Evening journal., 1912-02-21
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Disputed Minute That
Gave Us a Great National
Sport
By Holland

It was always the opinion of the
Ward brothers, who fifty years ago
were famous as the American cham
pion oarsmen. that the real beginning
of great public interests in rowing
races between crews representing
Harvard and Yale universities was
caused by a dispute, not settled to this
day, which followed the race on Lake
Quinsigamond, near Worcester, Mass,
in June, 1865, between Yale and Har.
ward six-oared crews. The Ward broth
ers were fishermen, sailors and boat
men, who lived near Newburg, n. Y.
For years they had maintained four
Dared crew in which they met all
comers triumphantly. Two of them
afterward became hired trainers OF
college crews. One of them trained a
Yale crew in tho late sixties.
The races between crews of Yale
and Harvard were Of no more Shan
college interest until the race Of 1865.
In that race It was agreed that the
boats should race one and one-half
miles from the starting point at the
lower end Of the lake, then turn a
boat and return, making three miles
in all, including the turn. The racing
boats at that time were steered by the
bow oar, because he could look behind
him, and because it was not thought
advisable to carry the extra weight Of
a coackswain. The bow oar steered by
pushing with his feet against strips Of
wood which were attached to wires
and ran the length Of the boat and
we're connected with the rudder The
laf.r f.f 1,n Vol,
Scranton, afterward mayor of Scran-
ton, Pa, and one of the most distin-
guished public men of eastern Penn
sylvania The Ward brothers saw this
race and they afterwards said that
both boats contained as fine speci-
mems of physical manhood as ever
sat in boat. 1t was neck and neck
from the start to the turning boat, but
from that point Yale gained and
crossed the finish line a victor by
several boat lengths.
When the timekceper announced the
time officially as seventeen minutes
and forty-two seconds for the three
miles, including the turn, it seemed
TO many as though a mistake must
have been made. For, to row a three
mile race which included a turn Of
a stake boat in seventeen minutes and
forty-two seconds was something
which at that time had never been
accomplished by a six-oar crew. The
Harvard timekeeper insisted that the
official timekeeper had made a mis-
take and that Yale's time was a min
ute slower than that given out. He Of
fered his own stop watch as proof. But
Yale's timekeeper offered his stop
watch as proof that the official time
keeper was correct.
Hank Ward said: There are not
six men in the world-never we're
who could row a three-mile race upon
a turnabout course in seventeen min
utes and forty-two seconds" Wilbur
Bacon, the captain and stroke of the
Yale crew, a man of Herculean frame,
replied, "It may never have been
done before, but it was done in this
race"
THE controversy began TO pass
from college grounds to the news.
paper press. The public took sides
There was no official way Of deciding
the controversy Harvard claimed thai
Yale's timekeeper and the official
| timekeeper had made a mistake, anc
]
great crew had rowed that race in
seventeen minutes and forty-two sec
onds
It's bound to make college racing
popular" said Hank Ward at the
height of the controversy, "and you'll
find the people everywhere lookiul
to the struggle next year between
Yale and Harvard.
Il was exactly as Ward had predict
ed The controversy as to whether o
not Yale had won rowing race Il
! unprecedented and almost impossible
time caused public attention to b.
fixed the next year on the race be
tween Yale and Harvard, and fron
that day to this college rowing race
have been great national sport, AM
especially since 1878, when clever
colleges entered the contest on tn
four-mile course of the Connection
river near Springfield, Mass.
While this disputed time is still re
: membered by those who have follOwe
American college racing, yet I think
was never known generally that tn
great oarsman, Hank Ward, gave It q
/, his opinion that the dispute woul
lead to the recognition Of the colleg
n rowing race as one of our great ma
: tional sports.
Copyright, 1912, by r. J. Edwards. al
} rights reserved)
, Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell 9
"a Fulfilled Prediction Of Two Fam
GUS Musicians"