Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-05
FIRST SLIDING SEATS.
"Dick" Morgan Tells of Their Initial
Use on the Potomac.

81 was much pleased with a recent arti-
Gle in The Star relating to the early row.
ing races on the Potomac. and especially
the sailors yarn Of my friend Ftlgit in
regard to the race in 1871 between the
Anacostias and Potomacs," remarked Mr..
Richard Morgan, once famous as an oars
man, as he stood with a group of friends
watching the Georgetown University boys
from the Aqueduct bridge.
Those days of II were glorious ones in
the annals OF loval rowing" he continued.
and the four clubs of this city Wed with
one another In endeavoring to outrow the
other in long, dreary and tiresome turning
races of three miles. I was then q men,
Der Of the Arlington Club and together
with the Anacostiab we used the lower
part of the river for our rowing, that Is,
down near the arsenal. as 1t was then
called, or Washington barracks OF today.
1T was rough work rowing in those
days, rough because the sliding seat was
then an unknown quantity. swivel oar
locks never dreamed Of, heavy boats, and
water that seldom, II ever, was smooth
enough to make fast time. We had the
up-river clubs skinned II they came down
to row on our course, but II we ever got
above the Long bridge the advantage waA
with the smooth water boys from the
Ana!ostans and Potomacs. We had a race
arranged with the Analostans. October 20,
1871. but John Biglin. the great scuIler
and oarsman Of New York. who had
coached the Analostans, refused to let
them go to the line on account Of the
rough water. Arthur Shepherd. the ref
cree, ordered the race to be rowed. Tho
Analostians still refusing, our crew start
ed alone, but after going about half the
distance was swamped by the heavy sea.
THE first important race between these
old time rivals, the Analostians and Poto-
macs. took place a few days later. Me-
vember >, 1871, on what was then the
upper course, starting in the neighbour
hood of the old Analostian boathouse,
where now stands Cumberland's public
house. going down stream one mile and q
half and return. The result OF that race
led to dispute that was continued for q
long time, the defeated crew claimink
that Its stakeboat had been moved down
stream a hundred yards or more further
than that used by the victors.
Il was convinced that the claim was all
moonshne. for on the day of the race the
Analostans were a better trained crew
than the Potomacs, were better boated,
and used for the first time on the Poto-
mac river sliding seats. which helped
them at least twenty lengths In the dis
lance rowed. From the start the Ana
lostans led, their strokework being su-
perior in every way to the Potomacs, and
the new sliding device giving the men the
finest motion ever seen In a boat on the
Potomac river.
.It was the Analostans' first victory
over their Georgetown rivals, ana though
II led up to an agitation over the stake
fol md INN r&to
tors unhesitatingly awarded the palm OF
victory to the Analostans and took little
stock in the story of moving OF the stake
boat. l was afterward a member OF the
and later Joined the POtomAos
but the memery of that day 10 very GrAen
with me, for. like hundreds OF others,
was narrow and conservative and took
little stock in the value OF the sliding
Analostan crew changed my way of
thinking quickly and there were hundreds
like ME. for in a few weeks every racing
craft on the river was equipped with
some sort of sliding seat arrangement.
whether made OF metal runs or leather
seats to the oarsmen's rowing trunks
on which they slid over hardwood
smeared with lard.
1T was a glorious period, and though
the ambitious youngsters of the Potomac
have given us some splendid regattas ana
exhibitions in late years. nothing can aim
the record of the earlier period when the
men put up with SO much hardship In
order to reach perfection In their train
ing. while today 1t is all ease and com
fort in the racing shells az compared with
bygone days"
Mr. Richard Morgan still takes a lively
interest In rowing. was once the amateur
champion of the south in sculs. and was
Il member of the champion four-oared
crew that defeated Analostans, L'hiron-
dele of Baltimore, Neptunes Of Baltimore
and score of other rowing organizations
when prizes were ut stake.