and the feeling which
| il signifies condemned that there Is strong
sentiment among the graduates and students
of both Yale and Harvard in favor of dual
! league in boating. This sentiment grows ont OF
their ancient rivalry and is not essentially ridic-
ulous, as those who attribute it TO supercous-
ness have sometimes contended 1t may grow
weaker and disappear, or it may possibly in
crease and have its way. 1t certainly exists
! and must be rcckoned with in forecasting the
! future Of intercollegiate boat-racing.