Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-10-15
BOWDOIN'S FIRST
GREAT BOAT RACE.

what came to college for. as In tail,
par Ia any Such frivolous sports. Rut
aias ior my good intentions, | soon he
,"hie "'t'er acquainted with sn, m
coHeSe rowing than | could ever hay.
dreamed possible in my early Eresh.
men days.
The next year our class hou,h,
iour-oared shell and formed a elias,
crow. The State regat., WAS :,
o" reld a: fall a, 4, !, an,
the college entered crow,
But the college crew had sno.
a'u 'uch' 'he DOW oar having to give
up On account of boils. and the stroke
VII a.couht OF an attack of whoopinc
c'us"' 'hat II was finally decided to
81" OUT Grass crew to represent the
coi'ese III that race. and l was given y
sea' III the boat. 1t was only two
weehs pefore the race and though
had had plenty of experience rowing
oatteauS and running RATS on the river
al nome. | had never been in n racin.
smell. with outriggers nor used =
spoon oar. But | soon found that
could Keep my balance and row o,ite
stroke. though the oars seemed mere
~ playthings to the big ones I had
been accustomed to using On the day
OF the race nearly the whole college
Went iiukinS on the railway down 10
Bath. as the old song says. to see the
regatta. There We're four other crews
beside ours. the Longshoremen of
portland. afterwards famous crew
the f-meralds of Portland. with Pat
and Mike Davis for stroke and bow
the Ariels OF Portland and the CLEANS
OF bath. The water was pretty rough
down at the start and it was with
difficulty We could get into our boat
from the tug and get started
e were nearly out of the starting
line when a big wave struck nv oar
and | cought = crab with such force
as TO break my oar off at the button.
We went back to the tug and found
that our spare oars had been left in
the boat house three miles away, The
Longshoremen refused TO wait for us
TO get another oar and to our great
chagrin and the keen disappointment
of the whole college the race was
started without the Bowdoin crew.
his was not a very promising be-
ginning for boating at Bowdoin. but it
was the beginning of herracing against
outside crews. That same year the
intercollegiate rowing association was
formed and the first race rowed at
Springfield. Mass. Only two crews en-
tered. Harvard and the Amherst
'Aggies.' To the surprise of all. ac-
ceptinS those who knew how crews
were then picked out at Harvard. the
'Aggies' won. At the next meeting
Bowdoin sent representatives to the as
ISOLATION and entered crew for the
race.
To be represented in such an asso-
citation and to have the prospect of
crew in the race. gave a great stimu-
lus to aquatics at Bowdoin. and the
whole attention of the students was
devoted to that branch of athletics
Volunteers We're called for to begin
training for the Varsity crew, and
every one began reading about the
Harvard and Yale and oxford and
Cambridge races. and rowing talk
was uppermost in all the College Clubs
The race was to be in six-Oard shells
without a cockswain. three miles
straightaway. About a dozen men be-
gan training in the old Common
Hall'-then the gymnasium, now 1
believe the carpenter shop.
II did not expect to be a member of
the crew for there were SO many others
who seemed better fitted for it than
/ was, but as | liked the exercise, hay
ing been used to hard work in the mill
at home. l kept up practice with the
crew all winter. George Price. the
10 Of he "a, paris Crow
so called because it had won the races
at the Paris Exposition in 1se'-was
engaged to train the crew, when the ice
should go out of the river. and 1t
could begin work on the water. \ new
shell was ordered from Elliott, the
famous boatbuilder of Greenpoint, \.
Y. For practicing, until the crew
could sit in a shell-an old slX-oared
lapstreak was hired from Portland. AT
length the ice went out and the trainer
nut in an appearance to pick out the
crew. and teach them the racing stroke
You may imagine my surprise Wheh IL
was announced that | was TO be given
q seat in the crew. We found 1t no
easy task to go down to the river Deiore
breakfast every morning ana again
after supper and pull that heaNE zap
streak over the two mile course nan
of the way against a strong tide. with
the trainer in the stern keenly Watcn-
ing every motion. and urging us to 90
a little more all the time. our hands
were soon blistered and every muscle
in our bodies lame and sore. not 10
mention other discOmfOrts caused DE
sliding on the seats to get little longer
stroke. But our hands soon became
tOuchened our muscles hardened 10
the work. our wounds healed ana We
trained off our second wind. SO that
the work became easier each DAY. Oui
new shell came at last and to our Sred.
disgust we found that an old lady' III
examining it while coming down upon
the boat. had punched a hole through
the bottom of it with the end or hef
umbrella, This meant two more Weeks
in the heavy lapstreak. F1nailE we So'
our new shell and our new spoon oh'
from Ross Of New Brunswick tne
famous oarmaker of the Paris Crew
and then we began to find out what
we could do. The result of our tune
rows was very encouraging Tor Soou
place in the race During commence
ment week Of that year. in order tna'
seff