New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-18
Au,. Z: &rM
THE OARSMAN'S DAY.

THE OARSMAN'S DAY.
HIS SPORT FLouRIsHEs ESPECIALLY
AT THIS SEASON.
r,,r FASCINATION WHICH 1T ExERcIsEs-iIS
MANY FOLLOWERS IN ANp ABOUT THIS
DEVELOPMENT OF A FIRMLY
ESTABLISHED BRANCH
OF ATHLETICS.
oro ., the most healthful and interesting OF
spor,s IL rowing IL is not only a form OF eNer-
| c,ee that Aeveops the body. but 1t also qlicKehs
md brghiens the mind as well. what more po's-
u-abe form OF exercise can be imagined ""'
sk,rmne over the surface Of beautiful river on
an early summer M rning or Wnen the moon i
showing s form in the heavens? SPIN OF 'h''
kind in a shell or gig will put new fe ana Vlgor
into any man. In mj.ern rowing every mUSc' ol
the body IL brought INTO play. yet there - no IN
due strain or tension. The hcath!ulness OF inc
Snort IS attcs;ed by the long lives Of the majority
| OF oarsnen.
Having is Also a sport that appeals to tho public
st large and "a rowing race or a regatta VIII always
attract "A big crowd. The sharp lines OF the
finely Constructed boats. the gayiy-colored though
| scant costumes OF the oarsmen, and tho gracctul
and rapid nanror Ia which they propel their scuIIs
through the water are worth golng long way TO
see.
Rowing is also ono Of those sports In which the
wives daughters. sisters and sweethearts OF the
oarsmen can lake part All well-resuated boat
clubs have included IN their stock OF boats hummer
OF craft which carry guests. and barge parties are
among the prominent features OF the seasons out
| iugs or late thcro has been decided revival IN
rowing and there IL now a much greater activity
among the clubs than has been apparent In recent
years
AN ANCIENT PASTIME.
Rowing was introduced into England by the
! Saxons as a pastime about the time Of Alfred the
Great with the coming OF the Normans boat
ultng. which a kind Of passage alarms on
the water was made popular. As far as modern
history relates the first bOatracc took place In tho
! early part OF tho eighteenth century. AT the ac-
| ccsslon - George ! 20 mo throne. tho coz. ma
badge race introduced. Tho honor OF bring
Ing about the nrst boatracc Is given to an actor.
Thomas Dogset,. He f. said TO have been a clever
comedian with ,ondness for sport The affair
took place annually beginning in i'i5
SLOW GROWTH OF REGATTAs
The Arst regatta vas rowed IN England In l775.
| and I, DID not appear 20 meet with popular APP
! prevail and support. as II vas not until nearly Il
! quarter ot century atterwari that the next one
Wa. held Unul the beginning Of the present
| fury all the rowing contests in England were by
professional oarsmen. or watcrmen. as they were
| then called
Soon after this the English people began TO ind
amusement In rowing as a sport. and n number OF
| amateur clubs were formed.
In 1877 Eton College rowed four-oared race
| against n crew Of wntermen. and won II. much TO
the establishment OF the Waterman.
SPREAD IN THE COLLEGES
oxford appears to have taken up rowing In 1915
| bu, Cambridge did not have eiaht-oared boat
until 1926 The crews Of these two universities met
in battle royal on the water FOR the first time on
| juno 10 1879. The race was rCwed on the Thames.
and after a hot and close confess, oxford In
1896 the from these colleges met for the
ond time and the race resulted in n Victory for
Cambridge. The college crews met again In 1899.
| and from then until 1915 they rowed twelve races,
OF which Cambridge won seven and oxford Ave
Since then annual racee have been rowed by crews
OF Cambridge and oxford.
IN THIS COUNTRY.
Boatraclng IN the United states dates back 70
about tho beginning OF the century The first boat
race hercabouts was contested year before the
breaking out Of the War Of 1912 II was the result
Of challenge issued by New-York to Long Island
for four-oarei barge race with coxswalns. The
race rowcd from Harsimus, y. j.. to point
of the Battery, and the New-York oarsmen won
easily.
In 1894 the Castle Garden Boat Club Association
was formed and despite its clumsy namo It
seems to have been a success.
BEGINNINGS AT HARVARD AND YALE.
As far "a the American colleges are concerned. It
is recorded that neither Yale nor Harvard had a
boat club or owned a boat Until 1913 1874 The
first intercollegiate boat race ever rowcd In this
country held at Centre Harbor. Lake
Winnepesaukee, on August g. 1852. IL a race
between eight-oared lapstreak boats and was won
by Harvard. In the early days Of college boat
racing the colleges used to enter four six or eight
Dared boats In the same race. and they used to be
handicap ped according 10 size
In 1855 the large colleges on the suggestion OF
rules 10 govern boat-racinr. At this convention
Harvard. Yale. Brown and Trinity were repre-
Association OF American Colleges was formed by
bsS as rs.ss m and
until the following year when she did so, and was
leges represented in the association and six
took part In the regatta Of the following year at
Cornell did not begin rowing until long after
Yale or Harvard. and the Cornell Navy was not
about n year, but 1t was not until 1873 that she
h he' last t'G regatta OF the Rowing Assocaon OF
American Colleges The Cornell Varsity and fresh.
single-sculer. Francis. also defeated ali corners
INTERNATIONAL CONTESTS
On August H. 1862 Harvard sent a four-oared
! crew England and rowed race with oxford
over the Putney course. oxford won the race In
1878 Columbia College sent over a crew and her
and colleges OF oxford and HEREFORD. ''''''
the ssss Of MGhs"n but
. | crew succeeded In winning anything.
, In the following year the fast American Hills
r dale crew number OF races In England. bu,
was not pcrl9ltted TO In the Henley regatta.
An international regatta was held on the
Schuyikill River at Philadelphia 1876 at the timo
, | OF the Centennial Exhibition and three crews
from Great Britain took part In It, They repre-
} scented the London Rowing Club, Dublin univer-
, sity and Trinity College. OF Cambridge All were
. defeated
A BIG CONFEDERATION.
Y The National Association OF Amateur Oarsmen
which formed In 1872. has held twenty-six an.
nuai regatas The last one was held on the schuyl-