Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/477

 ROWING 457 and Harvard resolved to row no more races on Lake Quinsigamond, and the 12th college regatta took place, July 21, 1871, on the Connecticut river, 6 m. above Springfield, when Harvard and Brown were beaten by the Amherst agricultural crew, which made the three-mile course in 16m. 47 s. In 1872 the number of college crews increased to 6, in 1873 to 11; in 1874, when Columbia won in 16 m. 32| s. on Saratoga lake, it fell back to 9, and in 1875 increased to 14. In the intercollegiate race on Saratoga lake, July 14, 1875, 12 colleges competed over a three- mile course, Cornell winning in 16 m. 53 J s., Columbia coming in second in 17 m. 4J- s., and only a half length in advance of Harvard. The college races have improved every year. Besides lengthening and narrowing the boats, improving the oars, and introducing foot rud- ders, the number of strokes per minute has been increased, with more uniformity and pre- cision. The more powerful men are placed in the waist of the boat, the lighter ones at the ends, and for stroke oar a medium weight, tough, wiry man, who will maintain the re- quired quickness through the race and force the heavy men behind to do the same. In- stead of turning a stake boat, the races are now on a straight course from start to finish. This obviates the danger of collisions at the turning, and permits the introduction of more boats. While the college races have been mainly instrumental in improving and making)* popular rowing in the United States, other amateur clubs and professionals have not been idle. For many years past, on July 4, Boston has held a rowing regatta, with prizes sufficient to encourage good local ability, bring out fast work, and stimulate rowing in New England generally. Occasionally crews from St. John, Portland, and Pittsburgh, and often the Wards, the Biglins, and Harvard men, have competed in these races. Fast single scullers sprang up from time to time, the names of R. F. Clark, M. Smith, John Tyler, jr., Fay, Appleton, and Walter Brown becoming well known, and these men materially reduced the time formerly needed to cover two miles. The Atalanta boat club of New York was organized in 1848, and in 1874 it was the oldest of 91 clubs in the state. Philadelphia has nearly a score of clubs, some of them 20 years old, while Pittsburgh has half as many ; and of late years the inter- est has been spreading throughout the west and south, till Georgia has 12, Michigan and Cali- fornia each 20; and in 1874 there were 364 known rowing clubs in the United States, own- ing real and personal property to the aggre- gate value of more than $500,000. It was not till 1859 that there was any formal contest between professionals for the championship at single sculling. Stephen Roberts, now (1875) a boat builder in New York, had for many years beaten nearly all contestants; but in a five-mile race off Staten island, Oct. 11, 1869, Joshua Ward of Cornwall on the Hudson won the championship, beating three good men. On Aug. 14, 1862, James Hamill of Pittsburgh wrested it from him on the Schuylkill near Philadelphia, but in less than a year Ward won it. back at Poughkeepsie; 13 months later, at the same place, it went again to Hamill; and less than a year afterward at Pittsburgh he once more defeated Ward. W T alter Brown of Portland took it away from him at Pittsburgh, and lost it to him again at Newburgh a few months later, in a race for $4,000. In 1866 Hamill went to the Tyne to contest with Harry Kelly, the English champion, and was twice badly beaten. Apart from these contests be- tween single scullers, another class of profes- sionals were competing. In 1860, at Lake Quinsigamond, "Josh" Ward with five oth- ers from the Hudson, though carrying a boy as coxswain weighing 40 Ibs., rowed 3 m. in the Gersh Banker in 18 m. 37 s., the fastest time then on record. Many times during the next 12 years the Biglin brothers of New York proved their claim to the championship. Hamill at Pittsburgh, Stevens at Poughkeep- sie, and Coulter at Pittsburgh, each succeeded in getting together a fair crew. But not till Josh Ward, with four of his brothers and J. L. Raymond, in July, 1868, at Worcester, beat the Harvard crew in 17 m. 40 s., the fastest time ever made in America over a three-mile turning course, was the champion crew of America generally rated very fast. In 1867, at Springfield on the Connecticut, the Wards had easily beaten a picked crew from St. John, N. B., in a contest for $1,000 and the Ameri- can championship, course three miles to stake boat and return, the Wards winning in 39 m. 28 s. In October, 1868, St. John sent to the same course its "Paris crew," which in the exposition races of 1867 had beaten the picked crews of England and France, and now won $3,000 and the championship, covering the six miles in 39 m. 28f s., the Wards coming in 60 s. behind. In 1870 the champion English four, with Renforth at stroke, met these St. John men at Lachine, Canada, and in a six-mile race beat them by half a minute. In 1871 the Tyne crew, including Renforth and Henry Kelly, again tried the St. John Paris crew on the Kennebecasis river, N. B., but hardly a mile and a quarter was rowed when Renforth, dropping his oar, fell backward into the boat, and shortly afterward died. Congestion of the lungs, caused by over exertion, was the coroner's verdict. A few days later, at Hal- ifax, his crew, with John Bright as the new man, was beaten by the Biglins of New York, who were third, the other English crew being first and a Halifax boat second. But on Sept. 11, at Saratoga lake, came the greatest inter- national race of all, the course being two miles to line of flag boats and return; the prizes were $2,000, $1,250, and $750. The contestants were the Ward brothers, the Tyne crew, the Biglins, another Tyne crew, the Ste- vens four from Poughkeepsie, and a crew from