The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-12
EVOLUTION OF RACING BOATS.
ENGLISHMEN SEE LITTLE ADJ
VANCE IN STYLE or BUILD.

scr OF AL Racing Craft-tfis ocse0c'
Lost Art-Cambridge Boat OF TIT
Year Constructed on similar Lines
English rowing critics have arrived a
the conclusion that in the science Of build
ing eight-oared racing shells there hal
been but very little advance OF late years
This theory has been strengthened by thu
fact that Cambridge has for two year
defeated Oxford in a boat Of the sam'
length and constructed on the same line
az the famous shell built for the Roya
hester Rowing Club by Matt Taylor IL
1855. She was 81 feet over ell and has lonl
been regarded a. the predecessor OF al
modern racing ships In . recent edi
torial the Field treats Of the subject ex
haustively a. follows:
The modern racing boat appears &c
the casual observer to have little in com
mon with seagoing craft beyond notation
and yet the evolution OF the one from the
other occupied but one-fourth Of the whole
period during which boat-racing has been
a pastime In and bet een the universities
As late as 1874 both universities were racing
in inrigged Fights. and yet by 1887 both
had adopted the modern keelless build OF
been a further salient advance. since the
last named date. in the matter Of sliding
seats; but as regards the general principle
Of the hull, there practically has been no
advance since Matt Taylor pioneered and
revolutionized the build with his keelless
Chester boat, constructed for Mr. Little
dale's Grew TO row at Henley In 1855.
-The earlier developments Of racing
craft were rapid in their arrivals. 1t must
be borne in mind that at first the majority
Of rowboats were built to carry goods OF
passengers. as we'll as the oarsmen who
propelled them, and impromptu boat racing
in its infancy had to dsport itself in such
craft as were found ready made for the
pastime. The ordinary lifeboat and ships
pinnace, or cutter, were one and all con.
structed to be capable Of carrying more
than the actual oarsmen. and the earliest
'eight-oared cutters as they were called
that were built to order for college boat
the universites) were constructed on sea.
going lines, and with accommodation for
more than one sitter beside the coxswain.
Probably some or all Of the early eight
oars OF Eton, under Regency. were similar
in build. and hence the origin Of the tradi-
ton Of the 'bounteous sitter on q 9Th
Of June or election Saturday. Old prints
Of aQuatics often owe much to the artists
imagination, but IL the builds depicted in
some old illustrations OF 9Th of June
festivities are correct. then the naval
character OF the craft is verified.
But as soon as emulation had produced
trials Of speed between rival crews, and il
was realized that not every boat was a.
speedy al another. II was but natural that
oarsmen should study build with a view
to greater velocity. The whaleboat,
which is not designed to rescue a ship.
wrecked crew, but to be rowed speedily
with only a coxswain and harpooner as
cargo. seems to have been an early ideal
for emulous college crews. and the cele-
brated white boat OF Exeter College
was built at Plymouth on this plan by Little
in 1924.
at is probable that this craft Ia the basis
Of various old prints Of alleged individual
college crews at Oxford. and Of the Oxford
crew Of 1879. which are still to bs met with
here and there. The boat was painted by
Turner. unnamed, consequently she float cd
two strakes too high out of water. The
depicted ship became a copy. into which
divers crews in various uniforms. " ere
placed in imagination by different artists,
with varying backgrounds Of sections
Of the Oxford River; and these ideal crews,
one and all. hoated 40 high that 1t is a won
der how the oarslnen ever reached the
water with their blades. Such was the
criticism and record of the late Rev Thomas
Staniforth (stroke Of Oxford, 1872 J on the
subject in 1881. and mostly likely the vet
eran was correct. There In a well-kno vn
print OF humping racer on the Cam. as
seen from the Plough, at much the same
date Ohe 2Os). and therein the eight oars
(manned) sit q good two streaks deeper
than this stereotyped Oxford vessel. all OF
which tallies with Mr.. Staniforths criti-
cism.
In those days it was recognized that q
racing boat must not be a parallelogram
with two pointed ends, but should have
less beam AZ bow and stroke than amid
ships. The outcome of this was VARYING
lengths at each set OF oars, each oarsman
having as much inboard az could pass
between his rowlock and the opposite gun
vale. Hence, Nos. 8 and 4 are the longest
oars. and the shortest were bow and stroke.
This tradition died hard Even after
sliding seats had come In bow and stroke
oars Of eight were shorter than the rest of a
set. as we learn from 'Argonaut' g. dimensions
in his Boat Racing. 1871 edition. We also
learn from the same author that the Tyne
had been far ahead OF the Thames In inven-
ton, and that outriggers (wooden) had
once been used on Tyneside az early az
1873. and rough iron riggers In 1880.
But II was not until 1874 that Harry Clasper
brought his Outraged four to the Thames
for a regatta, and beat Coombes's four
dnrigged). Prior to this wager, boat build
ing for sculling had developed the inrigged
racing wherry on the Thames-a crank
craft with rowlocks open, unstrung, and
sea ting only sculler, and with gunwales
hared abruptly out to give leverage at the
rowiocks; outraged in a clumsy sort Of
way, and failing TO hit OF the Columbus
solution Of an iron outrigger. But Clasper's
visit at once converted the duller Thames
hui lders and by i4s an outraged eight
had been launched at Searles's, and picture
and description Of her appeared in the Illus
trofed London News Of that day. She passed
sever al steamer. says the press writer
in that Journal when manned by eight
watermen. Next year the two universities
adopted the new build for their match.