Evening star., 1915-01-21

prominent London newspapers came
out with the story of the deaths by
| wholesale among oxford and Cam
bridge rowing men certain DR.. Nor
gan made Il careful and comprehen-
sive investigation into the matter and
gathered definite statistics relating to
every man who had rowe ed in the boats
and quite disprovcd the charges that
had been made by showing that in the
long series OF years of English row
ing only fifteen men could by amy pos
sibility of construction be proved to
have been injured by the sport
The question of the proper length of
an intercollegiate boat race has fur
nished food for discussion ever since
| there was any rowing at the colleges,
but the first precedent in American
colleges seems to have been established
when in the summer of 1S4i the crew
of the Dugout Canoe at Yale chal-
lenged the crew of the Iapstreak Gig
to race to the lighthouse. which is
just about four miles. Perhaps it
would be well to draw :: Veil over the
result of this race, especially in view
OF the question of Sportsmanship.
F'ra'ikne:;s. however. compelS us to de-
scribe it. The conditions of the race
provided that both crews should stand
on the pier SO that the ability to get
quickly into the boat and out from
Tits moorings should be part of the
contest. The crew of the Dugout
Canoe made this stipulation in the
rapidly than the crew of the lighter
boat.
Another stipulation was that neither
of the crews should do anything to
their boats ip the meantime, as each
was fearful that the other would
q q "a II ga nr 1iSh ha hot
boat. When the day of the race came
there was much excitement. Both
crews got into their boats successfully
and rushed side by side down the swift
current under the bridge, but as soon
as the still water was reached it was
evident that the Lapstreak Gig had
what is known as 4 hang between
strokes. But this hang was unac-
countably bad. and although the crew
sprang against its oars and redoubled
eventually put for the shore to see
what was the matter. Here it discov-
cred that a stout ring had been
screwed into the keelson of its boat
and a gOod-sized stone attached. 1t
was given out that the universal be-
crew had broken any of the articles
Of the agreement, SO far as doing any
thing to the bottoms of their own
boat. However. to return to the dis
for four-mile racing was established
In England. in races between oxford
and Cambridge, and that standard of
a four-mile course of rather some
thing over four miles mas been main
tanned ever since 1S45. The Yale-Har
ward races began with the two-mile
straightaway in 1852, followed by Il
three-mile, or. rather, mile and a
half down stream and return in 1865.
This mile and a half and return pre-
vailed until 1872, when in the twelfth
intercollegiate regatta the course was
laid on the, Connecticut river at
Springfield and WAS three-mile
straightaway. They kept to this for
second year at Springfield and then
the colleges. went to Saratoga, but
there, also. rnwed three miles straight
away for two years, 1S74-1s75. In the
second Of these years no less than
thirteen eight -oared college crews par
ticipated. In 1873 Yale and Harvard
went to tire fourmile straightaway
course, and this they have rowed ever
since. The old intercollegiate regatta
was speedily abandoned and was not
renewed until the four-mile Pough-
keepsie races started. DR.. Meylan of
Columbia not so very long ago made
careful and painstaking investiga-
tion of the results of four-mile row.
ing, and the conclusions were as geati-