The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-08
HENLEY REGATTA.
Lawyer John E. Sui
livan's Interesting
Address.
OUT AT THE LAKE.
His Eloquent Tribute to
English Love Of
Fair Play,

Attorney John E. Sullivan, Of the
Wachusett Boat Club addressed an
audience of 200 at the Wachusetts
lake house yesterday afternoon, taking
for his subject "The Henley royal re-
gatta." Invitations to hear the adj
dress had been sent to officers Of all
clubs at the lake, members of the city
| government, selectmen of Shrewsbury,
members of the Board of Trade, gov
ernors of the Quinsigamond interna-
tionaI regatta and members of the high
school crew.
Mr.. Sullivan was a spectator at the
Henley regatta in 1897, when Edward
H. Ten Eyck won the Diamond SOULS.
He saw his clubmate win all his heats
in the three days racing and was we'll
capable to speak on the great Eng
lish event. His address was illustrated
by large chart of the Henley course,
which was copied from the stewards
| official program. Mr.. Sullivan was
| listened to with great attention and at
the close of the address was warmly
applauded. He handled his subject in
| a clear and concise manner, speaking
in substance as follows:
Henley is the Mecca of the aquatic
world. 1t is to boating men what the
| Derby is to lover of the turf. "To Hen
ley and then die!" is the motto of the
old timers. The town is small, of very
little account, and the regatta is its
staple industry. There is a proverb,
1T always rains at Henley" and a
regatta without rain is almost without
precedent. The year 1897 was an ex
ception to this rule; the air was balmy
and delightful; the sun shone clear
and bright, not a cloud in the heavens.
The races were record breakers. Virgil
must have witnessed such a race when
he compared the speed of his, crews to
the headlong flights of chariots in the
amphitheatre at Rome.
The annual "Henley-o Thames re-
gatta" was founded in 1889, the sport of
! that year being limited to one race
the grand challenge cup for eight
| cared shells with coxswains In sue
ceeding years other events were added,
until now the program is long and
varied. For ten years before there
had been eight-oared races, and the
Institution of the Henley regatta was
the outcome of these matches.
The Diamond SOULS, established in
1874, is a race for single-scull shells,
open to all amateurs duly entered for
/
regatta.
The course is along the Thames. or
l and Bile miles long, almost straight
| The races are rowed up stream, or
against the stream, but the course be-
| ing short and between two locks, the
| current is slight During the regatta
navigation is suspended, and the cur
rent of the stream is deadened still
more on account of the continual clos
| 40 A
several years shows that the course
| averages about ten seconds slower than
| dead-water for eight-oared crews, and
a little more for tours, pairs or singles
| The river is wide enough for three
crews to row abreast with ease and
safety, but difficulty came in keeping
| the river free from pleasure-craft and
| so it becomes necessary to fence off
| the course. The nuisance resulting from
pleasure boats getting in the way of
| the rowers is abated, but only two
boats can row abreast; so that the
many races and the large number of
entries multiply the number of heats
and lengthen out the regatta to three
| days, and in some cases to a part Of
| the fourth
With only two boats in a heat, extra
labor is made for the competing oars
men. If you have more than four en-
| tries in a race, three rounds Of heats
are necessary, and if there are more
| than eight starters, the winning crew
may be compelled to row in four heats.
Some of the oarsmen enter in two
races, which gives them seven or eight
heats, and few in three races, which
may give them ten or twelve heats.
| The English or Henley system has,
| however, its advantages, which I may
| discuss if 1 should lecture to you on
the Qunsigamond international regat-
| ia. For the present, let it suffice to say
| that after a careful consideration of
the subject in all its bearings, the gov
ernors of the latter decided to intro
duce the English system, and give it a
| fair trial; but we are not welded to
it, and If it does not fulfill our expect
ations, there will very likely be
change. We are not anchored to the
past; our aim is to secure the best.
The course at the national regatta OF
! American amateur oarSmen, and most
other American regattas, is a mile and
half, sometimes with, sometimes
without a turn; the Henley course IS
mile and five-sixteenths, so that there
is very little difference in the two
standards; least of all can we plead
excuse for defeat by claiming that we
are not used to their courses.
In England and America very little
attention is paid to the details OF a
race. At Henley everything is looked
after to the smallest circumstance.
Nothing is left to chance. On the day
| before a race a committee take dimen-
sions of every boat that is to be en-
tered next day. At the starting point
small platform is erected and the
side is measured off into feet, inches
and sixteenths of an inch. The boat is
backed down the side to its proper
mark and securely held. Opposite is
similar platform. Along the sides
the boats are drawn. We will suppose
the first boat was 81 feet in length
and the second 81 feet and inches.
The stern of the latter is drawn down
six inches lower than the first, so that
the prows of the two boats are exactly
even, although there is a difference of
six inches at the stern There was
time in the history of races at Henley
when the boats were started even at
the stern. The longer boat was required
to cross the winning line a distance
greater than the difference in the
length Of the two boats. That is the
difference in length was taken from
the lead Of the longer boat. The dis
advantage of the old system is readily
seen. The boats are now in a position
headed directly straight up stream.
The oarsman does not have to look
around to see if his boat is straight;
running alongside the platform. the
boat cannot be otherwise. The umpire
cries out Are you ready?" and re-
ceiving no reply, he shouts ''Go!" The
boats at once take to the water, those
holding them by the stern release their
hold, and the gun is fired. The start
is by the word Of the umpire, not by
the gun, although the latter is so close
that there Is practically little differ
~ TN.