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OF 

SPORTS   AND    PASTIMES 

EDITED    BY 

HIS   GRACE   THE   DUKE   OF   BEAUFORT,   K.G. 
ASSISTED    BY    ALFRED    E.  T.  WATSON 


BOATING 


PRINTED    BY 

SPOTTISWOODE    AND    CO.,    NEW  STREET    SQUARE 

LONDON 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/boatingbOOwoodrich 


BOATING 


BY 


W.  B.  WOODGATE 


WITH  AN   INTRODUCTION   BY  THE  REV.  EDMOND  WARRE,  D.D. 

AND 

A    CHAPTER   ON    ROWING   AT    ETON 
BY    R.  HARVEY   MASON 


iriTH  NUMEROUS  ENGRAVINGS   AFTER    FRAN/C   DADD 
AND    FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS 


LONDON 
LONGMANS,     GREEN,     AND     CO. 

1888 


All    rights    reserved 


DEDICATION 


TO 


H.R,H.    THE  PRINCE   OF   WALES. 


Badminton  :  March,  1887. 

Having  received  permission  to  dedicate  these  volumes, 
the  Badminton  Library  of  Sports  and  Pastimes, 
to  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
I  do  so  feeling  that  I  am  dedicating  them  to  one  of  the 
best  and  keenest  sportsmen  of  our  time.  I  can  say,  from 
personal  observation,  that  there  is  no  man  who  can 
extricate  himself  from  a  bustling  and  pushing  crowd  of 
horsemen,  when  a  fox  breaks  covert,  more  dexterously 
and  quickly  than  His  Royal  Highness  ;  and  that  vv^hen 
hounds  run  hard  over  a  big  country,  no  man  can  take  a 
line  of  his  own  and  live  with  them  better.  Also,  when 
the  wind  has  been  blowing  hard,  often  have  I  seen 
His  Royal  Highness  knocking  over  driven  grouse  and 
partridges    and   high-rocketing   pheasants    in    first-rate 

M7516G2 


vi  DEDICATION. 

workmanlike  style.  He  is  held  to  be  a  good  yachtsman, 
and  as  Commodore  of  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron  is 
looked  up  to  by  those  who  love  that  pleasant  and 
exhilarating  pastime.  His  encouragement  of  racing  is 
well  known,  and  his  attendance  at  the  University,  Public 
School,  and  other  important  Matches  testifies  to  his 
being,  like  most  English  gentlemen,  fond  of  all  manly 
sports.  I  consider  it  a  great  privilege  to  be  allowed  to 
dedicate  these  volumes  to  so  eminent  a  sportsman  as 
His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  I  do 
so  with  sincere  feelings  of  respect  and  esteem  and  loyal 
devotion. 

BEAUFORT. 


PREFACE 


A  FEW  LINES  only  are  necessary  to  explain  the  object 
with  which  these  volumes  are  put  forth.  There  is  no 
modern  encyclopaedia  to  which  the  inexperienced  man, 
who  seeks  guidance  in  the  practice  of  the  various  British 
Sports  and  Pastimes,  can  turn  for  information.  Some 
books  there  are  on  Hunting,  some  on  Racing,  some 
on  Lawn  Tennis,  some  on  Fishing,  and  so  on  ;  but  one 
Library,  or  succession  of  volumes,  which  treats  of  the 
Sports  and  Pastimes  indulged  in  by  Englishmen — and 
women — is  wanting.  The  Badminton  Library  is  offered 
to  supply  the  want.  Of  the  imperfections  which  must 
be  found  in  the  execution  of  such  a  design  we  are 
conscious.  Experts  often  differ.  But  this  we  may  say, 
that  those  who  are  seeking  for  knowledge  on  any  of  the 
subjects  dealt  with  will  find  the  results  of  many  years' 
experience  written  by  men  who  are  in  every  case  adepts 
at  the  Sport  or  Pastime  of  which  they  write.  It  is  to 
point  the  way  to  success  to  those  who  are  ignorant  of 
the  sciences  they  aspire  to  master,  and  who  have  no 
friend  to  help  or  coach  them,  that  these  volumes  are 
written. 


viii  PREFACE. 

To  those  who  have  worked  hard  to  place  simply  and 
clearly  before  the  reader  that  which  he  will  find  within, 
the  best  thanks  of  the  Editor  are  due.  That  it  has  been 
no  slight  labour  to  supervise  all  that  has  been  written  he 
must  acknowledge ;  but  it  has  been  a  labour  of  love, 
and  V'Cry  much  lightened  by  the  courtesy  of  the  Publisher, 
by  the  unflinching,  indefatigable  assistance  of  the  Sub- 
Editor,  and  by  the  intelligent  and  able  arrangement 
of  each  subject  by  the  various  writers,  who  are  so 
thoroughly  masters  of  the  subjects  of  which  they  treat. 
The  reward  we  all  hope  to  reap  is  that  our  work  may 
prove  useful  to  this  and  future  generations. 

THE   EDITOR. 


The  author  desires  to  record  his  thanks  and  indebted- 
ness to  the  following  gentlemen,  for  much  kind  co-opera- 
tion and  assistance,  and  for  leave  to  reproduce  passages 
from  their  valuable  works  upon  aquatics : — Geo.  G.  T. 
Treherne,  Esq.,  author  of  '  Record  of  the  University 
Boat  Race';  E.  D.  Brickwood,  Esq.  ('Argonaut'), 
author  of  '  Boat  Racing ' ;  L.  P.  BRICKWOOD,  Esq., 
Editor  of  the  'Racing  Almanack';  the  Proprietors  of 
the  *  Field  ' ;  the  Proprietors  of  '  Land  and  Water,'  and 
Mr.  R.  G.  Gridley  for  kindly  assisting  with  the  Map  of 
the  Cambridge  Course. 


ILL  USTRA  TIONS. 

(Engraved  by  W.  J.  Palmer,  J.  D.  Cooper,  and  G.  Pearson, 

AFTER      DRAWINGS      BY      F.      DaDD     AND     PHOTOGRAPHS     BY     G. 

Mitchell,  Hills  &  Saunders,  and  Marsh  Bros.) 


FULL-PAGE   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


From  a  phoiograph 


General  View  of  the  Henley "I^ 

Regatta  .  .  .  .j 
Method    of    Starting     theI 

College  Eights  prior  to  I  Frank  Dadd     . 

1825,  Oxford  .  •  -J 
Starting    the    Eights,    Old)  j^      t  r>  jj 

Course,  Henley       .        . )  ^^^'^^  ^^^^^     • 

Coaching  University  Crew  .     Frank  Dadd     . 

Embarking       ....     Frank  Dadd     . 

Pair  Oars— Imminent  Foul  .     Frank  Dadd     . 

Bumping  Race— Waiting  for"!  j-.  ^.j,  ,       ^u 

the  Gun   .         .         .         /^  From  a  photograph 

Off  the  Brocas.         .         .     .     Frank  Dadd     . 
Thames       Watermen       and)  e'.     h  D  dl 


Wherries  . 
Cliefden  (River  Scene) 


From  a  photog?-aph 


Frontispiece 
To  face  p.    28 


40 

68 

84 

124 

170 

202 
218 
242 


WOODCUTS    IN 

Vignette  on  Title-page  . 
Fleet  of  Egyptian  Queen. 
Ancient  Boat  depicted  on  Vase   . 
Bas-relief  of  ancient  Greek   Rowin 

Boat 

Ancient  Galley  Fight,  from  Pompeii 
Henley  Course  (between  Races) 
Oxford  Boat  in  1829 .... 
Bumping  Races  (old  style)     . 


TEXT. 

ARTIST 

.     Frank  Dadd 

.     From  a  photograph 

.    Frank  Dadd     . 


Frank  Dadd     .         .19 

.    Fraitk  Dadd     .     '    .     21 
.     From  a  photograph    .     26 

T  Fro7n  '  Record  of  the  f  3^ 
J  University  Boatrace '  ^  t^t, 


ILL  USTRA  TIONS. 


A  College  Pair        .         .         .         .         .  From  a  photograph 

Towing  Guard  Boats  up  Henley  Reach  From  a  photograph 

Pair  OAR From  a  photograph 

Gondola .  From  a  photograph 

BiSHAM  Court From  a  photograph 

Marlow From  a  photograph 

A  Scratch  Eight  ('Peal  of  Bells')      .  From  a  photograph 

Medmenham  Abbey From  a  photograph 

'  Prose  ' Frank  Dadd 

BisHAM  Court  Reach        ....  From  a  photograph 

F'eather  'under'  the  Water  .         .     .  From  a  photograph 

Practising  Stroke  (i)       ...  From  a  photograph 

Practising  Stroke  (2) From  a  photograph 

Practising  Stroke  (3).      .         .         .         .  From  a  photograph 

Practising  Stroke  (4) .         ,         .         .     .  From  a  photograph 

A  College  Four From  a  photograph 

Four-oar       .......  From  a  photograph 

Near  Medmenham From  a  photograph 

Close  Quarters Frank  Dadd     . 

A  Spili Frank  Dadd     . 

Sculling  Race,  with  Pilots  in  Eight- ^  .,      7  n  ^7 

\  prank  Dadd     . 
oars J 

Pumped  Out Frank  Dadd     . 

The  Last  of  the  Thames  Wherries     .  From  a  photograph 

'  Poetry  ' Frank  Dadd     . 

Going  to  Scale         .         .         .         .         .  Frank  Dadd     . 

Smoking  is  Forbidden         .         .         .     .  Frank  Dadd     . 

'  Run  a  Mile  or  Two  '     .         .         .         .  Frank  Dadd     . 

Four-oar From  a  photograph 

Early  Amateurs F?'ank  Dadd     . 

Windsor From  a  photograph 

A  Foul Frank  Dadd     . 


PAGE 

•  37 

•  39 

•  41 

•  43 

•  53 
.  66 

•  75 

•  79 
.  83 
.  92 
.  102 
.  no 
.  no 
.  Ill 
.  Ill 

.  118 

.  121 

.  123 

.  127 

.  133 

•  139 
.  141 
.  142 

•  153 

•  157 
.  165 
.  167 
.  178 
.  192 
.  200 

.  '238 


MAPS 


The  Oxford  Course 
,,     Cambridge  ,, 
,,     Henley         ,,    . 
,,     Putney        ,, 


To  face  p.  288 

296 

318 

,.        322 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    Introduction i 

II.    The  Rise  of  Modern  Oarsmanship      .        .    .  26 

III.  Scientific  Oarsmanship       .        .        .        .        .53 

IV.  Coaching 66 

V.    The  Captain 79 

VI.    The  Coxswain  and  Steering         .        .        .    .  92 

VII.     Sliding  Seats 102 

VIII.    Four-oars 118 

IX.    Pair-oars 123 

X.    Sculling 127 

XI.    Boat-building  and  Dimensions         .        .        .142 

XII.    Training 153 

XIII.  Rowing  Clubs 178 

XIV.  The  Amateur,  his  History  and  Description  192 
XV.    Rowing  at  Eton  College 200 

XVI.    Watermen  and  Professionals       .        .        .    .  217 

XVII.     Laws   of    Boat-Racing   (their   History,    and 

Rules  of  the  Road) 238 

'The  Temple  of  Fame' 243 

Appendix ,    .        .        .      -.  313 

Index 331 

a 


Erratum. 
Page  119,  line  19, /c^r  Bodleian  rt'arf  Radleian. 


As  parts  of  human  life  and  practice  the  out-of-door 
games  and  amusements  with  which  Englishmen  are 
familiar  have  had  a  long  course  of  development,  and 
each  has  its  own  history.  To  trace  this  development 
and  history  in  any  particular  case  is  not  always  an  easy 
task.  Most  of  the  writers  who  deal  with  these  subjects 
treat  the  '  Origines '  in  a  summary  fashion.  Not  a  few 
ignore  them  altogether.  The  Topsy  theory,  '  'spects  it 
growed,'  is  sufficient. 
And  yet  if  it  be  possible  to  deal  more  philosophically  with 
a  subject  of  the  kind,  the  attempt  ought  not  necessarily  to  be 
devoid  of  interest.  It  involves  a  retrospect  of  human  life  and 
human  ingenuity.  It  will  trace  development  in  man's  ways  and 
means,  marking  points  which  in  some  regions  and  with  some 
races  have  determined  the  limit  of  their  progress,  and  in  others 
have  served  as  stepping-stones  to  further  invention.  It  will 
present  facts  which  will  not  only  not  be  disdained  by  the  true 

B 


2  BOATING, 

student  of  men  and  manners,  but  will  serve  to  broider  the 
fringes  of  serious  history,  and  will  give  additional  light  and 
colour  to  the  record  of  the  character  and  the  habits  of  men. 
For  indeed  the  sports  and  pastimes  of  a  people  are  no  insigni- 
ficant product  of  its  national  spirit,  and  react  to  no  small  degree 
upon  national  character.  They  have  not  unfrequently  had 
their  share  in  grave  events,  and  the  famous  and  oft-quoted  say- 
ing of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  respecting  the  playing  fields  at 
Eton  {se  non  e  vero,  e  hen  trovato)  contains  a  truth,  applicable  in 
a  wider  sense  to  national  struggles  and  to  victories  other  than 
Waterloo. 

Pastimes  and  amusements  generally  may  be  divided  into 
two  main  classes:  (i)  those  that  have  been  invented  simply  as  a 
means  of  recreation,  such  as  cricket,  tennis,  racquets,  etc. ;  and 
(2)  those  that  have  their  origin  in  the  primary  needs  of  man- 
kind. The  latter  have  in  many  cases,  as  civilisation  has 
advanced,  and  the  particular  needs  have  been  supplied  in  other 
ways,  survived  as.  pastimes  by  reason  of  the  natural  pleasure 
and  the  excitement  and  the  emulation  which  accompanied  them. 
Of  this  latter  class,  those  that  have  appropriated  the  name  of 
'sport'  par  excellence^  such  as  hunting,  shooting,  fishing,  etc., 
hold  the  field,  so  to  speak,  in  antiquity,  as  compared  with  other 
pastimes,  having  their  origin  in  the  initial  necessities  and 
natural  instincts  of  man,  which  compelled  him  to  fight  with 
and  to  destroy  some  wild  beasts,  that  he  might  not  himself  be 
eaten,  and  to  catch  or  kill  others  that  he  might  have  them 
to  eat. 

The  spirit  of  emulation  and  the  pride  of  skill,  and  the 
desire  of  obtaining  healthy  exercise  for  its  own  sake,  have  been 
among  the  principal  causes  which  have  converted  into  sports 
and  pastimes  man's  means  and  methods  of  locomotion.  Almost 
every  class  of  movement  which  can  be  pressed  into  that  form 
of  competition  which  is  called  a  race,  or  in  which  a  definite 
comparison  of  skill  is  possible,  has  been  enlisted  in  the  host  of 
amusements  with  which  civilisation  consoles  its  children  for  the 
loss  of  the  wild  delights  of  the  untutored  savage. 


I 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

Among  these  perhaps  the  most  important  and  the  most  con- 
spicuous is  Rowing,  which  as  a  serious  business  has  played  no 
inconsiderable  part  in  great  events  of  human  history,  and  as  a 
pastime  is  inferior  to  none  of  the  class  to  which  it  belongs. 
Its  votaries  will  not  hesitate  to  claim  for  it  even  the  chief  place, 
by  reason  of  the  pleasure  and  emulation  to  which  it  so  readily 
ministers,  as  a  healthful  exercise,  and  as  a  means  of  competitive 
effort  requiring  both  skill  and  endurance. 

But  the  oar,  before  it  ministered  to  recreation,  had  a  long 
history  of  labour  in  the  service  of  man,  which  is  not  yet  ended, 
and  itself  was  not  shaped  but  by  evolution  from  earlier  types, 
of  which  the  paddle  and  ultimately  the  human  hand  and  arm 
are  the  original  beginnings. 

Will  it  be  wearisome  to  speculate  on  these  beginnings,  and 
"to  try  to  cast  back  in  thought  and  research  for  the  first  origins 
of  the  noble  pastime  which  forms  the  subject  of  the  present 
volume  ?  Fortunately,  in  savage  life  still  extant  on  the  habit- 
able globe  we  have  the  survival  of  many,  if  not  of  all,  the 
earliest  types  of  locomotion.  Man  in  his  natural  condition  has 
to  follow  nature,  and  by  following  to  subdue  her  in  his  struggle 
for  existence.  Climate  and  race  differentiate  his  action  in 
this  respect,  and  results,  under  parallel  circumstances,  similar, 
though  different  in  detail,  attend  his  efforts  in  different  parts  of 
the  world. 

A  land  animal,  he  is  from  the  first  brought  face  to  face  wnth 
water,  deep  water  of  lakes,  and  of  rivers,. and  of  the  sea,  and  in 
all  these  he  finds  bounds  to  his  desires,  as  well  as  things  to  be 
desired  ;  opposite  shores  to  which  he  wishes  to  cross,  fish  and 
vegetable  grow^th  which  he  wants  for  food.  Horace  tells  us 
that  '  oak  and  triple  brass  he  had  around  his  breast  who  first 
to  the  fierce  sea  committed  his  frail  raft,'  but  the  first  man  w^ho 
committed  himself  to  deep  water,  and  essayed  the  oarage  of  his 
arms  and  legs,  must  have  been  free  from  such  incumbrances, 
and  yet  have  had  a  stout  heart  within  him.  And  simul- 
taneously with,  or  even  prior  to  such  adventure,  must  have 
been  others  of  a  similar  character  aided  by  a  piece  of  wood,  or  a 

B  2 


4  BOATING. 

bundle  of  rushes,  or  an  inflated  skin,  the  elementary  boat,  the  very 
embryo  of  navigation.  Such  beginnings  are  still  in  evidence  on 
the  western  coast  of  Australia,  where  savages  may  be  seen  sitting 
astride  on  a  piece  of  light  wood  and  so  venturing  forth  upon 
the  waters  of  the  sea.  Homer,  who  in  the  Odyssey  delights  in 
making  the  man  of  many  counsels  and  many  devices,  with  all 
his  wealth  of  what  was  then  modern  experience,  find  himself 
reduced  to  the  shifts  and  expedients  of  a  man  thrown,  like  the  > 
savage,  upon  his  own  solitary  resources,  pictures  to  us  Ulysses 
seated  astride  upon  the  mast  of  his  shipwrecked  vessel  and 
paddling  with  both  hands,  thus  reverting  in  his  distress,  as  no 
doubt  others  have  done  since,  to  the  very  earliest  method  of 
navigation,  now  only  practised  for  choice  by  savages,  whose 
progress  in  navigation,  as  in  other  things,  has  been  checked  at 
this  early  stage,  and  who  remain  the  nearest  visible  types  of 
primitive  man. 

But  some  savages,  other  than  they,  did  make  progress  in  the 
matter  of  locomotion  by  water,  and  the  next  step  was  the  raft, 
of  which  the  earliest  type  known  is  the  sanpan,  three  pieces  of 
buoyant  wood  tied  together.  On  this  construction,  which  sup- 
phed  the  earliest  generic  names  both  in  the  east  and  in  the 
west  (sanpan,  cxeSt^/,  ratis)^  a  man  would  stand  and  paddle 
and  move  along  upon  the  water,  and  assert  his  power  of  hand 
and  eye  with  the  weapons  with  which  native  ingenuity  had 
already  supplied  him. 

In  warm  climates,  where  swimming  had  become  a  necessity, 
and  the  very  children  from  their  earliest  years  had  been  habitu- 
ated to  the  water,  the  familiarity  that  breeds  contempt  of  the 
very  danger  which  at  a  previous  stage  acted  as  a  deterrent, 
would  soon  encourage  attempts  to  improve,  and  enlarge,  and 
increase  the  speed  of  the  rude  vessel  in  common  use.  These 
attempts  would  naturally  follow  the  line  of  providing  the 
means  for  conveying  in  safety  other  things  besides  the  living 
freight  of  the  human  person.  There  would  also  arise  the  very 
natural  desire  to  keep  things  dry,  which  would  spoil  if  wetted, 
Hence  the  enlargement  of  the  raft,  and  then  the  protection 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

afforded  by  platforms  raised  upon  its  central  surface,  or  by 
planks  ^aid  edgewise  so  as  to  make  a  defence,  a  breastwork 
against  the  wave. 

And  no  doubt  by  this  time  the  use  of  the  sail  for  propulsion 
had  become  familiar,  and  man  had  already  prayed  his  god  for 
'the  breeze  that  cometh  aft,  sail-filler,  good  companion.'  But 
interesting  as  it  w^ould  be  to  trace  the  effect  of  the  sail  upon  the 
construction  of  vessels  and  their  development,  w^e  must  leave 
that  pleasant  task  to  those  who,  in  the  present  series,  will  treat 
of  the  yacht  and  its  prototypes  (aKaroi). 

The  earliest  method  of  propulsion  was  with  the  human 
hands.  In  the  picture  of  Ulysses  seated  on  the  mast  and  keel 
of  his  shipwrecked  vessel,  which  he  had  lashed  together  with 
the  broken  backstay  made  of  bullhide,  paddling  with  his  hands 
on  either  side,  Homer,  as  we  have  seen,  has  presented  us  with 
the  hero  of  the  highest  civilisation  known  to  him  reduced  to 
the  straits  of  the  merest  savage  ;  and  he  has  again  enforced 
this  idea  in  his  picture  of  the  same  hero  of  many  wiles  and 
many  counsels  devising  for  himself  the  means  of  escape  from 
the  island  of  Calypso,  and,  not  without  divine  suggestions, 
constructing  for  himself,  like  an  ancient  Robinson  Crusoe,  a 
primitive  raft,  wath  certain  improvements  and  additions  ;  a 
broad  raft  be  it  remembered,  and  not  a  boat.  A  boat  would 
mar  the  conception  which  presents  to  us  the  civilised  man 
driven  back  to  the  straits  of  barbarism  by  the  unique  circum- 
stances in  which  he  is  placed. 

This  is  the  point  which  ingenious  commentators,  who  have 
given  elaborate  designs  and  figures  of  Ulysses'  boat  and  written 
pages  upon  its  construction,  seem  to  have  missed.  The  poet 
has  added  colour  to  his  picture  by  bringing  the  new  and  the 
old  together.  And  of  a  truth  new  and  old  exist  together  and 
continue  throughout  the  ages  of  man  in  marvellous  juxtaposi- 
tion. The  fast  screw  liner  off  the  Australian  coast  may  pass 
the  naked  savage  oaring  himself  with  swarthy  palms  upon  his 
buoyant  log,  and  almost  every  stage  of  modern  invention  in 
ship-building  and  ship  propulsion  has   had  alongside   it   the 


6  BOATING. 

three-timbered  saripan,  and  the  original  types  of  raft  that  float 
in  the  Malay  Archipelago. 

But  we  must  follow  the  development  of  our  special  pastime 
through  its  embryonic  stage  to  a  moment  when,  all  unknown 
and  unseen  in  the  womb  of  time,  like  the  sudden  changes  which 
differentiate  the  gradual  ascents  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  being, 
unseen,  unknown,  and  unwritten  in  history,  that  great  event 
occurred,  the  birth  of  the  first  '  dug-out '  canoe.  Unnoticed 
perhaps  at  the  time,  the  importance  of  the  event  was  recognised 
by  the  poet  in  after  ages  as  a  real  forward  step  in  the  onward 
progress  of  the  arts.^    'Rivers  then  first  the  hollowed  alders  felt.' 

To  sOme  primitive  man  or  men  in  advance  of  their  fellow 
men,  the  idea  of  flotation,  as  apart  from  the  mere  buoyancy  of 
the  material,  had  occurred,  and  suggested  the  hollowing  out  of 
the  log.  Wherever  and  whenever  this  was  first  effected,  it  was 
a  great  event  in  the  world's  progress.  A  simple  thought  had 
wedded  fact  destined  to  be  fruitful  to  all  future  ages.  O  proto- 
type of  the  longboat — of  the  frail  eights  which  freighted  with 
contending  crews  speed  yearly  over  Father  Thames  amidst  the 
cheers  and  applause  of  thousands  !  Where  wast  thou  launched  ? 
What  dusky  arms  propelled  thee  ?  What  wild  songs  of  exul- 
tation heralded  thy  first  successful  venture  ?  Once  achieved, 
what  present  benefits,  what  future  triumphs  didst  thou  not 
ensure  to  man  ?  In  the  power  of  carrying  somethmg,  or  any- 
thing beside  the  living  freight,  dry  and  secure,  and  in  the 
increased  facility  of  movement  and  of  turning,  must  have  been, 
manifest  from  the  first  the  advantage  of  the  canoe  over  the  raft, 
where  the  lapping  of  the  water  and  the  wash  of  the  wave,  in 
spite  of  all  contrivances,  could  scarce  be  kept  out.  How  soon 
must  efforts  have  been  made  to  increase  this  advantage  to 
obtain  greater  carrying  power  and  greater  speed  !  The  applica- 
tion of  the  sail  was  made  possible  by  the  ingenious  adaptation 
of  the  outrigger,  a  trunk  of  light  wood  laid  parallel  to  the  side 
of  the  dug-out  at  some  feet  distance,  and  attached  to  it  by 
transverse   bars.      The   oldest   type   and  the   type   with   this 

*  Virg,  Georg.  i.  136  :  '  Tunc  ainos  primura  fluvii  sensere  cavatas.' 


INTRODUCTION.  i 

improvement  still  survive,  and  the  ingenious  models  of  such 
craft  which  were  exhibited  at  the  Fisheries  Exhibition  in 
London  a  few  years  ago  will  have  been  noticed  by  many  of  our 
readers.  Twin  vessels  like  the  '  Castalia,'  and,  if  we  are  to  believe 
the  learned  Graser,  the  great  Tesseraconteres  of  Ptolemy,  had 
their  primitive  germ,  so  to  speak,  in  this  early  stroke  of  genius. 
It  may  appear  strange  to  some  boating  men  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  hear  a  good  deal  about  outriggers,  that  this  outrigger 
of  which  we  have  been  speaking  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
outrigger  with  which  they  are  familiar.  It  never  apparently 
passed  into  the  Western  Seas.  The  Mediterranean  knows  it 
not.  The  Andaman  Islands  and  the  Seychelles  are  its  westerns- 
most  hmits. 

But  if  the  invention  of  the  dug-out  canoe  was  a  step  onward 
in  the  general  progress  of  the  arts,  being  the  appreciation  and 
application  of  a  principle  in  nature,  a  still  greater  triumph  was 
achieved,  and  the  particular  art  still  more  decidedly  advanced,  by 
him  who  first  constructed  the  canoe  properly  so  called.  Herein 
was  the  real  prototype  of  the  species  boat.  A  skin  of  bark,  duly 
cut  and  shaped  so  as  to  taper  towards  the  ends  and  be  wide 
amidships,  was  attached  to  a  longitudinal  framework  or  gun- 
wale all  along  its  upper  edges,  and  this  itself  was  kept  apart  and 
in  shape  by  three  or  more  transverse  pieces  stretching  from 
side  to  side,  while  a  series  of  curved  laths  of  soft  wood,  the 
extreme  ends  of  which  also  fastened  to  the  gunwale,  served  to 
keep  the  vessel  itself  in  shape  and  to  protect  the  bark  skin  from 
the  tread  of  men  and  from  the  immediate  incidence  of  any  weight 
to  be  carried.  '  Ce  n'est  que  le  premier  pas  qui  cotlte.'  The 
idea  once  conceived,  whether  in  one  place  or  in  many,  and 
at  whatever  time  or  times,  could  not  be  lost  and  must  soon 
have  been  fruitful  in  development.  Of  this  class  by  far  the 
most  common  is  the  birch-bark  canoe,  which,  though  found 
also  in  Australia,  is  properly  regarded  as  having  its  home  upon 
the  American  continent.  If  not  the  original  of  the  type, 
yet  it  deserves  particular  attention  owing  to  the  peculiarity  of  the 
material  of  the  skin,  which  combines  lightness  and  toughness  and 


8  ,      BOATING. 

pliability.  A  truly  ingenious  and  original  idea  to  flay  a  birch 
tree  and  make  a  boat  of  its  skin  !  In  the  framework  of  the 
canoe  we  have  the  embryo  ribs  and  imvale  of  the  future  boat,  and 
the  three  cross-ties  may  be  regarded  as  the  ancestors  of  thwarts 
to  be  born  in  time  to  come.  As  yet  no  keel.  But  that  was 
soon  to  be.  Go  north,  and  trees  become  scarcer  and  dwindle 
in  size.  The  birch  is  no  longer  of  sufficient  girth  to  serve  the 
ingenious  savage  in  the  construction  of  a  canoe.  But  the 
inventive  genius  of  man  was  not  to  be  denied.  Skins  of  beasts, 
or  woven  material  made  waterproof,  stretched  upon  a  frame 
would  serve  for  the  same  purpose  as  bark.  But  a  stronger 
framework  was  necessary  for  a  material  thinner  and  more  pliable 
than  bark.  And  accordingly  in  all  this  class  (except  the 
coracle)  we  find  stronger  and  more  numerous  timbers,  including 
a  longitudinal  piece  from  stem  to  stern,  and  uprights  at  each 
end  acting  as  stempost  and  stempost  respectively.  The  rude 
canvas-covered  vessels  of  Tory  Island,  off  the  west  coast  of 
Ireland,  still  preserve  one  development  of  this  type,  close  at 
home  to  us  ;  while  the  cayaks  of  the  Esquimaux  and  the 
larger  fishing  canoes  of  the  Alaskans  and  the  Greenlanders 
exhibit  the  skin-clad  variety  in  many  forms.  In  one  of  the 
models  exhibited  at  the  Fisheries  Exhibition  the  framework 
showed  in  great  perfection  the  ingenuity  of  the  savage,  to  whom 
wood  was  a  very  scarce  and  precious  article,  short  pieces  being 
made  to  serve  fitted  together  and  fastened  with  thongs  of  hide,  the 
whole  being  covered  with  a  stout  walrus  skin.  Even  outriggers 
(as  understood  by  the  English  oarsman)  made  of  double  loops  ^ 
of  hide  just  long  enough  to  cross  each  other  and  enclose  the 
loom  of  the  oar,  were  attached  to  the  inner  side  of  the  gunwale. 
Not  only  bark  and  skin  and  canvas -covered  canoes  exist  and 
seem  to  have  existed  from  an  unknown  antiquity,  but  a  similar 
cause  to  thai  of  which  we  were  just  speaking,  viz.  a  scarcity  of 
wood  or  of  suitable  wood,  led  to  the  construction  of  canoes  of 
wood  made  of  short  pieces  stitched  together,  and  approaching 
more  nearly  to  the  type  of  vessel  which  may  be  called  a  boat. 
To  these  belong  the  canoes  of  Easter  Island  made  of  drift 


» 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

wood,  and  of  many  other  islands  in  the  Pacific,  which  are  truly 
canoes  and  propelled  by  paddles,  and  the  same  peculiarity  of 
build  extends  to  the  Madras  surf  boats,  which  are  more  truly 
boats.  Many  of  these  are  tied  together  through  holes  drilled 
or  burnt  through  a  ledge  left  on  the  inner  side  of  the  plank  or 
log,  a  peculiarity  noticeable  as  appearing  even  in  the  early  ves- 
sels of  the  Northern  Seas.  The  stitched  boat  has  not  a  nail 
or  a  peg  in  her  whole  composition,  but  the  structure,  though 
liable  to  leak,  is  admirably  suited  for  heavy  seas  and  surf-beaten 
coasts,  and  owing  to  its  pliability  will  stand  shocks  which  would 
shatter  a  stiifer  and  tighter  build.  This  being  so,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  vessels  larger  than  canoes  or  boats  were  constructed 
(some  authorities  say  even  as  large  as  200  tons  burden)  upon 
this  principle,  which  is  certainly  one  of  very  great  antiquity. 

There  is  also  a  curious  analogy  in  the  progress  of  construction 
of  these  sea-going  craft  with  the  natural  order  in  the  construction 
of  fishes,  that  is  to  say,  if  the  ganoids  are  to  be  considered  ante- 
cedent to  the  vertebrates  among  the  latter.  For  in  the  case  of  the 
stitched  vessels  the  hull  is  the  first  thing  in  time  and  construction, 
the  ribs  and  framework  being,  so  to  speak,  an  afterthought,  and 
attached  to  the  interior  when  the  hull  has  been  completed, 
whereas  the  later  and  modern  practice  is  to  set  up  the  ribs  and 
framework  of  the  vessel  first  and  to  attach  the  exterior  planking 
afterwards.  But  the  invention  of  trenails  and  dowels  must  have 
preceded  the  later  practice,  and  have  led  the  way  to  the  build- 
ing of  such  boats  as  those  described  by  Herodotus  (ii.  96),  the 
ancestors  of  the  Nile  '  nuggur '  of  modern  times.  Ulysses,  as  a 
shipwright  well  skilled  in  his  craft,  uses  axe  and  adze  and 
auger,  and  with  the  latter  makes  holes  in  the  timbers  he  has 
squared  and  planed,  and  with  trenails  and  dowels  ties  them  to- 
gether. The  wooden  fastenings,  be  it  remarked,  are  in  size  and 
diameter  severally  adapted,  the  first  to  resist  the  horizontal, 
the  second  to  resist  the  vertical  strain  to  which  the  raft  would  be 
exposed  upon  the  waves.  All  this,  we  may  observe,  points  to 
a  stage  anterior  to  that  in  which  the  use  of  metal  nails  and  ties 
in  ship-  and  boat-building  had  been  introduced.     Trenails  and 


ro  BOATING. 

dowels  are  however  still  in  use,  and  have  a  natural  advantage  over 
iron  in  the  construction  of  wooden  vessels,  owing  to  the  absence 
of  corrosion,  which  in  early  times  must  have  caused  difficulties 
as  to  its  employment  for  boat-building.  Copper,  on  the  other 
hand,  though  free  from  this  objection,  would  be  less  available 
by  reason  of  expense  and  the  great  demand  for  it  for  other 
purposes. 

And  now  we  have  reached  a  point  where  we  enter  upon  the 
borders  of  history.  No  doubt,  if  we  knew  more  about  the  vener- 
able antiquity  of  China,  we  might  be  able  to  add  interesting  facts, 
showing  the  development  from  the  earliest  sanpan  to  the  great 
liver  boats,  and  the  growth  of  that  curious  art  which  produced 
the  Chinese  junk,  a  vessel  undoubtedly  of  a  very  antique  type. 
But  this  knowledge  is  not  ours  at  present,  and  so  we  must  turn 
to  the  equally  venerable  civilisation  of  Egypt  for  information 
upon  the  subject.  In  Egypt  fortunately  the  tomb  paintings 
have  preserved  to  us  a  wealth  of  illustration  of  boats  and  ships, 
some  of  which,  if  we  may  trust  the  learned,  take  us  back  to  dates 
as  early  as  3000  b.c.  In  turning  over  the  interesting  plates  of 
such  works  as  Lepsius's  '  Denkmaler,'  or  Duemichen's  '  Fleet  of 
an  Egyptian  Queen,' we  are  struck  by  the  refection  that,  if  at  that 
early  date  boats,  and  ships,  and  oars,  and  steering  paddles,  and 
masts,  and  sailing  gear  had  all  been  brought  to  such  a  stage  of 
perfection,  we  must  allow  many  centuries  antecedent  for  the 
elaboration  of  such  designs,  and  for  the  evolution  of  the  savage 
man's  primary  conception  of  canoe  and  paddle. 

However  this  may  be,  the  lovers  of  our  pastime,  if  they  will 
consult  the  pages  of  the  works  above  mentioned,  will  find  row- 
ing already  well  established  as  an  employment,  if  not  as  an 
amusement,  in  the  hoar  antiquity  of  Egypt.  Not  only  the  Nile 
water,  whether  the  sacred  stream  was  within  his  banks  or  spread 
by  inundation  over  the  plain  within  his  reach,  was  alive  with 
boats,  busy  with  the  transport  of  produce  of  all  sorts,  or  serving 
the  purposes  of  the  fowler  and  the  fisherman,  but  the  Red  Sea 
and  the  Mediterranean  coasts  were  witnesses  of  the  might  and 
power  of  Pharaoh,   as   shown   by  his   fleets  of  great  vessels 


INTRODUCTION. 


I 


12  BOATING. 

fully  manned,  ready  with  oar  and  sail  to  perform  his  behests, 
ready  to  visit  the  land  of  Orient,  and  bring  back  thence 
the  spices  and  perfumes  that  the  Egyptians  loved,  together 
with  apes  and  sandal  wood,  or  else  to  do  battle  with  the  fierce 
Pelesta  and  Teucrians  and  Daunians  who  swarmed  in  their 
piratical  craft  upon  the  midland  sea,  entering  the  Nile  mouths, 
and  raiding  upon  the  fat  and  peaceable  plains  of  the  Delta. 

The  Egyptian  boats  present  several  noticeable  features.  Built 
evidently  with  considerable  camber,  they  rise  high  from  the 
water  both  at  stem  and  stern,  the  ends  finished  off  into  a  point 
or  else  curved  upwards  and  ornamented  with  mystic  figure-heads 
representing  one  or  other  of  the  numerous  gods.  The  steering  is 
conducted  by  two  or  more  paddles  fastened  to  the  sides  of  the 
boat  in  the  larger  class,  and  sometimes  having  the  loom  of  the 
paddle  lengthened  and  attached  to  an  upright  post  to  which  it 
is  loosely  bound.  A  tiller  is  inserted  in  the  handle,  and  to  this  a 
steeringcord  fastened,  by  which  the  helmsman  can  turn  the  blade 
of  the  paddle  at  will.  The  paddles  vary  but  little  in  shape. 
They  are  mostly  pointed,  and  have  but  a  moderate  breadth  of 
blade.  In  some  of  the  paintings  they  are  being  used  as  paddles 
proper,  in  others  as  oars  against  a  curved  projection  from  the 
vessel's  side  serving  as  a  thowl.  But  whether  this  is  solid  or 
whether  it  is  a  thong,  like  the  Greek  tjoottwtj/p,  against  which  the 
oarsman  is  rowing,  it  is  not  easy  to  say. 

The  larger  vessels  depicted  with  oars  have  in  some  cases  as 
many  as  twenty-five  shown  on  one  side.  In  others  the  number 
is  less.  But  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  artist  did  not  care  to 
portray  more  than  would  be  sufficient  to  indicate  conventionally 
the  size  of  the  vessel.  In  some  of  the  vessels  there  are  aper- 
tures like  oar-ports,  though  no  oars  are  shown  in  them,  which 
raise  a  presumption  that  the  invention  of  the  bireme,  the  origin 
of  which  is  uncertain,  may  with  some  probability  be  attributed 
to  the  Egyptians.  The  larger  vessels  are  all  fitted  with  sailing 
gear,  and  the  rowing  is  evidently  subsidiary  to  the  sail  as  a 
means  of  locomotion.  The  wall  paintings  of  Egypt  give  us 
ample  details  of  Egyptian  ships  and  boats  extending  over  a 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

period,  as  we  are  told,  of  twenty  centuries  and  more.  In  them 
we  have  a  gUmpse  of  the  maritime  enterprise,  in  which  the  oar 
must  have  taken  a  principal  part,  of  the  races  which  inhabited 
the  seaboard  of  the  Mediterranean  in  which  piracy  had  its 
home  from  very  early  times.  Teucrians,  Dardanians,  Pelesta 
(?  Pelasgians),  Daunians,  Tyrrhenians,  Oscans,  all  seem  to  have 
been  sea-going  peoples,  and  at  intervals  to  have  provoked  by 
their  marauding  the  wrath  of  Pharaoh  and  to  have  felt  his 
avenging  hand. 

But  of  all  the  seafaring  races  that  made  their  homes  and 
highways  upon  the  waters  of  the  great  inland  sea,  the  most  famous 
of  early  times  were  the  Phoenicians.  According  to  some  accounts 
connected  with  Capthor  (Copts),  and  according  to  others  emi- 
grants from  the  coast  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  their  genius  for 
maritime  enterprise  asserted  itself  very  early,  so  that  already 
before  Homer's  time  they  were  masters  of  the  commerce  of 
the  Mediterranean,  and  had  rowed  their  dark  keels  beyond  the 
mystic  pillars  that  guarded  the  opening  of  the  ocean  stream. 

And  yet,  though  the  facts  are  certain,  we  know  but  little  of 
these  famous  mariners,  of  their  vessels  and  their  gear.  The  only 
representation  of  their  vessels  is  from  the  walls  of  the  palaces  of 
their  Assyrian  conquerors,  an  inland  people,  not  likely  to  detect 
or  appreciate  any  technical  want  of  fidelity  in  the  likeness  pre- 
sented. And,  accordingly,  the  pictures  are  conventional,  telling 
us  but  little  of  that  which  we  should  like  to  know  about  their 
build,  and  oars,  and  oar  ports,  &c.  The  date,  moreover,  is  not 
in  all  probability  earlier  than  900  B.C. 

Such  being  the  case,  we  are  driven  for  information  to  the 
more  ample  store  of  Greek  literature,  and  to  Greek  vases  for 
the  earliest  representations  of  the  Greek  vessel. 

Homer  abounds  in  sea  pictures.  He  has  a  wealth  of  de- 
scriptive words,  touches  of  light  and  colour  which  bring  the  sea 
and  its  waves  and  the  vessel  and  its  details  with  vivid  and 
picturesque  effect  before  us.  His  ships  are  black  and  have 
their  bows  painted  with  vermilion,  or  red  of  some  other  tone  ; 
they  are  sharp  and  swift,  and  bows  and  stern  curve  upwards 


14  BOATING, 

like  the  horns  of  oxen.  And  withal  they  are  rounded  on  both 
sides,  and  well  timbered  and  hollowed  out,  and  roomy, 
having  by  the  gift  of  the  poet  a  facile  combination  of  all  the 
opposite  qualities,  so  desirable  and  so  difficult  in  practice  to 
unite.  As  yet  there  is  no  spur  or  ram,  but  round  the  solid 
stempost  shrieks  the  wave,  as  the  vessel  is  urged  onward  either 
by  the  mighty  hands  of  heroes,  or  the  god-sent  breeze  that 
follows  aft.  Nor  is  the  vessel  decked,  except  for  a  short  space 
at  bow  and  stern,  where  it  had  raised  platforms.  On  the  quarter- 
deck, so  to  speak,  of  the  stern  sat  the  great  chiefs,  whose 
warriors  plied  the  oar,  and  there  they  laid  their  spears  ready  for 
use.  There  also  was  the  standing  place  of  the  steersman  who 
wielded  the  long  paddle  which  served  to  guide  the  vessel. 
The  thwarts  which  tied  the  vessel's  sides  together  (yokes  or 
keys  as  they  are  called)  served  as  benches  for  the  oarsmen  ; 
those  amidships  had  the  heaviest  and  longest  oars,  so  that  they 
w^ere  places  of  honour  reserved  for  the  heaviest  and  strongest 
men,  e.g.  for  Hercules  and  Ancseus  in  the  Argo.  Whether  the 
'  sevenfoot,'  to  which  Ajax  retreats  from  the  stern  deck,  when 
defending  the  Greek  ships  against  the  Trojans  and  hard  pressed 
by  them,  be  bench  or  stretcher,  it  gives  us  an  idea  of  the 
breadth  of  the  Homeric  vessel  at  or  near  the  place  of  the  stroke 
oar.  Long  low  galleys  they  must  have  been,  with  a  middle 
plank  running  fore  and  aft,  interrupted  by  the  'tabernacle,' 
in  which  the  mast  when  hoisted  was  secured,  having  fore  and 
back  stays.  The  warriors  were  oarsmen,  the  oarsmen  warriors. 
The  smallest  complement,  as  Thucydides  observes,  was  fifty,  the 
largest  one  hundred  and  twenty. 

It  is  doubtful  how  far  the  Alexandrine  poets  can  be  relied 
upon  as  giving  accurate  information  respecting  details  of  ancient 
use.  Yet  we  have  many  lifelike  pictures  and  a  great  profusion 
of  details,  drawn  no  doubt  from  the  ample  stores  of  antiquarian 
knowledge  which  these  laborious  men  of  letters  had  at  their 
service  in  the  great  Alexandrine  library,  and  these  go  to  fill  up 
that  which  is  lacking  in  the  Homeric  picture.  And  so  when 
Apollonius  the  Rhodian  paints  for  us  such  scenes  as  those  of 


INTRODUCTION. 


15 


the  building  of  the  Argo,  the  launching,  the  detail  of  the  crew, 
and  the  starting  of  the  vessel,  we  cannot  help  feeling  that  they 
are  described  con  amore,  not  of  the  sea,  or  of  ships,  or  of 
rowing,  but  of  the  literary  beauty  of  similar  descriptions  by 
earlier  poets.  In  a  word,  they  are  at  second  hand.  But  better 
this  than  none  at  all. 

The  'bireme,'  or  two-banked  vessel,  does  not  appear  in 
Homer.  But,  as  we  have  seen,  it  was  probably  in  existence 
before  Homer's  time.  If  of  Egyptian  parentage,  it  was  adapted 
for  use  on  the  Mediterranean  waters  by  the  shipwrights  of  Sidon 
or  Tyre.  It  is  a  curious  reflection  that  this  remarkable  evolu- 
tion of  banked  vessels  should,  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  have 


ANCIENT   BOAT  DEPICTED  ON   VASE. 


occupied  about  two  thousand  years  ;  the  curve,  if  we  may  use 
the  expression,  of  development  rising  to  the  highest  point  in 
the  useless  Tesseraconteres  of  Ptolemy,  and  after  Actium  de- 
clining to  the  dromons  and  biremes  of  the  Byzantine  Emperor 
Leo,  and  finally  subsiding  into  the  monocrota  or  one-banked 
vessels,  the  galleys  of  mediaeval  times. 

The  problem  which  taxed  the  ingenuity  of  those  early  ship  - 
Wrights  was  briefly  this,  how  to  get  greater  means  of  propulsion 
by  increasing  the  number  of  oars,  without  such  increase  in  the 
length  of  the  ship  as  would,  by  increased  weight,  neutralise 
the  advantage  and  still  further  diminish  that  facility  in  turning 


i6  BOATING. 

which  was  of  the  greatest  moment  to  the  ancient  war-vessel. 
Galleys  with  fifty  oars  on  either  side  had  already  been  con- 
structed/ and  all  the  speed  that  a  hundred  pairs  of  hands  could 
give  had  been  obtained,  when  the  invention  of  the  bireme  exhi- 
bited the  means  of  nearly  doubling  the  power  without  much 
increasing  the  weight  to  be  moved,  since  but  little  additional 
height  or  breadth  was  required. 

The  normal  adjustment  of  the  horizontal  space  between 
the  oarsmen  was  then,  as  it  is  now,  regulated  by  that  canon  of 
the  ancient  philosopher,  '  Man  is  the  measure  of  all  things.' 
Twice  the  man's  cubit  gives  room  for  his  legs  when  in  a  sitting 
posture.  Hence  the  two-cubit  standard  (TX'/^a  '6i7rrjx,niK6v) 
which  is  referred  to  by  Vitruvius  as  the  basis  of  proportion  in 
other  constructions  besides  ships  and  boats.  Given  this  as  the 
interscalmium  (space  between  the  thowls)  or  distance  between 
points  at  which  the  oars  in  the  same  tier  were  rowed,  it  is  clear 
that  the  rowing  space  of  a  vessel's  side  would  be,  for  a  pente- 
conter,  or  twenty-five  a  side,  seventy-five  feet,  and  for  a  heca- 
tonter,  if  there  ever  was  such  a  thing,  150  feet.  To  this  must 
be  added  the  parts  outside  the  oarage  space  (Trapeleipeaia),  for 
the  bows  ten  feet,  and  something  more,  say  twelve  feet,  for  the 
stern.  So  that  a  penteconter  would  be  a  long  low  galley  of 
about  ninety-seven  feet  in  length.  The  new  invention  nearly 
doubled  the  number  of  oars  without  increasing  the  length  of 
the  oarage  space. 

It  was  found  that  by  making  apertures  in  the  vessel's  sides  at 
about  three  feet  from  the  water  and  dividing  the  space  between 
the  (zyga)  thwarts,  room  could  be  made  for  a  second  row  of 
men  with  shorter  oars,  but  still  handy  and  able  to  add  to  the 
propulsion  of  the  vessel.  For  these  seats  were  found  in  the 
hold  (thalamus),  and  hence  while  the  upper  tier  of  the  bireme 
took  their  name  from  the  zyga,  benches  or  thwarts,  and  were 
called  '  Zygites,'  the  men  of  the  lower  tier  were  called  '  Thala- 
mites.'  These  names  were  continued  when  the  invention  of 
the  '  thranos,'  or  upper  seat,  had  added  a  third  or  upper  tier 

^  Perhaps  even  with  a  hundred,  if  cKOTofvycs  is  to  be  taken  literally. 


I 


INTRODUCTION,  17 

with  longer  oars  to  the  system,  and  so  introduced  the  trireme. 
If  the  number  of  the  zygites  in  the  penteconter  was  twenty-five 
a  side,  and  the  first  bireme  was  a  converted  vessel  of  that  class, 
the  number  of  thalamites,  owing  to  the  contraction  of  the 
bow  and  the  stern,  would  necessarily  be  two  or  three  a  side 
less.  Thus  we  may  consider  a  converted  penteconter  to  have 
been  capable  of  carrying  a  rowing  crew  of  between  90  and  100 
men.  Similarly  a  triaconter  would  have  been  capable  of  adding 
nearly  twenty  pairs  of  arms  to  her  propelling  power.  When,  in 
consequence  of  the  new  invention,  vessels  were  expressly  built  as 
triremes,  we  may  imagine  that  for  convenience' sake  the  benches 
or  zyga  would  be  a  little  raised,  so  as  to  give  more  room  for 
the  raised  seat  of  the  thalamites  that  was  fastened  on  to  the 
floor  of  the  vessel. 

The  narrowness  of  the  vessels  affected  the  disposition  of 
the  rowers  in  the  Greek  galleys  in  a  peculiar  way.  It  is 
evident  from  the  testimony  of  the  ancients  that  they  adhered 
strictly  to  the  principle  of  '  one  man  to  each  oar.'  The  arrange- 
ment seen  in  mediaeval  galleys  was  absolutely  unknown  to  them, 
and  would  not  have  suited  them.  It  belongs  to  a  different 
epoch  and  a  different  order  of  things,  when  the  invention  of 
the  '  apostis '  had  made  the  use  of  large  sweeps  rowed  by  two 
or  three  men  possible,  and  a  vessel  with  sets  of  three  rowing 
upon  the  same  horizontal  plane  might  be  called  a  trireme, 
though  utterly  unlike  the  ancient  vessel  of  that  name. 

In  the  ancient  vessel  the  tiers  of  oarsmen  must  have  sat  in 
nearly  the  same  vertical  plane,  obliquely  arranged,  one  behind 
and  below  the  other.  Thus  in  the  bireme  the  zygite,  as  he  sat 
on  his  bench,  had  behind  him  and  below  him  his  thalamite 
whose  head  was  about  18  inches  behind  the  zygite  thwart  and 
a  little  above  it.  Moreover,  as  his  seat  was  now  a  little  raised, 
the  zygite  required  an  appui  for  his  feet,  which  was  formed  for 
him  on  the  bench  on  which  the  thalamite  next  below  and  in 
front  of  him  was  sitting  ;  on  either  side  of  him  his  feet  found  a 
resting-place.  As  the  zygite  fell  back  during  the  stroke  and 
straightened  his  knees,  there  was  plenty  of  room  for  the  thala- 

c 


1 8  BOATING. 

mite  below  to  throw  his  weight  also  on  to  his  oar.  There 
seems  to  have  been  but  little  forward  motion  of  the  body.  The 
arms  were  stretched  out  smartly  for  the  recovery,  as  we  learn 
from  Charon's  instructions  to  Dionysus  in  the  '  Frogs ''  of 
Aristophanes,  and  then  a  driving  smiting  stroke  was  given  (cf. 
the  words  eXavvctv,  Tratetv,  avaopiTTTeLV  aAa  tti/Sw)  and  the  brine 
tossed  up  by  the  blade. 

When  once  the  principle  had  been  established,  by  which 
additional  power  could  be  gained  without  increasing  the  length 
of  the  vessel,  and  had  been  tested  by  practical  experience,  its 
development  was  sure  to  follow.  What  century  witnessed  the 
birth  of  the  trireme  is  not  certain,  but  probably  by  800  B.C. 
the  earliest  vessels  of  this  description  had  been  launched.  The 
quick-witted  sharp-eyed  Greek  was  not  slow  to  copy,  and  by 
the  beginning  of  the  next  century  the  busy  shipwrights  of 
Corinth  were  building  the  new  craft  for  Samians  as  well  as  for 
themselves. 

It  is,  however,  in  the  Attic  trireme  such  as  composed  the 
fleets  of  Phormio  and  Conon  that  historical  interest  has  centred, 
and  though  quinqueremes  were  commonly  in  use  in  the  second 
and  third  centuries,  B.C.,  and  even  still  larger  rates  of  war  ves- 
sels constructed  till  they  were  inhabilis  prope  magnitudinis^ 
unwieldy  leviathans,  such  as  the  sixteen-banked  flagship  of 
Demetrius  Poliorcetes,  yet  the  interest  in  the  trireme  has  never 
failed,  and  the  splendour  of  its  achievements  has  insured  to 
it  an  attention  on  the  part  of  the  learned  which  no  other  class 
of  vessel  has  been  able  to  attract  to  itself.  The  problem  of 
construction  of  the  trireme,  and  of  the  method  of  its  propulsion, 
has  exercised  the  ingenuity  of  scholars  ever  since  the  revival 
of  letters.  It  has  a  literature  of  its  own,  and  it  may  fairly  be 
said  that  if  the  enigma  has  not  been  solved,  it  is  not  for  want 
of  industry  or  acumen. 

One  point  we  may  as  well  make  clear  at  once,  viz.,  that 
whatever  was  the  vessel  the  ancients  invariably  went  upon 
the  principle.  One  man,  one  oar.  Volumes  have  been  wasted 
in  attempts  to  prove  that  the  arrangement  of  the  ancient  galleys 


INTRO  D  UC  TION. 


19 


with' respect  to  propulsion  were  identical  with,  or  very  similar 
to,  those  of  the  mediaeval  galleys  of  Genoa  or  Venice.  But 
the  mediaeval  galleys  were  essentially  ?nofwcrota,  or  one-banked 
vessels,  though  they  may  have  been  double-banked  or  treble- 
banked  in  the  sense  that  two  or  three  men  were  employed 
upon  one  oar. 

Another  distinction  that  it  is  necessary  to  note  with  refer- 
ence to  the  ancient  galleys  is  that  they  were  called  Aphrad  or 


BAS-RELIEF  OF  ANCIENT  GREEK  ROWING  BOAT. 


Kataphract  according  as  the  upper  tier  of  rowers  was  unpro- 
tected and  exposed  to  view,  or  fenced  in  by  a  bulwark  stout 
enough  to  protect  them  from  the  enemy's  missiles.  The  sys- 
tem of  side  planking  is  observable  as  already  adopted  in  some 
of  the  Egyptian  vessels,  though  of  the  Greeks  the  Thasians  are 
credited  with  the  invention. 

In  the  year  1834,  during  the  process  of  excavating  some 

*  c  2 


20  BOA  TING. 

ground  for  new  public  buildings  in  the  Piraeus  near  Athens, 
some  engraved  stone  slabs  were  found  built  up  in  a  low  wall 
which  had  been  uncovered.  These  were  happily  preserved 
and  deciphered,  and  were  found  to  be  records  of  the  dockyard 
authorities  of  the  Athenian  admiralty  in  the  second  and  third 
centuries  before  Christ.  Many  interesting  details  were  thus 
brought  to  light  which  were  set  in  order  by  the  illustrious 
scholar  Boeckh  in  his  volume  entitled  'Urkunden  liber  das 
Seewesen  des  attischen  Staates.'  His  pupil  Dr.  Graser  has 
carried  on  his  researches  by  the  examination  of  innumerable 
coins,  vases,  etc.,  and  has  rescued  the  subject  from  much  of  the 
obscurity  which  enveloped  it.  The  following  description  of 
the  trireme,  based  upon  his  labours,  is  quoted,  by  permission, 
from  the  new  edition  of  the  '  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,'  vol. 
xxi.  pp.  806,  807. 

In  describing  the  trireme  it  will  be  convenient  to  deal  first  with 
the  disposition  of  the  rowers  and  subsequently  with  the  con- 
struction of  the  vessel  itself  The  object  of  arranging  the  oars  in 
banks  was  to  economise  horizontal  space  and  to  obtain  an  increase 
in  the  number  of  oars  without  having  to  lengthen  the  vessel.  We 
know  from  Vitruvius  that  the  '  interscalmium,'  or  space  horizontally 
measured  from  oar  to  oar,  was  two  cubits.  This  is  exactly  borne 
out  by  the  proportions  of  an  Attic  aphract  trireme,  as  shown  on  a 
fragment  of  a  bas-relief  found  in  the  Acropolis.  The  rowers  in 
all  classes  of  banked  vessels  sat  in  the  same  vertical  plane,  the 
seats  ascending  in  a  line  obliquely  towards  the  stern  of  the  vessel. 
Thus  in  a  trireme  the  thranite,  or  oarsman  of  the  highest  bank, 
was  nearest  the  stern  of  the  set  of  three  to  which  he  belonged. 
Next  behind  him  and  somewhat  below  him  sat  his  zygite,  or  oars- 
man of  the  second  bank  ;  and  next  below  and  behind  the  zygite 
sat  the  thalamite,  or  oarsman  of  the  lowest  bank.  The  vertical 
distance  between  these  seats  was  2  feet,  the  horizontal  distance 
about  I  foot.  The  horizontal  distance,  it  is  well  to  repeat,  between 
each  seat  in  the  same  bank  was  3  feet  (the  seat  itself  about  9  inches 
broad).  Each  man  had  a  resting-place  for  his  feet,  somewhat  wide 
apart,  fixed  to  the  bench  of  the  man  on  the  row  next  below  and  in 
front  of  him.  In  rowing,  the  upper  hand,  as  is  shown  in  most  of 
the  representations  which  remain,  was  held  with  the  palm  turned 
inwards  towards  the  body.     This  is  accounted  for  by  the  angle  at 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

which  the  oar  was  worked.  The  lowest  rank  used  the  shortest 
oars,  and  the  difference  of  the  length  of  the  oars  on  board  was 
caused  by  the  curvature  of  the  ship's  side.  Thus,  looked  at 
from  within,  the  rowers  amidship  seemed  to  be  using  the  longest 
oars,  but  outside  the  vessel,  as  we  are  expressly  told,  all  the  oar- 
blades  of  the  same  bank  took  the  water  in  the  same  longitudinal 
line.  The  lowest  or  thalamite  oar-ports  were  3  feet,  the  zygite 
4^  feet,  the  thranite  5  j  feet  above  the  water.  Each  oar-port  was  pro- 
tected by  an  ascoma  or  leather  bag,  which  fitted  over  the  oar, 
closing  the  aperture  against  the  wash  of  the  sea  without  impeding 
the  action  of  the  oar.  The  oar  was  tied  by  a  thong,  against  which 
it  was  probably  rowed,  which  itself  was  attached  to  a  thowl  {(TKaK\i.6s). 
The  port-hole  was  probably  oval  in  shape  (the  Egyptian  and 
Assyrian  pictures  show  an  oblong).  We  know  that  it  was  large 
enough  for  a  man's  head  to  be  thrust  through  it. 


ANCIENT  GALLEY   FIGHT,    FROM   POMPEIL 

The  benches  on  which  the  rowers  sat  ran  from  the  vessel's 
side  to  timbers  which,  inclined  at  an  angle  of  about  64°  towards 
the  ship's  stern,  reached  from  the  lower  to  the  upper  deck.  These 
timbers  were,  according  to  Graser,  called  the  diaphragmata.  In 
the  trireme  each  diaphragma  supported  three,  in  the  quinquereme 
five,  in  the  octireme  eight,  and  in  the  famous  tesseraconteres  forty 
seats  of  rowers,  who  all  belonged  to  the  same  '  complexus,'  though 
each  to  a  different  bank.  In  effect,  when  once  the  principle  of 
construction  had  been  established  in  the  trireme,  the  increase  to 
larger  rates  was  effected,  so  far  as  the  motive  power  was  concerned, 
by  lengthening  the  diaphragmata  upwards,  while  the  increase  in 
the  length  of  the  vessel  gave  a  greater  number  of  rowers  to  each 
bank.  The  upper  tiers  of  oarsmen  exceeded  in  number  those 
below,  as  the  contraction  of  the  sides  of  the  vessel  left  less  available 
space  towards  the  bows. 


22  BOATING. 

Of  the  length  of  the  oars  in  the  trireme  we  have  an  indication  in 
the  fact  that  the  length  of  supernumerary  oars  (ufpLvea)  rowed  from 
the  gangway  above  the  thranites,  and  therefore  probably  slightly 
exceeding  the  thranitic  oars  in  length,  is  given  in  the  Attic  tables 
as  14  feet  3  inches.  The  thranites  were  probably  about  14  feet. 
The  zygite,  in  proportion  to  the  measurement,  must  have  been  10^, 
the  thalamite  7^  feet  long.  Comparing  modem  oars  with  these, 
we  find  that  the  longest  oars  used  in  the  British  navy  are  18  feet. 
The  University  race  is  rowed  with  oars  12  feet  9  inches.  The  pro- 
portion of  the  loom  inboard  was  about  one  third,  but  the  oars  of 
the  rowers  amidship  must  have  been  somewhat  longer  inboard. 
The  size  of  the  loom  inboard  presei-ved  the  necessary  equilibrium. 
The  long  oars  of  the  larger  rates  were  weighted  inboard  with  lead. 
Thus  the  topmost  oars  of  the  tesseraconteres,  of  which  the  length 
was  53  feet,  were  exactly  balanced- at  the  rowlock. 

The  Attic  trireme  was  built  light  for  speed  and  for  ramming 
purposes.  Her  dimensions,  so  far  as  we  can  gather  them  from  the 
scattered  notices  of  antiquity,  were  probably  approximately  as  fol- 
lows : — length  of  rowing  space  (eyKcoTroj),  93  feet ;  bows,  1 1  feet  ; 
stern,  14  feet;  total,  118  feet;  add  10  feet  for  the  beak.  The 
breadth  at  the  water-line  is  calculated  at  14  feet,  and  above  at  the 
broadest  part  18  feet,  exclusive  of  the  gangways  ;  the  space  between 
the  diaphragmata  mentioned  above  was  7  feet.  The  deck  was 
1 1  feet  above  the  water-line,  and  the  draught  about  8  to  9  feet.  All 
the  Attic  triremes  appear  to  have  been  built  upon  the  same  model, 
and  their  gear  was  interchangeable.  The  Athenians  had  a  peculiar 
system  of  girding  the  ships  with  long  cables  (i'7ro^<o/Li«To),  each 
trireme  having  two  or  more,  which,  passing  through  eyeholes  in 
front  of  the  stem-post,  ran  all  round  the  vessel  lengthwise  immedi- 
ately under  the  waling-pieces.  They  were  fastened  at  the  stern 
and  tightened  up  with  levers.  These  cables,  by  shrinking  as  soon 
as  they  were  wet,  tightened  the  whole  fabric  of  the  vessel,  and  in 
action,  in  all  probability,  relieved  the  hull  from  part  of  the  shock 
of  ramming,  the  strain  of  which  would  be  sustained  by  the  waling- 
pieces  convergent  in  the  beaks.  These  rope-girdles  are  not  to  be 
confused  with  the  process  of  undergirding  or  frapping,  such  as  is 
narrated  of  the  vessel  in  which  St.  Paul  was  being  carried  to  Italy. 
The  trireme  appears  to  have  had  three  masts.  The  mainmast 
carried  square  sails,  probably  two  in  number.  The  foremast  and 
the  mizen  carried  lateen  sails.  In  action  the  Greeks  did  not  use 
sails,  and  everything  that  could   be  lowered  was  stowed   below. 


INTRODUCTION,  23 

The  mainmasts  and  larger  sails  were  often  left  ashore  if  a  conflict 
was  expected. 

The  crew  of  the  Attic  trireme  consisted  of  from  200  to  225  men 
in  all.  Of  these  1 74  were  rowers — 54  on  the  lower  bank  (thala- 
mites),  58  on  the  middle  bank  (zygites),  and  62  on  the  upper  bank 
(thranites), — the  upper  oars  being  more  numerous  because  of  the 
contraction  of  the  space  available  for  the  lower  tiers  near  the  bow 
and  stern.  Besides  the  rowers  were  about  10  marines  (eVt/Sarai) 
and  20  seamen.  The  officers  were  the  trierarch  and  next  to  him 
the  helmsman  {<v!3€pvr]Trjs),  who  was  the  navigating  officer  of  the 
trireme.  Each  tier  of  rowers  had  its  captain  (aroixapxos).  There 
were  also  the  captain  of  the  forecastle  (npcopevs),  the  '  keleustes ' 
who  gave  the  time  to  the  rowers,  and  the  ship's  piper  (TpiT]pav'\r)s). 
The  rowers  descended  into  the  seven-foot  space  between  the  dia- 
phragmata  and  took  their  places  in  regular  order,  beginning  with 
the  thalamites.  The  economy  of  space  was  such  that,  as  Cicero 
remarks,  there  was  not  room  for  one  man  more. 

Such,  we  may  believe,  was  the  trireme  of  the  palmy  days  of 
Athens.  Built  for  speed,  it  was  necessarily  light  and  handy, 
and  easily  turned,  so  that  the  formidable  beak  could  be  plunged 
into  the  enemy's  side,  the  moment  a  chance  was  given.  But  it 
required  sea  room  for  its  manoeuvres,  and  in  a  narrow  strait  or 
land-locked  harbour,  such  as  that  of  Syracuse,  was  no  match 
for  the  solid  balks  of  timber  with  which  Corinthian  and 
Syracusan  shipwrights  strengthened  the  bows  of  their  vessels. 
Against  these  the  pride  of  Athens  was  hurled  in  vain,  only  to 
find  itself  broken  up  and  rendered  unseaworthy  by  the  crash  of 
its  own  ram. 

With  the  defeat  of  Athens  comes  in  the  fashion  of  larger 
vessels  with  more  banks  of  oars,  quadriremes,  quinqueremes, 
and  so  on  up  to  sixteen  banks,  when  the  increase  of  the  motive 
power  had  been  more  than  overtaken  by  the  increase  in  bulk 
and  weight.  The  principles  of  construction  in  these  larger 
vessels  seem  to  have  been  the  same  as  in  the  trireme.  The 
space  for  each  man  was  probably  somew^hat  less,  and  the  handles 
of  the  upper  tiers  of  oars  w^ere  weighted  wuth  lead,  so  as  to 
give  a  balance  at  the  thowl  between  the  parts  outboard  and 
inboard. 


24  •  BOATING 

A  question  difficult  to  solve  has  often  been  raised  respecting 
the  pace  at  which  these  ancient  galleys  could  be  propelled.  If 
five-man  power  could  be  taken  as  equivalent  to  one-horse  power, 
then  for  the  propulsion  of  the  trireme  there  would  have  been 
available  about  thirty- five  horse  power,  but  that  would  hardly 
give  a  very  high  rate  of  speed. 

There  is  a  passage  in  Xenophon '  in  which  he  speaks  of 
a  distance  of  about  150  nautical  miles,  from  Byzantium  to 
Heraclea,  as  possible  for  a  trireme  in  a  day,  but  a  long  day's 
work.  Assuming  eighteen  hours'  work  out  of  the  twenty-four, 
a  speed  of  something  over  eight  knots  per  hour  would  be 
required  for  this,  which  may  perhaps  seem  excessive.  Still  we 
may  believe  that  by  a  crew  when  fresh  a  pace  not  less  than  this 
could  be  achieved. 

The  Romans,  though  it  may  be  inferred  from  treaties  with 
Carthage  and  with  Tarentum  that  they  had  some  kind  of  fleet 
in  the  time  even  of  the  kings,  yet  did  not  apply  themselves 
readily  to  maritime  pursuits,  and  made  no  serious  eff"ort  to 
become  masters  of  the  Mediterranean  till  the  first  Punic  War. 
We  hear  then  of  their  copying  a  quinquereme  vvhich  had  fallen 
into  their  hands  by  accident.  A  fleet  was  constructed  in  sixty 
days  from  the  time  that  the  trees  were  first  cut  down,  and 
meantime  crews  were  practised  diligently  in  rowing  on  dry  land 
in  a  framework  of  timber  which  represented  the  interior  of  the 
vessels  that  were  building.  This  first  essay  at  extemporising  a 
fleet  does  not  seem  to  have  been  very  successful.  But  nothing 
daunted  they  persevered,  and  the  second  venture  under  the 
Admiral  Duillius  took  with  it  to  sea  a  new  invention  called  the 
'  corvus,'  a  sort  of  boarding  bridge  by  which,  when  it  once  fell 
on  the  enemy's  vessel,  the  Roman  infantry  soon  found  its  way 
on  to  his  deck,  and  made  short  work  with  the  swarthy  African 
crew.  This  revolutionised  the  maritime  struggle,  and  gave  un- 
expectedly the  naval  superiority  to  Rome.  The  large  vessels  of 
war  {alta  naviuin  propi4gnacula)  continued  to  be  built  until  the 
time  of  Actium,  when  the  light  Liburnian  galleys,  which  were 

1  Anab.  vi.  42. 


INTRODUCTION.  25 

biremeS;  were  found  to  be  more  than  a  match  for  the  leviathans, 
whose  doom  from  that  moment  was  sealed. 

From  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  the  accounts  of 
naumachice,  there  is  very  little  of  interest  about  galleys  to  be 
gathered.  The  coins  and  the  paintings  of  Pompeii  show  us  craft 
degenerating  in  type.  The  column  of  Trajan  exhibits  biremes 
as  still  in  vogue.  Later  on  there  is  a  light  thrown  upon  the 
subject  by  the  Tactica  of  the  Byzantine  Emperor  Leo  about  800 
A.D.,  who  gives  directions  as  to  the  building  and  composition 
of  his  fleet,  which  is  to  consist  of  biremes,  or  dromones  as  he 
calls  them,  and  light  galleys  with  one  bank  of  oars. 

From  these  latter  eventually  sprang  the  mediaeval  galley, 
which  however  differed  from  the  ancient  galley  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  its  oars  by  the  use  of  the  'apostis,'  a  projecting 
framework  which  took  the  place  of  the  ancient  '  parodus,'  and 
upon  which  the  thowls  were  placed,  against  which  the  long 
sweeps  could  be  plied  by  two  or  three  men  attached  to  each. 
For  full  and  accurate  descriptions  of  these  mediaeval  vessels 
the  reader  who  has  any  curiosity  on  the  subject  should  consult 
the  ample  works  of  M.  Jal.  His  Archeologie  Navale  and 
Glossaire  Nautique  contain  the  fullest  information  as  regards 
the  build,  and  fittings,  and  crews  of  the  mediaeval  galley.  The 
sorrows  and  sufferings  of  '  la  Chiourme '  were  enough  to  give 
rowing  a  bad  name,  as  an  employment  too  cruel  even  for  slaves 
and  fit  to  be  reserved  for  criminals  of  the  worst  description. 

It  is  in  England,  and  in  the  hands  of  English  free  men  and 
boys,  that  the  oar  has  maintained  an  honourable  name,  as  the 
instrument  of  a  pastime  healthy  and  vigorous,  with  a  record 
not  inglorious  of  struggles  in  which  the  strength  and  skill  of 
the  nation's  youth  have  contended  for  the  pride  of  place  and 
the  joy  of  victory. 


26 


BOATING. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    RISE   OF    MODERN    OARSMANSHIP. 


henlly  course  (between 
races). 


Written  records  of  rowing  per- 
formances in  the  last  century  are 
but  scarce.  In  17 15  Mr.  Doggett, 
comedian,  founded  a  race  which 
has  survived  to  the  present  day — 
to  wit,  '  Doggett's  coat  and  badge '  (of  freedom  of  the  river). 
'Watermen'  have  to  serve  as  ' apprentices '  for  seven  years,  during 
which  time  they  may  not  ply  for  hire  on  their  own  account,  but 
only  on  behalf  of  their  masters.  When  they  have  served  their 
time  they  can  become  '  free '  of  the  river,  on  payment  of  certain 
fees  to  the  Corporation. 

In  order  to  encourage  good  oarsmanship,  prizes  which  paid 
the  fees  for  freedom,  and  bestowed  a  '  coat  and  badge '  of  merit, 
have  often  been  given  by  patrons  of  aquatics.  Doggett's  prize 
is  the  oldest  of  its  class,  and  of  all  established  races.  The  con- 
test used  to  be  from  London  Bridge  to  Chelsea  against  the  ebb 


THE  RISE   OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP.        27 

• — a  severe  test  of  stamina  j  and  formerly  six  only  of  the  many 
applicants  for  competition  were  allowed  to  row,  being  selected 
by  lot.  The  race  is  now  reformed.  It  is  managed  by  the 
Fishmongers'  Company.  The  course  is  changed,  so  far  that  it 
is  now  rowed  on  the  flood.  This  makes  it  fairer  ;  on  the  ebb, 
it  is  hard  to  pass  a  leader  who  hugs  the  shore  in  the  slack  tide. 
Trial  heats '  are  now  rowed,  to  weed  off  competitors  till  the 
old  standard  number  of  six  only  are  left  in.  Authentic  records 
of  the  race  exist  since  1791. 

Mr.  Brickwood,  who  has  taken  much  pains  to  look  up  old 
accounts,  informs  us  in  his  '  Boat  Racing '  that  the  Westminster 
'water  ledger,'  dating  June  181 3,  is  the  earliest  authentic  record 
of  Thames  aquatics  of  this  century.  We  venture  to  give  the 
result  of  Mr.  Brickwood's  researches  in  his  own  words  :— 

This  book  commences  in  the  year  1813  with  a  single  list  of 
the  six-oared  boat  '  Fly,'  viz.,  Messrs.  H.  Parry,  E.  O.  Cleaver, 
E.  Parry,  W.  Markham,  W.  F.  de  Ros,  G.  Randolph.  The 
'Fly'  continued  to  be  the  only  boat  of  this  school  down  to  1816 
inclusive,  in  which  latter  year  it  '  beat  the  Temple  six-oared  boat 
(Mr.  Church  stroke),  in  a  race  from  Johnson's  dock  to  Westminster 
Bridge,  by  half  a  boat  ;  the  latter  men  having  been  beat  before  ;'  to 
which  is  added  a  note  that  the  Temple  boat '  requested  the  K.  S. 
to  row  this  short  distance,  having  been  completely  beat  by  them 
in  a  longer  row  the  same  evening.'  In  18 17  there  was  a  six-oar 
built  for  Westminster,  called  the  '  Defiance,'  and  '  sheepskin  seats 
were  introduced.'  In  181 8,  the  '  Westminster  were  challenged  by 
the  Etonians,'  and  a  six-oared  crew  was  in  course  of  preparation 
for  the  race,  but  the  contest  was  prohibited.  In  1819  an  eight-oar 
called  the  '  Victory'  was  launched,  but  the  six-oar  '  Defiance' 
appears  to  have  been  the  representative  crew  of  the  school,  for 
there  is  a  note  that  in  the  spring  of  1821  'the  boat  improved 
considerably  and  beat  the  "  Eagle  "  in  a  short  pull  from  Baitersea  to 
Putney  Bridge.'  In  1823  a  new  six-oared  cutter  was  built,  and  the 
name  of  '  Queen  Bess '  given  in  honour  of  the  illustrious  foundress. 
In  1823  this  boat  was  started  from  the  Horseferry  at  half  past  five 
in  the  morning,  and  reached  Chertsey  bridge  by  three  o'clock. 
On  iheir  way  back  they  dined  at  Walton,  and  again  reached  the 
Horseferry  by  a  quarter  before  nine.  The  crew  of  the  eight-oar 
'Victory'   in    the   same   year   'distinguished   themselves    in   the 


28  BOATING. 

Temple  race  and  several  others.'  A  new  eight  called  the  '  Challenge  ' 
was  launched  in  1824,  and  the  record  says  this  boat  did  beat  every 
boat  that  it  came  alongside  of,  as  also  did  the  '  Victory.'  And 
again  in  April  13,  1825,  this  boat  ('Challenge')  started  from  the 
Horseferry  at  four  minutes  past  three  in  the  morning,  reached 
Sunbury  to  breakfast  at  half  past  seven,  and  having  taken  luncheon 
at  the  London  Stairs,  just  above  Staines,  went  through  Windsor 
bridge  by  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  After  having  seen  Eton, 
the  crew  returned  to  Staines  to  dinner,  and  ultimately  arrived  at 
the  Horseferry,  having  performed  this  distance  in  twenty-one 
hours.  The  locks  detained  them  full  three  hours,  and,  including 
all  stoppages,  they  were  detained  seven  hours.  A  waterman  of 
the  name  of  Ellis  steered  the  boat  in  this  excursion,  and  both 
steered  and  conducted  himself  remarkably  well. 

Such  are  some  of  the  early  Westminster  School  annals,  as 
collated  by  Mr.  Brickwood.  One  cannot  help  feeling  that  if 
these  long  journeys  were  samples  of  the  school  aquatics,  it  is  not 
to  be  wondered  that  parents  and  guardians  of  old  days  imbibed 
prejudices  against  rowing,  and  considered  it  injurious  both  to 
health  and  to  study. 

In  the  following  decade  there  seem  to  have  been  plenty  of 
aquatics  current.  The  '  Bell's  Life '  files  of  those  days  teem 
with  aquatic  notes.  One  day  we  read  (dated  May  26,  1834) 
a  self-exculpatory  letter  from  Dr.  Williamson,  head-master  of 
Westminster  School,  explaining  why  he  did  not  approve  of  his 
scholars  rowing  a  match  against  Eton,  and  complaining  of  the 
'  intemperance  and  excesses  which  such  matches  lead  to.' 

On  July  3,  says  '  Bell '  of  July  6  in  that  year,  a  match  was 
rowed  between  a  randan  (Campbell,  Moulton,  and  Godfrey) 
and  a  four-oar  (Harris,  Eld,  Butcher,  and  Dodd,  Cole  cox.) — 
from  Putney  to  Westminster.  The  randan  were  favourites,  and 
led  ;  but  Moulton  fainted,  and  the  four  w^on.  The  race  was 
for  a  purse  of  70/. — 50/.  for  winners  and  20/.  for  losers.  In 
the  same  paper,  Williams  challenges  Campbell  to  a  match — 
apparently  for  the  incipient  title  of  Champion  of  the  Thames. 
Williams  wishes  Campbell  to  stake  40/.  to  30/.,  because  he  is 
six  years  the  younger.     Compare  the  modesty  of  these  stakes 


THE  RISE   OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP.         29 

with  those  for  which  modern  champion,  and  some  less  im- 
portant matches,  are  rowed  ! 

'  Lyons  House '  seems  to  have  been  a  sort  of  resort  for 
amateurs.  Cole,  who  steered  the  waterman's  four  {supra)  v. 
the  randan,  is  described  as  the  waterman  of  those  rooms. 

On  July  8,  same  year,  a  Mr.  Kemp,  of  the  3rd  Dragoon 
Guards,  matches  himself  for  a  large  stake  to  '  row  his  own  boat ' 
from  Hampton  Court  to  Westminster  and  back  in  nine  hours. 
Time  is  favourite,  but  Mr.  Kemp  wins  by  27  minutes,  having 
met  the  tide  for  several  miles  of  his  voyage.  Such  are  a  few 
samples  of  the  current  style  of  aquatic  sports  between  1830  and 
1840. 

The  'Wingfield  Sculls'  were  founded  in  1830,  given  by  the 
donor,  whose  name  they  bear,  to  be  held  as  a  challenge  prize 
by  the  best  sculler  of  the  day  from  Westminster  to  Putney, 
against  all  comers,  on  the  '4th  of  August  for  ever' — so  a  silver 
plate  in  the  lid  of  the  old  box  which  holds  the  silver  sculls  bears 
testimony.  Since  its  foundation  the  prize  has  been  more  than 
once  placed  on  a  different  footing.  Parliaments  of  old  cham- 
pions and  competitors  for  the  prize  have  been  summoned,  and 
the  original  donor  gave  assent  to  the  changes  of  course  and 
regime.  Lists  of  winners  and  competitors  from  year  to  year, 
with  notes  as  to  the  course  rowed,  will  be  found  in  '  Tables ' 
later  on.  The  race  has  from  its  earliest  years  been  described 
by  amateurs  as  equivalent  of  'amateur  championship.'  A  pan- 
oply of  silver  plates  has  grown  up  in  and  around  the  box  which 
holds  the  trophy,  and  on  these  plates  is  recorded  the  name  of 
each  winner  from  year  to  year.  About  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago  a  '  champion  badge '  was  instituted.  It  consists  of  a  small 
edition  of  the  Diamond  Sculls  (Henley)  challenge  prize  ;  as  to 
shape,  it  is  a  pair  of  silver  sculls  crossed  with  an  enamel  wTeath 
and  mounted  on  a  ribbon  like  a  '  decoration  '  or  '  order.'.  There 
is  a  '  clasp '  for  the  year  of  winning.  A  second  win  only  adds 
a  fresh  clasp  with  date,  but  no  second  badge.  The  secretary 
of  the  '  order '  is  Mr.  E.  D.  Brickwood,  himself  winner  of  the 
title  in  1861 


30  BOATING. 


UNIVERSITY  TRAINING. 


Eight-oars  had  been  manned  at  Eton  before  they  found 
their  way  to  Oxford.  At  Cambridge  they  appeared  still  later. 
At  both  Universities  a  plurality  of  eight-oars  clubs  had 
existed  for  some  seasons  before  the  first  University  match — 
1829. 

In  1881,  at  the  time  when  the  'Jubilee'  dinner  of  Univer- 
sity boat-racing  was  held,  the  writer  took  the  opportunity  of 
the  presence  in  London  of  the  Rev.  T.  Staniforth,  the  stroke 
of  the  first  winning  University  eight,  to  inquire  from  him 
his  recollections  of  college  boat-racing  in  his  undergraduate 
days. 

Fortunately  for  posterity,  Mr.  Staniforth  had  kept  a  diary 
during  his  Oxford  career,  and  it  had  noted  many  a  fact  con- 
nected with  aquatics.  He  kindly  undertook  to  bring  to  London 
at  his  next  visit  his  diaries  of  Oxford  days.  He  met  the  writer, 
searched  his  diaries,  and  out  of  them  recorded  history  which 
was  taken  down  from  his  lips,  and  reduced  to  the  following 
article,  which  appeared  in  '  Land  and  Water  '  of  December  1 7, 
1881.^  It  is  now  reproduced  verbatim,  by  leave.  The  writer 
regrets  to  say  that,  from  various  causes,  he  has  been  unable  to 
pursue  his  researches  beyond  the  dates  when  Mr.  Staniforth's 
diaries  cease  to  record  Oxford  aquatics. 

There  must  be  many  an  old  oarsman  still  alive  who  can 
recall  historical  facts  between  1830  and  1836,  and  it  is  hoped 
that  such  memories  may  be  reduced  to  writing  for  the  benefit 
of  posterity,  and  for  the  honour  of  the  oarsmen  of  those  years, 
before  tempus  edax  rerum  makes  it  too  late. 

The  writer  considers  that  he  will  do  better  thus  to  reproduce 
verbatim  his  own  former  contribution  to  '  Land  and  Water '  than 
to  paraphrase  it.  The  more  so  because  much  of  the  text  of  it 
is  actually  the  cTrea  Trrcpocvra  of  the  old  Oxford  stroke,  taken 
down  as  uttered  from  his  lips  to  the  writer,  and  read  over  again 
1  See  Appendix. 


THE  RISE   OE.  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP.        31 

to  him  for  emendation  or  other  alteration,  before  the  interview- 
in  question  was  concluded.  It  may  be  added  that  Mr.  Stani- 
forth  kindly  showed  to  the'  writer  the  actual  text  of  the 
diaries  referred  to,  .from  which  he  refreshed  his  memory  and 
recorded  the  appended  history. 

As  to  the  intermediate  history  between  1830  and  1837,  in 
which  year  the  Brasenose  boating  record  opens  (two  seasons 
before  an  O.U.B.C.  was  founded),  Christ  Church  started  head 
in  1837  ;  therefore,  apparently,  they  finished  head  in  1836. 

Mr.  Brickwood,  in  his  book  on  '  Boat  Racing,'  has  collected 


OXFORD   BOAT   IN    1829. 

some  history  of  these  years,  but  unfortunately  he  does  not 
record  the  source,  so  that  w^hat  might  be  a  tree  of  knowledge 
for  inquirers  to  pluck  more  from  seems  to  be  sealed  against 
our  curiosity.  We  have,  however,  to  thank  him  for  the  following 
information,  which  wx  reproduce  (page  157  of 'Boat  Racing'): — 

1833, — Queen's  College  is  chronicled  as  head  of  the  river  at 
Oxford,  this  being  the  only  record  between  1825  and  1834.  Christ 
Church,  it  is  true,  was  said  to  have  kept  that  posidon  for  many 
years,  but  the  precise  number  is  not  given.  However,  there  seems 
no  doubt  that  Christ  Church  was  head  in  1834,  1835,  and  1836, 
after  which  the  official  record  commences. 


32  BOATING. 

Mr.  Brickwood,  moreover,  seems  to  have  gleaned  from  some 
independent  source  sundry  valuable  details  of  early  Oxford 
races.  He  tells  us  that  '  the  first  known  races  were  those  of 
the  college  eights  in  1815,  when  Brasenose  was  the  head  boat, 
and  their  chief  and  perhaps  their  only  opponent  was  Jesus.' 
He  speaks  of  four-oared  races  in  the  next  ensuing  years,  and 
of  a  match  between  Mr.  de  Ros'  four  and  a  pair  manned  by  a 
B.N.C.  man  and  a  waterman— won  by  the  pair.  Then  comes 
some  information  as  to  the  years  1822,  1824,  and  1825,  which 
exactly  tallies  with  Mr.  Staniforth's  journals,  save  that  Mr. 
Brickwood  ascribes  the  discontinuance  of  the  races  in  1823 
directly  to  the  recorded  quarrel  between  B.N.C.  and  Jesus  ; 
whereas  Mr.  Staniforth  attributes  it  to  the  untimely  death  of 
Musgrave  {supra). 

The  first  University  race  took  place  in  1829,  over  the  course 
from  Hambledon  Lock  to  Henley.  Mr.  Staniforth  states  that 
till  the  Oxford  went  to  practise  over  the  course,  no  one  thought 
of  steering  an  eight  through  the  Berks  channel,  past  '  regatta ' 
island.  However,  the  Oxonians  'timed'  the  two  straits,  and 
decided  to  select  the  Berks  one,  if  they  got  the  chance.  They 
took  that  channel  in  the  race  and  won  easily.  A  foul  occurred 
in  the  first  essay  at  starting,  and  the  boats  were  restarted. 
This  pair  of  pioneer  University  crews  produced  men  of  more 
than  usual  celebrity  in  after  Hfe  :  two  embryo  bishops,  three 
deans,  one  prebendary,  and  divers  others  hereafter 

In  hamlet  and  hall 
As  well  known  to  all 
As  the  vane  of  the  old  church  spire. 

The  full  list  of  the  crews  engaged  in  this  and  in  all  other 
contests  in  which  Universities  were  represented,  will  be  found  in 
'  Tables '  towards  the  end  of  this  volume.  At  this  time  there 
was  no  O.U.B.C,  nor  did  such  an  organisation  exist  until 
1839,  when  a  'meeting  of  strokes  '  of  the  various  colleges  was 
convened,  and  a  generally  representative  club  was  founded. 
At  Cambridge  a  U.B.C.  had  existed  since  1827.     In  that  year 


THE  RISE   OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP. 


7>2> 


the  system  of  college  eights  seems  to  have  been  instituted, 
according  to  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Merivale,  still  Dean  of  Ely, 
and  a  member  of  the  C.U.B.C.  crew  of  1829.  Trinity  were 
head  of  the  river  on  that  occasion,  and  there  seems  to  have 
been  also  a  Westminster  club,  of  an  independent  nature  in 
Trinity.  The  records  of  college  racing  at  Cambridge  seem  to 
be  unbroken  since  their  institution  ;  whereas  those  of  Oxford 
were  for  many  years  unofficial  and  without  central  organisation, 
and  consequently  without  official  record,  until  1839.  The 
Brasenose  Club  record  dates  from  1837. 


BUMPING  RACES   (OLD   STYLE). 


The  next  occasion  in  which  a  University  eight  figured  was 
in  a  match  which  somehow  seems  to  have  slipped  out  of  public 
memory,  though  it  occurred  several  years  later  than  the  first 
match  between  the  Universities.  The  writer  was  talking  to  old 
George  West,  the  well-known  Oxford  waterman,  in  1882,  at  the 
L.R.C.  boat-house,  while  waiting  for  the  practice  of  the  U.B.C. 
crews  of  that  year.  Casually  old  George  remarked,  '  I  steered 
a  University  eight  once,  sir.'  The  writer  looked  incredulous. 
'  Yes,  against  Leander — Leander  won,'  quoth  George.  The 
writer  had  known  West  since  his  school  days,  and  had  heard 
him  recapitulate  his  aquatic  memories  times  out  of  mind,  but 

D 


34  ■     BOATING. 

never  till  that  hour  had  he  heard  any  allusion  to  this  Leander 
match.  Only  the  year  before,  the  '  Jubilee '  dinner  of  old 
Blues  had  taken  place,  and  all  who  had  ever  been  known  to 
have  represented  their  University  in  a  match  or  regatta  were 
asked  to  join  in  the  celebration.  At  that  date  not  one  of  the 
executive  had  any  inkling  of  this  match,  although  one  of  the 
Oxford  crew,  the  present  Bishop  of  Norwich,  could  certainly 
have  been  found  at  an  hour's  notice.  Letters  from  old  oars- 
men, who  had  not  actually  rowed  for  the  flag  (often  because 
there  was  no  match  during  their  career),  used  to  pour  in  while 
the  jubilee  feast  was  in  preparation,  asking  for  admittance  to  it. 
None  of  this  Oxford  crew  seem  to  have  put  in  any  claim.  A 
slight,  though  an  unintentional  one,  was  thus  perpetrated  upon 
all  of  them,  whether  alive  or  dead,  by  the  omission  to  record 
them  as  old  Blues  on  that  occasion.  When  the  writer  com- 
piled the  history  of  '  Old  Blues  and  their  Battles,'  which  Mr.  G. 
T.  Treherne  incorporated  in  his  book  of  '  Record  of  the  Uni- 
versity Boat  Race,'  and  which  was  published  soon  after  the 
jubilee,  neither  of  these  gentlemen  was  aware  of  this  race. 
No  speaker  at  the  banquet  seemed  to  remember  or  allude  to  it. 
Yet,  on  referring  to  old  files  of  '  Bell's  Life,'  record  of  this  match 
is  to  be  found.  Since  it  was  recorded  in  that  journal,  it  seems 
to  have  been  unnoticed  in  any  print  till  now.  Better  late  than 
never ;  the  performers  in  it  are  now  officially  brought  to  light, 
and  their  names  will  be  found  in  the  tables  of  University  oars- 
men and  their  opponents,  later  on. 

This  match  was  for  200/.  a  side.  Leander  would  row  on 
no  other  terms,  and  insisted  on  having  their  own  waterman  to 
steer  them,  as  they  did  in  their  later  matches  against  Cam- 
bridge. This  was  the  only  Oxford  University  eight  ever  steered 
by  a  professional.  Only  one  of  the  1829  crew  seems  to  have 
remained  to  do  duty  in  this  race.  The  Pelham  referred  to  is 
now  Bishop  of  Norwich.  He  used,  before  this,  to  row  in  the 
Christ  Church  eight  behind  Staniforth.  The  Waterford  is  the 
former  marquis  of  that  ilk,  who  lost  his  life  later  on  through 
a  fall  when  hunting.     En  passant^  it  may  be  mentioned  that 


THE  RISE  OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP,        35 

Bishop  Selwyn  (of  C.U.B.C.  crew  1829)  and  Pelham  of  Oxford 
1834,  each  begat  sons  who  rowed  for  their  respective  Universi- 
ties :  Selwyn,  junr.  1864  and  1866  ;  Pelham,  junr.  1877  and 
1878.  The  latter  oarsman  unfortunately  lost  his  life  in  the 
Alps  very  shortly  afterwards.  J.  R.  Selwyn  has  succeeded  his 
late  father  as  a  colonial  bishop.  Inasmuch  as  we  here  record, 
for  the  first  time  for  two  generations,  a  lost  chapter  of  Uni- 
versity Boat  Racing,  we  think  it  will  be  of  interest  to  append 
the  account  given,  in  '  Bell's  Life  '  of  that  day,  of  this  forgotten 
match. 

Eight-oared  Match— London  and  the  Oxford 
Amateurs  for  ^200.^ 

This  interesting  match  was  decided  on  Saturday  week  at 
Henley  Reach.  The  Trinity  boat,  built  by  Archer  of  Lambeth, 
proved  successful  on  a  former  occasion  when  opposed  to  the 
Oxonians,  was,  we  understand,  again  selected  by  them  in  the  first 
instance,  but  they  ultimately  decided  on  rowing  in  a  boat  built  by 
Searle,  which  they  considered  had  been  unjustly  denounced  '  a 
rank  bad  un,'  simply  on  the  score  of  the  Cambridge  gentlemen 
and  the  Westminster  Scholars  having  lost  their  matches  in  her — 
the  former  against  Oxford,  and  the  latter  against  the  Etonians. 

The  gentlemen  of  Oxford  selected  a  large  but  peculiarly  light 
eight  belonging  to  Mr.  Davis  of  Oxford.  On  Friday  the  London 
gentlemen  left  town  for  Henley,  and  took  up  their  quarters  at 
the  Red  Lion.  Noulton  of  Lambeth  was  selected  to  steer  them. 
Although  Oxford  were  favourites  on  the  match  being  first  concocted, 
it  was  with  difficulty  that  a  bet  could  be  made  on  the  Londoners 
on  the  last  two  days,  and  then  only  at  6  to  4  against  Oxford. 

At  about  6.30  the  contending  parties  arrived  in  their  cutters 
near  the  lock,  to  row  from  thence  against  the  stream  to  Henley 
Bridge,  which  is  reckoned  two  and  a  quarter  miles. 

The  names  of  the  respective  parties  and  their  stations  in  the 
cutters  were  as  follows  : 

London — Bishop  (stroke).  Captain  Shaw,  J.  Bayford,  Lewis, 
Cannon,  Weedon,  Re  veil,  Homemann. 

Oxford — Copplestone  (stroke),  Lloyd,  Barnes,  Pelham,  Peard, 
Marsh,  Marquis  of  Waterford,  Carter.  The  latter  was  steered,  we 
believe,  by  a  boy  belonging  to  the  lock. 

1  BelTs  Life,  Sunday,  June  26,  1831. 

D  2 


36        .  BOATING. 

Mr.  Hume  and  Mr.  Bayford  were  appointed  umpires  on  part  of 
the  London  gentlemen,  and  Mr.  Lloyd  and  another  gentleman  on 
the  side  of  Oxford. 

The  Oxford  gentlemen  won  the  toss  and  took  the  inside  station. 
The  umpires  having  a  second  time  asked  if  all  was  ready,  receiving 
an  answer  in  the  affirmative,  gave  the  signal.  In  less  than  a  dozen 
seconds  the  London  gentlemen  almost  astounded  their  opponents 
by  going  about  a  boat's  length  in  advance,  so  rapid  were  their 
strokes  when  compared  with  those  of  Oxford.  The  Oxford  gentle- 
men soon  recovered.  Before  half  the  distance  had  been  rowed 
London  were  two  lengths  in  advance.  The  Oxonians,  finding  they 
were  losing  ground,  made  a  desperate  effort  and  succeeded  in 
coming  within  a  painter's  length.  On  nearing  the  goal  the  exer- 
tions of  each  party  were  increasing.  One  London  gentleman 
(Captain  Shaw)  seemed  so  much  exhausted,  that  it  was  feared  he 
would  not  hold  out  the  remaining  distance.  Noulton,  seeing  this 
and  fearing  the  consequence,  observing  the  Oxford  gentlemen  fast 
approaching  them,  said  that  'if  the  Londoners  did  not  give  it  her 
it  would  be  all  up  with  them.'  They  did  give  it  her,  and  the  con- 
sequence was  they  became  victorious  by  about  two  boats'  lengths. 
The  distance  was  rowed  in  i\\  minutes. 

The  exertions  at  the  conclusion  of  the  contest  became  lament- 
ably apparent.  Captain  Shaw  nearly  fainted  and  had  to  be  carried 
ashore  ;  Mr.  Bayford  was  obliged  to  retire  to  bed  instantly  ;  so 
was  also  one  of  the  Oxford  gentlemen.  The  others  were  more  or 
less  exhausted. 

The  London  gentlemen  rowed  to  town  on  Tuesday,  and  were 
greeted  on  their  way  with  cheering  and  cannon.  On  arriving  at 
Searle's  a.  feu-de-joie  was  fired. 

Note. — Of  the  various  performers  in  this  Oxford  crew,  the 
following  notices  of  the  after  career  of  some  may  be  of  interest. 
Messrs.  Copplestone  and  Pelham  rose  to  adorn  the  episcopate. 
Mr.  Peard  became  known  to  fame  as  '  Garibaldi's  Englishman,' 
and  played  an  important  part  in  the  cause  of  the  liberation  of 
Italy. 

There  had  been  a  second  University  match  in  1836,  this 
time  from  Westminster  to  Putney  (see  Tables).  No  official 
record  exists  of  this.  It  is  said  that  '  light  blue '  was  on  this 
occasion  first  adopted  by  Cambridge.     Certainly  in  1829  the 


THE  RISE   OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP. 


37 


Cantab  crew  wore  pink.,  while  Oxford  sported  blue.  The  late 
Mr.  R.  M.  Phillips,  of  Christ's,  used  to  tell  the  writer  that  he  it 
was  who  fortuitously  founded  light  blue  on  this  occasion.  He 
was  on  the  raft  at  Searle's  when  the  Cantab  crew  were  preparing 
to  start  (either  for  the  race  or  for  a  day's  practice)  the  race  so 
far  as  recollection  of  Mr.  Phillips'  narrative  serves  the  writer. 
One  of  the  crew  said,  'We  have  no  colours.'  Mr.  Phillips 
ran  off  to  buy  some  ribbon  in  Stangate.  An  old  Etonian 
accompanied  him,  and  suggested  '  Eton  ribbon  for  luck.'     It 


liiiiliiiiilfiilliB 


COLLEGE    PAIR. 


was  bought,  it  came  in  first,  and  was  adhered  to  in  later  years 
by  Cambridge. 

In  1837  the  head  college  crews  of  the  two  Universities  rowed 
a  match  at  Henley.  The  Brasenose  book  says,  Christ  Church- 
were  head,  but  took  off  because  their  Dean  objected  to  their 
rowing  at  Henley  ;  the  effect  of  their  '  taking  off'  was  to  leave 
Queen's  College,  on  whom  the  representation  of  the  college 
crews  would  devolve,  with  the  titular  headship. 

The  B.N.C.  book  says,  the  Queen's  crew  went,  'as  was 


38  BOATING.  ^ 

usual,'  to  row  the  head  boat  of  Cambridge,  and  beat  them 
easily.  The  latter  statement  is  correct.  Mr.  Brickwood  in  his 
treatise  demurs  to  the  accuracy  of  the  B.N.C.  allegation  that 
such  matches  were  'usual,' and  research  qualifies  his  scepticism. 
The  B.N.C.  h^n.  sec.  of  that  day  seems  to  have  been  draw- 
ing somewhat  upon  his  imagination.  He  had  probably  heard 
of  these  various  Leander  and  other  matches  at  Henley  in 
other  years  j  hence  his  inference. 

1837. 
Henley.     College  match. 


Queen's. 

1.  Lee,  Stanlake. 

2.  Glazbrook,  Robert. 

3.  Welsh,  Jos. 

4.  Robinson,  John. 

5.  Meyrick,  Jos. 

6.  Todd,  Jos. 

7.  Eversley,  John. 
Penny,  Chas.  J.  (stroke). 
Berkeley,  Geo.  T.  (cox.). 


Lady  Margaret  (St.  John's) 

1.  Shad  well,  Alfred  H. 

2.  Colquhoun,  Patrick. 

3.  Wood,  H.  O. 

4.  Antrobus,  Edmund. 

5.  Budd,  R.  H. 

6.  Fane,  W.  D. 

7.  Fletcher,  Ralph. 
Hurt,  Robert  (stroke). 
Jackson,  Curtis  (cox.). 


The  names  of  the  Queen's  and  St.  John's  crews  are  here 
given,  instead  of  recording  them  in  the  lists  of  University  oars, 
for  this  was  not  strictly  a  University  race,  though  in  those  days 
it  had  almost  as  much  prestige  as  one. 

In  1839  the  third  University  match  was  rowed,  and  Henley 
Regatta  was  founded.  At  the  Universities,  about  this  date, 
various  prizes  were  established,  all  of  which  gave  a  stimulus  to 
oarsmanship. 

Pair-oar  races  were  established  at  Oxford  in  1839.  They 
were  rowed  with  coxswains  until  1847.  At  Cambridge  similar 
pairs  were  founded  in  1844,  and  were  rowed  from  the  first  with- 
out coxswains.  The  obsolete  rudder  of  the  Oxford  pairs  is 
now  held  by  the  coxswain  of  the  head  eight.  The  Colquhoun 
Sculls  had  been  founded  at  Cambridge  in  1837.  'University 
Sculls '  were  instituted  at  Oxford  in  1841.     Four-oar  races,  each 


THE  RISE   OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP.        39 

crew  to  be  from  one  college,  were  founded  at  Oxford  in  1840, 
and  at  Cambridge  in  1849.  Thus,  by  the  latter  year,  each 
U.B.C.  had  its  set  of  contests  for  all  classes  of  craft — eights,  fours, 
pairs,  and  sculls.  Lists  of  the  winners  of  these  various  honours 
from  year  to  year  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Aquatics  may  be  said  to  have  reached  full  swing  with  the 
completion  of  these  institutions  at  the  Universities.  Matches 
between  the  Universities  were  propounded  annually  by  one  or 
other  club  from  1839,  but  time  and  place  could  not  always  be 


TOWING  GUARD   BOATS   UP  HENLEY  REACH. 


agreed  upon,  nor  could  '  dons '  be  always  persuaded  to  allow 
men  to  row  in  such  races.  There  was  many  a  hitch  in  old 
days,  from  one  cause  or  another.  Since  1850  the  U.B.C.'s 
have  annually  met  each  other  in  some  shape  or  other  at  Henley, 
or  in  a  match;  since,  and  including,  1856  matches  over  the 
Putney  course  have  been  annual.  Since  1859  neither  Univer- 
sity has  put  on  at  any  regatta. 

Various  causes  tended  to  stimulate  rowing,  e.g.  regattas  and 
also  professional  racing,  which  is  dealt  with  separately  under 
the  head  of '  Professionals.'  A  perusal  of  the  tables  of  records  of 


40         .  -      BOATING. 

Henley  and  other  regattas  will  also  show  how  competitions 
gradually  increased  in  number,  and  also  in  the  fields  which 
they  produced. 

REGATTAS. 

The  institution  of  Henley  Regatta  in  1839  was  the  outcome  of 
the  various  eight-oared  matches  which  have  been  rowed  on  that 
part  of  the  river  during  the  ten  years  preceding.  The  regatta 
began  with  one  prize  only,  the  Grand  Challenge  Cup,  a  trophy 
which  is  unique  for  classical  desigUj  and  which  is  to  this  day 
the  '  blue  ribbon '  for  amateur  clubs.  The  gradual  growth  of 
Henley  may  be  traced  by  perusal  of  a  leading  article  contri- 
buted by  the  writer  of  this  chapter  to  the  '  1^'ield,'  in  the  July 
of  1886,  on  the  eve  of  the  greatest  change  which  the  regatta  has 
undergone,  that  of  alteration  of  the  course.  The  article  is  now  re- 
produced,^ through  the  courtesy  of  the  proprietors  of  that  journal. 

The  new  course,  as  compared  with  the  old  one,  will  best 
be  understood  by  reference  to  the  map  of  the  reach,  which 
appears  elsewhere.  The  change  has  had  only  two  trials,  those 
of  1886  and  1887,  but  it  may  be  said  that  so  far  rowing  clubs 
which  frequent  Henley  are  unanimous  in  approving  of  the 
alteration  ;  and  so  are  all  retired  oarsmen,  whose  personal  ex- 
perience of  the  regatta  was  under  the  old  regi??ie. 

The  old  course  was  very  one-sided.  In  the  middle  third  of  a 
mile— on  a  stormy  day — with  a  stiff  wind  from  W.  or  S.W.,  the 
shelter  of  the  Bucks  bushes — especially  before  house-boats  and 
steam  launches  multiplied  and  monopolised  the  frontage  of  the 
Bucks  and  Oxon  shores — used  to  reverse  entirely  the  advantage 
otherwise  pertaining  to  the  Berks  stations.  On  such  a  day  the 
Berks  station  placed  most  boats  hopelessly  out  of  the  race, 
unless  they  could  keep  within  a  length  of  the  Bucks  boat  till 
the  '  point '  was  reached — in  which  case  the  poplar  corner  made 
a  pretty  counterpoise  to  the  advantage  of  Bucks  shelter,  and 
caused  some  interesting  finishes.  Under  the  new  regh?te  not 
more  than  two  boats  can  row  in  one  heat ;  and  as  the  course  is 
1  See  Appendix. 


THE  RISE   OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP. 


4^ 


now  staked  out,  and  neither  competitor  can  hug  the  bank,  the 
difference  between  windward  and  leeward  stations,  even  when 
hereafter  a  gale  shall  blow,  will  no  longer  be  so  glaring  as  of 
old. 

The  Universities  no  longer  compete  at  Henley.  In  these 
days  of  keelless  boats  more  practice  is  needed,  in  order  to  do  jus- 
tice to  the  craft,  than  when  heavier  and  steadier  craft  were  used. 
It  is  found  to  be  impossible  to  collect  all  the  eight  best  men  of 
either  U. B.C.  twice  in  one  year.     Examination  and  other  causes 


reduce  the  ranks  more  or  less  ;  and,  as  the  annual  Putney  match 
between  the  Universities  is  considered  by  them  to  be  of  more 
importance  than  any  other  contest,  they  devote  their  best  energies 
to  that,  and  leave  minor  sections  of  either  U.B.C.  to  fight  Henley 
battles.  It  is  found  that  a  good  college  eight,  or  a  club  crew  of 
which  some  one  college  forms  a  nucleus,  can  be  got  together 
better,  in  the  limited  time  available  for  practice  for  the  regatta, 
than  eight  better  men  who  probably  cannot  find  time  to  practise 
all  together  for  more  than  a  week,  and  who  will  further,  for  the 
same  reason,  be  short  of  condition.  . 


42  BOATING. 

Till  1856,  it  was  the  custom  for  the  U.B.C.'s,  if  they  could 
not  agree  as  to  time  and  place  for  a  match,  to  assent  to  meet 
each  other  in  the  Grand  Challenge  ;  and  such  meetings  ranked 
practically  as  University  matches.  Records  of  these  rencontres 
of  the  U.B.C.'s  will  be  found  in  tables  at  the  end  of  this  volume, 
together  with  a  history  of  Henley  past  and  future. 

The  'Seven-oar  episode'  of  1843  was  not  a  University 
match  or  meeting.  The  O.U.B.C.  were  entered  at  Henley  ; 
Cambridge  w^ere  represented  by  the  '  Cambridge  Rooms  -, '  but 
the  C.U.B.C.  was  not  officially  represented  by  that  crew.  Just 
before  the  final  heat,  the  Oxford  stroke  fainted,  and  the  Cam- 
bridge reasonably  objected  to  the  introduction  of  a  substitute. 
The  Oxonians  then  decided  to  row  with  seven  oars.  They 
had  a  wind  abeam,  favouring  the  side  which  was  manned  by 
only  three  oars.  They  eventually  won  by  a  length,  or  there- 
abouts. 

In  1843  the  Thames  Regatta  was  started,  and  greatly  supple- 
mented the  attractions  of  Henley.  The  mistake  of  this  regatta 
was  the  rule  which  made  challenge  prizes  the  permanent  pro- 
perty of  any  crew  which  could  win  them  thrice  in  succession. 
By  this  means  the  Gold  Cup  for  eights,  the  pike  de  resistance 
of  the  regatta,  passed  in  1 848  to  the  possession  of  the  '  Thames ' 
Club.  The  regatta  lingered  on  one  year  longer,  shorn  of  its 
chief  glory,  and  then  died  out. 

Records  of  the  winners  of  the  chief  prizes  at  it,  amateurs 
as  well  as  professionals,  will  be  found  in  '  Tables.' 

In  1854  a  new  Thames  regatta,  called  the  'National,' 
was  founded.  It  was  supported  by  the  '  Thames  Subscription 
Club,'  and  died  with  that  club  in  1866.  In  the  last  year  of  its 
existence  it  introduced  amateur  prizes  as  well  as  the  usual 
bonuses  for  professionals.  In  1866  a  very  important  regatta 
was  founded — the  Metropolitan.  Its  founders  expected  it  to 
eclipse  Henley,  by  dint  of  offers  of  more  valuable  prizes,  but 
it  never  took  the  fancy  of  the  University  element,  and  for  want 
of  the  wider-spread  competition  which  strong  entries  from  the 
U.B.C.'s  would  have  produced,  it  never  attained  the  prestige  of 


THE  RISE   OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP 


43 


Henley.  Still  the  honours  of  winning  eights,  fours,  pairs,  or 
sculls  at  it  rank,  in  amateur  estimation,  second  only  to  Henley. 
Barnes  Regatta  is  of  very  old  standing.  The  tideway  is  always 
a  drawback  to  scenery,  but  Barnes  always  used  to  produce 
good  audiences  and  good  competitors.  Its  chief  patrons  were 
tideway  clubs  and  the  Kingston  Rowing  Club. 

Walton-on-Thames  flourished  in  the  '  sixties.'     It  has  now 


died  out.  It  was  as  a  picnic  second  only  to  Henley.  The 
course  was  rather  one-sided,  and  hardly  long  enough  to  test 
stamina. 

Molesey  Regatta,  of  less  than  ten  years'  growth,  now  holds 
much  the  same  station  in  aquatics  that  Walton-on-Thames 
once  claimed.  It  draws  its  sinews  of  war  from  much  the  same 
up-river  locality  that  used  to  feed  Walton. 

Kingston-on-Thames  has  a  longer  history  than  any  regatta 


44  BOATING. 

except  Henley.  Its  fortunes  hang  on  the  Kingston  Rowing 
Club,  but  it  is  well  patronised  by  tideway  clubs. 

Regattas  have  for  a  season  or  two  been  known  at  Staines 
and  Chertsey,  but  they  depended  on  some  one  or  two  local 
men  of  energy,  and,  when  this  support  failed,  they  died  out. 

Reading  has  a  good  reach,  and  has  of  late  come  to  the  fore 
with  a  good  meeting  and  a  handsome  challenge  cup. 

To  return  to  watermen's  regattas.  The  late  Mr.  J.  G. 
Chambers,  and  a  strong  gathering  of  amateur  allies  of  his,  re- 
vived a  second  series  of  Thames  regattas  in  1868  ;  these  meet- 
ings were  confined  to  watermen  and  other  professionals,  whose 
doings  are  scheduled  in  '  Tables '  hereafter.  How  the  second 
series  of  Thames  National  regattas  followed  the  fate  of  series 
No.  I,  and  of  the  'Royal  Thames  Regatta'  before  that,  will  be 
found  in  the  chapter  on  professional  rowing.  The  so-called 
'  International '  Regatta  lived  but  two  years,  and  fell  through 
so  soon  as  its  mercenary  promoters  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  they  could  not  see  their  way  to  harvest  filthy  lucre  out 
of  it. 

There  used  to  be  a  well-attended  regatta  at  Talkintarn,  in 
the  Lake  district.  It  died  out  from  causes  similar  to  those 
which  led  to  the  collapse  of  the  '  Royal '  Thames  regattas,  i.e. 
the  dedication  of  its  prizes  to  those  who  could  win  them  a 
certain  number  of  times  consecutively.  The  Messrs.  Brick- 
wood  thus  becaijie  the  absolute  owners  of  the  chief  prize  for 
pairs,  and  a  Tyne  crew  became  the  proprietors  of  the  four-oar 
prize. 

The  Tyne,  the  Wear,  Chester,  Bedford,  Tewkesbury,  Wor- 
cester, Bridgenorth,  Bath,  and  other  provincial  towns  produce 
regattas,  but  none  of  them  succeed  in  drawing  many  of  the 
leading  Thames  clubs,  and  without  these  no  regatta  ever  estab- 
lishes even  second-class  prestige. 

The  rules  of  Henley  Regatta  are  here  appended.  They 
serve  to  inform  intending  competitors  of  the  code  under  which 
they  will  have  to  enter  and  to  row,  and  they  may  also  offer  valu- 
able hints  to  other  regatta  executives,  present  and  future. 


THE  RISE  OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP. 


45 


HENLEY   ROYAL  REGATTA. 
Established  1839. 

President. 
The  Right  Honourabi  e  Lord  Camoys. 

Stewards. 
The  Mayor  of  Henley. 


\ 


The  Rt.  Hon.  the!  Earl  of  Mac- 
clesfield. 

W.  H.  Vanderstegen,  Esq. 

Alexander  C.  Forbes,  Esq. 

J.  r.  Hodges,  Esq. 

Henry  Knox,  Esq. 

J.  W.  Rhodes,  Esq. 

W.  D.  Mackenzie,  Esq.  ' 

Henry  Hodges,  Esq. 

The  Rev.  E.  Warre,  D.D. 

Y.  Willan,  Esq. 

Charles  Stephens,  Esq. 

John  Noble,  Esq. 

The  Rt.  Hon.  W.  H.  Smith, 
M.P. 


Fredk.  Fenner,  Esq. 

H.  T.  Steward,  Esq. 

Colonel  Baskerville. 

Hugh  Mair,  Esq. 

Sir  F.  G.  Stapylton,  Bart. 

W.  H.  Grenfell,  Esq.,  M.P. 

J.  H.  D.  Goldie,  Esq. 

The    Rt.    Hon.    Lord    Londes- 

borough. 
T.  C.  Edwardes-Moss,  Esq.,  M.P. 
J.  Cooper,  Esq. 
J.  Page,  Esq. 
A.  Brakspear,  Esq. 
The    Rt.     Hon.    the     Earl     of 

Antrim. 

A.  Brakspear,  Hon.  Treasurer. 
J.  F.  Cooper,  Secretary. 


CONSTITUTION. 

On  May  16,  1885,  at  a  meeting  of  the  stewards,  the  following 
resolutions  were  agreed  to  : — 

1.  That  the   stewards  of  Henley  Regatta   shall   constitute   a 
council  for  the  general  control  of  the  affairs  of  the  regatta. 

2.  That  the  stewards  shall  elect  a  president,  who  shall,  if  pre- 
sent, take  the  chair  at  the  general  meetings. 

3.  That  the  chairman  shall  have  a  casting  vote. 


46  BOATING. 

4.  That  not  less  than  five  shall  form  a  quorum  at  the  general 
meetings. 

5.  That  two  ordinary  general  meetings  shall  be  held  in  each 
year,  one  in  the  month  of  May  and  another  in  the  month  of 
November. 

6.  That  other  general  meetings  shall  be  summoned  by  the 
secretary,  when  ordered  by  the  president,  or  at  the  request  of  any 
two  stewards,  in  writing,  provided  that  not  less  than  fourteen  days' 
notice  shall  be  given  of  any  such  meeting. 

7.  That  the  stewards  shall  elect  annually,  at  the  meeting  in 
November,  from  their  own  body,  a  committee  of  management. 

8.  That  the  number  of  the  committee  shall  not  exceed  twelve, 
of  whom  not  less  than  three  shall  form  a  quorum. 

9.  That  the  committee  shall  elect  one  of  their  own  body  to  act 
as  chairman. 

10.  That  the  committee  be  empowered  to  manage  and  exercise 
control  over  all  matters  connected  with  the  regatta,  excepting 
such  as  shall  involve  the  alteration  of  any  of  the  published  rules 
of  the  regatta. 

11.  That  the  committee  shall  present  a  report,  together  with 
a  statement  of  accounts,  to  the  stewards,  annually,  at  the  No- 
vember meeting  in  each  year. 

12.  That  meetings  of  the  committee  shall  be  summoned  by 
the  secretary  when  ordered  by  the  chairman,  or  at  the  request  of 
any  two  members  of  the  committee,  in  writing,  providing  that  not 
less  than  one  week's  notice  be  given  of  any  such  meeting. 

13.  That  the  committee  shall  have  power  to  make  and  publish 
by-laws  respecting  any  matter  connected  with  the  management 
of  the  regatta,  not  already  determined  in  the  published  rules. 

14.  That  no  alteration  shall  be  made  in  any  of  the  foregoing 
resolutions,  or  in  any  of  the  published  rules  of  the  regatta,  except 
at  a  general  meeting  specially  convened  for  that  purpose,  of  which 
fourteen  days'  notice  shall  be  given,  such  notice  to  state  the  altera- 
tions proposed,  and  unless  the  alteration  be  carried  by  a  majority 
of  two-thirds  at  a  meeting  of  not  less  than  nine  stewards. 


THE  RISE   OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP.        47 

QUALIFICATION   RULES. 
The  Grand  Challenge  Cup, 

FOR    EIGHT-OARS. 

Any  crew  of  amateurs  who  are  members  of  any  University  or 
Public  School,  or  who  are  officers  of  her  Majesty's  army  or 
navy,  or  any  amateur  club  established  at  least  one  year  previous 
to  the  day  of  entry,  shall  be  qualified  to  contend  for  this  prize. 

The  Stewards'  Challenge  Cup, 
for  four-oars. 

The  same  as  for  the  Grand  Challenge  Cup. 

The  Ladies'  Challenge  Plate, 

FOR    EIGHT-OARS. 

Any  crew  of  amateurs  who  are  members  of  any  of  the  boat 
clubs  of  colleges,  or  non-collegiate  boat  clubs  of  the  Universities, 
or  boat  clubs  of  any  of  the  Public  Schools,  in  the  United  Kingdom 
only,  shall  be  qualified  to  contend  for  this  prize  ;  but  no  member 
of  any  college  or  non-collegiate  crew  shall  be  allowed  to  row  for 
it  who  has  exceeded  four  years  from  the  date  of  his  first  commencing 
residence  at  the  University  ;  and  each  member  of  a  Public  School 
crew  shall,  at  the  time  of  entering,  be  bond  fide  a  member  '  in  statu 
pupillari '  of  such  school. 

The  Visitors'  Challenge  Cup, 

FOR    four-oars. 

The  same  as  for  the  Ladies'  Challenge  Plate. 

The  Thames  Challenge  Cup, 
for  eight-oars. 

The  qualification  for  this  cup  shall  be  the  same  as  for  the 
Grand  Challenge  Cup  ;  but  no  one  (coxswains  excepted)  may  enter 
for  this  cup  who  has  ever  rowed  in  a  winning  crew  for  the  Grand 
Challenge  Cup  or  Stewards'  Challenge  Cup ;  and  no  one  (substi- 
tutes as  per  Rule  7  excepted)  may  enter,  and  no  one  shall  row,  for 


48  BOATING. 

this  cup  and  for  the  Grand  Challenge  Cup  or  Stewards'  Challenge 
Cup  at  the  same  regatta. 

The  Wyfold  Challenge  Cup, 
for  four-oars. 

The  qualification  for  this  cup  shall  be  the  same  as  for  the 
Stewards'  Challenge  Cup  ;  but  no  one  shall  enter  for  this  cup  who 
has  ever  rowed  in  a  winning  crew  for  the  Stewards'  Challenge 
Cup  ;  and  no  one  (substitutes  as  per  Rule  1 1  excepted)  may  enter, 
and  no  one  shall  row,  for  this  cup  and  for  the  Stewards'  Challenge 
Cup  at  the  same  regatta. 

The  Silver  Goblets, 

FOR   PAIR-OARS. 

Open  to  all  amateurs  duly  entered  for  the  same  according  to 
the  rules  following. 


The  Diamond  Challenge  Sculls, 

FOR    SCULLS. 

Open  to  all  amateurs  duly  entered  for  the  same  according  to 
the  rules  following. 


GENERAL   RULES. 


Definition. — i.  No  person  shall  be  considered  an  amateur  oars- 
man, sculler,  or  coxswain — 

{a)  Who  has  ever  taken  part  in  any  open  competition  for  a  stake, 
money,  or  entrance  fee  ; 

{b)  Who  has  ever  knowingly  competed  with  or  against  a  profes- 
sional for  any  prize ; 

if)  Who  has  ever  taught,  pursued,  or  assisted  in  the  practice  of 
athletic  exercises  of  any  kind  for  profit ; 

{d)  Who  has  ever  been  employed  in  or  about  boats,  or  in  manual 
labour  for  money  or  wages  ; 

[e]  Who  is  or  has  been  by  trade  or  employment,  for  wages,  a 
mechanic,  artisan,  or  labourer,  or  engaged  in  any  menial  duty. 

Eligibility.— '2.  No  one  shall  be  eligible  to  row  or  steer  for  a 


THE  RISE   OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP.        49 


club  unless  he  has  been  a  member  of  that  club  for  at  least  two 
months  preceding  the  regatta,  but  this  rule  shall  not  apply  to 
colleges,  schools,  or  crews  composed  of  officers  of  her  Majesty's 
army  or  navy. 

Entries. — 3.  The  entry  of  any  amateur  club,  crew,  or  sculler, 
in  the  United  Kingdom,  must  be  made  ten  clear  days  before  the 
regatta,  and  the  names  of  the  captain  or  secretary  of  each  club  or 
crew  must  accompany  the  entry.  A  copy  of  the  list  of  entries  shall 
be  forwarded  by  the  secretary  of  the  regatta  to  the  captain  or 
secretary  of  each  club  or  crew  duly  entered. 

4.  The  entry  of  any  crew  or  sculler,  out  of  the  United  Kingdom, 
must  be  made  on  or  before  March  31,  and  any  such  entry  must  be 
accompanied  by  a  declaration,  made  before  a  notary  public,  with 
regard  to  the  profession  of  each  person  so  entering,  to  the  effect 
that  he  has  never  taken  part  in  any  open  competition  for  a  stake, 
money,  or  entrance  fee  ;  has  never  knowingly  competed  with  nor 
against  a  professional  for  any  prize  ;  has  never  taught,  pursued,  or 
assisted  in  the  practice  of  athletic  exercises  of  any  kind  for  profit ; 
has  never  been  employed  in  or  about  boats,  or  in  manual  labour 
for  money  or  wages  ;  is  not,  and  never  has  been,  by  trade  or  em- 
ployment, for  wages,  a  mechanic,  artisan,  or  labourer,  or  engaged 
in  any  menial  duty  ;  and  in  cases  of  the  entry  of  a  crew,  that  each 
member  thereof  is  a  member  of  a  club  duly  established  at  least 
one  year  previous  to  the  day  of  entry  ;  and  such  declaration  must 
be  certified  by  the  British  Consul,  or  the  Mayor,  or  the  chief 
authority  of  the  locality. 

5.  No  assumed  name  shall  be  given  to  the  secretary,  unless 
accompanied  by  the  real  name  of  the  competitor. 

6.  No  one  shall  enter  twice  for  the  same  race. 

7.  The  secretary  of  the  regatta  shall  not  divulge  any  entry, 
nor  report  the  state  of  the  entrance  list,  until  such  list  be  closed. 

8.  Entrance  money  for  each  boat  shall  be  paid  to  the  secretary 
at  the  time  of  entering,  as  follows  : — 

For  the  Grand  Challenge  Cup 

Ladies'  Challenge  Plate  . 
Thames  Challenge  Cup  . 
Stewards'       „  „     . 

Visitors'  „  „     . 

Wyfold  „  „     . 

Silver  Goblets 
Diamond  Challenge  Sculls 


£ 

.9. 

d. 

.     6 

6 

0 

•     5 

5 

0 

•     5 

5 

0 

•     4 

4 

0 

.     3 

3 

0 

•     3 

3 

0 

.     2 

2 

0 

.     I 

I 

0 

so  BOATING. 

9.  The  committee  shall  investigate  any  questionable  entry,  irre- 
spective of  protest. 

10.  The  committee  shall  have  power  to  refuse  or  return  any 
entry  up  to  the  time  of  starting,  without  being  bound  to  assign  a 
reason. 

11.  The  captain  or  secretary  of  each  club  or  crew  entered  shall, 
seven  clear  days  before  the  regatta,  deliver  to  the  secretary  of  the 
regatta  a  list  containing  the  names  of  the  actual  crew  appointed 
to  compete,  to  which  list  the  names  of  not  more  than  four  other 
members  for  an  eight-oar  and  two  for  a  four-oar  may  be  added  as 
substitutes. 

12.  No  person  may  be  substituted  for  another  who  has  already 
rowed  or  steered  in  a  heat. 

13.  The  secretary  of  the  regatta,  after  receiving  the  list  of  the 
crews  entered,  and  of  the  substitutes,  shall,  if  required,  furnish  a 
copy  of  the  same,  with  the  names,  real  and  assumed,  to  the  captain 
or  secretary  of  each  club  or  crew  entered,  and  in  the  case  of  pairs 
or  scullers  to  each  competitor  entered. 

Objections. — 14.  Objections  to  the  entry  of  any  club  or  crew 
must  be  made  in  writing  to  the  secretary  at  least  four  clear  days 
before  the  regatta,  when  the  committee  shall  investigate  the 
grounds  of  objection,  and  decide  thereon  without  delay. 

15.  Objections  to  the  qualification  of  a  competitor  must  be 
made  in  writing  to  the  secretary  at  the  earliest  moment  practicable. 
No  protest  shall  be  entertained  unless  lodged  before  the  prizes  are 
distributed. 

Course. — 16.  The  races  shall  commence  below  the  Island,  and 
terminate  at  the  upper  end  of  Phyllis  Court.  Length  of  course, 
about  I  mile  and  550  yards. 

17.  Boats  shall  be  held  to  have  completed  the  course  when 
their  bows  reach  the  winning-post. 

18.  The  whole  course  must  be  completed  by  a  competitor 
before  he  can  be  held  to  have  won  a  trial  or  final  heat. 

Stations. — 19.  Stations  shall  be  drawn  by  the  committee. 

Row  over. — 20.  In  the  event  of  there  being  but  one  boat  entered 
for  any  prize,  or  if  more  than  one  enter,  and  all  withdraw  but  one, 
the  crew  of  the  remaining  boat  must  row  over  the  course  to  be 
entitled  to  such  prize. 

Heats. — 21.  If  there  shall  be  more  than  two  competitors,  they 
shall  row  a  trial  heat  or  heats  ;  but  no  more  than  two  boats  shall 
contend  in  any  heat  for  any  of  the  prizes  above  mentioned. 


THE  RISE   OF  MODERN  OARSMANSHIP.         51 

22.  In  the  event  of  a  dead  heat  taking  place,  the  same  crews 
shall  contend  again,  after  such  interval  as  the  committee  may 
appoint,  or  the  crew  refusing  shall  be  adjudged  to  have  lost  the 
heat. 

Clothing. — 23.  Every  competitor  must  wear  complete  clothing 
from  the  shoulders  to  the  knees — including  a  sleeved  jersey. 

Coxswains. — 24.  Every  eight-oared  boat  shall  cany  a  coxswain  ; 
such  coxswain  must  be  an  amateur,  and  shall  not  steer  for  more 
than  one  club  for  the  same  prize. 

The  minimum  weight  for  coxswains  shall  be  7  stone. 

Crews  averaging  \o\  stone  and  under  11  stone  to  carry  not  less 
than  7i  stone. 

Crews  averaging  1 1  stone  or  more,  to  carry  not  less  than  8  stone. 

Deficiencies  must  be  made  up  by  dead  weight  carried  on  the 
coxswain's  thwart. 

The  dead  weight  shall  be  provided  by  the  committee,  and  shall 
be  placed  in  the  boat  and  removed  from  it  by  a  person  appointed 
for  that  purpose. 

Each  competitor  (including  the  coxswain)  in  eight-  arid  four- 
oared  races  shall  attend  to  be  weighed  (in  rowing  costume)  at  the 
time  and  place  appointed  by  the  committee  ;  and  his  weight  then 
registered  by  the  secretary  shall  be  considered  his  racing  weight 
during  the  regatta. 

Any  member  of  a  crew  omitting  to  register  his  weight  shall  be 
disqualified. 

Flag. — 25.  Every  boat  shall,  at  starting,  carry  a  flag  showing 
its  colour  at  the  bow.  Boats  not  conforming  to  this  rule  are  liable 
to  be  disqualified  at  the  discretion  of  the  umpire. 

Umpire. — 26.  The  committee  shall  appoint  one  or  more  um- 
pires to  act  under  the  Laws  of  Boat-racing. 

Jttdge. — 27.  The  committee  shall  appoint  one  or  more  judges, 
whose  decision  as  to  the  order  in  which  the  boats  pass  the  post 
shall  be  final. 

Prizes.— 2%.  The  prizes  shall  be  delivered  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  regatta  to  their  respective  winners,  who  on  receipt  of  a  chal- 
lenge prize  shall  subscribe  a  document  of  the  following  effect : — 

'  We,  A,  B,  C,  D,  &c.,  the  captain  and  crew  of  the 
and  members  of  the  Club,  having 

been  this  day  declared  to  be  the  winners  of  the  Henley  Royal 
Regatta  Challenge  Cup,  and  the  same  having  been 

delivered  to  us  by  E  F,  G  H,  I  K,  &c.,  Stewards  of  the  Regatta, 


52  BOATING. 

do  hereby,  individually  and  collectively,  engage  to  return  the  same 
to  the  Stewards  on  or  before  June  i,  in  accordance  with  the  con- 
ditions of  the  annexed  rules,  to  which  also  we  have  subscribed 
our  respective  names.' 

Co77iinitiee. — 29.  All  questions  of  eligibility,  qualification,  inter- 
pretation of  the  rules,  or  other  matters  not  specially  provided  for, 
shall  be  referred  to  the  committee,  whose  decision  shall  be  final. 

30,  The  Laws  of  Boat-racing  to  be  observed  at  the  regatta 
are  as  follows  {see  chapter  on  this  subject). 

A  good  deal  of  the  history  of  old  regattas  at  which  watermen 
contended  is  necessarily  mixed  with  the  history  of  the  rise  of 
professional  racing,  and  will  be  found  to  be  dealt  with  under 
that  heading  in  another  chapter. 


\ 


BISHAM   COURT, 


CHAPTER   III. 


SCIENTIFIC    OARSMANSHIP. 


If  a  thing  is  worth  doing  at  all  it  is  worth  doing  well,  whether 
it  be  undertaken  in  sport  or  as  a  means  of  livelihood. 

The  first  principles  of  oarsmanship  may  be  explained  to  a 
beginner  in  a  few  minutes,  and  he  might  roughly  put  them 
into  force,  in  a  casual  and  faulty  manner,  on  the  first  day  of 
his  education. 

In  all  pastimes  and  professions  there  is,  as  even  a  child 
knows,  a  very  wide  difference  between  the  knowing  how  a  thing 
is  done  and  the  rendering  of  the  operation  in  the  most  approved 
and  scientific  manner. 

In  all  operations  which  entail  the  use  of  implements  there 
are  three  essentials  to  the  attainment  of  real  merit  in  the  opera- 
tion.   These  are,  firstly,  physical  capacity  ;  secondly,  good  tools 


54  BOATING. 

to  work  with  ;  thirdly,  practice  and  painstaking  on  the  part  of 
the  student. 

For  the  purposes  of  the  current  chapter  we  shall  postulate 
the  two  former,  and  confine  the  theme  to  details  of  such  study 
and  practice  of  oarsmanship  as  are  requisite  in  order  to  attain 
scientific  use  of  oars  or  sculls. 

When  commencing  to  learn  an  operation  which  entails  a 
new  and  unwonted  exercise,  distinct  volition  is  necessary  on 
the  part  of  the  brain,  in  order  to  dictate  to  the  various  muscles 
the  parts  which  they  are  to  play  in  the  operation. 

The  oftener  that  a  muscular  movement  is  repeated  the 
less  intense  becomes  the  mental  volition  which  is  required  to 
dictate  that  movement  ;  until  at  last  the  movement  becomes 
almost  mechanical,  and  can  be  reproduced  without  a  strain  of 
the  will  (so  long  as  the  muscular  power  is  not  exhausted). 

One  object  of  studied  practice  at  any  given  muscular  move- 
ment is  to  accustom  the  muscles  to  this  particular  function, 
until  they  become  capable  of  carrying  it  out  without  requiring 
specific  and  laborious  instructions  from  the  headquarters  of  the 
brain  on  the  occasion  of  each  such  motion.  Another  object 
and  result  of  exercise  of  one  or  more  sets  of  muscles  is  to 
develop  their  powers.  The  anatomical  reasons  why  muscles  in- 
crease in  vigour  and  activity  under  exercise  need  not  be  here 
discussed  ;  the  fact  may  be  accepted  that  they  do  so. 

Hence,  by  practice  of  any  kind  of  muscular  movement, 
the  student  increases  both  the  vigour  and  the  independence  of 
action  of  the  muscles  concerned. 

In  any  operation  with  implements  there  is  some  one 
method  of  performing  the  same  which  experience  has  proved 
to  be  the  most  effectual  for  the  purpose  required.  There  will 
be  other  methods,  or  variations  of  method,  which  will  attain  a 
somewhat  similar  but  less  effectual  and  less  satisfactory  result. 

It  requires  distinct  volition  in  the  first  instance  to  perform 
the  operation  in  an  inferior  manner,  just  as  it  does  to  perform 
it  in  the  most  approved  manner,  to  perform  '  clumsily '  or  to 
perform  '  cleverly,' 


SCIENTIFIC  OARSMANSHIP.  55 

Naturally,  if  the  volition  to  act  clumsily  be  repeated  a 
sufficient  number  of  times,  the  muscles  learn  independent 
clumsy  action  with  as  much  facility  as  they  would  have  other- 
wise acquired  independent  clever  and  scientific  action.  Hence 
the  importance  of  knowing  which  is  the  most  approved  and 
effectual  method  of  setting  to  work,  and  of  being  informed  of 
the  result,  good  or  bad,  of  each  attempt,  while  the  volition  is 
still  in  active  force,  and  before  the  '  habit '  of  muscular  action, 
perfect  or  imperfect,  is  fully  formed. 

We  all  know  that,  whether  we  are  dealing  with  morals  or 
with  muscles,  it  is  a  matter  of  much  difficulty  to  overcome  a 
bad  habit,  and  to  form  a  different  and  a  better  one  relating  to 
the  same  course  of  action. 

When  the  pupil  begins  to  learn  to  row  the  brain  has  many 
things  to  think  of;  it  has  several  orders  to  distribute  simul- 
taneously to  its  different  employes — the  various  muscles  required 
for  the  work — and  these  employes  are,  moreover,  '  new  to  the 
business.'  They  have  not  yet,  from  want  of  practice,  developed 
the  vigour  and  strength  which  they  will  require  hereafter  ;  and 
also  they  know  so  little  of  what  they  have  to  do  that  they  require 
incessant  instruction  from  brain  headquarters,  or  else  they  make 
blunders.  But  in  time  both  master  and  servants,  brain  and 
muscles,  begin  to  settle  down  to  their  business.  The  master 
becomes  less  confused,  and  gives  his  orders  with  more  accuracy 
and  less  oblivion  of  details  ;  the  servants  acquire  more  vigour, 
and  pick  up  the  instructions  with  more  facility.  At  last  the 
time  comes  when  the  servants  know  pretty  well  what  their 
master  would  have  them  do,  and  act  spontaneously,  while  the 
master  barely  whispers  his  orders,  and  has  leisure  to  attend  to 
other  matters,  or  at  all  events  saves  himself  the  exertion  of 
having  momentarily  to  shout  his  orders  through  a  speaking- 
trumpet.  Meantime,  as  said  before,  the  servants  can  only 
obey  orders ;  and,  if  their  original  instructions  have  been 
blunders  on  the  part  of  the  master,  they  settle  down  to  the 
reproduction  of  these  blunders. 

Now  it  often  happens  that  an  oarsman,  who  is  himself  a 


56  BOATING. 

good  judge  of  rowing,  and  is  capable  of  giving  very  good  in- 
structions to  others,  is  guilty  of  many  faults  in  his  own  oars- 
manship. And  yet  it  cannot  be  said  of  him  that  he  '  knows 
no  better '  as  regards  those  faults  which  he  personally  commits. 
On  the  contrary,  if  he  were  to  see  one  of  his  own  pupils  rowing 
wuth  any  one  of  these  same  faults,  he  would  promptly  detect  it, 
and  would  be  able  to  explain  to  the  pupil  the  why  and  the 
wherefore  of  the  error,  and  of  its  cure.  Nevertheless,  he  per- 
petrates in  his  own  person  the  very  fault  which  he  discerns 
and  corrects  when  he  notes  it  in  another  !  And  the  reason  is 
this.  His  own  oarsmanship  has  become  mechanical,  and  is 
reproduced  stroke  after  stroke  without  a  distinct  volition.  It 
became  faulty  at  the  time  when  it  was  becoming  mechanical, 
because  the  brain  was  not  sufficiently  conscious  of  the  orders 
which  it  was  dictating,  or  was  not  duly  informed,  from  some 
external  source,  what  orders  it  should  issue.  So  the  brain  gave 
wrong  orders,  through  carelessness  or  ignorance,  or  both,  and 
continued  to  repeat  them,  until  the  muscles  learnt  to  repeat 
their  faulty  functions  spontaneously,  and  without  the  immediate 
cognisance  of  the  brain. 

This  illustration,  of  which  many  a  practical  instance  will  be 
recalled  by  any  rowing  man  of  experience,  serves  to  show  the 
importance  of  keeping  the  mind  attentive,  as  far  as  possible,  at 
all  times  when  rowing,  and  still  more  so  while  elementary  row- 
ing is  being  learnt,  and  also  of  having,  if  possible,  a  mentor  to 
watch  the  endeavours  of  the  student,  and  to  inform  him  of  any 
error  of  movement  which  he  may  perpetrate,  before  his  mind 
and  muscles  become  confirmed  in  an  erroneous  line  of  action. 

The  reader  will  therefore  see  from  the  above  that  it  is 
important  for  any  one  who  seeks  to  acquire  really  scientific 
oarsmanship,  not  only  to  pay  all  the  mental  attention  that  he 
can  to  the  movements  which  he  is  executing,  but  also  to  secure 
the  presence  of  some  experienced  adviser  who  will  watch  the 
execution  of  each  stroke,  and  will  point  out  at  the  time  what 
movements  have  been  correctly  and  what  have  been  incorrectly 
performed. 


SCIENTIFIC   OARSMANSHIP.  57 

Having  shown  the  importance  of  careful  study  and  tuition 
in  the  details  of  scientific  oarsmanship,  we  now  enter  into  those 
details  themselves,  but  still  confine  ourselves  to  what  is  known 
as  '  fixed '  seat  rowing,  taking  them  separately,  and  dealing 
first  with  the  stroke  itself,  as  distinct  from  the  '  recovery ' 
between  the  strokes. 

While  carrying  out  the  stroke  upon  general  principles,  the 
oarsman,  in  order  to  produce  a  maximum  effect  with  a  rela- 
tively minimum  expenditure  of  strength,  has  to  study  the 
following  details  : 

1.  To  keep  the  back  rigid,  and  to  swing  from  the  hips. 

2.  To  maintain  his  shoulders  braced  when  the  oar  grasps 
the  water. 

3.  To  use  the  legs  and  feet  in  the  best  manner  and  at  the 
exact  instant  required. 

4.  To  hold  his  oar  properly. 

5.  To  govern  the  depth  of  the  blade  with  accuracy,  in- 
cluding the  first  dip  of  the  blade  into  the  water  to  the  moment 
when  the  blade  quits  it. 

6.  To  row  the  stroke  home  to  his  chest,  bending  his  arms 
neither  too  soon  nor  too  late. 

7.  To  do  so  with  the  correct  muscles. 

8.  To  drop  the  hands  and  elevate  the  oar  from  the  water  in 
the  right  manner  and  at  the  right  moment. 

Then  again,,  when  the  stroke  is  completed  and  the  recovery 
commences,  the  details  to  be  further  observed  are  : 

9.  To  avoid  '  hang '  or  delay  of  action  either  with  hands  or 
body. 

10.  To  manipulate  the  feather  with  accuracy  and  at  the 
proper  instant. 

11.  To  govern  the  height  of  the  blade  during  the  recovery. 

12.  To  use  the  legs  and  feet  correctly  and  at  the  right 
moments  of  recovery. 

13.  To  keep  the  button  of  the  oar  home  to  the  thowl. 

14.  To  regulate  the  proportionate  speeds  of  recovery  of 
arms  and  of  body,  relatively  to  each  other. 


S8  BOATING 

15.  To  return  the  feathered  oar  to  the  square  position  at 
the  right  time  and  in  the  correct  manner. 

16.  To  raise  the  hands  at  the  right  moment,  and  so  to 
lower  the  blade  into  the  water  at  the  correct  instant. 

17.  To  recommence  the  action  of  the  new  stroke  at  the 
right  instant. 

These  several  details  present  an  apparently  formidable  list 
of  detailed  studies  to  be  followed  in  order  to  execute  a  series 
of  strokes  and  recoveries  in  the  most  approved  fashion.  In 
performance  the  operation  is  far  more  homogeneous  than  would 
appear  from  the  above  disjointed  analysis  of  the  several  move- 
ments to  be  performed.  The  division  of  movements  is  made 
for  the  purpose  of  observation  and  appreciation  of  possibly 
several  faults,  which  may  occur  in  any  one  of  the  movements 
detailed.  As  a  fact,  the  correct  rendering  of  one  movement — 
of  one  detail  of  the  stroke — facilitates  correctness  in  succeeding 
or  contemporaneous  details  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  a  faulty 
rendering  of  one  movement  tends  to  hamper  the  action  of  the 
body  in  other  details,  and  to  make  it  more  liable  to  do  its 
work  incorrectly  in  some  or  all  of  them.  Experience  shows 
that  one  fault,  in  one  distinct  detail,  is  constantly  the  primary 
cause  of  a  concatenation  of  other  faults.  To  set  the  machine 
in  incorrect  motion  in  one  branch  of  it  tends  to  put  the  whole, 
or  the  greater  part  of  it,  more  or  less  out  of  gear,  and  to  cripple 
its  action  from  beginning  to  end  of  the  chapter. 

Taking  these  various  details  seriatim. 

I.  The  back  should  be  set  stiff,  and  preserved  stiff  through- 
out the  stroke.  Obviously,  if  the  back  yields  to  the  strain,  the 
stroke  is  not  so  effectual.  Besides,  if  the  back  is  badly  humped 
the  expansion  of  the  chest  is  impeded  ;  and  with  this  the  action 
of  the  pectoral  muscles  and  of  the  shoulders  (of  both  of  which 
more  anon)  is  also  fettered.  Further,  the  lungs  have  less  free- 
dom of  play  when  the  back  is  bent  and  the  chest  cramped  ; 
and  the  value  of  free  respiration  requires  no  explanation. 

We  have  said  that  the  back  must  be  stiff.  If  the  back  can 
be  straight,  from  first  to  last,  stiffness  is  ensured,  ipso  facto.     If 


SCIENTIFIC  OARSMANSHIP.  59 

the  back  is  bent,  care  must  be  taken  that  the  bend  does  not 
increase  or  decrease  during  the  stroke  \  whether  straight  or 
bent,  the  back  should  be  rigid. 

The  conformation  and  development  of  the  muscles  of  the 
back  are  not  quite  the  same  in  all  subjects.  With  some  persons 
absolute  straightness  of  back  comes  almost  naturally  ;  with 
others  the  attainment  of  straightness  is  not  a  matter  of  much 
difficulty.  With  others,  again,  a  slight  amount  of  curve  in  the 
back  is  more  natural  under  the  strain  of  the  oar,  even  with  all 
attention  and  endeavour  to  keep  the  back  flat.  With  such  as 
these  any  artificial  straightening  of  the  back,  that  places  it  in  a 
position  in  which  the  muscles,  as  they  are  adapted  to  the  frame, 
have  not  the  fullest  and  freest  play,  detracts  from  rather  than 
adds  to  the  power  of  the  oarsman. 

But  in  all  cases  it  is  important  that  the  back,  whether 
straight  or  slightly  arched,  should  be  rigid,  and  should  swing 
from  the  hips.  If  the  swing  takes  place  from  one  or  more  of 
the  vertebrae  of  the  spine,  the  force  which  the  oarsman  can 
by  such  actions  produce  is  far  less  than  would  be  the  case  if 
he  kept  his  spine  rigid  and  had  swung  to  and  fro  from  his 
hips. 

In  order  to  facilitate  the  entire  body  in  swinging  from  the 
hips,  and  not  from  one  of  the  vertebras,  the  legs  should  be 
opened,  and  the  knees  induced  outward,  as  the  body  swings 
forward.  The  body  can  then  lower  itself  to  a  greater  reach 
forward,  and  directly  from  the  hips  ;  whereas  if  the  knees  are 
placed  together  the  thighs  check  the  forward  motion  of  the 
body,  and  compel  it,  if  it  remains  rigid,  to  curtail  its  forward 
reach.  (If  the  vertebrae  bend  when  the  swing  from  the  hips  is 
checked  by  the  bent  knees,  the  extra  reach  thus  attained  is 
weak,  and  of  comparatively  minor  effect.) 

Next  (2)  the  shoulders  have  to  be  rigid.  If  they  give  way, 
and  if  the  sockets  stretch  when  the  strain  of  the  oar  is  felt,  the 
effect  of  the  stroke  is  evidently  weakened.  Now  if  the  shoul- 
ders are  stretched  forward  at  the  beginning  of  the  stroke, 
the  muscles  which  govern  and  support  them  have  not  the  same 


6o  BOATING. 

power  of  rigidity  that  they  possess  when  the  shoulders  are  well 
drawn  back  at  the  outset.  The  oarsman  gains  a  little  in  reach 
by  extending  his  shoulders,  but  he  loses  in  rigidity  of  muscle, 
and  consequently  in  the  force  which  he  applies  to  the  oar. 

3.  The  legs  and  feet  should  combine  to  exercise  pressure 
against  the  stretcher  at  the  same  moment,  and  contempora- 
neously with  the  application  of  the  oar  to  the  water.  If  they 
press  too  soon,  the  body  is  forced  back  while  the  oar  is  in  air  ; 
if  too  late,  the  hold  of  the  water  is  weak,  for  want  of  legwork  to 
support  the  body. 

4.  The  oar  should  be  held  in  the  fingers,  not  in  the  fist ; 
the  lower  joints  of  the  fingers  should  be  nearly  straight  when 
the  oar  is  held.  The  hold  which  a  gymnast  would  take  of  a 
bar  of  the  same  thickness,  if  he  were  hanging  from  it,  is,  as 
regards  the  four  fingers  of  the  hand,  the  same  which  an  oars- 
man should  take  of  his  oar.  His  thumb  should  come  under- 
neath, not  over  the  handle. 

5  and  10.  Government  of  the  depression  or  elevation  of 
the  blade,  respectively,  during  stroke  and  recovery,  is  a  matter 
of  application  of  joints  and  of  muscles.  This  much  may  be 
borne  in  mind,  that  the  freer  the  wrist  is,  the  better  is  the  oar 
governed;  and  if  an  oar  is  clutched  in  the  fist  the  flexibility  of 
the  wrist  is  thereby  much  crippled. 

6.  The  arms  should  begin  to  bend  when  the  body  has  just 
found  the  perpendicular.  The  upper  arm  should  swing  close 
to  the  ribs,  worked  by  the  shoulders,  which  should  be  thrown 
well  back. 

7.  The  '  biceps  '  should  not  do  the  work;  for,  if  it  does,  either 
the  hands  are  elevated  or  the  level  of  the  blade  altered — if  the 
elbows  keep  close  to  the  side;  or  else,  if  the  level  of  the  hands 
is  preserved,  then  the  elbows  dog's-ear  outwards.  In  either 
case  the  action  is  less  free  and  less  powerful  than  if  the  stroke 
is  rowed  home  by  the  shoulder  muscles. 

8.  The  part  of  the  hand  which  should  touch  the  chest  when 
the  oar  comes  home  is  the  root  of  the  thumb,  not  the  knuckles 
of  the  fingers.     If  the  knuckles  touch  the  chest  before  the  oar 


SCIENTIFIC  OARSMANSHIP.  6i 

comes  out  of  water,  the  blade  is  '  feathered  under  water ' — a 
common  fault,  and  a  very  insidious  one.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  oar  comes  out  clean,  but  the  first  thing  which  touches  the 
chest  is  the  knuckle,  then  the  last  part  of  the  stroke  will  have 
been  rowed  in  air^  and  not  in  the  ivater. 

9.  Dealing  now  with  recovery.  The  hands  should  rebound 
from  the  chest  like  a  billiard-ball  from  a  cushion.  If  the  hands 
delay  at  the  chest  they  hamper  the  recovery  of  the  body — e.g. 
let  any  man  try  to  push  a  weight  away  from  him  with  his  hands 
and  body  combined.  He  will  find  that,  if  he  pushes  with 
straight  arms,  he  is  better  able  to  apply  the  weight  of  his  body 
to  the  forward  push  than  if  he  keeps  his  arms  bent. 

Having  shot  his  hands  away,  and  having  straightened  his 
arms  as  quickly  as  he  reasonably  can,  his  body  should  follow  ; 
but  his  body  should  not  meantime  have  been  stationary.  It 
should,  like  a  pendulum,  begin  to  swing  for  the  return  so  soon 
as  the  stroke  is  over. 

If  hands  '  hang,'  the  body  tends  to  hang,  as  above  shown  ; 
and  if  the  body  hangs,  valuable  time  is  lost,  which  can  never 
be  regained.  As  an  illustration  :  suppose  a  man  is  rowing 
forty  strokes  in  a  minute,  and  that  his  body  hangs  the  tenth  of 
a  second  when  it  is  back  after  each  stroke,  then  at  the  end  of 
a  minute's  rowing  he  will  have  sat  still  for  four  whole  seconds  ! 
An  oarsman  who  has  no  hang  in  his  recovery  can  thus  row  a 
fast  stroke  with  less  exertion  to  himself  than  one  who  hangs. 
The  latter,  having  wasted  time  between  stroke  and  recovery, 
has  to  swing  forward  all  the  faster,  when  once  he  begins  to 
recover,  in  order  to  perform  the  same  number  of  strokes  in  the 
same  time  as  he  who  does  not  hang.  Now,  although  there  is 
a  greater  effort  required  to  row  the  blade  square  through  the 
water  than  to  recover  it  edgewise  through  the  air,  yet  the  latter 
has  to  be  performed  with  muscles  so  much  weaker  for  the  task 
set  to  them  that  relatively  they  tire  sooner  under  their  lighter 
work  than  do  the  muscles  which  are  in  use  for  rowing  the  blade 
through  the  water.  When  an  oarsman  becomes  '  pumped,' 
he  feels  the  task  of  recovery  even  more  severe  than  that  of 


62  BOATING. 

rowing  the  stroke.  Hence  we  see  the  importance  of  econo- 
mising as  far  as  possible  the  labour  of  those  muscles  which  are 
employed  on  the  recovery,  and  of  not  adding  to  their  toil  by 
waste  of  time  which  entails  a  subsequent  extra  exertion  in 
order  to  regain  lost  ground  and  lost  time. 

10.  The  manipulation  of  the  blade  through  the  water  is 
of  great  importance,  otherwise  the  blade  will  not  keep  square, 
and  regular  pressure  against  the  water  will  not  be  attained. 
Now,  since  the  angle  of  the  blade  to  the  water  has  to  be  a 
constant  one,  and  since  the  plane  on  which  the  blade  works 
also  is  required  to  be  uniform,  till  the  moment  for  the  feather 
has  arrived,  it  stands  to  reason  that  the  wrists  and  arms,  which 
are  changing  their  position  relatively  with  the  body  while  the 
stroke  progresses,  must  accommodate  themselves  to  the  pro- 
gressive variations  of  force  of  body  and  arms,  so  as  to  maintain 
the  uniform  angle  and  plane  of  the  oar.  Herein  much  atten- 
tion must  be  paid  to  maxim  4  {supra).  If  an  oar  is  held  in  the 
fist  instead  of  in  the  fingers,  the  play  of  the  muscles  of  the 
wrist  is  thereby  crippled,  and  it  becomes  less  easy  to  govern 
the  blade. 

11.  On  a  somewhat  similar  principle  as  the  foregoing,  the 
arms,  on  the  recovery,  are  changing  their  position  and  angle 
with  the  body  throughout  the  recovery  ;  but  the  blade  has  to 
be  kept  at  a  normal  level  above  the  water  all  the  time.  It  is 
a  common  fault  for  the  oarsman  to  fail  to  regulate  the  height 
of  the  feather,  and  either  to  '  toss  '  it  at  some  point  of  the  recovery 
or  else  to  lower  it  till  the  blade  almost,  if  not  quite,  touches 
the  water.  Nothing  but  practice,  coupled  with  careful  obser- 
vations of  the  correct  manner  of  holding  an  oar,  can  attain  that 
mechanical  give-and-take  play  of  muscles  which  produces  an 
even  and  clean  feather  from  first  to  last  of  recovery. 

12.  We  are  still,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  dealing  with 
fixed-seat  oarsmanship.     Slides  will  be  discussed  subsequently. 

In  using  the  legs,  on  a  fixed  seat,  for  recovery,  the  toes 
should  feel  the  strap,  which  should  cross  them  on  or  below  the 
knuckle-joint  of  the  great  toe.     Each  foot  should  feel  and  pull 


SCIENTIFIC  OARSMANSHIP.  63 

up  the  strap  easily  and  simultaneously,  so  as  to  preserve  even 
position  of  body.  The  legs  should  open  well,  and  allow  the 
body  to  trick  between  them  as  it  swings  forward. 

13.  If  the  body  swings  true,  the  oar  will  keep  home  to 
the  rowlock  ;  there  should  be  just  sufficient  fraction  of  weight 
pressed  against  the  button  to  keep  it  home  ;  if  it  is  suffered  to 
leave  the  rowlock,  the  oarsman  tends  to  screw  outwards  over 
the  gunwale,  and  also,  when  he  recommences  the  stroke,  he 
loses  power  by  reason  of  his  oar  not  meeting  with  its  due  sup- 
port until  the  abstracted  button  has  slipped  back  against  the 
thowl. 

14.  The  pace  of  recovery  should  be  proportionate  to  the 
speed  of  stroke.  If  recovery  is  too  slow,  the  oarsman  becomes 
late  in  getting  into  the  water  for  the  next  stroke  ;  if  he  is  too 
quick,  he  has  to  wait  when  forward  in  order  not  to  hurry  the 
stroke. 

15.  Too  many  even  high-class  oars  are  prone  to  omit  to 
keep  the  oar  feathered  for  the  full  distance  of  the  recovery. 
They  have  a  tendency  to  turn  it  square  too  soon.  By  so  doing 
they  incur  extra  resistance  of  air  and  extra  labour  on  the  re- 
covery, and  they  are  more  liable  to  foul  a  wave  in  rough  water. 
The  oar  should  be  carried  forwards  edgewise,  and  only  turned 
square  just  as  full  reach  is  attained.  It  should  then  be  turned 
sharply,  and  not  gradually. 

16.  The  instant  the  body  is  full  forward,  and  the  oar  set 
square,  the  hands  should  be  raised  sharply  to  the  exact  amount 
required  in  order  to  drop  the  blade  into  the  water  to  the  required 
depth,  so  as  to  cover  it  for  the  succeeding  stroke. 

17.  The  new  stroke  should  be  recommenced  without  delay, 
by  throwing  the  body  sharply  back,  wuth  arms  stiff  and  shoulders 
braced,  the  legs  pressing  firmly  and  evenly  against  the  stretcher, 
so  as  to  take  the  weight  of  the  body  off  the  seat,  and  to  transfer 
its  support  to  the  handle  of  the  oar  and  the  stretcher,  thus 
making  the  very  most  of  weight  and  of  extensor  muscles  in 
order  to  give  force  to  the  oar  against  the  water. 

N.B.  Before  closing  these  remarks,  it  should  be  added  that, 


64  BOATING. 

with  reference  to  detail  12,  it  is  assumed  that  the  oarsman,  having 
progressed  to  the  scientific  stage,  has  so  far  mastered  the  use  of 
the  loins  as  to  be  able  to  combine  their  action  with  that  of  the 
toe  against  the  strap  in  aiding  the  recovery  of  the  body.  If  he 
tries  to  rely  solely  on  the  motor  power  for  recovery  from  the 
strap,  and  the  toes  against  it,  he  will  not  swing  forward  with  a 
stiff  back,  and  will  be  in  a  slouched  position  when  he  attains 
his  reach  forward. 

The  Rev.  E.  Warre,  D.D.,  published  in  1875  some  brief 
remarks  upon  the  stroke,  in  a  treatise  upon  physical  exercises 
and  recreations.  They  are  here  reproduced  by  leave,  the 
writer  feeling  that  they  can  hardly  be  surpassed  for  brevity  and 
lucidity  of  instruction  upon  the  details  of  the  stroke. 

Notes  on  the  Stroke. 

The  moment  the  oar  touches  the  body,  drop  the  hands  smartly 
straight  down,  then  turn  the  wrists  sharply  and  at  once  shoot  out 
the  hands  in  a  straight  line  to  the  front,  inclining  the  body  forward 
from  the  thigh-joints,  and  simultaneously  bring  up  the  slider, 
regulating  the  time  by  the  swing  forward  of  the  body  according  to  the 
stroke.  Let  the  chest  and  stomach  come  well  forward,  the  shoulders 
be  kept  back  ;  the  inside  arm  be  straightened,  the  inside  wrist  a 
little  raised,  the  oar  grasped  in  the  hands,  but  not  pressed  upon 
more  than  is  necessary  to  maintain  the  blade  in  its  proper  straight 
line  as  it  goes  back  ;  the  head  kept  up,  the  eyes  fixed  on  the  outside 
shoulder  of  the  man  before  you.  As  the  body  and  arms  come 
forward  to  their  full  extent,  the  wrists  having  been  quickly  turned, 
the  hands  must  be  raised  sharply,  and  the  blade  of  the  oar  brought 
to  its  full  depth  at  once.  At  that  moment,  without  the  loss  of  a 
thousandth  part  of  a  second,  the  whole  weight  of  the  body  must  be 
thrown  on  to  the  oar  and  the  stretcher,  by  the  body  springing  back, 
so  that  the  oar  may  catch  hold  of  the  water  sharply,  and  be  driven 
through  it  by  a  force  unwavering  and  uniform.  As  soon  as  the  oar 
has  got  hold  of  the  water,  and  the  beginning  of  the  stroke  has  been 
effected  as  described,  flatten  the  knees,  and  so,  using  the  muscles 
of  the  legs,  keep  up  the  pressure  of  the  beginning  uniform  through 
the  backward  motion  of  the  body.  Let  the  arms  be  rigid  at  the 
beginning  of  the  stroke.  When  the  body  reaches  the  perpendicular, 
let  the  elbows  be  bent  and  dropped  close  past  the  sides  to  the  rear 


SCIENTIFIC  OARSMANSHIP.  65 

— the  shoulders  dropping  and  disclosing  the  chest  to  the  front ; 
the  back,  if  anything,  curved  inwards  rather  than  outwards,  but 
not  strained  in  any  way.  The  body,  in  fact,  should  assume  a 
natural  upright  sitting  posture,  with  the  shoulders  well  thrown 
back.  In  this  position  the  oar  should  come  to  it  and  the  feather 
commence. 

N.B, — It  is  important  to  remember  that  the  body  should  never 
stop  still.  In  its  motion  backwards  and  forwards  it  should  imitate 
the  pendulum  of  a  clock.  When  it  has  ceased  to  go  forward  it  has 
begun  to  go  back. 

There  are,  it  will  appear,  from  consideration  of  the  directions, 
about  twenty-seven  distinct  points,  arliculi2iS  it  were,  of  the  stroke. 
No  one  should  attempt  to  coach  a  crew  without  striving  to  obtain 
a  practical  insight  into  their  nature  and  order  of  succession.  Let 
a  coxswain  also  remember  that,  in  teaching  men  to  row,  his  object 
should  be  to  teach  them  to  economise  their  strength  by  using 
properly  their  weight.  Their  weight  is  always  in  the  boat  along 
with  them  ;  their  strength,  if  misapplied,  very  soon  evaporates 


CHAPTER   IV. 


COACHING. 


For  reasons  which  were  set  forth  at  the  commencement  of  the 
chapter  on  scientific  oarsmanship,  the  very  best  oar  may  fail  to 
see  his  own  faults.  For  this  reason,  in  dealing  with  the  methods 
for  detecting  and  curing  faults,  it  seems  more  to  the  point  to 
write  as  addressing  the  tutor  rather  than  the  pupil.  The  latter 
will  improve  faster  under  any  adequate  verbal  instruction  than 
by  perusing  pages  of  bookwork  upon  the  science  of  oarsmanship. 

A  coach  may  often  know  much  more  than  he  can  himself  per- 
form ;  he  may  be  with  his  own  muscles  but  a  mediocre  exponent 
of  his  art,  and  yet  be  towards  the  top  of  the  tree  as  regards  know- 
ledge and  power  of  instruction. 

A  coach,  like  his  pupils,  often  becomes  too  '  mechanical ' ; 
he  sees  some  salient  fault  in  his  crew,  he  sets  himself  to  eradi- 


COACHING.  67 

cate  it,  and  meanwhile  it  is  possible  that  he  may  overlook  some 
other  great  fault  which  is  gradually  developing  itself  among 
one  or  more  of  the  men.  And  yet  if  he  were  asked  to  coach 
some  other  crew  for  the  day,  in  w^hich  crew  this  same  fault 
existed,  he  would  be  almost  certain  to  note  it,  and  to  set  to 
work  to  cure  it. 

For  this  reason,  although  it  does  not  do  to  have  too  many 
mentors  at  work  from  day  to  day  upon  one  crew,  nevertheless, 
the  best  of  coaches  may  often  gain  a  hint  by  taking  some  one- 
else  into  his  counsels  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  by  comparing 
notes. 

We  have  said  that  it  is  not  absolutely  necessary  that  a  good 
coach  should  always  be  in  his  own  person  a  finished  oarsman  ; 
but  if  he  is  all  the  better,  and  for  one  very  important  reason. 
More  than  half  the  faults  which  oarsmen  contract  are  to  be 
traced  in  the  first  instance  to  some  irregularity  in  the  machinery 
with  which  they  are  working.  That  irregularity  may  be  of  two 
sorts,  direct  or  indirect — direct  when  the  boat,  oar,  rowlock, 
or  stretcher  is  improperly  constructed,  so  that  an  oarsman 
cannot  work  fairly  and  squarely  ;  indirect  when  some  other 
oarsman  is  perpetrating  some  fault  which  puts  others  out  of 
gear. 

If  a  coach  is  a  good  oarsman  on  his  own  account  (by  '  good ' 
we  mean  scientific  rather  than  merely  powerful),  he  can  and 
should  test  and  try  or  ins]iect  the  seat  and  oar  of  each  man 
whom  he  coaches,  especially  if  he  finds  a  man  painstaking  and 
yet  unable  to  cure  some  special  fault.  Boatbuilders  are  very 
careless  in  laying  out  w^ork.  A  rowlock  may  be  too  high  or 
too  low  ;  it  may  rake  one  way  or  other,  and  so  spoil  the  plane 
of  the  oar  in  the  w^ater.  An  oar  may  be  hog-backed  (or 
sprung),  or  too  long  in  loom,  or  too  short ;  the  straps  of  a 
stretcher  may  be  fixed  too  high,  so  as  to  grip  only  the  tip  of  a 
great-toe,  and  the  place  for  the  feet  may  not  be  straight  to  the 
seat,  or  a  rowlock  may  be  too  narrow,  and  so  may  jam  the  oar 
when  forward. 

These  are  samples  of  mechanical  discomfort  which  may  spoil 

F  2 


68  BOA  TING. 

any  man's  rowing,  and  against  which  it  may  be  difficult  for  the 
most  painstaking  pupil  to  contend  successfully.  If  the  coach 
is  good  in  practice  as  well  as  in  theory  of  oarsmanship,  he  can 
materially  simplify  his  own  labours  and  those  of  his  pupils  by 
inspecting  and  trying  the  '  work  '  of  each  man  in  turn. 

He  should  bear  in  mind  that  if  a  young  oar  is  thrown  out 
of  shape  in  his  early  career  by  bad  mechanical  appliances,  the 
faults  of  shape  often  cling  to  him  unconsciously  later  on,  even 
when  he  is  at  last  furnished  with  proper  tools.  If  a  child  were 
taught  to  walk  with  one  boot  an  inch  thicker  in  the  sole  than 
the  other,  the  uneven  gait  thereby  produced  might  cling  to  him 
long  after  he  had  been  properly  shod. 

Young  oarsmen  in  a  club  are  too  often  relegated  to  practise 
in  cast-off  boats  with  cast-off  oars,  none  of  which  are  really  fit 
for  use.  Nothing  does  more  to  spoil  the  standard  of  junior 
oarsmanship  in  a  club  than  neglect  of  this  nature. 

Having  ascertained  that  all  his  pupils  are  properly  equipped 
and  are  properly  seated,  fair  and  square  to  stretchers  suitable 
for  the  length  of  leg  of  each,  the  next  care  of  a  coach  should  be 
to  endeavour  to  trace  the  cause  of  each  fault  which  he  may 
detect.  This  is  more  difficult  than  to  see  that  a  fault  exists. 
At  the  same  time,  if  the  coach  cannot  trace  the  cause,  it  is 
hardly  reasonable  to  expect  the  pupil  to  do  so.  So  many  varied 
causes  may  produce  some  one  generic  fault  that  it  may  drive  a 
pupil  from  one  error  to  another  to  tell  him  nothing  more  than 
that  he  is  doing  something  wrong  without  at  the  same  time 
explaining  to  him  how  and  why  he  is  at  fault. 

For  instance,  suppose  a  man  gets  late  into  the  water.  This 
lateness  may  arise  from  a  variety  of  causes,  for  example  : 

1.  He  may  be  hanging  with  arms  or  body,  or  both,  when  he 
has  finished  the  stroke,  and  so  he  may  be  late  in  starting  to  go 
forward  ;  or 

2.  He  may  be  correct  until  he  has  attained  his  forward 
reach,  and  then,  may  be,  he  hangs  before  dropping  his  oar  into 
the  water ;  or 

3.  He  may  begin  to  drop  his  oar  at  the  right  time,  but  to  do 


COACHING.  69 

so  in  a  '  clipping '  manner,  not  dropping  the  oar  perpendicularly, 
but  bringing  it  for  some  distance  back  in  the  air  before  it  touches 
the  water. 

Now  to  tell  a  batch  of  men — all  late,  and  all  late  from 
different  causes  as  above — simply  that  each  one  is  '  late  '  does 
little  good.  The  cure  which  will  set  the  one  right  will  only  vary, 
or  even  exaggerate,  the  mischief  with  the  others. 

Hence  a  coach  should,  before  he  animadverts  upon  a 
fault,  of  which  he  observes  the  effect,  watch  carefully  until  he 
detects  the  exact  cause,  and  then  seek  to  eradicate  it. 

Another  sample  of  cause  and  effect  in  faults  may  be  cited 
for  illustration.  Suppose  a  man  holds  his  oar  in  his  fist  instead 
of  his  fingers.  The  effect  of  this  probably  will  be  a  want  of 
accuracy  in  '  governing '  the  blade.  He  may  thereby  row  too 
deep  ;  also  only  half  feather  ;  also  find  a  difficulty  in  bending 
his  wrists  laterally,  and  therefore  fail  to  bring  his  elbows  neatly 
past  his  sides.  The  consequent  further  effect  may  well  be  that 
he  dog's-ears  his  elbows  and  gets  a  cramped  finish.  This 
will  tend  to  make  his  hands  come  slow  off  the  chest  for  the 
recovery  ;  and  this  again  may  tend  to  make  his  body  heavy  on 
the  return  swing. 

Here  is  a  pretty,  and  quite  possible,  concatenation  of  faults 
all  bearing  on  each  other  in  sequence,  more  or  less.  To  be 
scolded  for  each  such  fault  in  turn  may  well  bewilder  a  pupil. 
He  will  be  taken  aback  at  the  plurality  of  defects  which  he 
is  told  to  cure.  But  if  the  coach  should  spot  the  faulty  grip, 
and  cure  that  by  some  careful  coaching  in  a  tub-gig,  he  may  in 
a  few  days  find  the  other  faults  gradually  melt  away  when  the 
one  primary  awkwardness  has  been  eradicated. 

These  two  illustrations  of  faults  and  their  origins  by  no  means 
exhaust  the  category  of  errors  which  a  coach  has  to  detect  and 
to  cure. 

Sundry  other  common  faults  may  be  specified,  and  the  best 
mode  of  dealing  with  them  by  coaches  supplied. 

Over-reach  of  shoulders. — This  weakens  the  catch  of  the 
water,  and  also  tends  to  cripple  the  finish  when  the  time  comes 


70  BOATING. 

to  row  the  oar  home.  The  shoulders  should  be  braced  well 
back.  The  extra  inch  or  less  of  forward  reach  which  the  over- 
reach obtains  is  not  worth  having  at  the  cost  of  weakening  the 
catch  and  cramping  the  finish.  The  fault  is  best  cured  by  gig- 
coaching  and  by  demonstrating  in  person  the  correct  and  the 
wrong  poses  of  the  shoulders. 

Meeting  the  <?^r.— This  may  come  from  more  than  one 
cause.  If  the  legs  leave  off  supporting  the  body  before  the 
oar-handle  comes  to  the  chest,  the  body  droops  to  the  strain 
from  want  of  due  support ;  or  if  the  oarsman  tries  to  row  the 
stroke  home  with  arms  only,  ceasing  the  swing  back  ;  and  still 
more,  if  he  tries  to  finish  with  biceps  instead  of  by  shoulder 
muscles,  he  is  not  unlikely  to  row  deep,  because  he  feels  the 
strain  of  rowing  the  oar  home  in  time,  with  less  power  behind 
it  than  that  employed  by  others  in  the  boat.  He  finds  the  oar 
come  home  easier  if  it  is  slightly  deflected,  and  so  unconsciously 
he  begins  to  row  rather  deep  (or  light)  at  the  finish,  in  order  to 
get  his  oar  home  at  the  right  instant. 

Swing— id^vXt^  of  may  be  various.  There  may  be  a  hang, 
or  conversely  a  hurry,  in  the  swing  ;  and,  as  shown  above,  the 
causes  of  these  errors  in  swing  may  often  be  beneath  the  sur- 
face, and  be  connected  with  faulty  hold  of  an  oar,  or  a  loose 
or  badly  placed  strap,  or  a  stretcher  of  wrong  length,  or  from 
faulty  finish  of  the  preceding  stroke.  Lateness  in  swing  may 
arise /^r  se^  and  so  may  a  '  bucket,'  but  as  often  as  not  they  are 
linked  with  other  faults,  which  have  to  be  corrected  at  least 
simultaneously,  and  often  antecedently. 

Screwing  either  arises  from  mechanical  fault  at  the 
moment  or  from  former  habits  of  rowing  under  difficulties 
occasionally  with  bad  appliances.  If  a  man  sits  square,  with 
correct  oar,  rowlock,  and  stretcher,  he  does  not  naturally  screw. 
If  the  habit  seems  to  have  grown  upon  him,  a  change  of  side 
will  often  do  more  than  anything  else  to  cure  him.  He  is 
screwing  because  he  is  working  his  limbs  and  loins  unevenly  ; 
hence  the  obvious  policy  of  making  him  change  the  side  on 
which  he  puts  the  greater  pressure. 


COACHING.  71 

Feather  under  water. — The  fault  is  one  of  the  most  common, 
the  remedy  simple.  The  pupil  should  be  shown  the  difference 
between  turning  the  oar-handle  before  he  drops  it  (as  he  is  doing) 
and  of  dropping  it  before  he  turns  it  as  he  ought  to  do  ;  and  it 
should  be  impressed  upon  him  that  the  root  of  the  thumb, 
and  not  his  knuckles,  should  touch  his  chest  when  the  oar  comes 
home,  and  should  be  done  before^  and  not  after,  he  has  dropped 
his  handle  to  elevate  the  blade  from  the  water. 

If  a  crew  feather  much  under  water,  it  is  a  good  plan  to 
seat  them  in  a  row  on  a  bench,  and  give  each  man  a  stick 
to  handle  as  an  oar.  Then  make  them  very  slowly  follow  the 
actions  of  the  coach,  or  a  fugleman,  i.  Hands  up  to  the  chest, 
root  of  thumb  touching  chest.  2.  Drop  the  hands.  3.  Turn 
them  (as  for  feather)  sharply.     4.  Shoot  them  out,  &c. 

Having  got  them  to  perform  each  motion  slowly  and 
distinctly,  then  gradually  accelerate  the  actions,  until  they  are 
done  as  an  entirety,  with  rapidity  and  in  proper  consecution.  The 
desideratum  is  to  ensure  motion.  No.  3  being  performed  in  its 
due  order,  and  7iot  before  No.  2. 

Five  minutes'  drill  of  this  sort  daily  before  the  rowing,  for  a 
week  or  two,  will  do  much  to  cure  feather  under  water  even 
with  hardened  sinners. 

S'cving  across  the  boat. — This  is  an  insidious  fault.  The 
oarsman  sits  square,  while  his  oar-handle  moves  in  an  arc  of 
a  circle.  He  has  an  instinctive  tendency  to  endeavour  to  keep 
his  chest  square  to  his  oar  during  the  revolution  of  the  latter. 
A  No.  7  who  has  to  take  time  from  the  stroke  by  the  side 
of  him  is  more  prone  than  others  to  fall  into  this  fault.  The 
answer  is,  let  the  arms  follow  the  action  of  the  oar,  and  give  way 
to  it,  and  endeavour  to  keep  the  body  straight  and  square. 
Keep  the  head  well  away  from  the  oar,  and  its  bias  will  tend  to 
balance  the  swing. 

Befiding  the  arms  prematurely  is  a  common  fault.  Sometimes 
even  high-class  oars  fall  into  it  after  a  time.  Tiros  are  prone 
to  it,  because  they  at  first  instinctively  endeavour  to  work  with 
arms  rather  than  with  body.     Older  oars  adopt  the  trick  in 


72  BOATING 

the  endeavour  to  catch  the  water  sharply  at  the  beginning.  Of 
course  they  lose  power  by  doing  so ;  but  they  do  not  realise 
their  loss,  because,  feeling  a  greater  strain  on  their  arms,  they 
imagine  that  they  must  therefore  be  doing  more  work. 

Lessons  in  a  tub-gig  are  the  best  remedies  for  this  fault. 

'  Paddling  '  is  an  art  which  is  of  much  importance  in  order 
to  bring  a  crew  to  perfection,  and  at  the  same  time  it  is  too  often 
done  in  a  slovenly  manner  compared  with  hard  rowing. 

The  writer  admits  that  his  own  views  as  to  how  paddling 
should  be  performed  differ  somewhat  from  those  of  sundry 
good  judges  and  successful  coaches.  Some  of  these  are  of 
opinion  that  paddling  should  consist  of  rowing  gently,  com- 
paratively speaking,  with  less  force  and  catch  at  the  beginning 
of  the  stroke  and  with  less  reach  than  when  rowing  hard,  but 
with  blade  always  covered  to  regulation  depth.  When  the  order 
is  given  to  '  Row,'  then  the  full  length  should  be  attained  and 
the  full  '  catch  '  administered. 

The  writer's  own  version  of  paddling  differs  as  follows.  He 
is  of  opinion  that  the  difference  between  paddling  and  rowing 
should  be  produced  by  working  with  a  'light ' — only  partially 
covered — blade  when  paddling.  The  effect  of  this  is  to  ease 
the  whole  work  of  the  stroke  ;  but  at  the  same  time  the 
swing,  reach,  and  catch  should  be  just  the  same  as  if  the  blade 
were  covered.  Then,  when  the  order  comes  to  '  Row,'  all  the 
oarsman  has  to  do  is  so  to  govern  his  blade  that  he  now 
immerses  the  whole  of  it,  and  at  the  same  time  to  increase  his 
force  to  the  amount  necessary  to  row  the  stroke  of  the  full 
blade  throughout  the  required  time. 

Those  good  judges  who  differ  from  him  as  aforesaid  base 
their  objections  to  his  method  chiefly  on  the  ground  that  it 
requires  rather  a  higher  standard  of  watermanship  to  enable  an 
oarsman  so  to  govern  his  blade  that  he  can  immerse  it  more  or 
less  at  will,  and  yet  maintain  the  same  outward  action  of  body, 
only  with  more  or  less  force  employed,  according  to  amount  of 
blade  immersed. 

The  writer  admits  that  his  process  does  entail  the  acquisition 


COACHING.  73 

of  a  somewhat  higher  standard  of  watermanship  than  the  other 
system.  But  he  is  none  the  less  of  opinion  that  this  admission 
should  not  be  accepted  as  a  ground  for  teaching  the  other 
style. 

In  the  first  place,  it  would  seem  to  him  better  to  try  to  raise 
the  standard  of  watermanship  to  the  system  than  to  lower 
the  system  to  meet  the  requirements  of  inferior  skill.  In  the 
second,  there  seems  to  be  even  greater  drawbacks  to  the  system 
preferred  by  his  friends  who  differ  from  him.  P'or  instance, 
under  the  alternative  system  the  oarsman  is  taught  to  a/kr  his 
style  of  body  when  paddling,  but  to  maintain  a  uniform  depth 
of  blade.  He  is  taught  to  apply  less  sharpness  of  catch,  and 
less  reach  forward.  To  do  so  may  tend  to  take  the  edge  off 
catch,  and  to  shorten  reach,  when  hard  rowing  has  to  be  recom- 
menced. 

It  is  plain  that  paddling  cannot  be  all  round  the  same  as 
rowing ;  there  must  be  an  alternative  prescribed.  The  wTiter 
says,  in  effect  :  '  Alter  only  the  blade  (and  so  the  amount  of  force 
required),  and  maintain  outward  action  of  body  as  before.' 

Those  who  take  the  other  view  say,  in  effect  :  '  Maintain  the 
same  blade,  and  alter  the  action  of  the  body.' 

It  must  be  admitted  that  those  who  differ  from  the  writer 
are  entitled,  from  their  own  performances  as  oarsmen  and 
coaches,  to  every  possible  respect ;  and  the  writer,  while  failing 
to  agree  with  them,  hesitates  to  assert  that  for  that  reason  he 
must  be  right  and  they  wTong. 

One  further  reason  in  favour  of  paddling  with  a  light  blade 
may  be  added.  When  an  oarsman  is  exhausted  in  a  race,  it  is 
of  supreme  importance  that,  though  unable  to  do  his  full  share 
of  work,  he  should  not  mar  the  swing  and  style  of  the  rest. 
Now  if  such  an  oarsman,  when  nature  fails  him,  can  row  lighter 
and  so  ease  his  toil,  he  can  maintain  swing  and  style  wuth  the 
rest.  But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  he  keeps  his  blade  covered  to 
the  full,  and  seeks  relief  by  rowing  shorter  and  with  less  dash, 
he  alters  his  style  and  tends  to  spoil  the  uniformity  of  the  crew. 

Watermanship  is  a  quality  which  can  hardly  be  coached  ; 


74  BOA  TING. 

it  may,  therefore,  seem  out  of  place  to  deal  with  it  under  the 
head  of  coaching.  Yet  in  one  sense  it  pertains  to  coaching, 
because  a  mentor  takes  into  calculation  the  capacity  of  an  oars- 
man for  exercising  watermanship  when  making  a  selection  of  a 
crew. 

Watermanship,  as  a  technical  term,  may  be  said  to  consist 
in  adapting  oneself  to  circumstances  and  exigencies  during  the 
progress  of  a  boat.  A  good  waterman  keeps  time  with  facility, 
a  bad  one  only  after  much  painstaking — if  at  all.  A  good 
waterman  adapts  himself  to  every  roll  of  the  boat,  sits  tight 
to  his  seat,  anticipates  an  incipient  roll,  and  rights  the  craft 
so  far  as  he  can  by  altering  his  centre  of  gravity  while  yet 
plying  his  oar.  A  bad  waterman  is  more  or  less  helpless  when 
a  boat  is  off  its  keel,  or  when  he  encounters  rough  water.  So 
long  as  the  boat  is  level,  he  may  be  able  to  do  even  more  work 
than  the  good  waterman,  but  when  the  boat  rolls  he  cannot  help 
himself,  still  less  can  he  right  the  ship  and  so  help  others  to 
work,  as  can  the  good  waterman. 

Good  watermen  can  jump  into  a  racing  boat  and  sit  her  off- 
hand ;  bad  watermen  will  be  unsteady  in  a  keelless  boat  even 
after  days  of  practice. 

One  or  two  good  watermen  are  the  making  of  a  crew, 
especially  when  time  is  short  for  practice.  They  will  raise  the 
standard  of  rowing  of'  all  their  colleagues,  simply  by  keeping 
the  balance  of  the  boat.  Sculling  and  pair-oar  practice  tend  to 
teach  watermanship.  They  induce  a  man  to  make  use  of  his 
own  back  and  beam  in  order  to  keep  the  boat  on  an  even  keel. 
We  do  not  for  this  reason  say  that  every  tiro  should  be  put  to 
take  lessons  of  watermanship  in  sculling-boats  and  light  pairs  : 
far  from  it.  He  will  be  likely  in  such  craft  to  contract  feather 
under  water,  and  possibly  screwing,  in  the  efforts  to  obtain 
work  on  an  even  keel,  after  his  own  uneven  action  has  conduced 
to  rolling. 

University  men  produce  far  fewer  good  watermen  than  the 
tideway  clubs,  and  with  good  reason.  The  career  on  the  river 
at  Oxford  or  Cambridge  is  brief,  and  many  a  man  goes  out  of 


COACHING. 


75 


residence  while  he  is 
only  on  the  threshold  of 
aquatic  science,  both  in 
practice  and  theory  ;  al- 
though, on  account  of 
his  big  frame,  he  may 
have  been  taught  artifi- 
cially to  ply  an  oar,  and 
with  good  effect,  in  a 
practised  eight.  Water- 
manship, like  skating, 
cannot  be  acquired  in 
a  day,  and  the  younger 
a  man  takes  to  aquatics 
the  more  likely  is  he  to 
acquire  it.  There  is 
hardly  a  bad  waterman 
to  be  seen  as  a  rule  in  a 
grand  challenge  crew  of 
London  R.C.  or  Thames 
R.C.  men.  Among  Uni- 
versity oars,  waterman- 
ship is  oftenest  found  in 
those  who  have  rowed 
as  schoolboys. 

To  coaches  generally 
of  the  present  and  of 
future  generations  we 
may  say  that  there  is 
nothing  like  having  a 
tenacity  of  purpose,  and 
declining  to  listen  to  the 
shoals  of  excuses  which 
pupils  are  inclined  to 
propound  in  order  to  ex- 
plain their  shortcomings. 


76  BOATING, 

There  should  be  no  such  thing  as  '  I  can't '  from  a  pupil.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  coach  should  do  his  best  to  render  the  ex- 
cuse untenable  by  ensuring  proper  '  work '  at  each  thwart.  A 
coach  should  not  be  carried  away  by  every  whisper  of  criti- 
cism by  outsiders  ;  and  yet  at  the  same  time  he  should  realise 
as  said  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  that,  however  able  he 
may  be,  he  has  a  natural  tendency  to  become  blind  to  faults 
which  are  being  daily  perpetrated  under  his  nose — the  more  so 
if  he  has  been  specially  of  late  devoting  his  attention  to  some 
different  class  of  fault  in  his  men.  For  this  reason  he  should 
not  decline  to  listen  to  suggestions  from  mentors  who  otherwise 
may  be  his  inferiors  in  the  art,  and  to  give  them  all  attention 
before  he  decides  how  to  deal  with  them. 

In  dealing  with  the  selection  of  men  for  a  crew  he  has  to 
consider  various  points.  He  has  to  calculate  for  what  seats 
such  and  such  an  oarsman  will  be  available,  as  regards  weight 
and  capacity  generally  for  the  seat.  He  has  to  bear  in  mind 
the  date  of  the  race  for  which  he  is  preparing  his  men  ;  many 
an  oarsman  may  be  admittedly  unfit  for  a  seat  if  the  race  were 
rowed  to-morrow,  and  yet  he  may  show  promise  of  being  fit  for 
it  six  months  hence.  A  may  be  better  than  B  to-day  ;  but  A 
may  be  an  old  stager  hardened  in  certain  faults,  and  of  whom  no 
hope  can  now  be  entertained  that  he  will  suddenly  reform.  B 
may  be  as  green  as  a  gooseberry,  and  yet  the  recollection  of  what 
he  was  two  or  three  weeks  ago,  compared  to  what  he  is  now,  may 
warrant  the  assumption  that  by  the  day  of  the  race,  some  time 
hence,  B  will  have  become  the  better  man  of  the  two. 

A  coach  who  takes  a  crew  in  hand  halfway  through  their 
preparation  should  be  prepared  to  hear  evidence  as  to  what  was 
the  standard  of  merit  of  certain  men  some  time  back,  compared 
with  their  present  form  ;  otherwise  he  may  delude  himself  as  to 
the  relative  merits  and  prospects  of  the  material  which  he  has 
to  mould  into  shape. 

Just  as  orators  are  said  to  learn  at  the  expense  of  their 
audience,  so  coaches  do  undoubtedly  learn  much  at  the  expense 
of  the  crews  which  they  manage.     Many  a  coach  will  agree  that 


COACHING.  yj 

he  has  often  felt  in  later  years  that,  if  he  had  his  time  over 
again  with  this  or  that  oarsman  or  crew,  he  would  now  form  a 
different  judgment  from  what  he  formerly  did. 

In  concluding  this  chapter  we  cannot  do  better  than  ex- 
tract from  Dr.  Warre's  treatise  on  Athletics  certain  aphorisms 
for  the  benefit  of  coaches,  which  he  has  tersely  compiled  under 
the  head  of  '  Notes  on  Coaching  '  : 

Notes  on  Coaching. 
In  teaching  a  crew  you  have  to  deal  with — 

A.  Crew  collectively. 

B.  Crew  individually. 

A.  Collective. 

1.  Time.  —a.  Oars  in  and  out  together,  b.  Feather,  same  height ; 
keep  it  down.  c.  Stroke,  same  depth  ;  cover  the  blades,  but  not 
above  the  blue. 

2.  Swing.— a.  Bodies  forward  and  back  together,  b.  Sliders 
together,     c.  Eyes  in  the  boat. 

3.  Work. — a.  Beginning — together,  sharp,  hard.  b.  Turns  of 
the  wrist— on  and  off  of  the  feather,  sharp,  but  not  too  soon. 
c.  Rise  of  the  hands — sharp,  just  before  stroke  begins,  d.  Drop  of 
the  hands— sharp,  just  after  it  ends. 

General  Exhortations. — '  Time  ! '  '  Beginning  ! '  'Smite  ! '  'Keep 
it  long  ! '  and  the  like — to  be  given  at  the  right  moment,  not  used 
as  mere  parrot  cries. 

B.  Individual. 
I.  Faults  of  position. 

2    Faults  of  movement. 

N.B. — These  concern  body,  hands,  arms,  legs,  and  sometimes 
head  and  neck. 

1 .  Point  out  when  you  easy,  or  when  you  come  in,  or  best  of 
all,  in  a  gig.     Show  as  well  as  say  what  is  wrong  and  what  is  right. 

N.B. — Mind  you  are  right.     Decipit  exemplar  vitiis  imitabile. 

2.  To  be  pointed  out  during  the  row  and  corrected.  Apply  the 
principles  taught  in  '  E.  W.'s '  paper  on  the  stroke,  beginning  with 
bow  and  working  to  stroke,  interposing  exhortations  (A)  at  the 
proper  time. 

N.B. — Never  hammer  at  any  one  individual.     If  one  or  two 


78  BOATING. 

admonitions  don't  bring  him  right,  wait  a  bit  and  then  try  again. 
For  coaching  purposes,  not  too  fast  a  stroke  and  not  too  slow. 
About  thirty  per  minute  is  right.  Before  you  start,  see  that  your 
men  have  got  their  stretchers  right  and  are  sitting  straight  to  their 
work. 

He  teaches  best  who,  while  he  is  teaching,  remembers  that  he 
has  much  to  learn. 


MEDMENHAM   ABBEY. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE   CAPTAIN. 

The  captain  of  a  boat  club  is  the  most  important  member  of  it, 
from  a  practical  point  of  view.  In  some  clubs,  as  with  the 
Universities,  he  is  nominally  as  well  as  practically  supreme—  is 
president  as  well  as  captain.  In  clubs  on  the  Thames  tideway, 
such  as  Leander,  London,  Thames,  and  as  in  the  Kingston 
club  higher  up  river,  there  is  a  president  elected  as  the  titular 
head  of  the  club,  but  that  functionary  is  chiefly  ornamental,  to 
add  dignity  to  the  society,  and  to  instil  sobriety  into  its  councils. 
Such  a  president  is  usually  some  old  oarsman  of  renown,  long 
ago  retired  from  active  service,  one  whose  name  carries  weight 
and  influence,  but  who  has  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  inter- 
fere with  the  oarsmanship  of  the  members. 


8o  BOATING. 

It  is  the  captain  who  can  make  or  mar  a  club.  He  is  the 
general  officer  in  command  of  the  forces,  while  the  president 
(when  such  an  extra  official  exists)  is  more  of  a  field-marshal- 
enjoying  otium  cu??i  dignitate  at  home.  The  qualifications 
upon  which  a  captain  is,  or  should  be,  selected  by  his  club  are, 
in  the  first  place,  personal  merit  as  an  oarsman  and  knowledge 
of  his  craft ;  in  the  second,  a  due  seniority,  so  that  he  may  have 
proper  influence,  both  socially  and  in  an  aquatic  sense,  over 
those  whom  he  is  appointed  to  command  ;  thirdly,  tact  and 
common  sense. 

Deficiency  in  either  one  of  these  desiderata  is  often  fatal  to 
a  captain's  chances  of  success  in  his  office.  If  he  is  a  bad  oar, 
and  lacking  in  practical  knowledge  compared  with  those  under 
him,  it  will  little  avail  him  to  be  a  person  of  senior  standing  in 
the  crews  and  of  social  position.  He  will  fail  to  carry  with 
him  that  prestige  and  confidence  which  should  be  the  attri- 
bute of  all  commanders  who  expect  to  lead  men  to  victory.  If, 
on  the  other  hand,  he  is  a  good  oar,  even  the  best  of  his  club, 
and  yet  is  a  fledgling  in  age,  he  will  find  it  difficult  to  maintain 
his  command  over  sundry  jealous  seniors,  and  will,  more  than 
all,  require  the  third  requisite  of  tact,  which  is  less  liable  to 
be  found  in  a  mere  lad  than  in  a  man  of  the  world  who  has 
well  passed  his  majority. 

A  captain  should  be  self-reliant  without  being  obstinate  ; 
he  should  be  good-tempered  but  not  facile  ;  he  should  be  firm 
but  not  tyrannical,  energetic  but  not  a  busybody.  A  captain 
has  usually  a  host  of  counsellors,  and  he  too  well  realises  the 
fallacy  of  the  adage  that  in  a  multitude  of  counsels  there  is 
wisdom.  If  he  were  to  pay  attention  to  all  the  advice  offered 
to  him  he  would  never  be  able  to  have  a  mind  of  his  own.  And 
yet  he  will  do  well  not  to  run  to  the  opposite  extreme,  nor  to 
dechne  to  listen  to  anyone  who  ventures  to  offer  him  a  sugges- 
tion. If  he  is  captain  of  a  University  crew  he  will  find  his  bed 
anything  but  one  of  roses.  The  eyes  of  the  sporting  world  are 
upon  him  from  the  commencement  of  Lent  term.  Daily  he 
will   receive  letters  from  individuals  of  whom   he   has   never 


THE   CAPTAIN.  8i 

before  heard,  offering  him  advice  and  criticising  his  Hne  of 
action.  Many  of  his  correspondents  will  be  anonymous,  and 
too  many  of  them  splenetic.  He  must  not  be  surprised  to  see 
himself  anonymously  attacked  in  print  for  the  selections  which 
he  is  making  for  a  crew  to  represent  his  club.  He  will  be 
accused  of  partiality  if  he  selects  some  man  of  his  own  college 
in  preference  to  an  out-college  man.  He  will  find  himself 
abused  if  he  decides  to  take  an  important  oar  in  his  own  hands, 
such  as  stroke  or  No.  7.  He  will  be  inundated  with  speculative 
appeals  from  vendors  of  commodities  who  hope  for  gratuitous 
advertisement  of  their  wares.  One  of  them  will  send  him  a 
nondescript  garment,  and  will  assure  him  that  if  he  will  allow 
his  crew  to  row  in  dress  of  that  build  he  and  they  shall  be  robed 
gratis  in  it,  and  be  assured  of  victory.  Quack  medicines  will 
be  proffered  him,  and  photographers  will  pester  him  and  his 
crew  daily  with  requests  to  stand  for  an  hour  in  a  nor'-easter  for 
their  portraits. 

Within  the  circle  of  his  own  club  matters  will  not  always 
run  smoothly.  Sometimes  he  finds  himself  in  the  unpleasant 
position  of  having,  after  due  consideration  and  counsel,  to 
dispense  with  the  services  of  some  old  brother  blue  who  has 
fallen  off  from  his  quondam  form,  or  who,  though  good  enough 
among  an  inferior  crew  of  a  preceding  year,  is  not  up  to  par 
compared  with  new  oarsmen  of  merit  who  have  come  to  the 
fore  since  the  last  spring. 

Nevertheless,  with  all  these  drawbacks  to  ofiice,  a  University 
president  or  captain  of  a  college  has  perhaps  an  easier  task  in 
managing  his  crew  than  a  captain  of  an  elective  club  on  the 
Thames  that  is  preparing  for  Henley  or  some  similar  contest. 
In  college  life  the  brevity  of  career  gives  a  special  standing 
and  prestige  to  seniority,  and  the  president  of  a  U.B.C.  is  not 
likely  to  be  a  very  junior  man.  Esprit  de  corps  does  much  to 
keep  College  and  University  crews  together,  and  there  is  less 
likelihood  of  mutiny  in  such  clubs  than  in  those  which  are 
purely  elective,  and  which  compete  with  each  other  for  securing 
the  best  oarsmen  of  the  day.     A  malcontent  college  oar  cannot 

G 


82  BOATING. 

throw  himself,  even  if  he  will,  into  the  arms  of  another  college  ; 
still  less  can  a  dissatisfied  candidate  for  one  shade  of  blue  '  rat ' 
and  desert  to  the  enemy.  But  in  tideway  and  other  clubs  on 
the  Thames  there  is  such  a  brisk  competition  for  good  oarsmen 
that  a  man  who  finds  he  is  likely  to  lose  his  chance  of  selection 
in  one  club  has  opportunities  for  obtaining  distinction  under 
some  rival  flag,  and  very  possibly  he  already  belongs  to  more 
than  one  such  club,  and  can  put  his  services  up  to  auction  as 
it  were.  If  he  finds  that  he  will  be  relegated  to  some  com- 
paratively unimportant  seat  in  the  club  which  has  claims  of 
Jongest  standing  upon  him,  he  may,  if  he  is  unpatriotic  and 
cantankerous,  look  out  in  some  other  club  for  a  berth  of  greater 
distinction.  Such  men  are  not  uncommon,  and  are  thorns  in 
the  side  of  any  captain.  They  tax  his  sixth  sense  of  tact  more 
than  anything  :  if  he  gives  way  to  them,  he  risks  spoiling  the 
arrangement  of  his  crew ;  if  he  stands  firm,  he  may  send  a 
valuable  man  over  to  the  enemy.  On  the  other  hand,  it  must 
be  said  that  many  rival  captains  would  decline  to  accept  the 
services  of  a  deserter  of  this  sort,  and  would  feel  that  if  such  an 
one  would  not  be  true  to  one  flag,  he  could  not  be  safely 
trusted  for  long  to  row  under  another. 

Beside  this  sort  of  malcontent,  whose  ambition  is  to  be  aui 
CcEsar  aut  nullus,  the  captain  has  to  contend  with  obstructives 
of  other  classes.  There  is  the  habitual  grumbler,  who  is  never 
happy  unless  he  has  a  grievance.  To-day  he  cannot  row  pro- 
perly because  the  boat  is  always  down  on  his  oar.  Yesterday 
he  was  complaining  that  his  rowlock  was  too  high,  and  he  had 
leave  to  lower  it  accordingly.  He  may  not  be  really  bad-tem- 
pered, nor  mutinous  ;  even  his  growls  have  a  triste  bonhomie 
about  them  ;  in  one  sense  he  is  a  sort  of  acquisition  to  the 
social  element  of  the  crew,  for  his  grumblings  make  him  a  butt 
for  jokes  and  rallies.  But  when  this  system  of  grumbling  goes 
beyond  a  certain  point  it  sorely  tries  a  captain's  patience. 

Another  sort  of  incubus  is  the  old  hand,  who  has  never 
risen  beyond  mediocrity,  who  has  plenty  of  faults,  but  who 
can  be  relied  upon  for  a  certain  amount  of  honest  work,  and 


THE  CAPTAIN. 


83 


who  fills  a  place  better  than  some  very  backward  oarsman.  The 
old  stager  is  case-hardened  in  his  crimes  ;  they  are  second 
nature  to  him,  and,  in  spite  of  coaching,  still  he  maunders  on  in 
the  same  old  style,  with  the  same  set  faults.  He  has  a  time- 
honoured  screw,  a  dog's-eared  elbow,  and  yet  he  possesses  what 
many  of  the  better-finished  oarsmen  do  not — watermanship — 


and  can  keep  on  at  work  in  a  rolling  boat  when  many  neater 
oarsmen  are  all  abroad  if  the  ship  gets  off  her  even  keel.  Not 
to  coach  his  too  obvious  faults  may  make  visitors  fancy  that 
the  old  screw  is  a  pattern  fugleman  to  be  copied  for  style  ;  and 
yet  to  spend  objurgation  on  one  so  stiff-necked  is  dishearten- 
ing waste  of  wind. 

G  2 


84  BOATING. 

Discipline  is  all-important  in  a  crew,  and  it  usually  requires 
tact  to  maintain  it.  If  the  captain  is  a  triton  among  minnows, 
he  can  better  afford  to  hector  ;  but,  as  a  rule,  he  runs  the  risk 
of  mutiny,  or  at  least  of  producing  sulkiness,  if  he  treats  his 
crew  as  if  they  were  galley-slaves.  If  he  is  in  the  boat,  working 
Avith  them,  sharing  their  toils  and  privations,  his  task  becomes 
easier  on  this  score  ;  for  the  crew  realise  that,  however  irksome 
the  orders  for  the  day  may  be,  they  are  felt  just  as  much  by  the 
commander  as  by  the  rank  and  file.  If  a  member  of  the  crew 
openly  defies  a  captain,  the  bad  example  is  too  dangerous  to  be 
tolerated.  To  expel  a  mutineer  may  ruin  the  chance  of  victory 
for  an  impending  race,  but  it  will  be  best  for  the  club  in  the 
long  run,  and  will  be  likely  to  save  many  a  defeat. 

The  writer  has  in  mind  two  such  incidents  which  occurred 
to  himself  at  different  times  while  officiating  as  captain  of  a 
club.  In  each  case  the  mutineer  was  the  stroke,  and  the  spes 
gregis.  He  resented  being  told  to  row  slower,  or  faster,  as 
the  case  might  be,  and  presently  flatly  declined  to  be  dictated 
to.  In  each  case  the  boat  was  instantly  ordered  ashore,  and 
the  grumbler  was  asked  to  step  out.  His  place  was  filled  by 
some  emergency  man,  he  was  left  ashore,  and  was  told  at  the 
end  of  the  day  that  the  captain  regretted  to  be  obliged  to 
dispense  with  his  services.-  In  each  case  the  rest  of  the  crew 
buttonholed  their  late  stroke,  and  put  the  screw  upon  him  to 
beg  pardon,  and  with  success.  The  one  stroke  was  reinstated 
at  his  old  post  ;  the  other  was  also  put  back  to  the  boat,  but 
at  No.  6.  In  both  cases  mutiny  was  stamped  out  once  and  for 
all.  Of  these  two  men  it  may  be  said  that  one  eventually  rose 
to  be  stroke  of  a  winning  University  eight,  and  the  other  of  a 
winning  Grand  Challenge  crew.  In  each  case  they  were  great 
personal  friends  of  the  captain,  and  there  was  no  interruption 
of  social  relations  through  the  peremptory  line  of  conduct 
pursued.  Many  old  fellow-oarsmen  of  the  writer  will  doubtless 
recognise  these  incidents,  in  which  names  are  naturally  omitted. 

Punctuality  is  an  important  detail  of  discipline  in  a  crew. 
It  is  a  good  system  to  order  a  fine  to  be  levied  by  the  secretary 


THE   CAPTAIN.  85 

upon  anyone  who  exceeds  a  certain  limit  of  grace  from  the  hour 
fixed  for  practice.  It  is  better  that  the  secretary  or  treasurer 
should  levy  it  than  the  captain,  because  thereby  the  captain  in 
this  detail  places  himself  under  the  subordinate  officer's  juris- 
diction, and  is  himself  fined  if  he  is  late.  He  can  do  this  with- 
out loss  of  dignity,  and  in  fact  adds  to  his  influence  by  submit- 
ting as  a  matter  of  course  to  the  general  regulation.  It  spoils 
the  discipline  of  a  crew  if  a  captain  takes  French  leave  for  him- 
self, and  keeps  his  men  dancing  attendance  upon  him,  and  yet 
rates  them  when  one  of  them  similarly  delays  the  practice. 

In  making  up  a  crew  a  captain  is  often  in  an  invidious 
position.  It  is  said  by  cricketers  that  the  danger  of  having  a 
leading  bowler  for  captain  of  an  eleven  is  that  he  is  often 
judicially  blind  as  to  the  right  moment  for  taking  himself 
off.  Similarly,  for  a  stroke  to  be  captain,  or  rather  for  a  likely 
candidate  for  strokeship  to  be  captain,  may  be  productive  of 
misunderstandings  and  mischief  to  the  crew.  In  old  days 
stroke  and  captain  were  synonyms.  The  '  stroke  '  was  elected 
by  the  club.  He  was  supposed  to  be  the  best  all-round  oar, 
and  as  such  to  be  capable  of  setting  the  best  stroke  to  the 
crew.  His  office  attached  itself  to  his  seat.  In  sundry  old 
college  records  of  rowing  we  find  the  expression  '  a  meeting  of 
strokes,'  where,  in  modern  times  we  should  speak  of  a  'cap- 
tains' meeting.'  The  U.B.C.'s  departed  from  this  tradition 
more  than  forty  years  ago.  Since  then  captains  have  been 
found  at  all  thwarts,  even  including  that  of  the  coxswain. 
Most  college  clubs  followed  the  U.B.C.  principle  forthwith, 
but  not  all  so.  We  can  recall  an  incident  to  the  contrary. 
At  Queen's  College,  Oxon,  there  remained  a  written  rule  that 
stroke  should  be  captain  as  late  as  about  1862.  In  or  about 
that  year  a  Mr.  Godfrey  was  rowing  stroke  of  the  Queen's 
eight  in  the  bumping  races,  and  was  ex-officio  captain.  He 
had  previously  stroked  the  Queen's  torpid,  and  with  good 
success.  One  night  during  the  summer  races  Queen's  got 
bumped  (or  failed  to  effect  a  bump).  Some  of  the  crew  laid 
the  blame  of  their  failure  upon  their  stroke,  for  having  rowed, 


86  BOATING. 

as  they  alleged,  too  rapid  a  stroke.  A  college  meeting  had  to 
be  called,  and  a  new  stroke  to  be  '  elected,'  before  a  change 
could  be  made  in  the  order  of  the  boat  for  the  next  night's 
race  !  Mr.  Godfrey  was  asked  to  resign  his  seat  as  stroke,  which 
of  course  he  did,  and  took  the  seat  of  No.  6.  His  successor 
was  thus  elected  captain.  Much  sympathy  for  Mr.  Godfrey's 
unfortunate  statutory  deposition  from  command  was  openly  ex-" 
pressed  by  out-college  oarsmen,  and  the  result  was  before  long 
that  a  change  was  made  in  the  code  of  the  Queen's  College 
Boat  Club,  and  its  adaptation  to  that  of  the  more  advanced 
rules  which  found  favour  with  the  majority  of  the  U.B.C. 

However,  just  as  a  bowler  at  cricket  is  prone  to  be  blind  to 
his  own  weaknesses,  and  to  be  imbued  with  ambition  to  do  too 
much  with  his  own  hands  at  moments  when  they  have  lost 
their  cunning,  so  when  a  captain  has  claims,  not  superlative, 
to  the  after-thwart,  there  is  always  some  danger  lest  his  eager- 
ness to  do  all  he  can  may  blind  him  as  to  the  best  choice  for 
that  seat.  In  some  cases,  as  with  (of  late)  Messrs.  West  and 
Pitman,  respectively  strokes  and  presidents  of  their  U.B.C'.s, 
or  in  the  cases  of  such  oarsmen  as  Messrs.  W.  Hoare,  W.  R. 
Griffiths,  M.  Brown,  J.  H.  D.  Goldie,  R.  Lesley,  H.  Rhodes, 
&:c.,  all  of  whom  had  won  their  spurs  as  first-class  strokes 
before  they  were  elected  to  the  presidency,  the  coincidence  of 
stroke  and  captain  has  done  no  harm  and  has  found  the  best 
man  in  the  right  place.  Nevertheless,  it  is  advisable  to  caution 
all  captains  on  this  score,  and  to  suggest  to  them  that,  when 
they  find  themselves  sharing  a  candidature  for  an  important  seat, 
they  will  do  well  to  ask  the  advice  of  some  impartial  mentor, 
and  abide  by  it. 

At  Eton  the  traditional  law  of  identity  of  stroke  and  cap- 
tain held  good,  with  natural  Etonian  conservatism,  until  a 
date  even  later  than  that  of  the  previously  related  anecdote  of 
Queen's  College.  So  far  as  we  can  recollect,  the  first  instance 
in  which  an  Eton  eight  was  not  stroked  by  its  captain  was  in 
1864.  In  that  year  Mr.  (now  Colonel)  Seymour  Corkran  was 
captain  of  Eton.     He  was  a  sort  of  pocket  Hercules,  of  great 


THE   CAPTAIN.  ^j 

breadth  and  weight,  scaling  close  upon  13  st.  Eton  crews  were. 
not  then  so  heavy  as  in  these  days,  and  the  wondrous  old 
Eton  '  Mat-Taylor '  boat,  which  then  w^as  still  in  her  prime, 
would  not  satisfactorily  carry  so  heavy  a  w^eight  in  the  stern., 
Mr.  Corkran  placed  himself  at  No.  7,  and  installed  a  light- 
weight, Mr.  Mossop,  at  stroke.  In  this  year  Eton  won  the 
Ladies'  Plate  for  the  first  time,  University  College  leaving 
them  to  walk  over  for  it,  after  University  had  had  a  severe 
losing  race  earlier  in  the  day  against  the  Kingston  Rowing 
Club  for  the  final  heat  of  the  Grand  Challenge. 

The  duties  of  a  captain  are  not  confined  to  the  mere  selec- 
tion of  his  racing  crew  for  the  moment,  nor  to  the  preservation 
of  order  and  regitne  in  the  matter  of  training.  If  he  is  to 
do  his  duty  by  the  club,  he  should  be  on  duty  pretty  well  all 
through  the  season.  He  should  keep  his  eyes  open  to  note 
any  raw  oarsman  who  shows  signs  of  talent,  and  mark  him 
to  be  tried  and  coached  into  form  hereafter.  A  captain  of  an 
elective  club  can  do  much  to  maintain  the  credit  of  his  flag 
by  looking  up  suitable  recruits  who  have  not  yet  joined  a 
leading  club,  and  by  inducing  them  to  put  themselves  under 
his  care,  and  to  submit  themselves  for  election.  One  of 
the  best  oars  that  ever  rowed  at  Henley,  who  became  an 
amateur  champion  (Mr.  W.  Long),  was  secured  for  the  L.R.C. 
by  the  prompt  energy  of  the  then  captain  of  that  club,  on 
the  occasion  of  Mr.  Long's  debut  at  Henley  Regatta.  On 
that  occasion  he  came  from  Ipswich,  to  row  for  the  pairs,  with 
a  partner  much  inferior  to  himself.  They  did  not  win,  but 
Mr.  Long's  hitherto  unknown  merits  were  at  once  seen,  and 
his  enlistment  in  the  L.R.C.  ranks  had  very  much  to  do  with 
the .  long  series  of  victories,  especially  in  Stewards'  Cup  and 
other  four-oar  races,  which  for  some  seasons  afterwards  attended 
the  fortunes  of  the  L.R.C. 

Per  contra^  to  show  how  a  good  oarsman  may  be  going 
begging,  in  1867  Mr.  F.  Gulston  w^as  not  asked  to  row  either 
by  London  or  Kingston  ;  he  went  to  Paris  to  row  in  a  pair-oar, 
and  still  the  L.R.C.  overlooked  him,  though  he  was  a  member 


88  BOATING. 

of  their  dub,  and  though  the  L.R.C.  were  entered  for  the 
international  regatta  on  the  Seine.  Mr.  Gulston  was  nearly, 
probably  quite,  as  good  an  oarsman  then  as  in  his  very  best 
days  j  but  his  light,  though  not  hid  under  a  bushel,  was  openly 
disregarded  by  his  club.  Through  the  minor  regattas  of  the 
summer  he  took  refuge  with  an  'Oscillators  '  crew,  and  shoved 
three  inferior  men  behind  along  at  such  a  pace  that  next  season 
it  was  impossible  to  ignore  him.  He  became  stroke  of  the 
L.R.C.  Grand  Challenge  crew  in  1868,  and  won  the  prize  easily. 

A  president  of  a  U.B.C.  has  not  the  responsibility  of 
looking  after  recruits  for  his  club.  He  has  only  to  see 
that  he  does  not  overlook  the  merits  of  those  who  are  in  it, 
among  the  hundreds  of  young  oarsmen  who  come  out  each 
season  in  the  torpids,  lower  divisions,  and  college  eights.  The 
'  trial  eights '  of  the  winter  term  have  to  be  made  up  by  him. 
Each  captain  of  a  college  crew  is  requested  to  send  in  the 
names  of  ten  or  more  candidates  for  these  trials  ;  but  it  is  not 
safe  for  a  president  to  rely  entirely  upon  the  lists  so  furnished 
to  him.  He  is  morally  bound  to  give  a  fair  trial  to  all  the 
candidates  who  are  thus  officially  submitted  to  his  notice  ;  but 
he  ought  also  on  his  own  account  to  have  taken  stock  during 
the  summer  races  of  the  promising  men  of  each  college  crew. 
The  opinions  of  college  captains  as  to  who  are  likely  to  make 
the  best  candidates  for  University  rowing  must  not  always  be 
relied  upon.  It  has  often  happened  that  better  men  have  been 
omitted  than  those  whose  names  have  been  sent  in  to  be  tried. 

We  have  known  a  watchful  president  ask  of  a  college  captain 
to  this  effect  : 

'  What  has  become  of  the  man  who  rowed  No.  6  in  your 
torpid  ? ' 

'  He  played  cricket  all  the  summer,  and  did  not  row  in  the 
summer  eights.' 

'  You  have  not  sent  in  his  name  ?  ' 

'  No,  I  thought  him  too  backward  ;  he  has  never  been  in  a 
light  boat  in  his  life,  and  he  only  began  to  row  last  October 
when  he  came  up  as  a  freshman.' 


THE   CAPTAIN.  89 

'  Can  I  see  him  to-morrow  and  try  him  ? '  says  the  presi- 
dent ;  and  eventually  this  cricketer  of  the  torpids  is  hammered 
into  shape,  and  subsequently  wears  a  double  blue. 

The  above  is  no  exaggerated  picture  of  what  has  been 
known  to  result  from  careful  supervision  by  a  president  of 
the  college  rowing  which  comes  under  his  notice.  In  1862 
Messrs.  Jacobson  and  Wynne  rowed  in  the  Oxford  crew  ;  the 
writer  believes,  from  the  best  of  his  recollection,  that  neither 
of  these  gentlemen  was  named  in  the  two  primary  picked 
choices  which  had  been  sent  in  to  represent  Christ  Church 
in  the  trial  eights.  But  the  then  president,  Mr.  George 
Morrison,  had  observed  them  when  they  were  rowing  for  their 
college  earlier  in  the  season,  and  took  note  of  them  as  two 
strong  men,  who  might  be  converted  by  coaching  into  University 
oars  ;  and  he  proved  to  be  correct. 

A  captain  of  a  large  club  usually  has  his  hands  so  full  of 
duties  connected  with  representative  or  picked  crews  that  he 
can  hardly  be  expected  to  find  much  time  for  systematically 
coaching  juniors.  This  preliminary  work  he  is  obliged  to 
depute  to  subordinates.  In  a  London  club  there  is  usually  a 
sort  of  subaltern,  or  sometimes  an  ex-captain,  who  undertakes 
to  instruct  junior  crews  or  those  who  are  competing  for  the 
Thames  Cup  at  Henley.  In  a  college  club  it  is  a  common 
practice  to  elect  a  '  captain  of  torpid,'  who  is  usually  some  one 
who  has  rowed  in  the  college  eight,  but  who  has  not  the 
physique  to  compete  for  a  seat  in  the  University  crew.  At 
Cambridge  a  large  college  club  puts  on  *  so  many  crews  for 
the  bumping  races  that  it  is  necessary  to  find  separate  coaches 
for  nearly  each  boat.  Even  when  this  occurs,  a  really  energetic 
captain  will  endeavour  to  spare  a  day  now  and  then  to  supervise 
the  efforts  of  his  subalterns.  At  Oxford  it  is,  or  used  to  be, 
customary  for  the  five  committee  men  of  the  O.U.B.C.  to  make 
a  point  of  coaching  in  turn,  when  asked,  those  college  eights 
which  had  no  '  blue,'  nor  old  oarsmen  of  experience,  to  instruct 
them.  All  these  arrangements  tend  to  raise  the  standard  of 
rowing  in  various  colleges,  and  so  in  the  U.B.C.  generally. 


90  BOATING, 

The  time  comes  when  a  captain  retires  from  office,  but  it  is 
quite  possible  that  he  may  find  time  to  row  again  for  his  flag 
after  he  has  laid  down  his  baton.  In  his  new  role  he  can  do, 
in  another  line,  quite  as  much  to  preserve  discipline  as  when 
he  held  the  office  in  his  own  person.  He  should  be  the  fore- 
most to  set  an  example  of  subordination  and  of  strict  observance 
of  regulations  and  of  training.  Nothing  does  more  to  strengthen 
the  hands  of  a  new  captain  than  the  spectacle  of  his  late  chief 
serving  loyally  under  him;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  nothing  does 
more  to  weaken  the  new  ruler's  authority  than  the  example  of  an 
ex-captain  self-sufficient  and  too  proud  to  acknowledge  the  sway 
of  his  successor.  The  ex-captain  does  not  lose  caste  by  strict 
subordination  ;  unless  his  successor  is  a  man  devoid  of  tact,  he 
will  freely  take  his  predecessor  into  his  counsels  ;  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  predecessor  should  be  careful  not  to  support 
anarchy  by  interfering  until  he  is  asked  to  advise.  We  have 
known  the  entire  morale  of  a  college  crew  upset  because  the 
ex-captain,  a  University  oar,  has  taken  French  leave  and  ordered 
an  extra  half-glass  of  beer  for  himself  (beyond  the  statutory 
allowance),  without  observing  the  formal  etiquette  of  first  ask- 
ing the  leave  of  his  successor,  whose  standing  was  only  that  of 
college-eight  oarsmanship.  Such  a  proceeding  at  once  made 
it  more  difficult  than  ever  for  the  new  captain  to  preserve  dis- 
cipline and  strict  attention  to  training  orders  among  the  thirsty 
souls  with  whom  he  had  to  deal.  In  some  college  boat  clubs 
there  is  a  rule  that  the  captain  must  be  resident  in  college. 
The  object  of  this  is' to  prevent  the  archives  and  trophies  of  the 
boat  club,  which  are  in  custody  of  the  captain,  from  passing 
outside  the  college  gates,  and  so  possibly  getting  astray  in 
lodgings.  Such  a  rule  as  this  naturally  prevents  many  a  senior 
oarsman  from  holding  the  office  (for  after  a  certain  standing 
undergraduates  migrate  from  college  walls  to  lodgings).  In 
such  cases  those  members  of  the  college  club  who  belong  to 
the  University  eight  constantly  find  themselves  under  the  formal 
authority  of  one  who  does  not  pretend  to  equal  their  skill  or 
knowledge  of  aquatics.     As  a  rule  these  retired  generals  work 


THE   CAPTAIN.  91 

harmoniously  with  their  inferior  but  commanding  in-college 
oarsman  ;  but  cases  do  occur  where  want  of  tact  on  the  part 
of  one  or  both  parties  has  a  very  mischievous  effect,  and 
causes  the  club  to  take  a  lower  place  on  the  race-charts  than 
it  might  have  attained  had  all  parties  co-operated  loyally  for 
the  support  of  the  flag. 

The  position  of  captain  of  a  club,  whether  rowing,  cricket, 
or  athletics,  is  a  very  useful  school  for  any  young  man,  if  he 
uses  his  opportunity  aright.  It  teaches  him  to  be  self-reliant ; 
to  avoid  vacillation  on  the  one  hand  and  obstinacy  on  the 
other ;  to  exercise  tact  and  forbearance,  and  to  set  a  good 
example  on  his  own  part  of  observance  of  standing  orders. 
All  these  lessons  serve  him  well  in  after-life.  No  man  is  the 
worse,  when  fighting  the  battle  of  the  world,  for  having  learnt 
both  how  to  obey  orders  implicitly  and  also  how  to  govern 
others  with  firmness  and  tact.  He  will  look  back  to  many  a 
decision  which  became  to,  and  will  perhaps  be  "able  to  con- 
sole himself  by  reflecting  that  at  the  time  he  acted  according  to 
the  best  of  his  lights  ;  but  none  the  less  he  will  perceive  that  he 
was  then  in  error,  and  that  as  he  sees  more  of  aquatics,  or  of 
any  other  branch  of  sport,  he  finds  that  he  is  only  beginning 
to  learn  the  best  of  it  when  the  time  comes  for  him  to  take 
his  departure  from  the  scene  of  actual  conflict.  If  he  will 
apply  the  analogy  to  his  career  in  life,  whatever  that  may  be, 
he  will  prosper  therein  all  the  more  by  reason  of  the  practical 
lessons  which  he  gained  when  his  arena  was  purely  athletic. 


BISHAM   COURT   REACH. 


CHAPTER   VI. 


THE    COXSWAIN    AND    STEERING. 


The  '  cock-swain'  wins  his  place  chiefly  on  account  of  his  weight, 
provided  that  he  can  show  a  reasonable  amount  of  nerve  and 
skill  of  hand.  A  coxswain  is  seldom  a  very  practical  oarsman, 
although  there  have  been  special  exceptions  to  this  rule,  e.g. 
in  the  case  of  T.  H.  Marshall,  of  Exeter,  Arthur  Shadwell,  of 
Oriel,  and  a  few  others.  But  if  he  has  been  any  length  of  time 
at  his  trade  he  very  soon  picks  up  a  very  considerable  theo- 
retical knowledge  of  what  rowing  should  be,  and  is  able  to  do 
very  signal  service  in  the  matter  of  instructing  the  men  whom 
he  pilots.  When  a  youth  begins  to  handle  the  rudder-lines 
there  is  often  some  considerable  difficulty  in  inducing  him  to 
open  his  mouth  to  give  orders  of  any  sort.  Even  such  biddings 
as  to  tell  one  side  of  oars  to  hold  her,  or  another  to  row  or 
to  back-water,  come  at  first  falteringly  from  his  lips.     It  is  but 


THE   COXSWAIN  AND   STEERING.  93 

natural  that  he  should  feel  his  own  physical  inferiority  to  the 
men  whom  he  is  for  the  moment  required  to  order  about  so 
peremptorily,  and  diffidence  at  first  tends  to  make  him  dumb. 
But  he  soon  picks  up  his  rdle  when  he  listens  to  the  auda- 
cious orders  and  objurgations  of  rival  pilots,  and  he  is  pleased 
to  find  that  the  qualities  of  what  he  might  modestly  consider 
to  be  impudence  and  arrogance  are  the  very  things  which  are 
most  required  of  him,  and  for  the  display  of  which  he  earns 
commendation. 

Having  once  found  his  tongue,  he  soon  learns  to  use  it. 
When  there  is  a  coach  in  attendance  upon  the  crew,  the  pilot  is 
not  called  upon  to  animadvert  on  any  failings  of  oarsmen  ;  but 
when  the  coach  is  absent  the  coxswain  is  bound  to  say  some- 
thing, and,  if  he  has  his  wits  about  him,  he  soon  picks  up  enough 
to  make  his  remarks  more  or  less  to  the  purpose.  The  easiest 
detail  on  which  he  offers  an  opinion  is  that  of  time  of  oars.  At 
first  he  feels  guilty  of  '  cheek '  in  singing  out  to  some  oarsmen 
of  good  standing  that  he  is  out  of  time.  He  feels  as  if  he 
should  hardly  be  surprised  at  a  retort  not  to  attempt  to  teach 
his  grandmother ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  the  admonition  is 
meekly  accepted,  and  the  pilot  begins  at  once  to  gain  confi- 
dence in  himself.  Daily  he  picks  up  more  and  more  theo- 
retical knowledge  ;  he  notes  what  a  coach  may  say  of  this  or 
that  man's  faults,  and  he  soon  begins  to  see  when  certain  ad- 
monitions are  required.  At  least  he  can  play  the  parrot,  and 
can  echo  the  coach's  remarks  when  the  mentor  is  absent,  and 
before  long  he  will  have  picked  up  enough  to  be  able  to  dis- 
cern when  such  a  reproof  is  relevant  and  when  it  is  not.  In 
his  spare  time  he  often  paddles  a  boat  about  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  this  practice  materially  assists  him  in  understand- 
ing the  doctrines  which  he  has  to  preach.  As  a  rule,  cox- 
swains row  in  very  good  form,  when  they  row  at  all ;  and  before 
their  career  closes  many  of  them,  though  they  have  never  rowed 
in  a  race,  can  teach  much  more  of  the  science  of  oarsmanship 
than  many  a  winning  oar  of  a  University  race .  or  of  a  Grand 
Challenge  Cup  contest. 


94  BOATING. 

A  coxswain  is  the  lightest  item  in  the  crew,  but  unless  he 
sits  properly  he  can  do  much  harm  in  disturbing  the  balance 
of  a  light  boat.  He  should  sit  with  a  straight  back  ;  if  he 
slouches,  he  has  not  the  necessary  play  of  the  loins  to  adapt 
himself  to  a  roll  of  the  boat.  He  should  incHne  just  a  trifle 
forward  ;  the  spring  of  the  boat  at  each  stroke  will  swing  him 
forward  shghtly,  and  he  will  recoil  to  an  equal  extent  on  the 
recovery.  His  legs  should  be  crossed  under  him,  like  a  tailor 
on  a  shop-board,  with  the  outside  of  each  instep  resting  on  the 
floor  of  the  boat.  He  should  hold  his  rudder-lines  just  tight 
enough  to  feel  the  rudder.  If  he  hangs  too  much  weight  upon 
them,  he  may  jam  the  tiller  upon  the  pin  on  which  it  revolves, 
so  that,  when  the  rudder  has  been  put  on  and  then  taken  off, 
the  helm  does  not  instantly  swing  back  to  the  exact  status  quo 
ante  ;  and  in  that  case  the  calculation  as  to  course  may  be  dis- 
turbed, and  a  counter  pull  from  the  other  line  become  neces- 
sary, in  order  to  rectify  the  course. 

A  coxswain  will  do  best  to  rest  his  hand  lightly  on  either 
gunwale,  just  opposite  to  his  hips.  He  should  give  the  lines  a 
turn  round  his  palms,  to  steady  the  hold  on  them.  Many  cox- 
swains tie  a  loop  at  the  required  distance,  and  shp  the  thumb 
through  it ;  but  such  a  loop  should  not  be  knotted  too  tight, 
for  when  rudder-lines  get  wet  they  shrink ;  so  that  a  loop  which 
was  properly  adjusted  when  the  line  was  dry  will  be  too  far 
behind  in  event  of  the  strings  becoming  soaked. 

When  a  coxswain  desires  to  set  a  crew  in  motion,  the  usual 
formula  is  to  tell  the  men  to  '  get  forward,'  then  to  ask  if  they 
are  '  ready,'  and  then  to  say  'go,' '  row,'  or  'paddle,'  as  the  case 
may  be.  When  he  wishes  to  stop  the  rowing,  without  other- 
wise to  check  the  pace  of  the  boat,  the  freshwater  formula 
is  '  easy  all,'  at  which  command  the  oars  are  laid  flat  on  the 
water.  In  the  navy  the  equivalent  term  is  'way  enough.' 
'  Easy  all '  should  be  commanded  at  the  beginning,  or  at  latest 
at  the  middle,  of  a  stroke,  otherwise  it  is  difficult  for  the  men 
to  stop  all  together  and  to  avoid  a  half-commencement  of  the 
next  stroke. 


THE   COXSWAIN  AND  STEERING.  95 

If  a  boat  has  to  be  suddenly  checked  and  her  way  stopped, 
the  order  is  '  Hold  her  all'  The  blades  are  then  slightly  in- 
clined towards  the  bow  of  the  boat,  causing  them  to  bury  in 
the  water,  and  at  the  same  time  not  to  present  a  square  surface 
to  back-water.  The  handle  of  the  oar  should  then  be  elevated, 
and  more  and  more  so  as  the  decreasing  way  enables  each 
oarsman  to  offer  more  surface  resistance  to  the  water.  So  soon 
as  the  way  of  the  boat  has  been  sufficiently  checked,  she  can 
be  backed  or  turned,  according  to  what  may  be  necessary  in 
the  situation. 

In  turning  a  long  racing-boat  care  should  be  taken  to  do 
so  gently,  otherwise  she  may  be  strained.  If  there  is  plenty 
of  room,  she  can  be  turned  by  one  side  of  oars  '  holding '  her, 
while  bow,  and  afterwards  No.  3  also,  paddle  her  gently  round. 
If  there  is  not  room  for  a  wide  turn,  then  stroke  and  No.  6 
should  back  water  gently,  against  bow,  &c.  paddling. 

A  coxswain,  when  he  first  begins  his  trade,  is  pleased  to 
find  how  obedient  his  craft  is  to  the  touch  of  his  hand  ;  he 
pulls  one  string  and  her  head  turns  that  way  ;  he  takes  a  tug 
at  the  other  line,  and  she  reverses  her  direction.  The  ease  with 
which  he  can  by  main  force  bring  her,  somehow  or  other,  to 
the  side  of  the  river  on  which  he  desires  to  be  tends  at  first  to 
make  him  overlook  how  much  extra  distance  he  unnecessarily 
covers  by  rough-and-ready  hauling  at  the  lines.  '  Argonaut '  ' 
very  lucidly  uses  the  expression  'a  boat  should  be  coaxed 
by  its  rudder,'  a  maxim  which  all  pilots  will  do  well  to  make 
a  cardinal  point  in  their  creed. 

When  a  boat  is  once  pointing  in  a  required  direction,  and 
her  true  course  is  for  the  moment  a  straight  one,  the  pilot 
should  note  some  landmark,  and  endeavour  to  regulate  his  bows 
by  aid  of  it,  keeping  the  mark  dead  ahead,  or  so  much  to  the 
right  or  to  the  left  as  occasion  may  require.  In  so  doing  he 
should  feel  his  lines,  and,  so  to  speak,  '  balance '  his  bows  on 
his  point  d'appui.  His  action  should  be  somewhat  analogous 
to  what  the  play  of  his  hand  would  be  if  he  were  attempting  to 
1  Mr.  E.  D.  Brickwood. 


96  BOATING. 

carry  a  stick  end  upwards  on  the  tip  of  his  finger.  He  would 
quickly  but  gently  anticipate  the  declination  denoted  by  each 
wavering  motion  of  the  stick,  checking  each  such  deviation  the 
moment  it  is  felt.  In  like  manner  when  steering  he  should, 
as  it  were,  '  hold '  his  bows  on  to  his  steering  point,  regulating 
his  boat  by  gentle  and  timely  touches;  if  he  allows  a  wide  devia- 
tion to  occur,  before  he  begins  to  correct  his  course,  he  has  then 
a  wide  detour  to  make  before  he  can  regain  his  lost  position.  All 
this  means  waste  of  distance  and  of  rowing  energy  on  the  part 
of  the  crew. 

In  steering  by  a  distant  landmark  the  coxswain  must  bear 
in  mind  that  the  parallax  of  the  distant  mark  increases  as  he 
nears  it ;  so  that  what  may  point  a  true  course  to  him,  for  all 
intents  and  purposes,  when  it  is  half  a  mile  away,  may  lead  him 
too  much  to  one  side  or  other  if  he  clings  to  it  too  long  without 
observing  its  altered  bearing  upon  his  desired  direction. 

When  a  coxswain  has  steered  a  course  more  than  once  he 
begins  to  know  his  landmarks  and  their,  bearing  upon  each 
part  of  the  course.  There  is  less  strain  upon  his  mind,  and  he 
becomes  able  to  observe  greater  accuracy.  There  is  nothing 
like  having  the  '  eye  well  in '  for  any  scene  of  action.  A  man 
plays  relatively  better  upon  a  billiard-table  or  lawn-tennis  ground 
to  which  he  is  well  accustomed  than  on  one  to  which  he  is  a 
stranger  ;  and  a  jockey  rides  a  horse  all  the  better  for  having 
crossed  him  before  the  day  of  a  race.  However  good  a  coxswain 
may  be,  he  will  steer  a  course  more  accurately,  on  the  average, 
in  proportion  as  he  knows  it  more  or  less  mechanically. 

There  is  also  a  good  deal  in  knowing  the  boat  which  has  to 
be  steered.  No  two  ships  steer  exactly  alike.  Some  come  round 
more  easily  than  others  ;  some  fetch  up  into  the  wind  more  freely 
than  others.  In  modern  times  it  has  been  a  common  practice 
for  builders  to  affix  a  movable  '  fin '  of  metal  to  the  bottom  of  a 
racing  eight  or  four,  under  the  after  canvas,  which  fin  can  be 
taken  out  or  fixed  in  at  option.  In  a  cross  wind  this  helps  to 
steady  the  track  of  a  boat  ;  but,  unless  wind  is  strong  and  is 
abeam  for  a  good  moiety  of  the  distance,  the  draw  of  the  water 


THE  COXSWAIN  AND  STEERING,  97 

all  the  way  occasioned  by  the  fin  costs  more  than  the  extra 
drag  of  rudder  which  it  obviates  for  just  one  part  of  the 
course. 

In  steering  round  a  corner  a  coxswain  should  bear  in  mind 
that  he  must  not  expect  to  see  his  boat  pointing  in  the  direction 
to  which  he  desires  to  make.  His  boat  is  a  tangent  to  a  curve, 
the  curve  being  the  shore.  His  bows  will  be  pointing  to  the 
shore  which  he  is  avoiding.  It  is  the  position  of  his  midship  to 
the  shore  which  he  is  rounding  that  he  should  especially  note. 
The  boat  should  be  brought  round  as  gradually  as  the  severity 
of  the  wave  will  allow.  If  the  curve  is  very  sharp,  like  the 
corners  of  the  '  Gut '  at  Oxford,  or  '  Grassy '  or  Ditton  corners 
at  Cambridge,  the  inside  oars  should  be  told  to  row  light  for 
a  stroke  or  two.  It  will  ease  their  labour,  and  also  that  of  the 
oars  on  the  other  side. 

When  there  is  a  stiff  beam  wind  the  bows  of  a  racing  craft 
tend  to  bear  up  into  the  wind's  eye.  The  vessel  is  making 
leeway  all  the  time  ;  therefore  if  the  coxswain  on  such  an  occa- 
sion steers  by  a  landmark  which  would  guide  him  were  the 
water  calm,  he  will  before  long  find  himself  much  to  leeward 
of  where  he  should  be.  In  order  to  maintain  his  desired  course 
he  should  humour  his  boat,  and  allow  her  bow  to  hold  up 
somewhat  into  the  wind  (to  windward  of  the  landmark  which 
otherwise  would  be  guiding  him).  To  what  extent  he  should  do 
so  he  must  judge  for  himself,  according  to  circumstances  and 
to  his  own  knowledge  of  the  leeward  propensities  of  his  boat. 
To  lay  down  a  hard-and-fast  rule  on  this  point  would  be  as 
much  out  of  place  as  to  attempt  to  frame  a  scale  of  allowance 
which  a  Wimbledon  rifleman  ought  to  make  for  mirage  or  cross- 
wind,  when  taking  aim  at  a  distant  bull's-eye. 

Generally  speaking  a  coxswain  should  hug  the  shore  when 
going  against  tide  or  stream,  and  should  keep  in  mid-stream 
when  going  with  it.  (Mid-stream  does  not  necessarily  imply 
mid-river.)  Over  the  Henley  course,  until  1886,  a  coxwain  on 
the  Berks  side  used  to  make  for  the  shelter  of  the  bank  below 
Poplar  Point,  where  the  stream  ran  with  less  force.     The  altera- 

H 


98  BOATING. 

tion  (for  good)  of  the  Henley  course  which  was  inaugurated  in 
1886  has  put  an  end  to  this,  and  both  racing  crews  now  take 
a  mid-stream  course.  The  course  is  to  all  intents  and  purposes 
straight,  and  yet  it  will  not  do  to  keep  the  bows  fixed  on  one 
point  from  start  to  finish.  There  is  just  a  fraction  of  curve  to 
the  left  in  it,  but  so  slight  that  one  finger's  touch  of  a  line  will 
deflect  a  boat  to  the  full  extent  required.  The  church  tower 
offers  a  landmark  by  which  all  pilots  can  steer,  keeping  it  more 
or  less  to  the  right  hand  of  the  bows,  and  allowing  for  the 
increase  of  its  parallax  as  the  boat  nears  her  goal. 

Over  the  Putney  water  the  best  course  has  changed  con- 
siderably during  the  writer's  personal  recollections.  Twenty 
years  ago  the  point  entering  to  Horse  Reach,  and  opposite  to 
Chiswick  Church,  could  be  taken  close.  The  Conservancy 
dredged  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  also  filled  up  a  bight  on  the 
Surrey  shore.  This  transferred  the  channel  and  the  strongest 
current  to  the  Middlesex  side.  In  1866  a  head  wind  (against 
flood  tide)  off  Chiswick  raised  the  higher  surf  near  to  the  tow- 
path,  showing  that  the  main  stream  flowed  there.  It  now  runs 
much  nearer  to  the  Eyot. 

Also  the  removal  of  the  centre  arch  of  old  Putney  Bridge 
drew  the  main  flood  tide  more  into  mid-river  than  of  old  ;  and 
since  then  the  new  bridge  has  been  built  and  the  old  one 
altogether  removed,  still  further  affecting  the  current  in  the 
same  direction.  There  is  a  noticeable  tendency  in  the  present 
day,  on  the  part  of  all  pilots,  whether  in  sculling  matches  or  in 
eight-oar  races,  to  take  Craven  Point  too  wide  and  to  bear  off" 
into  the  bay  opposite,  on  the  Surrey  shore.  The  course  should 
be  kept  rather  more  mid-stream  than  of  old,  up  to  Craven 
steps,  but  the  point  should  be  taken  reasonably  close  when 
rounding  ;  there  should  not  be,  as  has  often  been  seen  during 
the  last  six  years,  room  for  a  couple  more  boats  to  race  between 
the  one  on  the  Fulham  side  and  the  Craven  bank. 

In  old  days,  when  Craven  Point  used  to  be  taken  close,  and 
when  the  set  of  the  tide  lay  nearer  to  it  than  now,  there  ensued 
an  important  piece  of  pilotage  called  '  making  the  shoot.'     It 


THE  COXSWAIN  AND   STEERING.  99 

consisted  in  gradually  sloping  across  the  river,  so  as  to  take  the 
Soapworks  Point  at  a  tangent,  and  thence  to  make  for  the  Surrey 
arch  of  Hammersmith  Bridge.  This  '  shoot '  is  now  out  of 
place  :  firstly,  because  the  tide  up  the  first  reach  from  the  start 
of  itself  now  tends  to  bring  the  boat  more  into  mid-river  off 
the  Grass  Wharf  and  Walden's  Wharf ;  secondly,  because  the 
Soapworks  Point  should  now  be  taken  wide^  and  not  close. 
The  reason  for  this  latter  injunction  is  that  the  races  of  to-day, 
by  agreement,  go  through  the  centre  arch  of  Hammersmith 
Bridge.  Now  the  flood  tide  does  not  run  through  the  bridge 
at  right  angles  to  the  span.  It  is  working  hard  across  to  the 
Surrey  shore.  Therefore,  if  a  boat  hugs  Soapworks  Point  as  of 
old,  and  as  if  the  course  lay  through  the  shore  arch,  that  boat  will 
have  to  come  out,  across  tide,  at  an  angle  of  about  25"  to  the 
set  of  the  tide,  in  order  to  fetch  the  outer  arch  and  to  clear 
the  buttress  and  the  steamboat  pier.  Year  after  year  the  same 
blunder  is  seen.  Pilots,  of  sculling  boats  and  of  eight-oars 
alike,  wander  away  to  the  Surrey  bay  off  Craven  ;  then  they 
hug  the  shore  till  they  reach  the  Soapworks  foot-bridge,  and 
then  they  have  to  cross  half  the  tide  on  their  right  before  they 
can  safely  point  for  the  outer  arch  of  the  Suspension  Bridge. 
A  pilot  should  endeavour  to  keep  in  mid-river  off  Rosebank 
and  the  Crab  Tree,  and  after  passing  the  latter  point  he  will, 
while  pointing  his  bows  well  to  the  right  of  the  arch  which  he 
intends  to  pass  under,  find  the  river  move  to  the  left  under 
him,  until,  with  little  or  no  use  of  rudder,  he  finds  himself  in 
front  of  his  required  arch  just  as  he  reaches  the  bridge. 

After  passing  the  bridge  a  boat  should  keep  straight  on 
for  another  two  hundred  yards,  else  it  will  get  into  dead  water 
caused  by  the  eddy  of  the  Surrey  pier.  At  Chiswick  the  course 
may  be  taken  wide  (save  and  except,  as  in  all  cases,  where  force 
of  wind  alters  circumstances).  The  main  tide  runs  nearest  to 
Chiswick  Eyot.  Horse  Reach  should  be  entered  in  mid-river  ; 
there  is  little  or  no  tide  on  the  Surrey  point  below  it. 

Making  for  Barnes  Bridge,  the  boat  should  keep  fairly  near 
to  the  Middlesex  shore— how  near  depends  upon  whether  the 


loo  BOATING. 

race  is  ordained  to  pass  through  the  centre  or  the  Middlesex 
arch  of  Barnes  Bridge.  Once  through  Barnes  Bridge,  the  course 
should  sheer  in  (if  the  centre  arch  has  been  taken)  until  the 
boat  lies  as  if  it  had  taken  the  shore  arch.  It  should  attain 
this  position  by  the  time  it  breasts  the  'White  Hart'  The  river 
is  here  a  horseshoe  to  the  finish.  In  linear  measure  a  boat  on 
the  Middlesex  side  has  nearly  two  lengths  less  to  travel  than 
the  one  outside  it  between  Barnes  Bridge  and  the  '  Ship.'  The 
tide  runs  nearly  as  well  within  sixty  feet  of  the  shore  as  in  mid- 
river  at  this  point,  hence  it  pays  to  keep  about  that  distance 
from  the  Middlesex  bank. 

The  old  Thames  watermen  who  instruct  young  pilots  over 
the  Putney  course  are  often  inclined  to  run  too  much  in  the 
grooves  which  were  good  in  their  younger  days,  when  they  them- 
selves were  racing  on  the  river.  Their  instruction  would  be  sound 
enough  if  the  features  of  the  river  had  not  undergone  change, 
as  aforesaid,  in  sundry  details.  The  repeated  blunders  of  navi- 
gation lately  seen  perpetrated  by  watermen  as  well  as  amateurs 
between  Craven  Steps  and  Hammersmith  make  us  lose  much 
faith  in  watermen's  tuition  for  steering  the  metropohtan  course. 
We  would  rather  entrust  a  young  pilot  to  some  active  mem- 
ber of  the  London  or  Thames  Rowing  Clubs.  These  gentlemen 
know  the  river  well  enough  as  it  now  is,  and  are  not  biassed  by 
old  memories  of  what  it  once  was  but  is  no  longer. 

University  coxswains  have  easier  tasks  in  these  days  than 
their  predecessors  before  1868.  Until  the  Thames  Conservancy 
obtained  statutory  powers  in  1868  to  clear  the  course  for  boat- 
racing,  it  used  to  be  a  ticklish  matter  to  pick  a  safe  course  on  a 
flood  tide.  There  would  be  strings  of  barges  towed,  and  many 
more  sailing,  others  '  sweeping,'  up  river.  Traffic  did  not  stop 
for  sport.  Coxswains  often  found  themselves  in  awkward  pre- 
dicaments to  avoid  such  itinerant  craft,  more  so  when  barges 
were  under  sail  against  a  head  wind,  and  were  tacking  from 
shore  to  shore.  In  1866  a  barge  of  this  sort  most  seriously 
interfered  with  the  Cambridge  crew  in  Horse  Reach,  just  when 
Oxford  had,  after  a  stern  race,  given  them  the  go-by  off  the 


THE  COXSWAIN  AND  STEERING.  loi 

Bathing-place.     It  extinguished  any  chance  which  might  have 
been  left  for  Cambridge. 

In  the  preceding  year  C.  R.  W.  Tottenham  immortalised 
himself  by  a  great  coup  with  a  barge.  She  was  tacking  right 
across  his  course  (Oxford  had  just  gone  ahead  after  having 
been  led  by  a  clear  length  through  Hammersmith  Bridge).  This 
was  just  below  Barnes  Bridge.  Many  a  pilot  would  have  tried 
to  go  round  the  bows  of  that  barge.  At  the  moment  when 
she  shaped  her  course  to  tack  across  tide  there  seemed  to  be 
ample  room  to  pass  in  front  of  her.  Tottenham  never  altered 
his  course,  and  trusted  to  his  own  calculations.  Presently  the 
barge  was  broadside  on  to  Oxford's  bows,  and  only  a  few  lengths 
ahead.  Every  one  in  the  steamers  astern  stood  aghast  at  what 
seemed  to  be  an  inevitable  smash.  The  barge  held  on,  and  so 
did  Oxford,  and  the  barge  passed  clear  away  just  before  Oxford 
came  up.  Even  if  she  had  hung  a  little,  in  a  lull  of  wind,  it 
would  have  been  easy  for  Oxford  to  deflect  a  trifle  and  pass  under 
her  stern.  Anything  was  better  than  attempting  to  go  round 
her  bows,  which  at  first  seemed  to  be  the  simplest  course  to  spec- 
tators not  experts  at  pilotage.  It  must  be  admitted  that  so  much 
nerve  and  judgment  at  a  pinch  have  never  before  or  since  been 
displayed  by  any  coxswain  in  a  University  match.  Tottenham 
had  his  opportunity  and  made  the  most  of  it.  He  steered  thrice 
afterwards,  but  even  if  he  had  never  steered  again  he  had  made 
his  reputation  by  this  one  coup.  In  justice  to  other  crack  cox- 
swains, such  as  Shad  well  and  Egan  of  old,  and,  par  excellence^ 
G.  L.  Davis  in  the  present  day,  we  must  assume  that  if  they  had 
been  similarly  tried  they  would  have  been  equally  triumphant. 


FEATHER    '  UNDER  '    THE   WATER. 

CHAPTER   VII. 

SLIDING    SEATS. 

I.     THEIR    ORIGIN. 

When  sliding  seats  were  first  used  they  completely  revolution- 
ised oarsmanship,  and  caused  old  coaches  whose  names  were 
household  words  to  stand  aghast  at  the  invention. 

The  best  use  of  them  was  but  imperfectly  realised  by  those 
who  first  adopted  them  ;  and  many  of  the  earliest  examples  of 
sliding-seat  oarsmanship  were  sufficiently  unorthodox,  according 
to  our  improved  use  of  them  in  the  present  day,  to  justify  the 
declaration  of  more  than  one  veteran  whose  opinion  was  always 
respected  that — 'if  that  is  sliding,  it  is  not  rowing.' 

The  mechanical  power  gained  by  a  sliding  seat  is  so  great 
that  even  if  he  who  uses  it  sets  at  defiance  all  recognised  prin- 
ciples of  fixed-seat  rowing,  he  can  still  command  more  pace  than 


I 


SLIDING   SEATS.  103 

if  he  adhered  to  fixed-seat  work.  It  was  the  spectacle,  in  ear- 
lier days  of  the  slide,  of  this  unorthodox  sliding  style  beating 
good  specimens  of  fixed-seat  oarsmanship  which  so  horrified 
many  of  the  retired  good  oarsmen  of  the  fixed-seat  school. 
Before  long  the  true  use  of  the  slide  became  better  understood, 
and  thus  oarsmen — at  all  events  scientific  amateurs — began  to 
realise  that,  while  bad  sliding  could  manage  to  command  more 
pace  than  good  fixed  rowing,  yet  at  the  same  time  good  sliding 
(which  will  be  explained  hereafter)  will  beat  bad  sliding  by  even 
more  than  the  latter  can  distance  good  fixed-seat  work. 

Just  a  similar  sort  of  prejudice  was  displayed  against  the 
earlier  style  of  rowing  in  keelless  boats.  When  these  craft  first 
came  in,  oarsmen  had  little  or  no  idea  of  '  sitting '  them  ;  they 
rolled  helplessly,  and  lost  all  form,  but  nevertheless  they  tra- 
velled faster  in  the  new  craft  than  when  rowing  in  good  style 
in  old-fashioned  iron-shod  keeled  boats.  In  a  season  or  two 
style  reasserted  itself,  and  it  was  found  that  it  was  by  no  means 
impossible  to  row  in  as  neat  a  shape  in  a  keelless  boat  as  in  a 
keeled  one. 

Sliding  on  the  seat  had  been  practised  long  before  the 
sliding  seat  was  invented,  but  only  to  a  modified  extent. 
Robert  Chambers  of  St.  Antony's,  the  quondam  champion, 
tried  it  now  and  then,  and  when  preparing  for  his  1865  match 
with  Kelley  he  used  to  slide  a  trifle,  especially  for  a  spurt,  and 
to  grease  his  seat  to  facilitate  his  operations.  Jack  Clasper^ 
according  to  Mr.  E.  D.  Brickwood's  well-known  treatise  on 
Boat-racing,  used  to  slide  to  a  small  extent  on  a  fixed  seat 
when  he  rowed  in  a  Newcastle  four  which  won  on  the  Thames 
in  1857.  Of  this  detail  the  writer  has  himself  no  recollection. 
Also,  in  1867,  a  Tyne  sculler,  Percy,  tried  sliding  on  a  fixed 
seat  in  a  sculling  match  against  J.  Sadler  on  the  Thames  (so 
Mr.  Brickwood  relates).  But  none  of  these  earlier  sliders  made 
much  good  out  of  their  novelty.  The  strain  on  the  legs  caused 
by  the  friction  on  the  seat  prevented  the  oarsman  from  main- 
taining the  action  for  long,  and  meantime  it  took  so  much  out 
of  him  that  it  prematurely  exhausted  his  whole  frame. 


I04  BOATING. 

In  1870  Renforth's  champion  four  used  to  slide  on  the  seat 
for  a  spurt,  but  not  for  a  whole  course.  They  beat  the  St.  John's 
Canadian  crew  very  easily  while  so  rowing  in  a  match  at  Lachine, 
but  we  believe  that  they  would  have  won  with  about  as  much 
ease  had  they  rowed  on  fixed  seats.  In  the  same  year  a  '  John 
o'  Gaunt '  four  from  Lancaster  came  to  Henley  Regatta  and 
rowed  in  this  fashion,  sliding  on  fixed  seats.  They  had  very 
little  body  swing,  and  their  style  showed  all  the  worst  features 
of  the  subsequent  style  which  became  too  common  when  sliding 
seats  were  first  established.  They  did  almost  all  their  work  by 
the  piston  action  of  the  legs,  and  their  limbs  tired  under  the 
strain  at  the  end  of  three  or  four  minutes.  They  led  a  light 
crew  of  Oxford  '  Old  Radleians '  by  three  lengths  past  Fawley 
Court,  and  then  began  to  come  back  to  them.  The  Oxonians 
steadily  gained  on  them,  but  had  to  come  round  outside  them 
at  the-  Point,  and  could  never  get  past  them,  losing  the  race  by 
less  than  a  yard.  Enough  was  seen  on  this  occasion  to  convince 
oarsmen  that  the  Lancastrian  style  was  only  good  for  half-mile 
racing.  In  the  final  heat  for  the  Stewards'  fours  a  good  L.R.C. 
crew  heat  the  Lancastrians  with  ease  after  going  half  a  mile. 
The  Radleians  would  doubtless  have  also  gone  well  by  the  Lan- 
castrians had  the  course  been  a  hundred  yards  longer. 

So  far  the  old  fixed  seat  had  vindicated  itself  for  staying 
purposes.  But  in  the  following  year  a  problem  was  practically 
solved.  It  seems  that  (so  Mr.  Brickwood  tells  us)  an  oarsman 
comparatively  unknown  to  fame,  one  Mr.  R.  O.  Birch,  had  used 
an  actual  sliding  seat  at  King's  Lynn  Regatta  in  1870.  Mr. 
Brickwood  seems  to  have  been  the  only  writer  who  took  cogni- 
sance of  this  interesting  fact.  University  men  and  tideway 
amateurs,  also  professionals  so  far  as  we  can  gather,  seem  not 
to  have  heard  of,  or  at  least  not  to  have  heeded,  the  ex- 
periment. Had  Mr.  Birch  been  a  leading  sculler  of  the  day, 
possibly  the  innovation  might  have  been  adopted  earlier  than 
it  was. 

Meantime  in  America  the  sliding  seat  had  been  better 
known,  but  had  not  been  appreciated.     Mr.  Brickwood  tells  us 


SLIDING  SEATS.  105 

that  a  Mr.  J.  C.  Babcock,  of  the  Nassau  Boat  Club,  constructed 
a  sliding  seat  as  long  ago  as  1857.  Also  that  W.  Brown,  the 
American  sculler,  tried  one  in  1861,  but  abandoned  it.  In 
1869  Mr.  Babcock  once  more  devoted  himself  to  the  study 
and  construction  of  sliding  seats,  and  brought  out  a  six-oared 
crew  rowing  on  slides.  But  the  invention  did  not  obtain  much 
recognition,  although  Mr.  Babcock  was  of  opinion  that  his  crew 
gained  in  power  of  stroke  through  the  new  apparatus. 

How  the  seat  came  to  be  at  length  adopted  arose  thus.  In 
187 1  two  Tyne  crews  went  to  America  to  compete  in  regattas. 
One  of  these  was  Renforth's  crew,  and,  as  detailed  elsewhere, 
Renforth  died  during  a  race  against  the  St.  John  crew. 
Robert  Chambers  (not  the  ex-champion)  took  his  place  later 
on  for  sundry  regattas.  The  Tyne  crews  rowed  with  a  good 
average  of  success  in  America.  Taylor,  who  commanded  the 
other  Tyne  four,  raced  a  States  four,  called  the  Biglin-Coulter 
crew,  rowing  with  sliding  seats.  These  Biglin-Coulter  men  did 
not  prove  themselves,  as  a  whole,  any  better  than,  if  so  fast 
as,  the  British  crew  ;  consequently  there  was  nothing  to  draw 
especial  attention  to  their  apparatus..  Of  the  two  British  crews, 
that  stroked  by  Chambers  proved  itself  on  the  whole,  through 
various  regattas,  faster  than  Taylor's  four. 

Taylor  bided  his  time.  He  proposed  a  match  on  the  Tyne 
between  the  two  British  fours,  and  the  offer  was  accepted. 
The  match  came  off  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year.  Taylor's 
men  had  their  boat  fitted  with  sliding  seats,  and  kept  their  appa- 
ratus 'dark'  from  the  world  and  from  their  opponents.  They 
used  to  cease  sliding  when  watched,  and  kept  their  apparatus 
covered  up.  When  the  race  came  off,  Taylor's  crew  decisively 
reversed  the  American  regatta  form,  and  beat  Chambers's  crew 
easily.  This  was  ascribed  to  the  slide,  information  as  to  which 
leaked  out  after  the  race.  The  next  University  race  was  not 
rowed  with  slides,  but  a  couple  of  minor  sculling  races  in  the 
spring  were  rowed  with  them.  In  June  of  that  year  a  very  fine 
L.R.C.  four  (Messrs.  J.  B.  Close,  F.  S.  Gulston,  A.  de  L.  Long, 
and  W.  Stout)  rowed  a  four-oared  match  on  the  Thames  against 


io6  BOATING. 

the  Atalanta  Club  of  New  York.  The  L.R.C.  men  used  shdes. 
That  did  not  affect  their  victory ;  they  were  stronger  and  better 
oarsmen  than  the  Americans,  and  could  have  won  easily  on 
fixed  seats  ;  but  what  gave  a  fillip  to  slides  was  the  clear  testi- 
mony of  these  four  oarsmen  of  undoubted  skill  to  the  advan- 
tage which  they  felt  themselves  gain  by  their  use.  Instantly 
there  was  a  run  upon  slides.  Henley  Regatta  was  impending. 
The  L.R.C.  crews  were  all  fitted  with  them  for  that  meeting. 
Several  other  crews  took  to  them  after  reaching  Henley, 
and  after  seeing  the  superiority  which  London  obtained  by 
them.  Kingston  and  Pembroke  (Oxon)  had  their  boats  fitted 
with  slides  less  than  a  week  before  the  race.  Pembroke  was  a 
moderate  crew,  and  only  entered  because  they  held  the  Ladies' 
Plate.  At  first,  in  practice,  Pembroke  did  about  equal  time 
over  the  course  with  Lady  Margaret,  both  crews  being  on  fixed 
seats.  But  the  day  after  Pembroke  got  their  slides  they  im- 
proved some  15  sees,  upon  the  time  of  Lady  Margaret,  who 
kept  to  their  old  seats.  It  must,  however,  be  recorded  that 
the  Ladies'  Plate  was  won  by  a  fixed-seat  crew — Jesus,  Camb. 
This  crew  was  by  far  the  best  in  material  of  all  the  entries  at 
the  regatta.  Their  individual  superiority  enabled  them  to  give 
away  the  slide  to  Pembroke,  and  had  they  taken  to  slides  even 
for  the  last  few  days  they  would  probably  have  also  won  the 
Grand  Challenge.  As  it  was,  that  prize  fell  to  the  L.R.C,  a 
crew  which  had  four  good  men,  and  then  a  weak  tail.  The 
sliding  seat  had  now  fairly  established  its  claims.  It  should 
be  added  that  Pembroke,  with  two  good  and  two  moderate 
men,  won  the  Visitors'  Plate  from  a  very  good  Dublin  four, 
about  the  best  four  that  Dublin  ever  sent  to  Henley.  Pem- 
broke used  slides,  and  the  Dublin  men  had  fixed  seats.  (Slides 
alone  won  this  race  for  Pembroke.)  The  Pembroke  slides 
were  on  wheels — a  mechanism  which  was  soon  afterwards  dis- 
carded by  builders  in  favour  of  greased  glass  or  steel  grooves  or 
tubes,  but  which  seems  to  be  returning  to  favour  in  1886  and 
1887. 


SLIDING  SEATS.  107 


II.     THEIR   USE. 


In  order  to  understand  the  true  action  in  a  slide,  it  will  be 
well  to  recall  the  action  of  fixed-seat  rowing.  On  the  fixed 
seat  the  swing  of  the  body  does  the  main  work,  being  supported 
by  the  legs,  which  are  rigid  and  bent. 

On  a  slide  the  legs  extend  gradually,  while  at  the  same  time 
they  support  the  body.  On  a  fixed  seat  the  body  moves  as  the 
radius  of  a  circle  that  is  stationary  ;  on  a  slide  the  body  moves 
as  the  radius  of  a  circle  which  is  itself  in  motion.  Suppose  a 
threepenny-piece  and  a  half-crown  placed  alongside  of  each 
other,  concentrically,  with  a  common  pivot.  Let  the  three- 
penny-piece roll  for  a  certain  distance  on  the  edge  of  a  card. 
Then  any  point  in  the  circumference  of  the  half-crown  will 
move  through  a  curve  called  a  '  trochoid.'  This  is  practically 
the  sort  of  curve  described  by  the  head  or  shoulders  of  an  oars- 
man who  rows  upon  a  sliding  seat. 

The  actual  gain  of  rowing  power  by  means  of  this  mechanism 
is  considerable.  The  exact  extent  of  it  is  not  easy  to  arrive  at, 
there  being  various  factors  to  be  taken  into  consideration. 

In  the  first  place,  the  length  of  reach,  or  of  the  '  stroke,'  is 
considerably  increased.  Mr.  Brickwood  in  1873  conducted  some 
scientific  experiments  on  dry  land  upon  this  subject,  in  con- 
junction with  the  editor  of  the  '  Field '  and  Mr.  F.  Gulston.  The 
result  of  these  measurements  was  to  demonstrate  (in  the  person 
of  Mr.  F.  Gulston)  a  gain  of  about  18  inches  in  length  of  stroke 
upon  a  9-inch  sHde. 

In  1881  some  casual  experiments  of  a  similar  sort  were  con- 
ducted on  a  lawn  at  Marlow  by  the  Oxford  crew  then  training 
there.  The  writer  was  present,  and,  so  far  as  he  remembers,  the 
results  practically  confirmed  the  estimate  of  Mr.  Brickwood 
above  recorded,  allowance  being  made  for  the  fact  that  the 
gentleman  by  means  of  whose  body  the  ideal  stroke  was 
measured  at  Marlow  was  longer-bodied  and  longer  in  the  leg 
than  Mr.  Gulston. 


io8  BOATING. 

As  a  second  advantage,  the  sliding  seat  decidedly  relieves  the 
abdominal  muscles  and  respiratory  organs  during  the  recovery. 
In  dealing  with  scientific  racing  we  have  previously  remarked 
that  the  point  wherein  a  tiring  oarsman  first  gives  way  is  in  his 
recovery,  because  of  the  relative  weakness  of  the  muscles  which 
conduct  that  portion  of  the  action  of  the  stroke.  It  therefore 
is  obvious  that  any  contrivance  which  can  enable  a  man  to 
recover  with  less  exertion  to  himself  will  enable  him  to  do  more 
work  in  the  stroke  over  the  whole  course,  and  still  more  so  if 
the  very  contrivance  which  aids  recovery  also  gives  extra  power 
to  the  stroke. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  two  drawbacks  to  the  slide. 
One  of  these  is,  that  when  sliding  full  forward  the  legs  are  more 
bent  than  would  be  the  case  on  a  fixed  seat.  The  body  cannot 
reach  quite  so  far  forward  over  the  toes  on  a  full  slide  as  it  can 
on  a  properly  regulated  fixed  seat.  This  slightly  detracts  from 
the  work  of  the  body  at  the  beginning  of  the  stroke. 

Again,  when  a  slide  is  used  to  best  advantage,  the  greatest 
mechanical  benefit  occurs  just  when  the  body  arrives  at  the 
perpendicular,  and  when  the  legs  are  beginning  to  do  the  greater 
portion  of  their  extension.  This  causes  the  greater  force  of  the 
stroke  to  be  applied  behind  the  rowlock,  in  contradiction  of  all 
old  theories  of  fixed-seat  oarsmanship. 

Taking  all  pros  and  cons  together,  it  has  been  practically 
proved  beyond  doubt  to  every  rowing  man  for  more  than  a 
decade  that  the  slide  gains  much  more  than  it  sacrifices.  Even 
bad  sliding  secures  sufficient  advantage  to  beat  fixed-seat  row- 
ing {ceteris  paribus)^  and  good  sliding  completely  distances 
fixed-seat  performances.  It  is  often  remarked  that  the  '  times ' 
performed  by  sliding-seat  crews  are  not  glaringly  superior  to 
those  of*  fixed-seat  annals.  This  is  correct.  Nevertheless  the 
balance  is  clearly  in  favour  of  sliding  performances.  The  actual 
difference  is  much  greater  than  times  happen  to  disclose  ;  it  is 
somewhat  fallacious  to  draw  deductions  from  averages  of  recorded 
times,  unless  the  individual  condition  of  wind  and  weather,  and 
of  close  or  hollow  races,  be  also  chronicled  for  each  year.     On 


SLIDING  SEATS.  109 

p.  106  record  is  given  of  the  actual  gain  attained  by  Pembroke 
College  crew  within  ten  days  of  their  essaying  the  use  of  slides. 
It  may  be  added  that  Kingston,  who  adopted  slides  about  the 
same  day,  displayed  much  about  the  same  increase  of  speed, 
as  shown  by  clocking  and  by  comparing  their  times  with  those 
of  other  crews  before  and  after  their  adoption  of  slides. 

Another  matter  throws  light  on  the  question,  and  that  is  the 
records  of  practice  times — which  are,  on  the  whole,  more  trust- 
worthy to  prove  an  average  than  race  times.  Races  have  to  start 
at  fixed  hours,  irrespective  of  weather,  whereas  practice  can 
select  smooth  days  for  trials.  The  records  of  sliding  trials— over 
Henley  courses  and  tideway — when  wind  and  water  have  been 
favourable,  show  a  much  greater  advance  over  similar  practice 
trials  of  fixed-seat  crews  than  is  disclosed  by  the  racing  times 
of  sliders.  The  writer  believes  that  he  is  not  far  wrong  in 
estimating  the  difference  between  sliding  and  fixed  seats,  in  an 
eight  or  four,  over  the  Henley  course  at  15  sees,  (rough),  and 
at  something  well  over  half  a  minute  over  the  Putney  course. 
Scullers  gain  more  by  slides  than  oarsmen,  because  they  can 
work  square  throughout  to  the  stretcher,  whereas. the  oarsman's 
handle  tends  to  place  the  strain  at  different  angles  to  his  body 
as  the  stroke  progresses. 

Not  much  importance  need  be  attached  to  the  fact  that  the 
first  University  race  rowed  on  slides  eclipsed  all  its  predecessors 
(and  successors)  for  time.^  It  is  well  known  that  a  gig  eight 
with  fixed  seats  on  a  good  flood  could  do  much  faster  time  than 
a  racing  and  sliding  ship  on  a  neap.  The  1873  race  hit  off  a 
one-o'clock  tide  and  fair  weather  ;  and  it  would  equally  have  sur- 
passed all  or  most  predecessors  if  the  crews  had  not  used  slides. 
But  still  it  was  fortuitous  that  the  first  race  of  this  class  in 
the  U.B.C.'s  series  should  thus  indicate  the  novelty  by  time 
record. 

What  is  more  striking  is  the  ease  with  which  times  of  about 
twenty  minutes  or  under  are  now  repeatedly  accomplished,  and 
by  moderate  crews,  on  moderate  tides,  and  often  with  breezes 
'  See  Tables. 


lO 


BOATING. 


unfavourable.     Till  slides  came  in  twenty  minutes  had  only  once 
been  beaten,  and  that  was  by  the  Oxford  crew  of  1857  in  prac- 


PRACTISINCx   STROKE    (l). 

tice  (19  min.  53  sec);  and  as  Mr.  T.  Egan,  at  that  date  editor  of 
aquatics  in  '  Bell's  Life,'  then  recorded  in  that  iournal,  the  oldest 


1'KAC:TI.SING  strokk  (2). 

waterman  could  hardly  recall  such  springs  as  foamed  through 
Putney  arches  that  week,  and  especially  upon  that  day  of  trial. 


SLIDING   SEATS. 


Ill 


In  1 87 1  Goldie's  (third)  crew  were  supposed  to  do  wonder- 
ful  time  (20  min.    11   sec),   on   a  good  spring  and   smooth 


PRACTISING   STROKK  (3). 

day.     It  sufficed  to  make  them  hot  favourites.     In  these  days 
a   shding   crew  that    could  not    beat    19   min.    40   sec.  on  a 


PRACTISING   STROKE  (.j). 

smooth  spring  tide  would  be  reckoned  to  have  a  bad  chance 
of  success. 


112  BOATING.    - 

The  value  of  slides  is  therefore  beyond  dispute,  but  the 
oarsman  should  realise  that  good  sliding  distances  bad  sliding 
quite  as  far  as  bad  sliding  can  beat  fixed  seats. 

Hence  the  importance  of  using  the  slide  to  the  best  advan- 
tage. To  realise  what  he  has  to  do,  let  a  man  test  separately 
his  two  forces  which  he  has  presently  to  combine.  Let  him 
row  an  ordinary  fixed-seat  stroke  :  this  shows  him  the  power  of 
his  swing  ;  then  let  him  sit  upright,  holding  his  oar,  and,  having 
slid  up  forward,  kick  back  with  rigid  back  and  arms.  He  will 
feel  that  he  grips  the  water  even  more  forcibly  for  the  instant 
i)y  the  second  than  by  the  former  process.  The  fallacy  of  bad 
sliders  is  to  be  content  with  this  gain  of  power  in  the  action  last 
named,  and  to  substitute  slide  for  swing  (the  arms  eventually 
rowing  the  stroke  home  in  either  case).  The  problem  which 
an  oarsman  has  to  solve  is  to  combine  the  two  actions. 

In  order  to  do  this,  he  should  realise  an  important  fact,  viz. 
that  the  body  cannot  work  effectually  unless  it  receives  support 
from  the  extensor  muscles  of  the  legs.  Therefore,  if  he  slides 
before  he  swings,  or  if  he  completes  his  slide  before  he  completes 
his  swing,  any  swing  which  he  attempts  after  the  slide  is  played 
out  is  practically  powerless.  Also,  if  the  swing  is  thus  rendered 
helpless,  so  also  is  the  finish  of  the  stroke  with  the  arms,  for 
these  depend  upon  the  body  for  support,  and  the  body  cannot 
supply  them  with  this  support  unless  the  legs  in  their  turn  are 
doing  their  duty  to  the  body. 

Bearing  this  amount  of  theory  in  mind,  the  oarsman  should 
put  it  into  practice  thus.  He  should  get  forward  (and  immerse 
his  blade,  as  on  a  fixed  seat).  Then,  at  the  moment  he  touches 
the  water,  he  should  bring  his  body  to  bear  upon  the  handle, 
just  as  if  he  were  for  the  instant  rowing  on  a  fixed  seat ;  his 
legs  should  be  rigid,  though  bent,  at  the  instant  of  catch.  (See 
No.  I,  p.  no.)  So  soon  as  the  catch  has  been  applied,  the  oar- 
handle  begins  to  come  in  to  the  operator.  Now  comes  a  bit 
of  watermanship  and  management  of  the  limbs  which  require 
special  attention,  and  which  few  oarsmen,  even  in  these  days 
of  improved  sliding,  carry  out  to  exact  perfection.     The  knees 


-      SLIDING   SEATS.  113 

have  been  elevated  by  the  shde  (if  it  is  anything  over  4  inches) 
to  a  height  over  which  the  oar-handle  cannot  pass  without 
!)eing  elevated  in  its  turn.  Therefore,  having  once  made  his 
catch  with  rigid  knees,  the  pupil  should  then  begin  to  slide, 
contemporaneously  with  his  swing,  for  a  small  distance,  until 
he  has  brought  his  knees  to  such  a  level  that  the  oar-loom 
can  pass  over  them  (No.  2,  p.  no).  He  should  during  this 
period  of  the  stroke  slide  only  just  so  much  as  is  required  in 
order  to  bring  his  knees  to  the  necessary  height  before  the  oar 
reaches  them.  By  the  time  that  the  oar  comes  over  them  he 
will  be  about  the  perpendicular  (No.  3,  p.  in).  Now  comes 
that  part  of  the  stroke  which,  on  a  slide,  is  the  most  effective. 
The  body  should  from  this  point  swing  well  back,  much  further 
so  than  would  be  orthodox  upon  a  fixed  seat ;  all  the  tinie  that 
the  body  is  thus  swinging  back  the  legs  should  be  extending, 
and  the  pace  of  extension  should  be  regulated  according  to  the 
length  of  slide.  In  any  case  the  slide  and  swing  should  termi- 
nate contemporaneously  (No.  4,  p.  in).  The  arms,  as  in 
fixed-seat  rowing,  should  contract  and  row  the  stroke  home 
while  the  body  is  still  swinging  back.  They  should  not  begin 
to  bend  until  the  trunk  has  well  passed  the  perpendicular. 

The  oarsman  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  moment  for 
finishing  his  slide  should  be  regulated,  not  by  the  length  of  the 
slide,  but  by  the  length  of  his  szving,  and  the  latter  should  go 
well  back  until  his  body  is  at  an  angle  of  about  thirty  degrees 
beyond  the  perpendicular.  Suppose  he  has  a  long  slide,  say 
of  10  inches  or  more,  and  he  decides,  either  from  fatigue  or 
because  he  need  not  fully  extend  himself,  to  use  only  part  of 
his  slide  ;  or  suppose  he  is  changed  from  a  boat  fitted  with 
II -inch  slides  to  one  with  9-inch  ditto,  he  must  not,  when 
using  the  shorter  slide,  allow  his  legs  to  extend  as  rapidly  as 
they  did  when  they  had  a  longer  distance  to  cover.  If  he  fails 
to  observe  this  he  will  '  hurry  '  his  slide,  and  will  bring  it  to  an 
end  before  the  swing  is  completed,  thus  rendering  the  latter 
part  of  the  swing  helpless  for  want  of  due  leg-support.  If  slide 
and  swing  are  not  arranged  contemporaneously,  it  is  far  better 

I 


114  BOATING. 

that  a  balance  of  slide  should  remain  to  be  run  out  after  the 
swing  has  finished  than  vice  versa.  The  legs  can  always  push, 
and  so  continue  the  stroke,  even  if  the  body  is  rigid  ;  but  the 
body  cannot  conversely  do  anything  effective  for  the  stroke  when 
once  the  legs  have  run  their  course. 

The  recovery  on  a  sliding  seat  is  not  quite  the  counterpart 
of  that  on  a  fixed  seat.  On  the  fixed  seat  the  recovery  should 
be  the  converse  of  the  stroke  :  i.e.  the  arms,  which  came  in 
latest,  while  the  body  was  still  swinging  back,  should  shoot  out 
first,  while  the  body  is  beginning  its  return  swing  ;  and  just  as 
the  first  part  of  the  stroke  was  performed  with  straight  arms 
and  swinging  body,  so  the  last  part  of  the  recovery  should  dis- 
close a  similar  pose  of  arms  and  body.  But  upon  a  slide  there 
is  not  exactly  such  a  transposition  on  the  recovery  of  the 
motions  which  are  correct  for  the  stroke.  I'he  hands  play  the 
same  part  as  before  ;  they  cannot  well  be  too  lively  off  the  chest 
and  in  extension,  because  the  knees  require  more  clearing  on 
slides,  and  the  sooner  the  hands  are  on  the  safe  side  of  them 
the  less  chance  is  there  of  fouling  the  water  on  the  return 
of  the  blade.  But,  as  regards  the  relations  between  slide  and 
swing,  these  should  not  bear  the  same  relation  conversely  which 
th^ey  did  to  each  other  during  the  stroke.  The  pupil  was  en- 
joined not  to  let  his  slide  run  ahead  of  his  swing  while  rowing 
the  stroke  through  ;  but  on  the  recovery  he  may,  and  should, 
let  his  slide  get  well  ahead,  and  be  completed  before  the  body 
has  attained  its  full  reach  forward.  The  body  should  not 
wait  for  the  swing  to  do  its  duty  first,  but  it  should  begin  at 
once  to  recover,  though  more  leisurely  than  the  legs.  The 
reasons  for  this  are  : — 

1.  The  pace  of  the  slide  lends  impetus  to  the  trunk,  and 
eases  the  labour  of  the  forward  swing  ;  it  transfers  some  of  the 
exertion  of  recovering  the  trunk  from  the  abdominal  muscles, 
which  are  weak,  to  the  flexors  of  legs  and  loins,  which  are  much 
more  powerful,  and  are  better  able  to  stand  the  strain. 

2.  The  body  needs  some  purchase  upon  which  to  depend 
for  its  recovery,  and  the  legs  can  aid  it  in  this  respect  much 


SLIDING  SEATS.  115 

more  effectually  when  bent  than  when  rigid.  Therefore,  since 
staying  power  is  greatly  affected  by  the  amount  of  exertion  in- 
volved in  recovery  (as  explained  in  previous  pages),  the  oars- 
man will  last  longer  in  proportion  as  he  thus  omits  the  recovery 
of  his  trunk,  by  accelerating  his  slide  on  the  return. 

Many  good  oarsmen  slide  until  the  knees  are  quite  straight. 
In  the  writer's  opinion,  this  is  waste  of  power :  the  knees  should 
never  quite  straighten  ;  the  recovery  is,  for  anatomical  reasons, 
much  stronger  if  the  joint  is  slightly  bent  when  the  reversal 
of  the  machinery  commences  (No.  4,  p.  iii).  The  extra  half- 
inch  of  kick  gained  by  quite  straightening  the  knees  hardly 
compensates  for  the  extra  strain  of  recovery  ;  also-leg  work  to 
the  last  fraction  of  a  second  of  swing  is  better  preserved  by  this 
retention  of  a  slight  bend,  and  an  open  chest  and  clean  finish 
are  thereby  better  attained.  Engineers,  who  know  what  is 
meant  by  a  '  dead  point '  in  machinery,  will  at  once  grasp  the 
reason  for  not  allowing  the  legs  to  shoot  quite  straight. 

When  a  crew  are  being  coached  upon  slides,  it  is  of  great 
importance  to  get  the  slide  simultaneous,  and  as  nearly  as 
possible  equal.  A  long-legged  man,  sculling,  may  use  a  much 
longer  slide  than  a  short  man.  But  in  an  eight,  if  the  long 
man  fits  his  stretcher  as  if  for  sculling,  he  will  be  doing  more 
than  his  share,  and  may  be  unable  to  shoot  so  long  a  slide 
through  in  the  required  time,  except  by  dint  of  '  hurrying  '  it ; 
and,  if  he  does  this  latter,  the  result  is  to  cripple  his  swing,  as 
shown  supra.  There  must  be  a  certain  amount  of  give-and- 
take  in  arranging  slides  in  an  eight  or  four  oar.  That  length 
of  slide  is  best  which  all  the  crew  can  work  simultaneously  and 
effectively,  preserving  uniformity  of  swing  and  slide. 

When  tiros  are  being  taught  their  first  lesson  in  sliding, 
they  should  be  placed  on  very  short  slides,  say  3  inches  at 
most.  The  centre  of  the  slide  only  should  be  used.  The 
runners  should  be  blocked  fore  and  aft,  so  that  when  the 
slide  stands  half  way  {i\  inch  from  foremost  block),  the  dis- 
tance from  the  seat  to  the  stretcher  should  be  just  as  much  as 
the  man  would  require  if  he  were  on  a  fixed  seat. 

I  2 


ii6  BOATING. 

Young  hands  are  less  likely  to  make  their  stroke  all  slide 
and  no  swing  if  they  have  at  first  only  such  length  of  slide  as 
above  indicated.  When  the  slide  of  3  inches  has  been  mas- 
tered, it  may  be  lengthened,  inch  by  inch.  In  thus  length- 
ening the  slide,  it  is  best  to  add,  at  first,  more  to  the  forward 
part  of  the  slide  than  to  the  back  part,  i.e.  say,  for  a  4-inch 
slide,  2^  inches  before  and  i^^  inch  behind,  the  point  of  seat 
for  fixed-seat  work,  to  the  same  stretcher.  This  arrangement 
prevents  the  pupil  from  lacking  leg-support  at  the  end  of  his 
swing,  and  teaches  him  to  feel  his  legs  well  against  the 
stretcher  till  the  hands  have  come  home  to  the  chest.  When 
4  inches  have  been  mastered,  add  another  inch  forward  and 
about  half  an  inch  back,  and  so  on.  In  time  the  beginner 
will  reach  the  full  range  of  his  slide  forward,  while  yet  he  is 
*  blocked '  from  using  the  full  distance  back.  When  he  be- 
comes proficient  in  this  pose,  his  slide  back  can  be  increased 
by  degrees  until  he  attains  a  full  slide.  The  great  thing  is  to 
induce  him  from  the  first  to  combine  his  slide  with  his  swing, 
and  not  to  substitute  the  former  for  the  latter. 

When  slides  first  came  in  shocking  form  was  seen  upon 
them,  as  previously  stated.  This  was  a  venial  result  of  oars- 
men being  driven— by  emulation  to  win  prizes  in  races  imme- 
diately impending — to  attempt  to  run  before  they  had  learnt  to 
walk,  so  to  speak.  The  year  1873  saw  worse  form  among  ama- 
teurs than  the  writer  can  recall  in  any  season.  In  1874  matters 
began  to  mend.  The  two  University  strokes  of  that  year,  Messrs. 
Rhodes  and  Way,  had  each  been  at  pains  to  improve  his  style 
since  he  had  last  been  seen  in  public  at  Henley.  Each  seemed 
to  realise  that  he  had  been  on  a  wrong  tack,  and  set  to  work  to 
alter  his  style  radically.  These  same  gentlemen  were  strokes 
of  their  respective  U.B.C.'s  in  1875,  and  the  improvement  was 
still  more  palpable.  The  Oxonian  had  an  exceptionally  fine 
lot  of  men  behind  him  ;  the  Cantab  had  two  or  three  weak 
men  in  the  bows  who  did  not  do  justice  to  him.  But  none 
the  less,  when  these  crews  performed  at  Putney,  old-fashioned 
critics,  who   had   been   till  then  prejudiced  against  the  new 


SLIDING  SEATS  117 

machinery,  as  being  destructive  to  form,  were  fain  to  admit 
that  after  all,  when  properly  managed,  slides  could  produce  as 
good  form  of  body  and  shoulders  as  in  the  best  of  the  old  days. 
The  Leander  crew  which  won  the  G.C.C.  at  Henley  in  that 
year  showed  admirable  sliding  form.  It  was  stroked  by  Mr. 
Goldie,  who  had  rowed  all  his  University  races  on  a  fixed  seat. 
When  he  first  took  to  a  slide  (for  sculling)  he  fell  into  the  same 
error  as  many  other  amateurs,  almost  entirely  substituting  slide 
for  swing.  But  for  this  oversight  he  might  have  won  both 
Diamond  and  Wingfield  sculls.  He  soon  saw  his  error,  like 
Messrs.  Rhodes  and  Way,  and  when  he  stroked  Leander  in 
1875  no  one  could  have  recognised  him  as  the  same  man 
who  had  been  contesting  the  Diamonds  in  1872.  These  three 
fuglemen  strokes  did  much  to  elevate  the  standard  of  sliding 
among  amateurs  ;  it  was  chiefly  through  their  examples,  crowned 
with  success,  that  the  earlier  samples  of  sliding  oarsmanship 
became  better  realised.  Professionals  remained  blind  in  their 
own  conceit,  as  is  shown  in  another  chapter,  but  from  this 
date  amateur  oarsmanship  completely  gave  the  go-by  to  pro- 
fessional exhibitions  of  skill  and  science  in  aquatics. 


A   COLLEGE    FOUK. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


FOUR-OARS. 


The  fewer  the  number  of  performers  in  a  boat  the  longer  does 
it  take  (with  material  of  uniform  quality)  to  acquire  absolute 
evenness  of  action.  This  may  seem  paradoxical,  but  none  the 
less  all  practical  oarsmen  will,  from  their  own  personal  ex- 
periences, endorse  the  statement.  It  has  been  said  that  it  takes 
twice  as  long  to  perfect  a  four  as  an  eight,  twice  as  long  to 
perfect  a  pair  as  a  four,  and  twice  as  long  to  perfect  a  sculler 
as  a  pair.  This  scale  may  be  fanciful,  but  it  is  approximately 
truthful ;  it  refers,  of  course,  to  the  education  of  oarsmen  for 
work  in  the  respective  craft,  from  their  earliest  days  of  instruc- 
tion. It  means  that  a  higher  standard  of  watermanship  has  to 
be  attained,  in  order  to  do  justice  to  the  style  of  craft  rowed  in, 
according  as  the  ship  carries  more  or  fewer  performers.  Many 
an  oarsman  who  by  honest  tugging  can  improve  the  go  of  an 


FOUR-OARS.  119 

eight-oar  will  do  more  harm  than  good  in  a  light  four,  and  will 
be  simply  helpless  in  a  racing  pair. 

Four-oar  races,  with  the  exception  of  some  junior  contests, 
are  now  rowed  in  coxsw^ainless  craft.  The  first  of  these  seen 
in  Europe  was  that  of  the  St.  John's  Canadian  crew  (profes- 
sional, but  admitted  for  the  nonce  as  amateurs)  at  the  Paris 
International  Regatta  1867.  All  the  other  crews  carried  steerers. 
The  Canadians  had  the  windward  station  in  a  stiff  wind,  and 
won  easily.  Next  year  the  B.N.C.  Oxon  Club  produced  a  four 
thus  constructed  at  Henley.  The  rules  did  not  forbid  this  ; 
but  the  novelty  scared  other  competitors  and  threatened  to 
spoil  the  racing  in  that  class.  The  stewards  accordingly  passed 
a  resolution  forbidding  any  of  the  entries  to  dispense  with  a 
coxswain,  and  under  cover  of  this  disqualified  the  B.N.C.  four 
when  it  came  in  ahead. 

Next  year  the  resolution  referred  to  remained  in  force  (as 
regards  the  Challenge  Cups),  but  a  presentation  prize  for  fours 
without  coxswains  was  given,  and  was  won  by  the  Oxford 
Bodleian  Club.  In  187 1  the  chief  professional  matches  were 
rowed  without  coxswains  ;  but  no  more  prizes  were  given  for 
this  class  of  rowing  at  Henley  until  1873,  when  the  Stewards' 
Cup  was  classed  for  '  no  coxswains.'  At  Oxford  college  fours 
were  similarly  altered,  but  the  steering  was  so  bad  that  it 
was  seriously  proposed  to  revert  to  the  old  system.  A  similar 
proposal  was  made  with  regard  to  Henley.  Fortunately,  wiser 
counsels  prevailed,  and  oarsmen  realised  that  it  was  better  to 
attempt  to  raise  their  own  talents  to  the  standard  required  for 
the  improved  build  than  to  detract  from  the  build  to  suit  the 
failings  of  mediocrity.  In  1875  the  Visitors  and  Wyfold  Cups 
were  emancipated  from  coxswains,  and  since  then  the  standard 
of  amateur  four-oar  rowing  has  gradually  risen  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  improved  class  of  build. 

Steerage  is  of  course  the  main  difficulty  in  these  pairs.  Three 
different  sorts  of  apparatus  have  been  used  in  them.  Two 
of  these  are  much  of  the  same  sort.  One,  generally  in  use  to 
this  day,  consists  of  two  bars  projecting  from  the  stretcher,  and 


I20  BOATING. 

working  horizontally  in  slits  cut  in  the  board.  The  foot  presses 
against  one  bar  or  other  to  direct  the  rudder.  Another  process 
is  to  fix  a  shoe  to  the  stretcher,  in  which  the  oarsman  places  his 
foot.  This  shoe  works  laterally.  The  third  is  one  tried  by  the 
writer  in  1868.  Every  inventor  thinks  his  goose  a  swan,  and 
possibly  the  writer  is  over-sanguine  as  to  the  merits  of  his  own 
hobby.  It  consists  of  two  bars  laid  on  the  stretcher,  like  a 
very  widely  opened  letter  V,  the  arms  of  the  V  pointing  in  the 
direction  of  the  sitter.  Each  arm  is  hinged  at  the  apex  of  the 
V.  The  stretcher  is  grooved,  so  that  either  arm  can  be  pressed 
into  the  groove,  flush  with  the  surface  of  the  stretcher.  Be- 
hind each  bar  is  a  spring.  The  bars  cross  the  stretcher  just 
about  the  ball  of  the  foot.  The  hinge  is  sunk  deep  in  the  wood, 
so  that  the  arms  of  the  levers  do  not  begin  to  project  above 
the  wood  till  some  5  inches  on  either  side  of  the  centre  of  the 
stretcher.  The  feet  are  placed  in  ordinary  rowing  pose,  in  the 
middle  of  the  V,  where  the  levers  lie  below  the  flush  surface 
of  the  stretcher.  The  strap,  though  tight,  has  a  ivide  loop,  to 
admit  of  slight  lateral  movement  of  the  feet.  To  put  on  rudder 
either  foot  is  slipped  half  an  inch  or  so  outward.  This  brings 
it  on  to  the  lever  of  that  side,  and  the  pressure  of  the  foot  drives 
the  lever  flush.  This  pressure  and  movement  of  the  lever,  by 
means  of  another  small  lever  and  swivel  outside  the  gunwale, 
in  connection  with  it,  works  the  rudder  line.  When  steerage 
enough  has  been  obtained,  a  half-inch  return  of  the  foot  to  its 
normal  pose  releases  the  lever,  and  the  spring  behind  it  at  once 
brings  it  to  status  quo  ante. 

Now  in  the  other  two  mechanisms  above  cited,  the  same 
foot  has  to  steer  both  ways.  Hence,  for  one  of  the  two  direc- 
tions, the  toe  must  turn  in  like  a  pigeon's.  This  must,  for  the 
moment,  cripple  leg-work,  especially  on  slides.  Again,  with 
lateral  movement  in  first  and  second  machmes,  it  is  difficult 
for  the  steerer  to  know  to  exactness  when  his  rudder  is  '  off.' 
He  may,  in  returning  it  after  steerage,  leave  it  a  trifle  on,  or 
carry  it  the  other  way  too  far.  If  so,  he  has  to  counter-steer  a 
stroke  or  two  later,  till  he  feels  that  his  rudder  is  free  and  trailing. 


FOUR-OARS.  121 

The  writer  claims  for  his  own  invention  .that  it  never  removes 
the  feet  from  the  proper  outward-turned  pose  against  the 
stretcher,  and  that  the  springs  under  the  lever  ensure  the  rudder 
swinging  back  and  '  trailing '  so  soon  as  a  lever  is  released. 

Whatever  apparatus  is  used,  ivires-^  not  strings,  should  lead 
the  rudder,  and  should  not  be  too  tight ;  they  will  pull  enough, 
though  slightly  loose. 

Anyone  may  steer ;  the  best  waterman,  if  not  too  short- 
sighted, should  do  so,  but  stroke  should  not  take  the  task  if 
anyone  else  is  at  all  fit  for  it. 


The  steerer  should  not  be  repeatedly  looking  round,  as 
regards  his  course.  If  he  is  sure  of  no  obstacles  lying  in  his 
path,  he  can,  when  once  he  has  laid  his  boat  straight  for  a 
reach,  watch  her  stern-post,  and  keep  touch  on  it,  to  hold  it  to 
some  landmark. 

A  coxswainless  four  really  facilitates  oarsmanship.  It  re- 
covers from  a  roll  more  freely  than  the  old-fashioned  build 
with  a  pilot.  It  is  uneven  rowing  which  causes  a  roll,  but 
when  once  equilibrium  has  been  disturbed  the  coxswain  has 
more  difficulty  than  the  crew  in  regaining  balance.     The  oars- 


122  BOATING. 

men  aid  themselves  with  their  oars,  as  with  balancing  poles. 
The  removal  of  the  coxswain  therefore  tends  to  reduce  the 
rolling,  and  facilitates  the  speedy  return  of  the  ship  to  her  keel 
when  momentarily  thrown  off  it.  Coxswainless  fours  at  Henley 
travel  now  much  more  steadily  than  did  those  with  coxswains 
fifteen  years  ago.  A  runner  on  the  bank,  to  look  out  for 
obstructive  craft,  is  useful  in  practice.  It  enables  the  steerer 
to  keep  his  eyes  on  his  stern-post,  and  to  guide  his  course 
thereby  in  confidence,  without  repeated  twists  round  to  see  if 
any  loafing  duffer  is  going  to  smash  his  timbers.  The  pace  of 
a  first-class  coxswainless  four,  in  smooth  water,  for  half  a  mile 
is  quite  as  great  as  that  of  a  second-class  eight-oar  with  a  cox- 
swain. The  abolition  of  coxswain  has  improved  the  speed  of 
fours  some  forty  seconds  over  the  Henley  course. 

One  good  resulted  from  the  attempt  of  B.N.C.  in  1868 
to  row  without  a  coxswain.  It  opened  the  eyes  of  the  regatta 
executive  to  the  unfairness  of  tolerating  boy  coxswains.  The 
University  clubs  used  to  carry  boys  of  four  or  five  stone.  In 
that  very  year  the  'Oscillators'  had  a  four-stone  lad,  while 
University  College  carried  an  eight-stone  man.  There  was  just 
as  much  difference  between  these  two  fours  in  dead  weight 
carried  as  between  B.N.C.  (with  no  coxswain)  and  the  Oscil- 
lators. University  clubs  are  ex  officio  debarred  from  obtaining 
boys  to  steer.  This  inequality  had  been  complained  of  by 
college  crews  time  after  time.  Old  Mr.  Lane,  the  usual  vice- 
chairman,  used  to  sneer  at  the  complaint,  and  say,  '  If  a  boy 
can  do  in  one  boat  what  it  takes  a  man  to  do  in  another,  it  is 
not  fair  to  prohibit  the  boy.'  If  this  were  logical,  then,  pari 
passu.,  there  could  be  no  unfairness  for  one  man  to  do  single- 
handed  what  in  other  boats  it  took  a  man  and  a  boy  (or  two 
men)  to  do,  viz.  both  row  and  steer.  Mr.  Lane's  fallacy  was 
exploded  by  this  redudio  ad  absurdum  of  his  tenets,  and  regu- 
lation weights  for  coxswains  were  initiated  for  following  years. 


NEAR   MEDMENHAM. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

PAIR-OARS. 

More  than  one  master  of  oarsmanship  has  declared  that  good 
pair-oar  rowing  is  the  acme  of  oarsmanship.  Just  as  there  are 
fewer  oarsmen  who  can  do  justice  to  a  four-oar  than  to  an 
eight,  so  when  we  come  to  pair-oars  we  find  still  fewer  per- 
formers who  can  really  show  first-class  style  in  this  line  of 
rowing.  Much  as  watermanship  is  needed  in  a  four,  it  is  still 
more  important  to  possess  it  when  rowing  in  a  pair.  One,  or 
even  two  men,  out  of  a  four-oared  crew  may  be  what  would  be 
considered  bad  watermen,  i.e.  not  an  fait  at  sitting  a  rolling 
boat,  and  not  instinctively  time-keepers.  Yet,  if  the  other  two 
men  have  the  quality  of  watermanship,  the  four  may  speedily 
fall  together,  provided  the  two  outsiders  show  sound  general 
principles  of  style.  In  a  pair-oar,  if  either  of  the  hands  is  a 
bad  waterman,  the  combination  will  never  rise  above  medio* 


124  BOATING. 

crity.  In  pair-oar  rowing  there  is  needed  a  je-ne-sais-quoi  sort 
of  mutual  concession  of  style.  One  man  is  stroke  and  the 
other  bow,  but  there  is  in  good  pair-oarsmen  an  indefinite  and 
almost  unconscious  give-and-take  action  on  the  part  of  both 
men.     The  style  of  the  two  is  a  sort  of  blend. 

Old  Harry  Clasper,  when  asked  which  steered,  of  himself 
and  his  son  Jack,  in  a  pair,  said  that  '  both  steered.'  To  do 
this  is  the  acme  of  homogeneous  rowing.  Of  two  partners 
one  may,  and  should,  act  as  chief ;  but  his  colleague  should  be 
co-operating  with  him,  and  almost  anticipating  his  motions  and 
orders. 

When  two  strange  partners  commence  work,  they  should 
make  up  their  minds  not  to  row  'jealous.'  If  each  begins  by 
trying  to  row  the  other  round,  they  will  disagree  like  Richard 
Penlake  and  his  wife.  They  had  better  each  try  to  see  who 
can  do  least  work  :  sit  the  boat,  paddle  gently,  studying  to  drop 
into  the  water  together,  to  catch  the  water  together,  to  finish 
together,  to  feather  together  (and  cleanly),  and  to  recover  to- 
gether. The  less  work  they  try  to  do,  while  thus  seeking  to 
assimilate  their  motions  to  each  other,  the  quicker  will  they 
settle  down. 

As  to  rowing  each  other  round,  such  emulation  should  never 
enter  their  heads.  To  row  a  partner  round  is  no  proof  of 
having  done  more  work  than  he  towards  propelling  the  boat. 
One  man  may  catch  sharply  and  row  cleanly,  and  in  a  style 
calculated  to  make  a  boat  travel  ;  his  colleague  may  slither  the 
beginning  and  tug  at  the  end,  staying  a  fraction  of  a  second  later 
in  the  water  than  the  other,  but  rowing  no  longer  in  reach.  The 
latter  will  probably  row  the  boat  round  !  A  tug  at  the  end  of  a 
stroke  turns  a  boat  much  more  than  a  catch  at  the  beginning  ; 
yet  the  latter  propels  the  racing  boat  far  more.  Of  course,  if  two 
men  row  alike  in  style  and  reach  from  end  to  end,  and  one  puts 
on  all  through  the  stroke  a  trifle  more  pressure,  the  ship  will  turn 
from  the  greater  pressure.  But,  unless  it  can  be  guaranteed 
that  the  style  of  each  partner  is  identical  all  through  the  stroke, 
*  rowing  round  '  does  not  prove  a  superiority  of  work. 


PAIR-OARS.  125 

We  have  said  that  good  watermen  will  sit  a  pair  where  bad 
ones  will  roll.  So  far  so  good.  But  good  watermen,  first  begin- 
ning practice  with  each  other,  must  not  assume  that  because 
they  do  not  roll  their  uniformity  is  therefore  proved.  Their 
power  of  balance  can  keep  the  boat  upright,  even  though  there 
may  be  at  first  some  inaccuracies  of  work.  Thus  to  balance  a 
boat  requires  a  certain  amount  of  exertion  ;  in  a  race,  at  this 
stage,  this  labour  of  balancing  would  take  something  off  the 
power  of  the  stroke.  Besides,  until  the  two  oars  work  with 
similar  pressure  through  the  whole  stroke,  the  keel  cannot  be 
travelling  dead  straight.  Steady  though  good  men  may  be  at 
scratch,  they  will  gain  in  pace  as  they  continue  to  practise,  and 
insensibly  assimilate  their  action.  With  bad  watermen  cessation 
of  rolling  is  a  sign  that  the  styles  have  at  last  assimilated  ;  with 
good  watermen  the  deduction  is  not  necessarily  sound. 

In  old  days  pair-oars  rowed  without  rudders.  The  two 
oars  guided  the  ship.  It  was  best  to  let  the  stronger  man 
steer.  He  could  thus  set  his  partner  to  do  his  best  all  the 
way  in  a  race,  could  ease  an  over  or  two,  or  lay  on  that  much 
extra,  from  stroke  to  stroke,  according  as  the  stern-post  re- 
quired balancing  on  the  landmark  which  had  been  selected  as 
its  point  d'appui.  To  learn  each  other's  strength  and  to  know 
the  course,  to  know  by  heart  when  to  lay  on  for  this  corner,  or 
to  row  off  for  that,  was  the  study  of  practice  and  tested  water- 
manship. In  modern  times  a  thin  metal  rudder  is  usually 
used,  steered  as  in  coxswainless  fours.  In  a  beam  wind  this 
materially  aids  pace,  it  enables  the  leeward  oar  to  do  his  full 
share,  instead  of  paddling  while  his  partner  is  toilmg.  Even 
in  still  water  it  is  some  gain,  provided  the  helm  can  be  easily 
'  trailed '  when  not  wanted.  The  facility  with  which  such  a 
pair  can  be  steered  tempts  men  to  omit  to  study  that  delicate 
balance  of  a  boat's  stern  on  its  point  which  was  the  acme  of 
art  before  rudders  came  in.  We  have  seen  a  (rudderless)  pair 
leave  a  wake  up  Henley  reach,  from  island  to  point,  on  a  glassy 
evening,  as  straight  as  if  a  surveyor's  line  had  been  stretched 
there.     In  fact,  to  steer  such  a  pair,  with  a  practical  partner. 


126  BOATING. 

was,  if  anything,  easier  to  some  men  than  to  steer  an  eight. 
The  stern-post  lay  in  view  of  the  oarsman,  and  could  be  adjusted 
on  its  point  like  a  gun  barrel,  whereas  the  actual  bows  of  an 
eight  are  unseen  by  a  coxswain. 

Except  a  sculling  boat,  a  pair-oar  is  the  fastest  starting  of 
all  craft ;  but  if  it  is  thus  easy  to  set  in  motion  at  the  outset  of 
a  race,  it  is  plain  that  it  can  be  spurted  later  on  as  suddenly. 
Bearing  this  in  mind,  there  is  no  object  in  starting  a  pair  in  a 
race  at  a  speed  which  cannot  go  all  the  way.  There  is  as 
much  scope  for  staying  in  a  pair  as  in  an  eight ;  more  in  fact, 
for  the  pair  takes  the  longer  to  do  the  same  distance  as  the 
eight.  The  start  should  be  quick,  but  it  is  best  to  keep  a  stroke 
or  two  per  minute  in  hand  for  a  rush  hereafter,  if  needed, 
when  the  pulse  of  the  enemy  has  been  felt,  and  when  partners 
have  warmed  to  their  work. 

Pairs  are  best  rowed  with  oars  somewhat  smaller  all  round 
than  those  which  are  used  for  eights  or  fours.  The  pair,  more 
than  any  other  craft,  requires  to  be  caught  sharp  and  light ; 
an  oar  that  is  not  too  long  in  the  shank  nor  too  big  in  the 
blade  best  accomplishes  this.  '  Dimensions '  recommended 
tor  '  work '  in  various  craft  will  be  found  scheduled  elsewhere 
in  this  volume. 

To  conclude  the  subject  of  pairs,  it  may  be  added,  if 
partners  wish  to  assimilate,  they  must  make  up  their  minds  to 
avoid  recrimination.  If  the  boat  goes  amiss  say,  or  assume, 
'  it  is  I,'  not  '  you,'  who  is  to  blame.  Keep  cool  and  keep  your 
head  in  a  race.  If  the  steersman  bids  '  easy '  half  a  stroke,  be 
prompt  in  so  doing.  To  delay  to  right  the  course  at  the  correct 
instant  may  take  the  ship  lengths  out  of  her  course.  A  stroke 
eased  in  time,  like  a  stitch,  often  saves  nine,  and  perhaps 
obviates  sticking  in  the  bank. 


CLOSE  QUARTERS. 


CHAPTER   X. 


SCULLING. 


Sculling  needs  more  precision  and  more  watermanship  than 
rowing.  The  strongest  man  only  wastes  his  strength  in  scull- 
ing if  he  fails  to  obtain  even  work  for  each  hand.  A  pair-oar 
requires  more  practice  to  bring  it  to  perfection  than  any  other 
boat  manned  by  oars,  but  a  sculler  requires  considerably  more 
practice  than  any  pair  of  oarsmen.  Strength  he  must  have  in 
proportion  to  his  weight,  if  he  is  to  soar  above  mediocrity,  but 
strength  alone  will  not  avail  him  unless  he  gets  his  hands  well 
together. 

His  sculls  will  overlap  more  or  less.  It  is  practically  im- 
material which  hand  he  rows  uppermost ;  the  upper  hand  has  a 
trifle  of  advantage,  •  and  for  this  reason  Oxonians,  whose  course  is 


128  .  BOATING. 

a  left-hand  one,  usually  scull  left  hand  over.  The  first  difficulty 
which  an  embryo  sculler  has  to  contend  with  is  that  of  attaining 
uniform  pressure  with  square  body  and  square  legs  upon  a  pair 
of  arms  which  are  not  uniformly  placed.  One  arm  has  to  give 
way  to  another  to  enable  the  hands  to  clear  each  other  when 
they  cross  ;  and  yet  while  they  do  this  the  blades  which  they 
control  should  be  buried  to  a  uniform  depth.  How  to  attain 
this  give-and-take  action  of  the  arms  is  better  shown  by  even  a 
moderate  performer  in  five  minutes  of  practical  illustration  than 
by  reams  of  book  instruction. 

The  aspirant  to  sculling  honours  had  better,  when  com- 
mencing to  learn,  take  his  first  lesson  in  a  gig.  A  wager  boat 
will  be  too  unsteady,  and  will  retard  his  practice  ;  '  skiffs  '  are 
usually  to  be  obtained  only  as  teach  boats  with  work  at  sixes 
and  sevens.  A  dingey  buries  too  much  on  the  stroke,  and 
spoils  style.  The  beginner  should  find  a  stiff  pair  of  sculls,  true 
made,  and  overlapping  about  the  width  of  his  hands.  He  should 
ask  some  proficient  to  examine  and  to  try  his  sculls,  and  to 
tell  him  by  the  feel  whether  they  are  really  a  pair.  The  best 
makers  of  oars  and  sculls  too  often  turn  out  sculls  which  are 
not  '  pairs,'  and  when  this  is  the  case  the  action  of  him  who 
uses  them  cannot  be  expected  to  be  even  on  both  sides  of  his 
frame.  Having  got  suitable  sculls,  let  the  sculler  arrange  his* 
stretcher  just  a  shade  shorter  than  he  would  have  it  for  rowing. 
He  can  clear  his  knees  with  a  shorter  stretcher  when  sculling 
than  when  rowing,  as  he  can  easily  see  for  himself.  A  stretcher 
should  always  be  as  short  as  is  compatible  with  clearing  the 
knees. 

Whether  or  not  the  pupil  is  proficient  in  sliding,  he  had 
better  keep  a  fixed  seat  while  learning  the  rudiments  of  sculling  ; 
it  will  give  him  less  to  think  about ;  he  might  unconsciously 
contract  faults  in  sliding  while  fixing  his  mind  elsewhere — in 
the  direction  of  his  new  implements. 

He  should  see  that  his  rowlocks  are  roomy.  In  most  gigs 
there  is  a  want  of  room  between  thowl  and  stopper.  A  sculler 
requires  a  wider  rowlock  than  an  oarsman,  because  his  scull 


SCULLING. 


129 


goes  forward  to  an  acuter  angle  than  an  oar,  with  the  same 
reach  of  body.  Nothing  puts  out  a  sculler's  hands  more  than 
a  recoil  of  the  scull  from  the  stopper,  for  want  of  room  to  reach 
out.  The  sculler  should  examine  whether  his  rowlocks  are 
true ;  the  sills  of  them  should  be  horizontal,  not  inclined,  and 
most  of  all  not  inclined  from  stern  to  bow  ;  the  latter  defect 
will  at  once  make  him  scull  deep.  Next,  let  him  examine  his 
thowl.  This  should  be  clean  faced,  not  '  grooved '  by  the  upper 
edge  of  the  loom  of  oars  which  have  been  handled  by  operators 
who  feather  under  water,  and  who  thus  force  at  the  finish  with 
the  upper  edge  and  not  with  the  flat  back  of  the  loom.  Half 
the  hack  gigs  that  are  on  hire  will  be  found  to  have  rowlocks 
so  worn,  grooved,  and  disfigured,  that  not  the  best  sculler  in 
the  world  can  lay  his  strength  out  on  them  until  he  has  filed 
them  into  shape.  The  thowl  should  show  a  flush  surface,  and 
rake  just  the  smallest  trifle  aft,  so  as  to  hold  the  blade  just  a 
fraction  of  an  angle  less  than  a  rectangle  to  the  water,  but  this 
'  rake  '  should  be  very  slight. 

Having  now  got  his  tools  correct,  the  workman  will  have 
no  excuse  for  grumbling  at  them  if  he  fails  to  do  well.  Let 
him  begin  by  paddling  gently  and  slowly.  He  had  better  not 
attempt  to  work  hard.  If  he  sees  some  other  sculler  shooting 
past  him  in  a  similar  boat,  he  must  sink  all  jealousy.  Every 
motion  which  he  makes  in  a  stroke  is  now  laying  the  founda- 
tion of  habit  and  of  mechanical  action  hereafter  ;  hence  he 
must  give  his  whole  mind  to  each  stroke,  and  be  content  to  go 
to  work  steadily  and  carefully.  He  must  feel  his  feet  against 
his  stretcher,  both  legs  pressing  evenly.  He  must  hold  his 
sculls  in  his  fingers  (not  his  fists),  and  let  the  top  joint  of  each 
thiimb  cap  the  scull.  This  is  better  than  bringing  the  thumb 
under  the  scull ;  it  gives  the  wrists  more  play,  and  tends  to 
avoid  cramp  of  the  forearm.  He  must  endeavour  to  do  his 
main  work  with  his  body  and  legs,  when  he  has  laid  hold  of 
the  water.  He  should  keep  his  arms  rigid,  and  lean  well  back. 
Just  as  he  passes  the  perpendicular  his  hands  will  begin  to  cross 
each  other.    Whichever  hand  he  prefers  to  row  over,  he  should 

K 


I30  BOATING. 

.stick  to.  When  the  hands  begin  to  cross,  he  should  still  tty  tO' 
keep  the  arms  stiff,  and  to  clear  the  way  by  slightly  lowering 
one  hand  and  raising  the  other.  Not  until  his  hands  have 
opened  out  again  after  having  crossed  should  he  begin  to  bend 
his  arms  and  to  bring  the  stroke  home  to  the  chest.  He  should 
try  to  bend  each  arm  simultaneously  and  to  the  same  extent, 
and  to  bring  each  hand  up  to  his  breast  almost  at  his  ribs,  at 
equal  elevations.  He  must  try  to  feather  both  sculls  sharply 
and  simultaneously. 

If  he  finds  any  difficulty  in  this,  he  will  do  well  to  give  him- 
self a  private  lesson  on  this  point  before  he  proceeds  further. 
He  can  sit  still  and  lay  his  sculls  in  the  rowlocks,  and  thus 
practise  turning  the  wrists  sharply,  on  and  off  the  feather,  till 
he  begins  to  feel  more  handy  in  this  motion. 

On  the  recovery  he  should  shoot  his  hands  out  briskly,  the 
body  following  but  not  waiting  for  the  hands  to  extend — just 
as  in  a  '  rowing  '  recovery.  When  the  recovering  hands  begin 
to  cross  each  other  the  lower  and  upper  must  respectively  give 
way,  and  so  soon  as  they  open  out  after  the  cross,  they  should 
once  more  resume  the  same  plane,  and  extend  equally,  so  as  to 
be  ready  to  grip  the  water  simultaneously  for  the  succeeding 
stroke. 

Very  few  scullers  realise  the  great  importance  of  even  action 
of  wrists.  If  one  scull  hangs  in  the  water  a  fraction  of  a  second 
more  than  another,  or  buries  deeper,  or  skims  lighter,  the  two 
hands  at  that  moment  are  not  working  evenly.  Therefore  the 
boat  is  not  travelling  in  a  straight  line  ;  therefore  she  will 
sooner  or  later,  may  be  in  the  latter  half  of  the  very  same 
stroke;  have  to  be  brought  back  to  her  course.  In  order  to 
bring  her  back,  the  hand  which,  earlier,  was  doing  the  greater 
work,  must  now  do  less.  Therefore  the  boat  has  not  only  per- 
formed a  zigzag  during  the  stroke,  but  also  she  has  been,  while 
so  meandering,  propelled  by  less  than  her  full  available  forces, 
first  one  hand  falling  off  through  clumsiness,  and  afterwards 
the  other  hand  shutting  off  some  work,  in  order  to  equalise 
matters. 


SCULLING.  131 

As  the  sculler  becomes  more  used  to  his  action,  he  will  find 
his  boat  keep  more  even.  At  first  he  will  be  repeatedly  putting 
more  force  on  one  hand  than  on  another,  and  will  have  to 
rectify  his  course  by  counterwork  with  the  neglected  hand. 
Some  scullers,  though  otherwise  good,  never  steer  well.  They 
do  not  watch  their  stern-post,  to  see  if  they  go  evenly  at  each 
stroke  ;  still  less,  if  they  see  a  slight  deflection  to  one  hand 
after  one  stroke,  do  they  at  once  rectify  the  deviation  by  extra 
pressure  on  the  other  hand  during  the  ensuing  stroke.  A  good 
steerer  in  sculling  will  correct  his  course  even  to  half  a  stroke  ; 
if  through  a  bend,  or  a  wave,  or  other  cause,  he  sees  one  hand 
has  taken  the  other  a  little  round  by  the  time  that  the  sculls 
are  crossing,  he  will  row  the  other  hand  home  a  trifle  sharper, 
and  so  bring  the  keel  straight  by  the  time  he  feathers.  When 
a  sculler  gets  more  settled  to  his  work,  and  has  got  over  the 
first  difficulty  of  clearing  his  hands  at  the  crossing,  he  will 
begin  to  acquire  the  knack  of  bringing  the  boat  round  to  one 
hand,  without  any  distinct  extra  tug  of  that  scull.  He  will 
press  a  trifle  more  with  the  one  foot,  and  will  throw  a  little 
more  of  his  weight  on  to  the  one  scull,  and  so  produce  the 
desired  effect  on  his  boat. 

When  a  sculler  promotes  himself  to  a  light  boat,  he  must 
be  very  careful  not  to  lose  the  knack  of  even  turns  of  wrists 
which  he  has  been  so  assiduously  studying  in  his  tub.  In  the 
wager  boat,  far  more  than  in  the  tub,  is  the  action  of  the 
sculler's  body  affected  and  his  labour  crippled  by  any  uneven 
action  of  either  hand.  The  gig  did  not  roll  if  one  hand  went 
into  the  water  an  infinitesimal  fraction  of  a  second  sooner,  or 
came  out  that  much  later  than  the  other  hand.  But  the  fragile 
sculling  boat,  with  no  keel,  and  about  thirteen  inches  of  beam, 
resents  these  liberties,  and  requires  '  sitting '  in  addition,  when- 
ever any  inequality  of  work  takes  her  off"  her  balance.  The 
sculler  must  especially  guard  against  feathering  under  water. 
He  is  more  tempted  to  do  so  now,  while  he  is  in  an  unsteady 
boat,  than  when  he  was  in  his  sober-going  gig.  He  feels 
instinctively  that  if  he  lets  his  blades  rest  flat  on  the  water  for 


132  BOATING. 

the  instant,  when  his  stroke  concludes,  he  obtains  for  the 
moment  a  rectification  of  balance  ;  the  flat  blades  stop  rolling 
to  either  side  ;  when  he  has  thus  steadied  his  craft,  then  he 
can  essay  to  hft  his  blades  and  to  get  forward.  If  he  once 
yields  to  this  insidious  temptation,  he  runs  the  risk  of  spoihng 
himself  as  a  sculler,  and  of  ensuring  that  he  will  never  rise 
beyond  mediocrity.  The  hang  back,  and  the  sloppy  feather, 
which  are  to  be  seen  in  so  many  second-class  scullers,  may 
almost  invariably,  if  the  history  of  the  sculler  be  known,  be 
traced  to  want  of  nerve  and  of  confidence  in  early  days  to 
feather  boldly,  and  to  lift  the  sculls  sharp  from  the  water, 
regardless  of  rolling.  Of  course,  for  the  nonce,  the  sculler  can 
sit  steadier,  and  therefore  make  more  progress,  if  he  thus 
steadies  his  craft  with  his  blades  momentarily  flat ;  and  it  is 
because  of  this  fact  that  so  many  beginners  are  seduced  into 
the  trick.  But  let  the  sculler  pluck  up  courage,  and  endeavour 
to  imagine  himself  still  afloat  in  his  gig.  Let  him  turn  his 
wrists  as  sharply  as  when  he  was  in  her,  and  lift  his  blades 
boldly  out,  not  even  caring  if  he  rolls  clean  over.  There  really 
is  little  chance  of  his  so  capsizing.  If  he  rolls,  his  one  blade 
or  other  floats  in  the  water,  and  being  strung  over  at  the  row- 
lock, cannot  well  let  his  boat  turn  over,  so  long  as  he  holds  on 
to  the  handle.  Meantime,  he  must  sit  tight  to  his  boat,  and 
use  his  feet  to  balance  her  with  his  body.  He  must  not  try  to 
row  too  fast  a  stroke ;  a  quick  stroke  hides  faults,  and  speed 
tends  to  keep  a  light  craft  on  an  even  keel  so  long  as  her  crew 
are  fresh  ;  but  style  is  not  learned  while  oarsmen  or  scullers 
are  straining  their  utmost.  If  the  sculler  finds  that  he  really 
cannot  make  progress  in  his  wager  boat,  he  must  assume  that  he 
wants  another  spell  of  practice  in  his  tub,  and  must  revert  again 
to  her  for  a  week  or  two,  or  more.  If  he  will  only  persevere  in 
studying  even  and  simultaneous  action  of  hands,  he  will  get  his 
reward  in  time. 

He  should  not  be  ambitious  to  race  too  soon.  Many  a 
young  sculler  spoils  himself  by  aspiring  to  junior  scullers'  races 
before  he  is  ripe  for  racing.    It  is  a  temptation  to  have  a  '  flutter,' 


SCULLING. 


133 


just  to  see  how  one  gets  on,  but  it  is  of  no  use  to  race  unless 
the  competitor  has  had  some  gallops  beforehand  ;  and  it  is  in 
trying  to  row  a  fast  stroke  before  they  can  thoroughly  sit  a 
boat  that  so  many  scullers  sow  seeds  of  bad  style,  which  stick 
to  them  long  afterwards,  and  perhaps  always.  When  at  last 
the  sculler  has  learned  to  sit  his  boat,  to  drop  his  hands  in 
simultaneously,  to  feel  an  even  pressure  with  both  blades,  to 
see  his  stern-post  hold  on  true,  and  not  waver  from  side  to  side  ; 
when  he  is  able  to  drop  and  turn  both  wrists  at  the  same  in- 
stant, to  lift  both  blades  clean  away  from  the  water,  and  to 
shoot  out  his  hands  without  fouling  either  his  knees  or  the 
water,  then  he  has  mastered  more  than  half  the  scullers  of  the 


day — ^even  though  he  can  only  perform  thus  for  half-a-dozen 
strokes  at  a  time  without  encountering  a  roll.  He  can  now 
lay  his  weight  well  on  his  sculls,  and  can  make  his  boat  travel. 
He  will  have  done  well  if  all  this  time  he  has  abstained  from 
indulging  in  a  slide  ;  he  does  not  need  one  as  yet,  he  is  not 
racing,  and  the  fewer  things  he  has  to  think  about  the  better 
chance  he  has  of  being  able  to  devote  his  attention  to  acquiring 
even  hands  and  a  tight  seat.  Once  let  him  gain  these  accom- 
phshments,  and  he  can  then  take  to  his  slide,  and  in  his  first 
race  go  by  many  an  opponent  who  started  sculling  long  before 
him,  but  who  began  at  once  in  a  wager  boat  and  on  a  slide. 


i^4  BOATING. 

A  very  good  amateur  sculler — J.  E.  Parker,  winner  of  the 
Wingfield  Sculls  in  1863— used  to  say  that  he  always  went 
back  until  his  sculls  came  out  of  the  water  of  their  own  accord. 
As  a  piece  of  chaff,  it  used  to  be  said  of  him,  by  his  friends, 
that  there  was  a  greasy  patch  on  his  fore  canvas,  where  his 
head  came  in  contact  with  it  at  the  end  of  his  stroke.  Of  course 
this  was  only  a  jest,  but  undoubtedly  Parker  swung  farther 
back  than  most  scullers,  perhaps  more  than  any  amateur.  The 
secret  of  his  pace,  which  was  indisputable,  as  also  his  staying 
power,  probably  lay  to  a  great  extent  in  this  long  back  swing  of 
his.  He  also  sculled  exceedingly  cleanly,  his  hands  worked  in 
perfect  unison,  and  his  blades  came  out  clean  and  sharp.  The 
WTiter  cannot  recall  any  sculler  whose  blades  were  so  clean, 
save  Hanlan  and  also  AV.  S.  Unwin  in  1886.  Much  of  the  secret 
of  each  of  these  scullers  lay  in  the  evenness  of  their  hands  ;  they 
wasted  no  power.  F.  Play  ford,  junior,  was  a  more  powerful 
sculler,  and  apparently  faster  than  either  of  the  above-named 
amateurs  {ceteris  paribus  as  to  slides,  qua  Parker)  ;  but  taking 
his  reach  and  weight  into  consideration,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered 
if  Playford  was  in  his  day  the  best  of  all  Wingfield  winners. 
The  late  Mr.  Casamajor  was  a  great  sculler.  He  also  had  a 
very  long  back  swing,  and  clean  blades.  He  never  had  such 
tough  opponents  to  beat  as  had  Playford,  but  at  least  it  could 
be  said  of  him  that  he  was  unbeaten  in  public  in  any  race. 

Steerage  apparatus  is  in  these  days  fitted  to  many  a  sculling 
boat.  The  writer,  as  an  old  stager,  is  bound  to  admit  that  he 
had  retired  from  active  work  before  such  mechanism  was  used, 
he  therefore  cannot  speak  practically  as  to  its  value  for  racing. 
So  far  as  he  has  watched  its  use  by  scullers,  he  is  induced  to 
look  upon  the  contrivance  with  suspicion.  On  a  stormy  day, 
with  beam  wind  for  a  considerable  part  of  the  course,  such  an 
appendage  will  undoubtedly  assist  a  sculler.  It  will  save  him 
from  having  an  arm  almost  idle  in  his  lap  during  heavy  squalls. 
But  on  fairly  smooth  days,  or  when  wind  is  simply  ahead,  a 
rudder  must  surely  detract  more  from  pace  (by  reason  of  the 
water  which  it  catches,  even  when  simply  on  the  trail)  than  it 


SCULLING.  13^ 

ever  will  save  by  obviating  the  operation  of  rowing  a  boat  round 
by  the  hand  to  direct  her  course.  Again,  the  fittings  which  carry 
the  rudder  must,  when  the  rudder  is  unshipped,  hold  a  certain 
amount  of  water  to  the  detriment  of  speed.  Also,  if  a  boat  is 
pressed  for  a  spurt,  there  must  be  some  risk  of  the  tiller  of  the 
rudder  (however  delicately  made),  and  the  wires  which  control 
it,  pulling  and  drawing  the  water.  When  the  canvas  ducks 
under  water  on  recovery,  it  is  important  that  the  water  should 
run  off  freely  when  the  boat  springs  to  the  stroke.  If  a  post 
stands  up  at  the  stern,  how^ever  thin  and  metallic,  this  must  to 
some  degree  check  the  flow  off  of  the  water.  Again,  the  feet 
must  be  moved  to  guide  this  rudder  ;  while  they  are  thus  shift- 
ing, the  fullest  power  of  the  legs  can  hardly  be  applied.  A 
sculler  who  is  in  good  practice,  and  who  is  at  home  with  his 
boat  and  sculls,  should  be  able  to  feel  his  boat's  course  through 
each  stroke,  and  to  adjust  her  at  any  one  stroke  if  she  has 
deviated  during  the  preceding  one.  On  the  whole,  barring  cir- 
cumstances such  as  a  stiff  westerly  wind  at  Henley,  or  a  gale  on 
the  tideway  course,  scullers  will  do  best  without  rudders  ;  and 
if  a  competitor  desires  to  provide  against  the  contingency  of 
weather  which  will  make  a  rudder  advantageous,  he  had  better, 
if  he  can,  have  a  spare  boat  fitted  for  that  purpose,  so  that  if  the 
water  after  all  is  smooth  he  will  not  be  carrying  any  project- 
ing metal  at  his  stern  to  draw  the  water  and  to  check  his  pace. 

There  is  another  objection  to  the  use  of  rudders,  especially 
for  young  scullers.  It  tempts  them  to  rely  on  the  rudder  to  rec- 
tify their  course,  instead  of  studying  even  play  of  hands  so  that 
the  boat  may  have  no  excuse  for  deviating  at  all  in  smooth  water. 

All  that  has  been  said  of  the  use  of  slides  applies  equally  to 
sculling  as  to  rowing.  The  leg  action,  as  compared  to  swing, 
should  be  just  the  same  when  sculling  as  in  rowing.  That  is, 
the  slide  should  last  as  long  as  the  swing.  Now,  in  sculling,  a 
man  should  go  back  much  further  than  he  does  when  rowing 
an  oar.  When  he  has  an  oar  in  his  hand  there  is  a  limit  to 
the  distance  to  which  he  can  spring  back  with  good  effect.  His 
oar  describes  an  arc  ;  when  he  has  gone  back  beyond  a  certain 


136  BOATING. 

distance  the  butt  of  his  oar-handle  will  come  at  the  middle  of 
his  breast  or  even  more  inside  the  boat.  In  such  a  position  he 
cannot  finish  squarely  and  with  good  effect.  Therefore  he  can- 
not go  back  ad  lib.  But  the  sculler  is  always  placed  evenly  to 
his  work,  it  is  not  on  one  side  of  him  more  than  another.  He 
should,  when  laying  himself  out  for  pace,  swing  back  so  far  that 
his  sculls  come  out  just  as  his  hands  touch  his  ribs.  In  a  wager 
boat,  when  well  practised,  he  can  afford  to  let  his  sculls  overlap 
as  much  as  six  or  even  seven  inches.  But,  after  all,  the  extent 
of  overlap  is  a  matter  of  taste  with  so  many  scullers,  that  it  would 
be  unwise  to  lay  down  any  hard  and  fast  rule,  beyond  saying 
that  at  least  the  handles  should  overlap  four  inches,  or,  what  is 
much  the  same,  one  hand  should  at  least  cover  the  other  when 
the  sculls  lie  in  the  rowlocks  at  right  angles  to  the  keel. 

To  return  to  the  slide  in  sculling.  Since  the  back  swing 
should  be  longer  in  sculling  than  in  rowing,  and  as  there  is 
a  limit  to  the  length  which  any  pair  of  legs  can  slide,  and  since 
also  it  has  been  laid  down  as  a  rule  that  both  when  sculling  and 
when  rowing  the  slide  should  be  economised  so  that  it  may 
last  as  long  as  the  swing  lasts,  the  reader  will  gather  that  the 
legs  will  have  to  extend  more  gradually  when  sliding  to  sculls 
than  when  sliding  to  oars.  Therefore  a  man  accustomed  to 
row  on  slides,  and  whose  legs  are  more  or  less  habituated  to  a 
certain  extension  coupled  with  swing  when  rowing,  must  keep 
a  watch  upon  himself  when  sculling  lest  his  rowing  habits  should 
make  him  finish  his  slide  prematurely,  when  he  needs  to  pro- 
long his  swing  for  sculling.  Unless  his  slide  lasts  out  his  swing, 
his  finish,  after  legs  have  been  extended,  will  only  press  the  boat 
without  propelling  her. 

In  rowing  an  oarsman  is  guilty  of  fault  if  he  meets  or  even 
pulls  up  to  his  oar.  In  sculling,  with  a  very  long  swing  back 
it  is  not  a  fault  to  commence  the  recovery  of  the  body  while 
the  hands  are  still  completing  their  journey  home  to  the  ribs. 
The  body  should  not  drop,  nor  slouch  over  the  sculls  while  thus 
meeting  them.  It  should  recover  with  open  chest  and  head 
well  up,  simply  pulling  itself  up  slightly,  to  start  the  back  swing, 


SCULLING.  \yj 

by  the  handles  of  the  sculls  as  they  come  home  for  the  last 
three  or  four  inches  of  their  journey.  Casamajor  always  re- 
covered then,  so  did  Hanlan,  so  did  Parker,  and  any  sculler 
who  does  likewise  will  sin  (if  he  does  sin  in  the  opinion  of 
some  hypercritics  of  style)  in  first-class  company.  The  fact  is, 
this  very  long  swing  back  (with  straight  arms)  entails  much 
recovery,  and  yet  materially  adds  to  pace.  The  sculler  can 
afford  to  ease  his  recovery  in  return  for  the  strain  of  his  long 
stroke.  Also  lest  his  long  swing  should  press  the  boat's  bows, 
he  can  ease  her  recovery  as  well  as  his  own,  so  soon  as  the 
main  force  of  the  long  drag  comes  to  an  end.  In  the  writer's 
opinion,  unless  a  sculler  really  does  go  back  a  la  Casamajor  & 
Co.  with  straight  arms  and  stiff  back,  and  until  his  sculls  come 
out  of  the  water  almost  of  their  own  accord  as  he  brings  his 
hands  in,  it  is  not  an  advantage  for  him  to  pull  himself  up  to 
his  handles  to  this  trifling  extent  at  the  finish.  A  sculler  who 
does  not  swing  back  further  than  when  he  is  rowing,  will  do 
best  to  row  his  sculls  home  just  as  he  would  an  oar. 

In  racing  all  men  like  a  lead.  If  a  sculler  can  take  a  lead 
with  his  longest  stroke,  swinging  back  as  far  as  he  can,  and  can 
feel  that  he  is  not  doing  a  stroke  too  fast  for  his  stamina,  by  all 
means  let  him  do  so  ;  but  let  him  be  careful  not  to  hurry  his 
stroke  and  thereby  to  shorten  his  back  swing  simply  for  the  sake 
of  a  lead.  Many  a  long-swing  sculler  spoils  his  style,  at  all 
events  for  the  moment,  by  sprinting  and  trying  to  cut  his 
opponent  down.  It  is  almost  best  for  him  if  he  finds  that  his 
opponent  has  the  pace  of  him,  and  if  he  therefore  relapses  to 
his  proper  style,  and  bides  his  time.  If  he  does  so,  he  will  go 
all  the  faster  over  the  course  for  sticking  to  his  style  regardless 
of  momentary  lead.  Some  scullers  lay  out  their  work  for  pace, 
regardless  of  lasting  power.  When  Chambers  rowed  Green  in 
1863,  he  tried  to  head  the  Australian,  flurried  himself,  shortened 
his  giant  reach,  lost  pace,  and,  after  all,  lost  the  lead.  When 
he  realised  that,  force  pace  as  much  as  he  could,  Green  was 
too  speedy,  the  Tyne  man  settled  to  his  long  sweep,  and  at 
once  went  all  the  faster,  though  now  sculling  a  slower  stroke. 


I 


138  BOATING. 

It  was  not  long  before  Green  began  to  come  back  to  him,  and 
the  result  of  that  match  is  history. 

Similarly,  the  writer  recollects  seeing  the  celebrated  Casa- 
major  win  the  Diamonds  for  the  last  time,  in  1861.  He  was 
opposed  by  Messrs.  G.  R.  Cox  and  E.  D.  Brickwood.  Cox 
was  a  sculler  who  laid  himself  out  for  fast  starting  :  he  used 
very  small  blades,  he  did  not  swing  further  back  than  when 
rowing,  and  he  sculled  a  very  rapid  stroke.  He  had  led  both 
Casamajor  and  H.  Kelley  in  a  friendly  spin  earlier  in  the  year, 
and  it  was  said  that  it  was  to  vindicate  his  reputation  as  being 
still  the  best  sculler  of  the  day  that  the  old  unbeaten  amateur 
once  more  entered  for  the  Diamonds,  where  he  knew  he  would 
encounter  Cox  in  earnest,  and  no  longer  in  play.  (Casamajor 
was  by  no  means  in  good  health,  and  the  grave  closed  over 
him  in  the  following  August.) 

In  the  race  in  question  Cox  darted  away  with  the  lead. 
Casamajor  had  hitherto  led  all  opponents  in  real  racing,  and 
amour propre  seemed  to  prompt  him  to  bid  for  the  lead  against 
the  new  flyer  j  he  quickened  and  quickened  his  stroke,  till  his 
long  swing  back  vanished,  and  his  boat  danced  up  and  down, 
but  he  could  not  hold  Cox.  Brickwood  was  last,  rowing  his 
own  style,  and  sculling  longest  of  the  three.  After  passing  the 
Farm  gate,  Casamajor  suddenly  changed  his  style,  and  went 
back  to  his  old  swing.  Maybe,  Cox  had  already  begun  to 
come  to  the  end  of  his  tether  ;  but,  be  that  as  it  may,  from  the 
instant  that  Casamajor  re-adopted  his  old  swing  back,  he  held 
Cox.  (It  did  not  look  as  if  the  pace  was  really  falling  off,  for 
both  the  leaders  were  still  drawing  away  from  Brickwood.)  In 
another  minute  Casamajor  began  to  draw  up  to  the  leader,  still 
swinging  back  as  before.  Then  he  went  ahead,  and  all  was 
over.  Brickwood  in  the  end  rowed  down  Cox,  and  came  in 
a  good  second.  Casamajor  at  that  time  edited  the  '  Field ' 
aquatics.  His  own  description  therein  of  himself  in  the  race 
seems  to  imply  that  he  realised  how  he  had  at  first  thrown  away 
his  speed  by  bidding  for  the  lead,  and  that  he  purposely,  and 
not  unconsciously,  changed  his  style  about  the  end  of  the  first 


SCULLING. 


130 


minute  and  a  half  of  the  race.  His  description  of  his  own 
sculling  at  that  juncture  (modestly  penned)  was  'now  rowing 
longer  and  with  all  his  power.'  This  was  quite  true — he  was 
not  using  his  full  power  until  he  relapsed  to  his  old  style. 
These  illustrations  of  two  of  the  best  scullers  ever  seen  bidding 
for  impossible  leads,  and  then  realising  their  mistakes  in  time, 
may  be  taken  to  heart  by  all  modern  and  future  aspirants  to 
sculling  honour. 


SCULLING  RACE,    WITH   PILOTS   IN   EIGHT-OAKS. 


Another  reason  why  scullers  like  a  lead  is  that  it  saves  them 
from  being  '  washed '  by  a  leader,  and,  conversely,  enables  them 
to  '  wash  an  opponent.'  In  old  days  of  boat-racing  under  the 
old  code,  lead  was  of  importance,  to  save  water  being  taken. 
Under  new  rules  of  boat-racing  (which  figure  elsewhere  in 
this  volume),  water  can  only  be  taken  at  peril.  There  is  not, 
therefore,  so  much  importance  in  lead  as  of  old.  As  to 
*  wash,'  if  a  man  can  sit  a  sculling  boat,  he  does  not  care  much 
for  wash.     Anyhow,   he  can,  if  in  his  own  water,   and  if  his 


I40  BOATING. 

adversary  crosses  him,  steer  exactly  in  his  leader's  wake  ;  the 
wash  then  spreads  like  a  swallow's  tail  on  either  side  of  the 
sternmost  man,  and  does  not  affect  him.  His  opponent  must 
get  out  of  his  way,  if  not  overtaken,  so  he  need  not  disturb 
himself ;  and  if  the  leader  insists  on  steering  to  right  or  left 
simply  to  direct  the  wash,  he  loses  more  ground  by  this 
meandering  than  even  the  pursuer  will  lose  by  the  slight  per- 
turbations of  a  sculling  boat's  wash  for  a  few  strokes.  It  is 
good  practice  for  any  sculler  to  take  his  boat  now  and  then  in 
the  wake  of  another  sculler,  and  try  to  '  bump  '  him.  It  will 
teach  him  how  to  sit  his  boat  under  such  circumstances,  and 
he  will  be  surprised  before  long  to  find  out  how  little  he  cares 
for  being  washed  by  another  sculler. 

A  sculler,  when  practising  over  a  course,  especially  when 
water  is  smooth,  may  with  advantage  time  himself  from  day  to 
day  at  various  points  of  the  course.  He  will  thus  find  out  what 
his  best  pace  is,  and  will  ascertain  whether  his  speed  materially 
falls  off  towards  the  end,  if  he  forces  extra  pace  at  the  start  or 
halfway  or  so  on.  He  must  be  careful  to  judge  proportionately 
of  times  and  distances,  and  not  positively  ;  for  streams  may 
vary,  and  so  may  wind. 

On  the  tideway  in  sculling  matches,  it  is  usual  for  pilots  to 
conduct  scullers.  The  pilot  sits  in  the  bow  of  an  eight.  The 
sculler  may  rely  on  the  pilot  to  signal  to  him  whether  he  is 
in  the  required  direction  ;  but  when  he  once  knows  that  his 
boat  points  right,  he  should  note  where  her  stern  points,  just 
as  if  he  were  steering  upon  his  own  resources,  and  should 
endeavour  so  to  regulate  his  hands  that  his  stern  keeps  straight, 
as  shown  by  some  distant  landmark  which  he  selects.  This 
straight  line  he  should  then  maintain  to  the  best  of  his  ability, 
bringing  his  stern-post  back  to  it,  if  it  deflects,  until  his  pilot 
again  signals  to  him  to  change  his  course,  for  rounding  some 
curve  or  for  clearing  some  obstacle.  The  pilot  cannot  inform 
his  charge  of  each  small  inaccuracy  which  leads  eventually  to 
deflection  from  the  correct  line  ;  this  the  sculler  must  provide 
against  on  his  own  account.     It  is  only  when  the  course  has  to 


SCULLING.  141 

be  changed,  or  when  the  sculler  has  palpably  gone  out  of  his 
course^  that  the  signals  of  the  pilot  come  into  play.  Some 
scullers  seem  to  make  up  their  minds  to  leave  everything  to 
their  pilots ;  the  result  is  that  their  boats  are  never  in  a  straight 
line  ;  first  they  go  astray  to  one  side,  and  then,  when  signalled 
back,  they  take  a  stroll  to  the  other  side.  Such  scullers  naturally 
handicap  themselves  greatly  by  thus  losing  ground  through 
these  tortuous  wanderings.  The  simplest  method  of  signalling 
by  pilot  is  to  hold  a  white  handkerchief.  In  the  right  or  left 
hand  it  means  '  pull  right  or  left,'  respectively.  When  down, 
it  means  '  boat  straight  and  keep  it  so.'  If  the  pilot  gets  far 
astern,  or  if  dangers  are  ahead  which  are  beyond  pilotage, 
taking  off  the  hat  means  '  look  out  for  yourself.' 

When  wund  is  abeam,  a  pilot  cutter  can  materially  aid  a 
sculler  by  bringing  its  bow  close  on  his  windward  quarter, 
thereby  sheltering  his  stern  from  the  action  of  the  wind.  Races 
such  as  that  of  Messrs.  Lowndes  and  Payne  for  the  Wingfield 
Sculls  in  1880,  when  Mr.  Payne  did  not  row  his  opponent 
down  until  the  last  mile  had  well  begun,  should  remind  all 
scullers  that  a  race  is  never  lost  till  it  is  w^on,  and  that,  however 
beaten  you  may  feel,  it  is  possible  that  your  opponent  feels 
even  worse,  and  that  he  may  show  it  in  the  next  few  strokes. 


PUMPED   OUT. 


2s^ 


THE   LAST   OF  THE   THAMES   WHERRIES, 


CHAPTER   XL 


BOAT-BUILDING    AND    DIMENSIONS. 


The  '  trim  built  wherry '  of  song  has  been  improved  off  the  face 
of  the  Thames.  Originally  it  was  purely  a  passenger  craft  :  it 
contained  space  for  two  or  more  sitters  in  the  stern,  and  was 
fitted  for  two  pair  of  sculls  or  a  pair  of  oars  at  option.  Larger 
wherries  were  also  built,  '  randan '  rig  (for  a  pair  of  oars  with 
a  sculler  amidships,  or  three  pairs  of  sculls  at  option).  Such 
boats  were  the  passenger  craft  of  the  silent  highway  before 
steamers  destroyed  the  watermen's  trade.  When  match  racing 
came  into  vogue,  wherries  began  to  be  constructed  for  purely 
racing  purposes  ;  they  had  but  one  seat,  for  the  sculler,  and 
were  carried  as  fine  as  they  could  be,  at  either  end,  with  regard 
to  the  surf  which  they  often  had  to  encounter.  Their  beam  on 
the  waterline  was  reduced  to  a  minimum  ;  but  at  the  same  time  it 
was  necessary,  for  mechanical  purposes,  that  the  gunwale,  at  the 
points  where  the  rowlocks  were  placed,  should  be  of  sufficient 


BOAT-BUILDING  AND  DIMENSIONS.  143 

width  to  enable  the  sculler  to  obtain  the  necessary  leverage  and 
elevation  of  his  sculls.  The  gunwale  was  accordingly  flared 
out  wide  at  these  points,  above  the  waterline.  This  flared 
gunwale  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  flotation  of  the  boat  ;  it  was 
in  effect  nothing  more  than  a  wooden  outrigger,  and  it  was  this 
which  eventually  suggested  to  the  brain  of  old  Harry  Clasper 
the  idea  of  constructing  an  iron  outrigger,  thereby  enabling  the 
beam  to  be  reduced,  and  at  the  same  time  the  sculling  leverage 
to  be  preserved  without  the  encumbrance  of  the  top  hamper  of 
these  flared  gunwales.  Such  was  the  old  wager  wherry,  and  its 
later  development  of  the  wager  outrigger. 

We  have  said  that  the  wherry  is  obsolete.  Modern  water- 
men use,  for  passenger  purposes,  a  craft  called  a  '  skiff.'  She 
is  an  improvement  on  the  '  gig,'  a  vessel  which  came  into  vogue 
on  the  Thames  for  amateur  pleasure  purposes  about  the  year 
1830.  The  'gig'  was  originally  adopted  from  naval  ideas. 
She  had  a  flush  gunwale,  and  the  rowlocks  were  placed  on  the 
top  of  it.  So  soon  as  the  outrigger  came  in,  oarsmen  realised 
the  advantage  to  be  gained  by  applying  it  to  the  gig,  in  a  modi- 
fled  form.  Half-outrigged  gigs  became  common  ;  they  had  a 
reduced  beam,  and  commanded  more  speed  ;  they  were  used 
for  cruising  purposes  as  well  as  for  racing.  Many  regattas 
offered  prizes  for  pair  oars  with  coxswains  in  outrigged  gigs. 
Theoretically  a  gig  was  supposed  to  be  '  clinker '  built,  i.e.  each 
of  her  timbers  were  so  attached  to  each  other  that  the  lower 
edge  of  each  upper  timber  overlapped  the  upper  edge  of  the 
timber  below  it,  the  timbers  being  '  clincked,'  hence  the  name. 
'  Carvel '  (or  caravel)  build  is  that  in  which  the  timbers  lie  flush 
to  each  other,  presenting  a  smooth  surface.  This  offers  less 
resistance,  and  before  long  builders  constructed  so-called  'gigs' 
for  racing  purposes,  which  were  carvel  built.  From  this  it  was 
but  a  step  to  build  racing  gigs  with  but  two  or  even  one  '  streak ' 
only,  i.e.  the  side  of  the  hull,  instead  of  being  constructed  of 
several  planks  fastened  together,  was  made  of  one,  or  at  most 
two  planks.  The  ends  of  the  vessel  were  open — uncanvassed, 
and  in  this  respect  only  was  there  anything  in  common  with  a 


144  BOATING. 

'  gig  '  proper.  This  system  of  stealing  advantages  by  tricks  of 
build  caused  gig  races  to  be  fruitful  sources  of  squabbles,  until 
regatta  committees  recognised  the  importance  of  laying  down 
conditions  as  to  build  when  advertising  their  races. 

To  return  to  gigs  proper.  This  craft  did  not  find  the  same 
favour  fifty  years  ago  with  the  professional  classes  that  it  did 
with  amateurs.  The  wherry  was  still  adhered  to  for  traffic  ;  but 
meantime  Thames  fishermen,  especially  those  who  plied  flounder 
fishery  on  the  upper  tideway,  used  what  is  called  a  skiff ;  a 
shorter  boat,  with  as  much  beam  as  the  largest  wherry,  a  bluff 
bow,  and  flared  rowlocks.  She  was  strongly  built,  adapted  to 
carry  heavy  burdens,  and,  by  reason  of  being  shorter,  was 
easier  to  turn,  and  handier  for  short  cruises.  A  similar  class 
of  boat,  but  often  rougher  and  more  provincial  in  construction, 
was  to  be  found  in  use  at  some  of  the  up-river  ferries.  The 
wherry,  when  once  under  way,  had  more  speed  than  the  skiff, 
but  when  long  row-boat  voyages  ceased  in  consequence  of  the 
introduction  of  steamers,  the  advantage  of  the  skiff  over  the 
wherry  was  recognised  by  watermen.  Their  jobs  came  down 
to  ferrying,  to  taking  passengers  on  board  vessels  lying  in  the 
stream,  and  such  like  work  ;  and  for  these  services  speed  was 
not  so  important  as  handiness  in  turning. 

During  the  last  fifteen  years  the  skiff  build  has  found  more 
favour  for  pleasure  purposes  than  the  gig.  The  outrigged  gig 
is  liable  to  entanglement  of  rowlock  in  locks,  and  where  craft 
are  crowded,  as  at  regattas.  (It  would  be  a  salutary  matter 
if  the  Thames  Conservancy  would  peremptorily  forbid  the 
presence  of  any  such  craft  at  Henley  Regatta.)  Inrigged  craft 
glide  off  each  other  when  gunwales  collide,  whereas  outriggers 
foul  rowlocks  of  other  boats,  and  cause  delay  and  even 
accidents.  An  outrigged  gig  has  two  alternative  disadvantages, 
compared  to  the  skiff  build  ;  if  she  is  as  narrow  at  the  water- 
line  as  the  skiff,  her  flush  gunwale  reduces  the  leverage  for  oar 
or  scull.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  she  is  built  to  afford  full 
leverage,  this  entails  more  beam  on  the  waterline  than  in  a 
skiff,  the  rowlocks  of  which  are  raised  and  flared  above  the 


BOAT-BUILDING  AND  DIMENSIONS.  145 

gunwale.     Hence  it  is  that  the  skiff  build  is  gradually  super- 
seding the  once  universally  popular  gig. 

A  dingey  is  a  short  craft,  originally  designed  as  a  sort  of 
tender  to  a  yacht,  but  adopted  for  pleasure  purposes  on  the 
Thames  for  nearly  half  a  century.  It  is  sometimes  built  with 
a  flush  gunwale  like  a  gig,  but  more  commonly  with  flared 
rowlocks  like  a  skifi*,  thereby  affording  the  required  leverage 
for  swells,  while  at  the  same  time  reducing  the  beam  on  the 
waterline. 

Besides  the  above  mentioned  craft,  which  are  designed 
to  carry  at  least  two  oarsmen  (or  scullers)  and  a  coxswain, 
modern  boat-builders  construct  what  are  called  sculling 
dingies  and  gigs,  which  are  fitted  with  only  one  pair  of 
rowlocks,  and  are  intended  mainly  for  occupation  by  a  single 
sculler,  though  they  will  at  a  pinch  carry  sitters  both  in  the 
stern  sheets  and  in  the  bows.  They  also  build  sailing  gigs 
and  dingies,  which  are  usually  fitted  with  a  '  centreboard,'  and 
are  of  greater  beam  than  those  specially  designed  for  rowing 
or  sculling  ;  though  they  can  be  also  propelled  by  oars  or  sculls 
when  required,  they  are  less  handy  for  the  latter  purposes, 
in  consequence  of  their  construction  for  the  double  duties 
of  both  sailing  and  oarsmanship.  The  following  are  dimen- 
sions commonly  adopted  by  builders,  such  as  Messrs.  Salter 
of  Oxford,  for  various  classes  of  gigs,  dingies,  and  pleasure 
skiff's  :^ 


Length. 

Beam. 

Gig,  pair-oared,  inrigged  . 

.      22  ft. 

3  ft-  9  in. 

ditto            randan     . 

.       25  ft. 

3  ft.  9  in. 

Skiffs,  pair-oared      .... 

.      25  ft. 

4  ft.  0  in. 

ditto                  .... 

•      23  ft. 

4  ft.  6  in. 

ditto                  .... 

.      20  ft. 

5  ft.  0  in. 

The  variations  in  beam  being  in  such  vessels  designed  con- 
versely as  regards  the  lengths,  in  order  to  obtain  approximate 
equivalent  of  displacement — 

Length.  Beam. 

Skiffs,  randan  ...     26  ft.  to  27  ft.         4  ft.  o  in. 

ditto  .         .         .     25  ft.  4  ft.  6  in.  to  5  ft. 

L 


146  BOATING. 

Where  the  beam  ranges  as  high  as  5  feet  the  vessel  will  carry 
about  four  sitters  in  the  stern.  The  narrower  craft  carry  about 
two,  sitting  abreast  in  the  stern. 

Dingies  (inrigged)  range  from  about  1 2  feet  in  length  with 
4  feet  beam  to  16  feet  in  length  with  about  3  ft.  6  in.  beam. 

Some  dingies  are  built  as  short  as  9  feet,  but  they  command 
but  little  speed,  and  are  useful  only  as  tenders  to  larger  vessels 
for  the  purpose  of  going  ashore,  &c.  Their  shortness  makes 
them  handy  to  turn,  and  compensates  in  short  journeys  for  their 
want  of  speed. 

The  prices  of  the  various  builds  enumerated  above  depend 
much  upon  the  materials  used,  whether  oak,  mahogany,  cedar, 
or  pine  ;  and  also  upon  length  of  keel,  and  upon  fittings,  such  as 
oars,  sculls,  cushions,  stern-rails,  &c.,  masts  and  sails.  Figures 
vary  from  about  40/.  for  a  best  quality  randan  skiff,  all  found, 
to  as  low  as  20/.  for  a  gig,  and  12/.  for  a  dingey,  turned  out 
new  from  the  builder's  yard. 

It  is  customary  to  fit  all  rowing  boats  such  as  above  de- 
scribed with  a  hole  in  the  bow  seat,  and  also  in  the  flooring 
below,  in  order  to  carry  a  lug  or  sprit  sail  when  required  ;  but 
the  shallow  draught  of  such  vessels  as  are  not  fitted  with  centre- 
boards causes  them  to  make  a  good  deal  of  leeway  and  so 
disables  them  from  sailing  near  the  wind. 

Racing  boats  are  generally  built  of  cedar,  sometimes  of 
white  pine.  The  history  of  the  introduction  of  the  various 
improvements  of  outriggers,  keelless  boats,  and  sliding  seats, 
has  been  given  in  other  chapters.  We  propose  here  simply  to 
give  a  few  samples  of  dimensions  of  racing  boats. 

Various  builders  have  various  lines,  and  no  exact  fixed  scale 
can  be  laid  down  as  correct  more  than  another. 

Ditnensiotis  of  a  sculling-boat  recently  used  by  Bubear  in  a  scullmg  match 


for  the  '  Sportsman 

Challenge  Ctip^^  built  by  Jack  Clasper. 

Length 
Width       . 

31  ft.    0  in. 

0  ft.  II  in. 

Depth,  amidships 
,,       forward. 

0  ft.     5|  in. 

oft.    3|in. 

,,       sternpost 

0  ft.     2\  in. 

BOAT-BUILDING  AND  DIMENSIONS.  147 

Historical  Eight-oars  {Keelless). 


Length.              Beam. 

Builder. 

Oxford  boat,' 

1857 

54  ft.  0  in.     2  ft.     2\  in. 

Mat  Taylor. 

(at  No.  3's  rowlock) 

Eton,  1863    . 

• 

57  ft.  0  in.     2  ft.     I  in. 
Depth  at  stern  6  in. 

Mat  Taylor. 

Radley,  1858 

• 

56  ft.  0  in.     2  ft.    o|  in. 
Depth  at  stern  7|  in. 

Sewell,  for  King. 

Oxford,  1878 

• 

57  ft.  0  in.      I  ft.  10  in. 
Depth  at  stern  6  in. 

Swaddell  &  Winship. 

Oxford,  1883 

• 

58  ft.  0  in.      I  ft.  10^-  in. 
Depth  at  stern  6\  in. 

J.  Clasper. 

5- 


These  boats  are  selected  because  each  in  its  turn  won 
some  reputation,  and  also  because  they  exemplify  the  builds  of 
different  constructors. 

No.  I  was  always  highly  esteemed  by  those  who  rowed  in 
her. 

No.  2  carried  Eton  at  Henley  Regatta  from  1863  to  1870 
or  1871. 

No  3  was  eulogised  by  Mr.  T.  Egan  in  'Bell's  Life,'  on  the 
occasion  of  her  debut  in  the  above-mentioned  school  match  v. 
Eton.  She  retained  a  high  reputation  for  several  seasons,  was 
once  specially  borrowed  by  Corpus  (Oxon)  durmg  the  summer 
eights,  and  was  said  by  that  crew  to  be  a  vast  improvement  on 
their  own  ship. 

No  4  carried  Oxford  from  1878  to  1882  inclusive,  losing 
only  the  match  in  1879,  in  which  year  the  crew  and  not  the 
boat  were  to  blame. 

No.  5,  after  one  or  two  trials,  was  in  1883  found  to  be  faster 
than  No.  4  (which  was  then  getting  old  !),  and  in  her  the 
Oxonians  won  a  rather  unexpected  victory ;  odds  of  3  to  i  being 
laid  against  them. 

In  addition  to  these  builds,  the  dimensions  recorded  by  the 

well-known  authority  'Argonaut,'  in  his  standard  work  on  'Boat 

Racing,'  are  here  given.     That  writer  does  not  commit  himself 

to  saying  that  they  are  the  best,  but  simply  states  that  they  are 

• '  The  first  keelless  eight  that  won  a  University  match. 


148 


BOATING. 


the  '  average  dimensions '  of  modern  racing  boats.  Unfor- 
tunately, the  writer  cannot  trace  the  dimensions  of  the  celebrated 
'  Chester '  boat,  Mat  Taylor's  first  keelless  chef-d'oeuvre^  but  he 
recollects  that  her  length  was  only  54  feet  ;  and  her  stretchers 
were  built  into  her  and  were  fixed. 

The  cost  of  a  racing  eight,  with  all  fittings,  is  about  55/. 
Some  builders  will  build  at  as  low  a  price  as  50/.,  especially 
for  a  crack  crew,  or  for  an  important  race,  because  the  notoriety 
of  the  vessel,  if  successful,  naturally  acts  as  an  advertisement. 
A  four-oar  costs  35/.  to  40/.  ;  a  pair-oar  20/.  to  25/.  ;  and 
a  sculling  boat  12/.  We  have  known  some  builders  ask  15/. 
for  a  sculling  boat.  On  the  whole,  racing  boats  are  from  eight 
to  ten  per  cent,  cheaper  nowadays  than  they  were  a  quarter 
of  a  century  ago.  Although  the  introduction  of  sliding  seats 
necessarily  adds  to  the  expense  of  making  them,  competition 
seems  to  have  brought  down  the  prices  somewhat. 


•  Argonaut' s'  Di?ncnsions  of  Modern  Boats. 

Racing 

Racing  Fours 

Pair      Sculling 

Particulars 

Eight 

With 
Cox. 

Without 
Cox. 

Oars     1   Boats 

j 

ft.    in. 

ft.    in. 

ft.    in. 

ft.    in.     ft.    in. 

Length  of  boat      .... 

58     6 

41     0 

40     0 

34     4      30     0 

Breadth  (over  all) .... 

2     0 

I     9 

I     8 

I     4l      14' 
0  loi     0     8,i 

Depth,  amidships  .... 

X     ^h 

I     oA 

I     0 

,,      stem 

0     8 

0    7i 

0    7h 

0    47     0    3h 

,,      stern.         .... 

0     7k 

0     6| 

0    6i 

0     si     0     2| 

Distance  from  seat  to  thowl  ^ 

0     5 

0     c 

0  71 

0    4j      04 

0  72     0    7\ 

1  5       I     5i 

Height  of  work  from  level  of  slide 

0     7f     0     7| 

I.ength  of  slide      .         . 

I     4        I     4 

I  4 

Length  of  am  id  ship  oars       .          j 
Buttoned  at     .         .         .          1 

12     6      12     6 

12     6 

3     6 

3    5h 

Q        cl 



Length  of  bow  and  stroke  oars       f 

12     4 

12      4   !    12      4 

12     3        — 

Buttoned  at    .         .         .          \ 

3     4j      3     4i      ^     Ah 

3     4        — 

Length  of  sculls    .         .         .          j 





—    (     10     0 

Buttoned  at    .         .         .           ( 







—   1       28 

Space  between  cox.'s  thwart  and   \ 

stroke's  stretcher  (cox.  's  thwart    [ 
1 8  inches  deep) .         .         .          ) 

I     8 

I     8 



1 

The  writer  thinks,   and   believes  that    'Argonaut   'would 
agree  with  him,  that  these  recorded  average  dimensions  could 

'  Measured  from  front  edge  of  slide  to  plane  of  thowl. 
'  Breadth  on  boat,  11  i  inches. 


BOAT-BUILDING  AND  DIMENSIONS.  149 

be  improved  upon  in  divers  respects,  e.g,  as  to  oars,  for  sliding 
seats  the  length  '  inboard  '  should  not  be  less  than  3  ft.  7  J  in.  to 
3  ft.  8  in.  ;  otherwise,  when  the  oarsman  swings  back  there  is 
not  sufficient  length  of  handle  to  enable  his  outside  hand  to 
finish  square  to  his  chest,  and  with  the  elbow^  w^ell  past  the 
side.  The  sliding-seat  oar  requires  to  be  at  least  10  inches 
longer  inboard  than  the  fixed-seat  oar,  for  the  above  reason  ; 
and  in  order  to  counterpoise  this  extra  leverage,  it  is  customary 
to  use  blades  an  inch  wider  for  slides  than  for  fixed  seats,  viz. 
6  inches  wide  at  the  greatest  breadth,  instead  of  5  inches  as 
of  old. 

Again,  as  to  distance  of  the  plane  of  the  thowl  perpendicu- 
larly from  that  of  the  front  of  the  slide  when  full  forward. 
This  should  not  be  less  than  6^  inches,  in  the  writer's 
opinion,  even  with  a  16-inch  slide.  If  the  oarsman  slides 
nearer  than  the  above  to  his  work,  he  does  not  gain  ;  for 
much  of  his  force  is  thus  expended  in  jamming  the  oar  back 
against  the  rowlock,  rather  than  in  propelling  the  boat.  He 
'feels 'extra  resistance,  and  may  accordingly  delude  himself 
that  he  is  doing  more  work,  if  the  slides  close  up;  but  in 
reality  he  is  wasting  his  powers. 

In  modern  racing  boats,  the  men  slide  too  close  to  their 
work  ;  and  if  any  builder  will  have  the  courage  to  set  his  men 
further  aft  than  is  the  custom  (say  about  6^  to  7  inches),  he 
will  find  his  ship  travel  all  the  faster. 

As  to  shapes  of  hull  :  the  earliest  Mat  Taylor  boats  have 
never  been  surpassed,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  and  were  much 
faster  than  the  modern  builds.  The  peculiarity  of  Mat  Taylor's 
build  was  that  he  put  his  greatest  beam  well  forward,  about 
No.  3's  middle  or  seat.  Such  boats  held  more  '  way '  than 
more  modern  craft,  which  are  fullest  amidships. 

Builders  of  the  present  day  construct  as  if  the  only  problem 
which  they  had  to  solve  was  to  force  a  hole  through  the  water  in 
front  of  the  boat.  This  is  not  all  that  is  necessary  in  order  to  get 
a  boat  to  travel  w^ell.  A  racing  boat  leaves  a  vacuum  behind 
her,  and  until  that  is  filled  she  is  sucked  back  into  that  vacuum. 


ISO  BOATING. 

A  boat  built  like  the  half  of  a  split  porcupine's  quill  could 
enter  the  water  with  the  least  resistance,  but  would  leave  it  with 
the  greatest  ;  in  fact,  she  would  not  travel  at  all,  because  her 
bluff  stern  would  create  a  sudden  vacuum  behind  her,  which 
would  retard  her  progress.  This  is  a  reductio  ad  absurdum, 
but  it  shows  the  effect  of  having  the  greatest  beam  too  far  aft. 
The  problem  to  be  solved  in  designing  the  lines  of  a  boat  is 
so  to  arrange  her  entry  into  the  water,  that  what  she  displaces 
in  front  may  with  greatest  ease  flow  aft  to  fill  the  vacuum  aft 
which  she  leaves  as  she  progresses.  Otherwise  she  pushes  a 
heavy  wave  in  front  of  her,  and  drags  another  behind  her.  If 
anyone  will  watch  the  bank  as  a  racing  eight  passes,  noting  the 
level  of  the  water  at  a  rathole,  he  will  see  the  level  of  the  stream 
first  rise  as  the  boat  comes  nearly  abreast  of  his  point  of  obser- 
vation. Then,  as  she  passes,  the  water  will  sink,  and  after 
she  has  passed  it  will  rise  again  higher  than  before  she  neared 
the  spot. 

The  first  rise  is  caused  by  the  boat  pushing  a  wave  in  front 
of  her  :  the  following  depression  is  caused  by  the  vacuum  which 
she  is  leaving  behind  her,  and  the  final  rise  by  the  wave  which 
runs  behind  her  to  fill  her  vacuum.  Obviously,  the  less  water 
the  vessel  moves  the  easier  she  travels.  If  by  any  designing 
the  wave  pushed  in  front  could  be  induced  to  run  more  or  less 
back  to  the  stern,  then  the  second  (following)  wave  would  be 
more  or  less  reduced  in  bulk,  and  the  labour  would  be  propor- 
tionately lighter. 

The  finer  the  lines  taper  aft,  the  easier  the  front  wave  dis- 
placed finds  its  way  to  the  vacuum  aft.  Per  contra,  the  more 
bluff  the  midship  and  stern  sections,  the  greater  the  difficulty 
in  filling  the  vacuum  aft. 

Builders  hamper  themselves  by  adhering  to  a  red-tape  idea 
that  all  oarsmen  in  a  boat  should  be  seated  at  equal  distances 
from  each  other.  So  long  as  designers  adhere  to  this,  they 
require  a  good  deal  of  beam  aft,  if  Nos.  6,  7  and  stroke  are  of 
anything  like  average  size.  Of  course,  there  must  be  a  mini- 
mum of  space  for  each  man  to  reach  out  in  ;  but  there  is  no 


BOAT-BUILDING  AND  DIMENSIONS.  151 

reason  why  in  some  of  the  seats  the  space  should  not  exceed 
this  minimum,  e.g.  to  set  the  first  four  men  at  the  minimum, 
and  then  to  place  No.  5  an  extra  inch  past  No.  4  and  so  on, 
with  perhaps  stroke  and  71^  inches  further  apart  than  the 
forward  men,  would  enable  the  builder  to  attain  a  greater 
longitudinal  displacement  at  the  sternmost  part  of  the  boat 
than  he  would  otherwise  require  to  carry  his  men.  In  lieu  of 
this  gain,  he  can  then  reduce  his  beam  and  depth  aft,  and  so 
make  his  lines  taper  more  to  the  stern. 

Mat  Taylor  built  on  this  principle.  Detractors  used  to 
laugh  sometimes  to  see  him  chalk  off  his  seats,  and  say,  '  A 
rowlock  here— a  seat  there.'  The  fact  was.  Mat  Taylor  placed 
his  men,  man  for  man,  over  the  section  of  vessel  built  to  carry 
them,  allowing  the  minimum  distance  for  reach  in  all  cases,  but 
by  no  means  tying  himself  down  to  that  distance  where  in  his 
opinion  the  boat  required  elongating  aft.  They  said  he  built 
by  rule  of  thumb  ;  so,  perhaps,  he  did,  but  his  builds  have 
never  been  surpassed.  Modern  eights  travel  faster  than  of  old, 
thanks  to  sliding  seats  and  good  oarsmanship,  but  if  some  of 
the  old  lost  lines  could  be  now  reproduced,  the  speedy  crews  of 
modern  days  would  be  speedier  still. 

We  offer  one  more  illustration  to  show  the  effect  of  having 
too  sudden  a  termination  to  a  boat  aft  of  her  greatest  beam,  or  of 
a  certain  amount  of  beam.  Let  anyone  construct  two  models 
of  racing  boat  hulls  ;  probably  he  will  not  succeed  in  making 
two  of  equal  speed,  but  such  as  they  are  he  can  handicap  the 
speedier  in  his  experiment.  Let  him  place  the  two  models  to 
race,  each  towed  by  a  line  carried  over  a  pulley,  with  a  weight 
at  the  end  of  the  line.  The  weights  which  tow  the  two  models 
can  be  adjusted  till  the  two  run  dead  heats. 

Then  cut  off  the  stern  of  one  of  the  models,  and  bulkhead 
her,  say  about  coxswain's  seat,  and  let  them  race  once  more  with 
the  forces  which  previously  produced  a  dead  heat.  The  model 
with  a  docked  stern  will  have  become  the  smaller  vessel,  and  will 
now  weigh  less.  Nevertheless,  she  will  become  decidedly  slower 
than  she  was  before,  and  will  be  beaten  by  her  late  duplicate. 


TS2  BOATING. 

In  order  to  do  justice  to  this  experiment,  the  weights  should 
tow  at  a  pace  equivalent  to  about  four  miles  or  more  an  hour. 
It  will  then  be  seen  that  this  docked  model  leaves  a  whirlpool 
behind  her  stern,  which  is  retarding  her.  This  experiment  of 
course  exaggerates  the  principle  of  full  afterlines,  and  their  evil, 
but  it  may  none  the  less  serve  to  illustrate  the  importance  of  a 
finer  run  aft  from  a  point  further  forward  than  amidships.  En 
passant^  the  boat  built  by  Salter  of  Oxford  for  the  O.U.B.C.  in 
1865  may  be  mentioned  ;  her  dimensions  are  not  to  be  traced, 
but  she  was  specially  designed  to  carry  the  heaviest  man  (E.  F. 
Henley)  at  bow.  She  was  certainly  never  surpassed  by  any 
other  boat  which  Salter  built.  She  won  in  1865.  In  1866  a 
heavier  crew  were  in  training,  and  the  1865  boat  was  supposed 
to  be  too  small.  She  was  not  tried  at  all  at  Oxford  with  the 
crew.  A  new  boat  was  built,  this  time  to  carry  E.  F.  Henley 
at  5.  When  the  crew  reached  Putney  the  writer  felt  dissatis- 
fied with  the  movement  of  the  new  boat,  and  persuaded  the 
crew  to  try  the  old  one,  even  though  she  would  be  rather  too 
small  for  them.  They  sent  for  her,  and  launched  for  a  trial 
paddle  the  Monday  before  the  race ;  so  soon  as  they  had  rowed 
a  dozen  strokes  in  her  they  stopped,  and  declared  she  was  the 
only  light  boat  they  had  felt  that  season.  They  rowed  the  race 
in  her,  and  won,  and  never  took  the  trouble  to  set  foot  again 
in  the  new  and  rejected  boat. 

This  victorious  boat  was  then  bought  by  the  Oxford 
Etonians.  They  won  the  Grand  Challenge  of  1866  and  1867 
in  her,  took  her  to  Paris,  and  there  won  the  eight-oared  race  at 
the  International  Regatta.  She  was  sold  and  left  behind  in  Paris. 
The  writer  suspects  that  her  undeniable  speed  was  mainly  owing 
to  the  fact  that  Salter  designed'  some  extra  displacement  at 
No.  3,  in  order  to  carry  E.  F.  Henley  at  that  seat. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TRAINING. 

DIET. 
That  '  condition  '  tells  in  all  contests,  whether  in  brain  labours 
such  as  chess  matches  or  in  athletics,  is  known  to  children  in 
the  schoolroom. 

Training  is  the  regime  by  means  of  which  condition  is 
attained.  Its  dogmas  are  of  two  orders  :  (i)  Those  which 
relate  to  exercise,  (2)  those  which  refer  to  diet.  Diet  of  itself 
does  not  train  a  man  for  rowing  or  any  other  kind  of  athletics. 
What  trains  is  hard  work  ;  proper  diet  keeps  the  subject  up  to 
that  work. 

The  effect  of  a  course  of  training  is  twofold.     It  develops 


154  BOATING. 

those  muscles  which  are  in  use  for  the  exercise  in  question,  and 
it  also  prepares  the  internal  organs  of  heart  and  lungs  for  the 
extra  strain  which  will  be  put  upon  them  during  the  contest. 
All  muscles  tend  to  develop  under  exercise,  and  to  dwindle 
under  inaction.  The  right  shoulder  and  arm  of  a  nail-maker 
are  often  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  left ;  the  fingers  of  a 
pianist  develop  activity  with  practice,  or  lose  it  if  the  instrument 
be  discontinued, 

Training  is  a  thorough  science,  and  it  is  much  better  under- 
stood in  these  days  than  when  the  writer  was  in  active  work  ; 
and  again,  the  trainers  of  his  day  were  in  their  turn  far  ahead 
of  those  of  the  early  years  of  amateur  oarsmanship.  From  the 
earliest  recorded  days  of  athletic  contests,  there  seems  to  have 
been  much  faith  pinned  to  beefsteaks.  When  Socrates  rebukes 
Thrasymachus,  in  the  opening  pages  of  Plato's  '  Republic,'  he 
speaks  of  beefsteaks  as  being  the  chief  subject  of  interest  to 
Polydamos,  who  seems  to  have  been  a  champion  of  the  P.R. 
of  Athens  of  those  days.  The  beefsteak  retains  its  prestige  to 
the  present  day,  but  it  is  not  the  ne  plus  ultra  which  it  was  in 
1830. 

The  earliest  amateur  crews  seem  to  have  rowed  in  many 
instances  without  undergoing  a  course  of  training  and  of  re- 
duction of  fat.  But  when  important  matches  began  to  be 
made,  the  value  of  condition  was  appreciated.  Prizefighters 
had  then  practical  training  longer  than  any  other  branch  of 
athletics,  and  it  was  by  no  means  uncommon  for  watermen, 
when  matched  by  their  patrons,  to  be  placed  under  the  super- 
vision of  some  mentor  from  the  P.R.  as  regards  their  diet  and 
exercise.  But  before  long  watermen  began  to  take  care  of 
themselves  in  this  respect.  Their  system  of  training  did  not 
differ  materially  from  that  in  vogue  with  the  P.R.  It  consisted 
of  hard  work  in  thick  clothing,  early  during  the  course  of  pre- 
paration, to  reduce  weight  ;  and  a  good  deal  of  pedestrian 
exercise  formed  part  of  the  day's  programme  ;  a  material  result 
of  the  association  of  the  P.R.  system  of  preparation.  The  diet 
was  less  varied  and  liberal  than  in  these  days,  but  abstinence 


TRAINING.  155 

from  fluid  to  as  great  an  extent  as  possible  was  from  the  outset 
recognised  as  all-important  for  reducing  bulk  and  clearing  the 
wind. 

A  prizefighter  or  waterman  used  to  commence  his  training 
with  a  liberal  dose  of  physic.  The  idea  seems  to  have  a  stable 
origin,  analogous  to  the  principle  of  physic  balls  for  a  hunter 
on  being  taken  up  from  grass.  The  system  was  not  amiss  for 
men  of  mature  years,  who  had  probably  been  leading  a  life  of 
self-indulgence  since  the  time  when  they  had  last  been  in 
training.  But  when  University  crews  began  to  put  themselves 
under  the  care  of  professional  trainers,  those  worthies  used  to 
treat  these  half-grown  lads  as  they  would  some  gin-sodden 
senior  of  forty,  and  would  physic  their  insides  before  they  set 
them  to  work.  They  would  try  to  sweat  them  down  to  fiddle- 
strings,  and  were  not  happy  unless  they  could  show  considerable 
reduction  of  weight  in  the  scale,  even  with  a  lad  who  had  not 
attained  his  full  growth.  Still,  though  many  a  young  athlete 
naturally  went  amiss  under  this  severe  handling,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  these  professional  trainers  used  to  turn  out  their 
charges  in  very  fine  condition,  on  the  average. 

No  trainer  of  horses  would  work  a  two-year-old  on  the 
same  system  that  he  would  an  aged  horse ;  and  the  error  of 
these  old  professional  trainers  lay  in  their  not  realising  the  dif- 
ference in  age  between  University  men  and  the  ordinary  classes 
of  professional  athletes.  In  time  University  men  began  to 
think  and  to  act  for  themselves  in  the  matter  of  training. 
When  college  eights  first  began  to  row  against  each  other,  there 
were  only  three  or  four  clubs  which  manned  eights  ;  and  these 
eights  now  and  then  were  filled  up  with  a  waterman  or  two. 
(In  these  days  few  college  crews  would  take  an  Oxford  water- 
man at  a  ^\il—qud  his  oarsmanship  !)  These  crews,  when  they 
began  to  adopt  training,  employed  watermen  as  mentors. 
Before  long  there  were  more  eights  than  watermen,  and  some 
crews  could  not  obtain  this  assistance.  The  result  was,  a  rule 
against  employing  professional  tuition  within  a  certain  date  of 
the  race.     This  regulation  threw  University  men  upon  their 


156  BOATING, 

own  resources,  and  before  long  they  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  good  amateur  coaching  and  training  was  more  effective 
than  that  of  professionals.  Mr.  F.  Menzies,  the  late  Mr.  G. 
Hughes,  and  the  Rev.  A.  Shadwell,  had  much  to  do  in  con- 
verting the  O.U.B.C.  to  these  wholesome  doctrines.  From 
that  time  amateurs  of  all  rowing  clubs  have  very  much  de- 
pended on  themselves  and  their  confreres  for  tuition  in  oars- 
manship and  training. 

The  usual  regime  of  amateur  training  is  now  very  much  to 
the  following  effect. 

Reveille  at  6.30  or  7  a.m. — Generally  a  brief  morning  walk ; 
and  if  so,  the  '  tub '  is  usually  postponed  until  the  return  from 
the  walk.  If  it  is  summer,  and  there  are  swimming  facihties, 
a  header  or  two  does  no  harm,  but  men  should  not  be  allowed 
to  strike  out  hard  in  swimming,  when  under  hard  rowing  rules. 
For  some  reason,  which  medical  science  can  better  explain, 
there  seems  to  be  a  risk  of  straining  the  suspensory  or  some 
other  ligaments,  when  they  are  suddenly  relaxed  in  water,  and 
then  extended  by  a  jerk.  (This  refers  to  arms  that  have  lately 
been  bearing  the  strain  of  rowing.)  Also,  the  soakage  in  water 
for  any  length  of  time  tends  to  relax  the  whole  of  the  muscular 
system.  Whether  tub  or  swim  be  the  order  of  the  morning, 
the  skin  should  be  well  rubbed  down  with  rough  towels  after 
the  immersion.  In  old  days  there  used  to  be  a  furore  for  run- 
ning before  breakfast.  Many  young  men  find  their  stomachs 
and  appetites  upset  by  hard  work  on  an  empty  stomach,  more 
especially  in  sultry  weather.  The  Oxford  U.B.C.  eight  at 
Henley  in  1857  and  1859  used  to  go  for  a  run  up  Remenham 
Hill  before  breakfast,  and  this  within  two  or  three  days  of  the 
regatta.     Such  a  system  would  now  be  tabooed  as  unsound. 

Breakfast  consists  of  grilled  chops  or  steaks  ;  cold  meat 
may  be  allowed  if  a  man  prefers  it.  If  possible,  it  is  well  to 
let  a  roast  joint  cool  unmt^  to  supply  cold  meat  for  a  crew.  The 
gravy  is  thus  retained  in  the  meat. 

Bread  should  be  one  day  old  ;  toast  is  better  than  bread. 
Many  crews  allow  butter,  but  as  a  rule  a  man  is  better  without 


TRAINING. 


157 


it.  It  adds  a  trifle  to  adipose  deposit,  and  does  not  do  any 
special  service  towards  strengthening  his  tissues  or  purifying 
his  blood. 

Some  green  meat  at  breakfast  is  a  good  thing.  Watercress 
for  choice — next  best  are  small  salad  and  lettuce  (plain). 

Tea  is  the  recognised  beverage  ;  two  cups  are  ample  for  a 
man.  If  he  can  dispense  with  sugar  it  will  save  him  son)e 
ounces  of  fat,  if  he  is  at  all  of  a  flesh-forming  habit  of  body. 
A  boiled  egg  is  often  allowed,  to  wind  up  the  repast. 


GOING   TO   SCALE, 


Luncheon  depends,  as  to  its  substance,  very  much  upon  the 
time  of  year  and  the  hours  of  exercise.  If  the  work  can  be 
done  in  two  sections,  forenoon  and  afternoon,  all  the  better. 
In  hot  summer  weather  it  may  be  too  sultry  to  take  men  out 
between  breakfast  and  the  mid-day  meal.  Luncheon  now 
usually  consists  of  cold  meat,  to  a  reasonable  amount,  stale 
bread,  green  meat,  and  a  glass  of  ale.  In  the  days  when  the 
writer  was  at  Oxford,  the  rule  of  the  O.U.B.C.  was  to  allow  no 
meat  at  luncheon  (only  bread,  butter,  and  watercress).     This 


158  BOATING. 

was  a  mistake  ;  young  men,  daily  \vast"ng  a  large  amount  of 
tissue  under  hard  work,  had  a  natural  craving  for  substantial 
food  to  supply  the  hiatus  in  the  system.  By  being  docked  of  it 
at  luncheon,  they  gorged  all  the  more  at  breakfast  and  dinner, 
where  there  was  no  limit  as  to  quantity  (of  solids)  to  be  con- 
sumed. They  would  have  done  better  had  their  supply  of 
animal  food  been  divided  into  three  instead  of  two  daily  allow- 
ances. They  used  to  be  allowed  one  slice  of  cold  meat  during 
their  nine  days'  stay  at  Putney  ;  it  would  have  been  well  to 
have  allowed  this  all  through  training. 

Dinner  consists  mainly  of  roast  beef  or  mutton,  or  choice 
of  both.  It  is  the  custom  to  allow  '  luxuries '  of  some  sort 
every  other  day,  e.g.  fish  one  day,  and  a  course  of  roast 
poultry  (chicken)  on  another.  '  Pudding '  is  sometimes  al- 
lowed daily,  sometimes  it  only  appears  in  its  turn  with  '  luxu- 
ries.' It  generally  consists  of  stewed  fruit,  with  plain  boiled 
rice,  or  else  calves'-foot  jelly.  A  crust,  or  biscuit,  with  a  little 
butter  and  some  watercress  or  lettuce,  make  a  final  course 
before  the  cloth  is  cleared. 

Drink  is  ale,  for  a  standard  ;  light  claret,  with  water,  is 
nowadays  allowed  for  choice,  and  no  harm  in  it.  A  pint  is  the 
normal  measure ;  sometimes  an  extra  half-pint  may  be  conceded 
on  thirsty  days. 

An  orange  and  biscuit  for  dessert  usually  follow.  In  the 
writer's  days  every  man  had  two  glasses  of  port  wine.  He 
thinks  this  was  perhaps  more  than  was  required  (as  regards 
alcohol) ;  one  glass  may  suffice,  but  there  may  be  no  reason 
against  the  second  wineglass  being  conceded,  with  water  sub- 
stituted, if  the  patient  is  really  dry.  Claret  also  may  take  the  place 
of  port  after  dinner.  Fashions  change  ;  in  the  writer's  active 
days,  claret  would  have  been  scorned  as  un-English  for  athletes. 

Such  is  the  usual  nature  of  training  diet ;  of  the  exercise 
of  the  day,  more  anon.  There  does  not  seem  to  be  much 
fault  to  find  with  the  regime  above  sketched  ;  in  fact,  the  proof 
of  soundness  of  the  diet  may  be  seen  in  the  good  condition 
usually  displayed  by  those  who  adopt  it. 


TRAINING. 


59 


All  the  same,  the  writer,  when  he  has  trained  crews,  has 
slightly  modified  the  above  in  a  few  details.  He  has  allowed 
(a  little)  fish  or  poultry  daily,  as  an  extra  course,  and  for  the 
same  reason  has  always  endeavoured  to  have  both  beef  and 
mutton  on  the  table.  He  believes  that  change  of  dish  aids 
appetite,  so  long  as  the  varieties  of  food  do  not  clash  in  diges- 
tion. Men  become  tired  with  a  monotony  of  food,  however 
wholesome.  Puddings  the  writer  does  not  think  much  of, 
provided  that  other  varieties  of  dish  can  be  obtained.  A  cer- 
tain amount  of  vegetable  food  is  necessary  to  blend  with  the 
animal  food,  else  boils  are  likely  to  break  out ;  but  green 
vegetables  such  as  are  in  season  are  far  better  than  puddings 
for  this  purpose.  Salad,  daily  with  the  joints  will  do  good.  It 
is  unusual  to  see  it,  that  is  all.  The  salad  should  not  be 
dressed.  Lettuce,  endive,  watercress,  smallcress,  beetroot,  and 
some  minced  spring  onions  to  flavour  the  whole,  make  a  pass- 
able dish,  which  a  hungry  athlete  will  much  relish.  Asparagus, 
spinach,  and  French  beans  may  be  supplied  when  obtainable. 
Green  peas  are  not  so  good,  and  broad  beans  worse.  The 
tops  of  young  nettles,  when  emerald  green,  make  a  capital  dish, 
like  spinach,  rather  more  tasty  than  the  latter  vegetable.  Such 
nettles  can  only  be  picked  when  they  first  shoot ;  old  nettles 
are  as  bad  as  flowered  asparagus. 

If  a  crew  train  in  the  fruit  season,  fruit  to  a  small  amount 
will  not  harm  them,  as  a  finale  to  either  breakfast  or  dinner. 
But  the  fruit  should  be  very  fresh,  not  bruised  nor  decomposed  ; 
strawberries,  gooseberries,  grapes,  peaches,  nectarines,  apricots 
(say  one  of  the  last  three,  or  a  dozen  of  the  smaller  fruits,  for 
a  man's  allowance),  all  are  admissible.  Not  so  melons,  nor 
pines — so  medical  friends  assert. 

In  hot  summer  weather  it  is  as  well  to  dine  about  2  p.m., 
to  row  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  towards  7  p.m.,  and  to  sup 
about  8.30  or  9  p.m.  It  is  a  mistake  to  assume  that  because 
a  regatta  will  come  off  midday,  therefore  those  who  train  for 
it  should  accustom  themselves  to  a  burning  sun  for  practice. 
With  all   due   deference  to  Herodotus  (who  avers   that   the 


i6o  BOATING. 

skeleton  skulls  of  quondam  combatant  Persians  and  Egyptians 
could  be  known  apart  on  the  battle-field,  because  the  turban- 
clad  heads  of  Persians  produced  soft  skulls  which  crumbled  to 
a  kick,  while  the  sun-baked  heads  of  Egyptians  were  hard  as 
bricks),  we  do  not  believe  in  this  sort  of  acclimatisation. 
If  men  have  to  be  trained  to  row  a  midnight  race,  they  would 
be  best  prepared  for  it  by  working  at  their  ordinary  daylight 
hours,  not  by  turning  night  into  day  for  w^eeks  beforehand. 
On  the  same  principle  it  would  seem  to  be  a  mistake  to  expose 
oarsmen  in  practice  to  excessive  heat  to  which  they  have  not 
been  accustomed,  solely  because  they  are  likely  eventually  to 
row  their  race  under  a  similar  sun.  In  really  oppressive  w^eather 
at  Henley  the  writer  and  his  crews  used  to  dine  about  2  p.m. 
as  aforesaid,  finish  supper  at  9  or  9.30,  and  go  to  bed  two 
hours  later.  They  rose  proportionately  later  next  day,  taking 
a  good  nine  hours  in  bed  before  they  turned  out.  So  far  as 
their  records  read,  those  crews  do  not  seem  on  the  whole  to 
have  suffered  in  condition  by  this  system  of  training. 

Many  men  are  parched  with  thirst  at  night.  The  heat  of 
the  stomach,  rather  overladen  with  food,  tends  to  this.  The 
waste  of  the  system  has  been  abnormal  during  the  day  ;  the 
appetite,  i.e.  instinct  to  replenish  the  w^aste,  has  also  been 
abnormal,  and  yet  the  capacity  of  the  stomach  is  only  normal. 
Hence  the  stomach  finds  it  hard  work  to  keep  pace  with  the 
demands  upon  it.  Next  morning  these  men  feel  'coppered,' 
as  if  they  had  drunk  too  much  overnight,  and  yet  it  is  needless 
to  say  they  have  not  in  any  way  exceeded  the  moderate  scale 
of  alcohol  already  propounded  above  as  being  customary. 

The  best  preventive  of  this  tendency  to  fevered  mouths  is 
a  cup  of  '  water  gruel,'  or  even  a  small  slop-basin  of  it,  the  last 
thing  before  bedtime.  It  should  not  contain  any  milk  ;  millet 
seed  and  oatmeal  grits  are  best  for  its  composition.  The  con- 
sumption of  this  light  supper  should  be  compulsory.,  whether  it 
suits  palates  or  not.  The  effect  of  it  is  very  striking  ;  it  seems 
to  soothe  and  promote  digestion,  and  to  allay  thirst  more  than 
three  times  its  amount  of  water  would  do.     Some  few  men 


TRAINING.  i6f 

cannot,  or  profess  to  be  unable  to,  stomach  this  gruel.  The 
writer  has  had  to  deal  with  one  or  two  such  in  his  time.  He 
had  his  doubts  whether  their  stomach  or  their  whims  were 
to  blame  ;  but  in  such  cases  he  gave  way,  and  allowed  a  cup 
of  chocolate  instead  —r^'/V//*?/^/  milk.  (Milk  blends  badly  with 
meat  and  wine  at  the  end  of  a  hard  day.)  Chocolate  is  rather 
more  fattening  than  gruel,  otherwise  it  answers  the  same  pur- 
pose, of  checking  any  disposition  to  'coppers.' 

It  has  been  a  time-honoured  maxim  with  all  trainers,  that 
it  is  the  fluids  which  lay  on  fat  and  which  spoil  the  wind. 
Accordingly,  reduction  in  the  consumption  of  fluid  has  always 
been  one  of  the  first  principles  of  training,  and  it  is  a  sound 
one  so  long  as  it  is  not  carried  to  excess.  It  is  not  at  the  out- 
set of  training  that  thirst  so  oppresses  the  patient,  but  at  the 
end  of  the  first  week  and  afterwards,  especially  when  tempera- 
ture rises  and  days  are  sultry.  Vinegar  over  greens  at  dinner 
tends  to  allay  thirst ;  the  use  of  pepper  rather  promotes  it.  In 
time  the  oarsman  begins  to  accustom  himself  somewhat  to  his 
diminished  allowance  of  fluid,  and  he  learns  to  economise  it 
during  his  meals,  to  wash  down  his  solids. 

A  coach  should  be  reasonably  firm  in  resisting  unnecessary 
petitions  for  extra  fluid,  but  he  must  exercise  discretion,  and 
need  not  be  always  obdurate.  On  this  subject  the  writer  repro- 
duces his  opinion  as  expressed  in  '  Oars  and  Sculls  '  in  1873  : — 

The  tendency  to  'coppers'  in  training  is  no  proof  of  insobriety. 
The  whole  system  of  training  is  unnatural  to  the  body.  It  is  an 
excess  of  nature.  Regular  exercise  and  plain  food  are  not  in  them- 
selves unnatural,  but  the  amount  of  each  taken  by  the  subject  in 
training  is  what  is  unnatural.  The  wear  and  tear  of  tissue  is  more 
than  would  go  on  at  ordinary  times,  and  consequently  the  body 
requires  more  commissariat  than  usual  to  replenish  the  system. 
The  stomach  has  all  its  work  cut  out  to  supply  the  commissariat, 
and  leave  the  tendency  to  indigestion  and  heat  in  the  stomach.  A 
cup  of  gruel  seldom  fails  to  set  this  to  rights,  and  a  glass  of  water 
besides  may  also  be  allowed  if  the  coach  is  satisfied  that  a  com- 
plaint of  thirst  is  genuine.  There  is  no  greater  folly  than  stinting 
a  man  in  his  liquid.     He  should  not  be  allowed  to  blow  himself  out 

M 


1 62  BOATING, 

with  drink,  taking  up  the  room  of  good  soh'd  food  ;  but  to  go  to  the 
other  extreme,  and  to  spoil  his  appetite  for  want  of  an  extra  half- 
pint  at  dinner,  or  a  glass  of  water  at  bedtime,  is  a  relic  of  barbarism. 
The  appetite  is  generally  greatest  about  the  end  of  the  first  week 
of  training.  By  that  time  the  frame  has  got  sufficiently  into  trim 
to  stand  long  spells  of  work  at  not  too  rapid  a  pace.  The  stomach 
has  begun  to  accustom  itself  to  the  extra  demands  put  upon  it, 
and  as  at  this  time  the  daily  waste  and  loss  of  flesh  is  greater  than 
later  on,  when  there  is  less  flesh  to  lose,  so  the  natural  craving  to 
replenish  the  waste  of  the  day  is  greater  than  at  a  later  period. 
At  this  time  the  thirst  is  great,  and  though  drinking  out  of  hours 
should  be  forbidden,  yet  the  appetite  should  not,  for  reasons 
previously  stated,  be  suffered  to  grow  stale  for  want  of  sufficient 
liquid  at  meal  times  in  proportion  to  the  solids  consumed. 

Such  views  would  have  been  reckoned  scandalously  heretical 
twenty-five  or  more  years  ago,  but  the  writer  feels  that  he  is 
unorthodox  in  good  company,  and  is  glad  to  find  Mr.  E.  D. 
Brickwood,  in  his  treatise  on  'Boat-racing,'  1875,  laying  down 
his  own  experiences  on  the  same  subject  to  just  the  same  effect. 
Mr.  Brickwood's  remarks  on  the  subject  of  '  thirst '  (as  per  his 
index)  may  be  studied  with  advantage  by  modern  trainers.  He 
says  (page  201)  : — 

As  hunger  is  the  warning  voice  of  nature  telling  us  that  our 
bodies  are  in  need  of  a  fresh  supply  of  food,  so  thirst  is  the  same 
voice  warning  us  that  a  fresh  supply  of  liquid  is  required.  Thirst, 
then,  being,  like  hunger,  a  natural  demand,  may  safely  be  gratified, 
and  with  water  in  preference  to  any  other  fluid.  The  prohibition 
often  put  upon  the  use  of  water  or  fluid  in  training  may  often  be 
carried  too  far.  To  limit  a  man  to  a  pint  or  two  of  liquid  per  day, 
when  his  system  is  throwing  off"  three  or  four  times  that  quantity 
through  the  medium  of  the  ordinary  secretions,  is  as  unreasonable 
as  to  keep  him  on  half-rations.  The  general  thirst  experienced  by 
the  whole  system,  consequent  upon  great  bodily  exertion  or  extreme 
external  heat,  has  but  one  means  of  cure — drink,  in  the  simplest 
form  attainable.  Local  thirst,  usually  hmited  to  the  mucous  linings 
of  the  mouth  and  throat,  may  be  allayed  by  rinsing  the  mouth  and 
gargling  the  throat,  sucking  the  stone  of  stone  fruit,  or  a  pebble, 
by  which  to  excite  the  glands  in  the  affected  part,  or  even  by 
dipping  the  hands  into  cold  water.     Fruit  is  here  of  very  little 


TRAINING,  163 

benefit,  as  the  fluid  passes  at  once  to  the  stomach,  and  affords 
no  relief  to  the  parts  affected ;  but  after  rinsing  the  mouth, 
small  quantities  may  be  swallowed  slowly.  The  field  for  the 
selection  of  food  to  meet  the  waste  of  the  body  under  any  con- 
dition of  physical  exertions  is  by  no  means  restricted.  All  that 
the  exceptional  requirements  of  training  call  for  is  to  make  a 
judicious  selection  ;  but,  in  recognising  this  principle,  rowing  men 
have  formed  a  dietary  composed  almost  wholly  of  restrictions  the 
effect  of  which  has  been  to  produce  a  sameness  in  diet  which  has 
almost  been  as  injurious  in  some  cases  as  the  entire  absence  of 
any  laws  would  be  in  others. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  Mr.  Brickwood's  field  as  an 
amateur  lay  principally  in  sculling,  which  entailed  solitary  train- 
ing, unlike  that  of  a  member  of  an  eight  or  four.  He  had 
therefore  to  train  himself,  and  to  trust  to  his  own  judgment 
when  so  doing,  blending  self-denial  with  discretion.  He  is,  in 
the  above  quotation,  apparently  speaking  of  the  principles  under 
which  he  governed  himself  when  training.  That  they  were 
crowned  with  good  success  his  record  as  an  athlete  shows,  for 
he  twice  won  the  Diamond  Sculls,  and  also  held  the  Wingfield 
(amateur  championship)  in  1861.  Such  testimony  therefore  is 
the  more  valuable  coming  from  a  successful  and  self-trained 
sculler. 

As  regards  sleep,  the  writer  lays  great  stress  upon  obtaining 
a  good  amount  of  it.  Even  if  a  night  is  sultry,  and  sleep  does 
not  come  easily,  still  the  oarsman  can  gain  something  by  mere 
physical  repose,  though  his  brain  may  now  and  then  not  obtain 
rest  so  speedily  as  he  could  wish.  The  adage  ascribed  to  King 
George  HI.  as  to  hours  of  sleep,  '  six  for  a  man,  seven  for  a 
woman,  and  eight  for  a  fool,'  is  unsound.  He  who  is  credited 
with  having  propounded  it,  show^ed  in  his  later  years  that,  either 
his  brain  had  suffered  from  deficiency  of  rest,  or  that  it  never 
had  been  sufficiently  brilliant  to  justify  much  attention  being 
bestowed  on  his  philosophy.  Probably  he  never  did  a  really 
hard  day's  (still  less  a  week's)  labour,  of  either  brain  or  body, 
in  his  life.  Had  he  done  so,  he  would  have  found  that  not  six, 
nor  seven,  and  often  not  eight  hours,  are  too  much  to  enable 


i64  BOATING. 

the  wasted  tissues  of  brain  or  body,  or  both,  to  recuperate.  It 
is  when  in  a  state  of  repose  that  the  blood,  newly  made  from 
the  latest  meal,  courses  through  the  system  and  replenishes 
what  has  been  wasted  during  the  day.  Recruits  are  never 
measured  for  the  standard  at  the  end  of  a  day's  march,  but 
next  day — after  a  good  rest.  Cartilage,  sinew,  muscle,  alike 
waste.  The  writer  used,  after  racing  the  Henley  course,  perhaps 
thrice  in  an  evening's  practice  (twice  in  a  four  or  eight  and 
afterwards  in  a  pair-oar  or  sculling  boat,  &c.),  to  take  a  good 
nine  hours'  sound  sleep,  and  awoke  all  the  better  for  it.  Some 
men  keep  on  growing  to  a  comparatively  late  age  in  life  ;  such 
men  require  more  sleep,  while  thus  increasing  in  size,  than 
others  who  have  earlier  attained  full  bulk  and  maturity.  As  a 
rule,  and  regardless  of  what  many  other  trainers  may  say  to  the 
contrary,  the  writer  believes  that  the  majority  of  men  in  training 
may  sleep  nine  hours  with  advantage. 

The  period  of  training  varies  according  to  circumstances. 
A  man  of  twenty-five  and  upwards,  who  has  been  lying  by  for 
months,  it  may  be  for  a  year  or  two,  can  do  with  three  months 
of  it.  The  first  half  should  be  less  severe  than  the  last.  He 
can  begin  with  steady  work,  to  redevelope  his  muscles,  and  to 
reduce  his  bulk  (if  he  is  much  over  weight)  by  degrees.  The 
last  six  weeks  should  be  '  strict '  in  every  sense.  He  can  get 
into  '  hunting '  condition  in  the  first  six  weeks,  and  progress  to 
*  racing '  condition  in  the  succeeding  six. 

University  crews  train  from  five  to  six  weeks.  The  men 
are  young,  and  have,  most  of  them,  been  in  good  exercise  some 
time  before  strict  training  begins. 

College  crews  cannot  give  much  more  than  three  weeks  to 
train  for  the  summer  bumping  races  ;  tideway  crews  have  been 
doing  a  certain  amount  of  work  for  weeks  before  they  go  into 
strict  training  for  Henley  ;  this  last  stage  usually  lasts  about 
four  weeks. 

It  is  often  supposed  that  a  man  needs  less  training  for  a 
short  than  for  a  long  course.  This  is  a  mistake.  The  longer 
he  prepares  himself,  so  long  as  he  does  not  overdo  himself,  the 


TRAINING. 


165 


better  he  will  be.  Long  and  gradual  training  is  better  than  short 
and  severe  reductions.  Over  a  long  course,  when  an  untrained 
man  once  finds  nature  fail  him,  more  ground  will  be  lost  than 
over  a  short  course  :  cela  va  sans  dire  :  but  that  is  no  argument 
against  being  thoroughly  fit  for  even  a  half-mile  row.  The 
shorter  the  course,  the  higher  thepressureof  pace,  and  the  crew 
that  cracks  first  for  want  of  condition — loses  {ceteris  paribus). 
Athletes  of  the  running  path  will  agree  that  it  is  as  impor- 


SMOKING   IS    FORBIDDEN. 


tant  to  train  a  man  thoroughly  for  a  quarter-mile  race  as  for 
a  three-mile  struggle.  Pace  kills,  and  it  is  condition  which 
enables  the  athlete  to  endure  the  pace. 

Smoking  is,  as  every  schoolboy  knows,  forbidden  in  training. 
However, //-(^y^r;;/^,  the  fact  must  be  recorded  that  it  is  illicit. 
It  spoils  the  freedom  of  the  lungs,  which  should  be  as  elastic 
as  possible,  in  order  to  enable  them  to  oxygenate  properly  the 
extra  amount  of  blood  which  circulates  under  violent  exertions. 

Aperients  at  the  commencement  of  training  used  to  be  de 


t66  BOATING. 

rigtieur.  Young  men  of  active  habits  hardly  need  them.  Any- 
how, no  trainer  should  attempt  to  administer  them  on  his  own 
account  ;  if  he  thinks  the  men  need  physic  at  the  outset,  let 
him  call  in  a  medical  man  to  prescribe  for  them. 

WORK. 

We  have  said  that  proper  diet  keeps  an  oarsman  up  to  the 
work  which  is  necessary  to  bring  him  into  good  condition.  Hav- 
ing detailed  the  regime  of  diet,  and  its  appurtenances,  such  as 
sleep,  we  may  now  deal  with  the  system  of  work  itself. 

One  item  of  work  we  have  incidentally  dealt  with,  to  wit,  the 
morning  walk  ;  but  it  was  necessary  to  handle  this  detail  at  that 
stage  because  it  had  a  reference  to  the  morning  tub  and  morning 
meal. 

The  work  which  is  set  for  a  crew  should  be  guided  by  the 
distance  of  time  from  the  race.  If  possible,  oarsmen  should 
have  their  work  lightened  somewhat  towards  the  close  of  train- 
ing, and  it  is  best  to  get  over  the  heavy  work,  which  is  designed 
to  reduce  weight  as  well  as  to  clear  the  wind,  at  a  comparatively 
early  stage  of  the  training. 

There  is  also  another  factor  to  be  taken  into  calculation  by 
the  trainer,  and  that  is  whether,  at  the  time  when  sharp  work  is 
necessary  to  produce  condition,  his  crew  are  sufficiently  ad- 
vanced as  oarsmen  to  justify  him  in  setting  them  to  perform 
that  work  at  a  fast  stroke  in  the  boat.  Not  all  crews  require  to 
be  worked  upon  the  same  system,  irrespective  of  the  question 
of  stamina  and  health. 

Suppose  a  crew  are  backward  as  oarsmen  and  also  behind- 
hand in  condition.  If  such  a  crew  are  set  to  row  a  fast  stroke 
in  order  to  blow  themselves  and  to  accustom  their  vascular 
system  to  high  pressure,  their  style  may  be  damaged.  If  on 
the  other  hand  they  do  no  work  except  rowing  at  a  slow  stroke 
until  within  a  few  days  of  the  race,  they  will  come  to  the  post 
short  of  condition.  Such  a  crew  should  be  kept  at  a  slow  stroke 
in  the  boat,  in  order  to  enable  them  to  learn  style,  for  a  fortnight 
or  so  ;  but  meantime  the  trainer  should  put  them  through  some 


TRAINING. 


t67 


sharp  work  upon  their  legs.  He  should  set  them  to  run  a  mile 
or  so  after  the  day's  rowing.  This  will  get  off  flesh,  and  will 
clear  the  wind,  and  meantime  style  can  be  studied  in  the  boat. 
Long  rows  without  an  easy  are  a  mistake  for  backward  men  who 
are  also  short  of  work.     When  the  pupil  gets  blown  at  the  end 

of  a  few  minutes  he  re- 
lapses into  his  old  faults, 
and  makes  his  last  state 
worse  than  the  first. 

Training  not  only  gets 


RUN   A  MILE  OR   TWO. 


off  superfluous  flesh, 
but  also  lays  on  muscle. 
The  sooner  the  fat  is 
off  the  sooner  does  the 
muscle  lay  on.  The 
commissariat  feeds  the 
newly  developing  mus- 
cles better  if  there  is  no  tax  upon  it  to  replenish  the  fat  as  well. 
For  this  reason,  apart  from  the  importance  of  clearing  the  wind, 
heavy  work  should  come  early  in  training.  When  a  crew  who 
have  been  considerably  reduced  in  weight  early  in  their  course 
of  training,  feed  up  towards  the  last,  and  gain  in  weight,  it  is  a 
good  sign,  and  shows  that  their  labours  have  been  judiciously 


168  BOATING. 

adjusted  ;  the  weight  which  they  pick  up  at  the  close  of  training 
is  new  muscle  replacing  the  discarded  fat. 

In  training  college  eights  for  summer  races  there  is  not 
scope  for  training  on  the  above  system.  The  time  is  too  short, 
some  of  the  men  are  already  half-fit,  and  have  been  in  work  of 
some  sort  or  other  during  the  spring  ;  while  one  or  two  of  them 
may  have  been  lying  idle  for  a  twelvemonth.  In  such  cases  a 
captain  must  use  his  own  discretion  ;  he  can  set  his  grosser  men 
to  do  some  running  while  he  confines  those  who  are  fitter  to 
work  only  in  the  ship.  As  a  rule,  however,  unless  men  have  no 
surplus  flesh  to  take  off,  all  oarsmen  are  the  better  for  a  little 
running  at  the  end  of  the  day  during  the  early  part  of  training. 
It  prepares  their  wind  for  the  time  when  a  quick  stroke  will  be 
required  of  them.  A  crew  who  have  been  rowing  a  slow  stroke 
and  who  have  meantime  been  improved  in  condition  by  run- 
ning, will  take  to  the  quick  stroke  later  on  more  kindly  than  a 
ditto  class  crew  who  have  done  no  running,  and  whose  condi- 
tion has  been  obtained  only  by  rowing  exercise.  The  latter 
crew  have  been  rowing  all  abroad  while  short  of  wind,  and  have 
thereby  not  corrected,  and  probably  have  contracted,  faults. 
The  former  crew  will  have  had  better  opportunities  of  improving 
their  style,  will  be  more  like  machiner}^,  and  will  be  less  blown 
when  they  are  at  last  asked  to  gallop  in  the  boat. 

For  the  first  few  days  it  will  be  well  to  row  an  untrained 
crew  over  easy  half-miles.  A  long  day's  work  in  the  boat  will 
not  harm  them  :  on  the  contrary,  it  will  tend  to  shake  them 
together ;  tired  men  can  row  well  as  to  style,  but  men  out  of 
breath  cannot  row.  At  the  end  of  a  week  or  so,  the  men  can 
cover  a  mile  at  a  hard  slow  grind  without  an  easy.  If  there  is 
plenty  of  time,  i.e.  some  five  weeks  of  training,  a  good  deal  of 
paddling  can  be  done,  alternating  with  hard  rowing  at  a  slow 
stroke.  If  there  are  only  three  weeks  to  train,  and  men  are 
gross,  much  paddling  cannot  be  spared.  If  again  time  is  short 
and  men  have  already  been  in  work  for  other  races,  and  do  not 
want  much  if  any  reduction  in  weight,  then  a  good  deal  of  the 
day's  work  may  be  done  at  a  paddle. 


TRAINING.  169 

Thirty  strokes  a  minute  is  plenty  for  slow  rowing.  Some 
strokes,  though  good  to  race  behind,  have  a  difficulty  in  rowing 
slow,  especially  after  having  had  a  spell  at  a  fast  stroke.  It  is 
important  to  inculcate  upon  the  stroke  that  thirty  a  minute 
should  be  his  '  walking '  pace,  and  should  always  be  maintained 
except  when  he  is  set  to  do  a  course,  or  a  part  of  one,  or  to 
row  a  start.  When  once  he  is  told  to  do  something  like  racing 
over  a  distance,  he  must  calculate  his  stroke  to  orders,  whether 
thirty-two,  -four,  -six,  -eight,  &c.  But  when  the  'gallop'  is 
over,  then  the  normal  '  thirty '  should  resume.  It  is  during  the 
'  off '  work,  when  rowing  or  paddling  to  or  from  a  course,  that 
there  is  most  scope  for  coaching,  and  faults  are  best  cured  at  a 
slow  stroke. 

In  training  for  a  short  course,  such  as  Henley  and  college 
races,  a  crew  may  be  taken  twice  each  day  backwards  and  for- 
wards over  the  distance  ;  the  first  time  at  thirty  a  minute  each 
way,  the  second  time  at  the  '  set '  pace  of  the  day,  over  the 
course,  relapsing  into  the  usual  '  thirty  '  on  the  reverse  journey. 
The  '  set '  stroke  depends  on  the  stage  of  training.  A  fortnight 
before  the  race  the  crew  may  begin  to  cover  the  course,  on  the 
second  journey,  at  about  thirty-one  a  minute.  A  stroke  a  day 
can  be  added  to  this,  until  racing  pace  is  reached.  If  men 
seem  stale,  an  off-day  should  be  given  at  light  work.  Mean- 
time, each  day,  attention  should  be  paid  to  '  starting,'  so  that 
all  may  learn  to  get  hold  of  the  first  stroke  well  together.  In 
order  to  accustom  the  men  to  a  quicker  stroke  and  to  getting 
forward  faster,  a  few  strokes  may  be  rowed,  in  each  start,  at  a 
pace  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  rate  of  stroke  set  for  the  day's 
grind  over  the  course.  A  couple  such  starts  as  this  per  diem 
benefit  both  crew  and  coach.  The  crew  begin  to  feel  what  a 
faster  stroke  will  be  like,  without  being  called  upon  to  perform 
it  over  the  whole  distance  before  they  are  fit  to  go  ;  the  coach 
will  be  able  to  observe  each  man's  work  at  the  faster  stroke. 
Many  a  green  oarsman  looks  promising  while  the  stroke  is 
slow,  but  becomes  all  abroad  when  called  upon  to  row  fast. 
It  is  best  to  have  some  insight  to  these  possible  failings  early  in 


lyo  BOATING. 

training,  else  it  may  be  too  late  to  remedy  them  or  to  change 
the  man  on  the  eve  of  battle. 

Towards  the  close  of  training  the  crew  should  do  their  level 
best  once  or  twice  over  the  course,  to  accustom  them  to  being 
rowed  out,  and  to  give  them  confidence  in  their  recuperative 
powers  ;  also  to  enable  the  stroke  to  feel  the  power  of  his  crew, 
and  to  form  an  opinion  as  to  how  much  he  can  ask  them  to  do 
in  the  race.  The  day  before  the  racing  begins,  work  should  be 
light. 

In  bumping  races,  if  a  college  has  no  immediate  fear  of  foes 
from  the  rear,  it  is  well  not  to  bring  men  too  fine  to  the  post  ; 
else,  though  they  may  do  well  enough  for  the  first  day  or  two, 
they  may  work  stale  or  lose  power  before  the  end  of  the  six 
days  of  the  contest.  It  is  better  that  a  crew  should  row  itself 
into  condition  than  out  of  it.  In  training  for  long-distance 
racing,  it  is  customary  to  make  about  every  alternate  day  a  light 
one,  of  about  the  same  work  as  for  college  racing.  The  other 
days  are  long-course  days  of  long  grinds,  to  get  men  together, 
and  to  reduce  weight.  When  men  have  settled  to  a  light  boat, 
and  have  begun  to  row  courses  against  time,  and  especially 
when  they  reach  Putney  water,  two  long  courses  in  each  week  are 
about  enough.  Many  crews  do  not  do  even  so  much  as  this.  As 
a  rule  a  crew  are  better  for  not  being  taken  for  more  than  ten  or 
eleven  minutes  of  hard,  uninterrupted  racing,  within  three  days 
of  the  race.  A  long  course  wastes  much  tissue,  and  it  takes  a 
day  or  two  to  feed  up  what  they  have  wasted.  Nevertheless, 
crews  have  been  known  to  do  long  courses  within  48  hours  of 
a  Putney  match,  and  to  win  withal  :  e.g.  the  Oxonians  of  1883, 
who  came  racing  pace  from  Barnes  to  Putney  two  days  before 
the  race,  and  '  beat  record '  over  that  stretch  of  water. 

Strokes  and  coaches  do  a  crew  much  harm  if  they  are  jealous 
of  '  times '  prematurely  in  practice.  Suppose  an  opponent  does 
a  fast  time,  there  is  no  need  to  go  to  the  starting  point  and 
endeavour  to  eclipse  time.  Possibly  his  rapid  time  has  been 
accomplished  by  dint  of  a  prematurely  rapid  stroke,  while  the 
pace  of  -our  own  boat,  with  regard  to  the  rate  of  stroke  em- 


TRAINING.  171 

ployed,  discloses  promise  of  better  pace  than  our  opponents, 
when  racing  shall  arrive  in  real  earnest.  Now  if  we,  for  jealousy, 
take  our  own  men  at  a  gallop  before  they  are  ripe  for  it,  we  run 
great  risk  of  injuring  their  style,  and  of  throwing  them  back 
instead  of  improving  them.  After  the  day's  race,  the  body 
should  be  well  washed  in  tepid  water,  and  rubbed  dry  with 
rough  towels.  It  is  a  good  thing  for  an  oarsman  to  keep  a 
toothbrush  in  his  dressing-room.  He  will  find  it  a  great  relief 
against  thirst  to  wash  his  mouth  out  with  it  when  dressing, 
more  especially  so  if  he  also  uses  a  little  tincture  of  myrrh. 

One  '  odd  man '  is  of  great  service  to  training,  even  if  he 
cannot  spare  time  to  row  in  the  actual  race.  Many  a  man  in  a 
crew  is  the  better  for  a  day's,  or  half  a  day's,  rest  now  and  then. 
Yet  his  gain  is  loss  of  practice  to  the  rest,  unless  a  stop-gap 
can  be  found  to  keep  the  machinery  going.  The  berth  of 
ninth  man  in  a  University  eight  often  leads  to  promotion  to  the 
full  colours  in  a  following  season,  as  U.B.C.  records  can  show. 

With  college  eights  there  used  to  be  2i  furore,  some  twenty 
years  ago,  for  taking  them  over  the  long  course  in  a  gig  eight. 
These  maityrs,  half  fit,  were  made  to  row  the  regulation  long 
course,  from  '  first  gate '  to  lasher,  or  at  least  to  Nuneham  rail- 
way bridge,  at  a  hard  and  without  an  easy.  The  idea  was  to 
'  shake  them  together.'  The  latter  desideratum  could  have 
been  attained  just  as  well  by  taking  them  to  the  lasher  and  back 
again,  but  allowing  them  to  be  eased  once  in  each  mile  or  so. 
Many  crews  that  adopted  the  process  met  with  undoubted  suc- 
cess, but  we  fancy  that  their  success  would  have  been  greater 
had  their  long  row  been  judiciously  broken  by  rest  every  five 
minutes.  To  behold  a  half-trained  college  eight  labouring  past 
Nuneham,  at  the  end  of  some  fifteen  minutes  of  toil,  jealous  to 
beat  the  time  of  some  rival  crew,  used  to  be  a  pitiable  sight. 
More  crews  were  marred  than  made  by  this  fanaticism. 

On  the  morning  of  a  race  it  is  a  good  thing  to  send  a  crew 
to  run  sprints  of  seventy  or  eighty  yards,  twice.  This  clears  the 
wind  greatly  for  the  rest  of  the  day,  without  taking  any  appre- 
ciable strength  out  of  the  man.     A  crew  thus  '  aired '  do  not  so 


172  BOATING. 

much  feel  the  severity  of  a  sharp  start  in  the  subsequent  race, 
and  they  gain  their  second  wind  much  sooner. 

The  meal  before  a  race  should  be  a  light  one,  comparatively : 
something  that  can  be  digested  very  easily.  Mutton  is  digested 
sooner  than  beef.  H.  Kelley  used  to  swear  by  a  wing  of  boiled 
chicken  (without  sauce)  before  a  race.  The  fluid  should  be 
kept  as  low  as  possible  just  before  a  race  ;  and  there  should  be 
about  three  hours  between  the  last  meal  and  the  start.  A  pre- 
hminary  canter  in  the  boat  is  advisable  ;  it  tests  all  oars  and 
stretchers,  and  warms  up  the  muscles.  Even  when  men  are 
rowing  a  second  or  third  race  in  the  day,  they  should  not  be 
chary  of  extending  themselves  for  a  few  strokes  on  the  way  to 
the  post.  Muscles  stiffen  after  a  second  race,  and  are  all  the 
better  for  being  warmed  up  a  trifle  before  they  are  again  placed 
on  the  rack. 

Between  races  a  little  food  may  be  taken,  even  if  there  is 
only  an  hour  to  spare  :  biscuit  soaked  in  port  wine  stays  the 
stomach  ;  and  if  there  is  more  than  an  hour  cold  mutton  and 
stale  bread  (no  butter),  to  the  extent  of  a  couple  of  sandwiches 
or  more  (according  to  time  for  digestion),  will  be  of  service. 
Such  a  meal  may  be  washed  down  with  a  little  cold  tea  and 
brandy.  The  tea  deadens  the  pain  of  stiffened  miuscles  ;  the 
brandy  helps  to  keep  the  pulse  up.  If  young  hands  are  fidgetty 
and  nervous,  a  little  brandy  and  water  may  be  given  them  ;  or 
brandy  and  tea,  not  exceeding  a  wine-glass,  rather  more  tea 
than  brandy.  The  writer  used  often  to  pick  up  his  crew  thus, 
and  was  sometimes  laughed  at  for  it  in  old  days.  He  is  relieved 
to  find  no  less  an  authority  than  Mr.  E.  D.  Brickwood,  on  page 
219  of  'Boat-racing,'  holding  the  same  view  as  himself,  and 
commending  the  same  system  of  '  pick-me-up.' 

AILMENTS. 
A  rowing  man  seems  somehow  to  be  heir  to  nearly  as  many 
ailments  as  a  racehorse.    Except  that  he  does  not  turn  'roarer,' 
and  that  there  is  no  such  hereditary  taint  in  rowing  clubs,  he 
may  almost  be  likened  to  a  Derby  favourite. 


TRAINING.  173 

Boils  are  one  of  the  most  common  afflictions.  They  used 
to  be  seen  more  frequently  in  the  writer's  days  than  now.  The 
modern  recognition  of  the  importance  of  a  due  proportion  of 
vegetable  food  blended  with  the  animal  food  has  tended  to  re- 
duce the  proportion  of  oarsmen  annually  laid  up  by  this  com- 
plaint. A  man  is  not  carnivorous  purely,  but  omnivorous,  like 
a  pig  or  a  bear.  If  he  gorges  too  much  animal  food  meat,  he 
disorders  his  blood,  and  his  blood  seeks  to  throw  off  its  humours. 
If  there  is  a  sore  anywhere  on  the  frame  at  the  time,  the  blood 
will  select  this  as  a  safety  valve,  and  will  raise  a  fester  there. 
If  there  is  no  such  existing  safety  valve,  the  blood  soon  broaches 
a  volcano  of  its  own,  and  has  an  unpleasant  habit  of  selecting 
most  inconvenient  sites  for  these  eruptions.  Where  there  is 
most  wear  and  tear  going  on  to  the  cuticle  is  a  likely  spot  for 
the  volcano  to  open,  and  nature  in  this  respect  is  prone  to 
favour  the  seat  of  honour  more  than  any  other  portions  of  the 
frame.  Next  in  fashion,  perhaps,  comes  the  neck  ;  the  friction 
of  a  comforter  when  the  neck  is  dripping  with  perspiration  tends 
often  to  make  the  skin  of  the  neck  tender  and  to  induce 
a  boil  to  break  out  there.  A  blistered  hand  is  not  unlikely  to 
be  selected  as  the  scene  of  outbreak,  or  a  shoulder  chafed  by  a 
wet  jersey. 

A  crew  should  be  under  strict  orders  to  report  all  ailments, 
if  only  a  blister,  instantly  to  the  coach.  It  is  better  to  leave 
no  discretion  in  this  matter  to  the  oarsman,  even  at  the  risk 
of  troubling  the  mentor  with  trifles.  If  a  man  is  once  al- 
lowed to  decide  for  himself  whether  he  will  report  some  petty 
and  incipient  ailment,  he  is  likely  to  try  to  hush  it  up  lest 
it  should  militate  against  his  coach's  selection  of  him  ;  the 
effect  of  this  is  that  mischief  which  might  otherwise  have  been 
checked  in  the  bud,  is  allowed  to  assume  dangerous  propor- 
tions for  want  of  a  stitch  in  time.  An  oarsman  should  be  im- 
pressed that  nothing  is  more  likely  to  militate  against  his  dream 
of  being  selected  than  disobedience  to  this  or  any  other 
standing  order.  The  smallest  pimple  should  be  shown  forthwith 
to  the  coach,  the  slightest  hoarseness  or  tendency  to  snuffle 


174  BOATING. 

reported ;  any  tenderness  of  joint  or  sinew  instantly  made 
known. 

To  return  to  boils.  If  a  boil  is  observed  in  the  pimple 
stage,  it  may  be  scotched  and  killed.  Painting  it  with  iodine 
will  drive  it  away,  in  the  writer's  experience.  '  Stonehenge ' 
advises  a  wash  of  nitrate  of  silver,  of  fifteen  to  twenty  grains  to 
the  ounce,  to  be  painted  over  the  spot.  Mr.  Brickwood  also, 
while  quoting  '  Stonehenge '  on  this  point,  recommends  bathing 
with  bay  salt  and  water. 

Anyhow,  these  external  means  of  repression  do  not  of  them- 
selves suffice.  They  only  bung  up  the  volcano  ;  the  best  step  is 
to  cure  the  blood,  otherwise  it  will  break  out  somewhere  else. 
The  writer's  favourite  remedy  is  a  dose  of  syrup  of  iodide  of 
iron;  one  teaspoonful  in  a  wineglass  of  water,  just  before  or  after 
a  meal,  is  about  the  best  thing.  A  second  dose  of  half  the 
amount  may  be  taken  twenty-four  hours  later.  This  medicine 
is  rather  constipating  ;  a  slight  aperient,  if  only  a  dose  of  Carls- 
bad salts  before  breakfast  or  a  seidlitz  powder,  may  be  taken  to 
counteract  it  in  this  respect.  It  is  a  strong  but  prompt  remedy  ; 
anything  is  better  than  to  have  a  member  of  a  crew  eventually 
unable  to  sit  down  for  a  week  or  so  !  An  extra  glass  of  port 
after  dinner,  and  plenty  of  green  food^  will  help  to  rectify  the  dis- 
ordered blood. 

Another  good  internal  remedy  is  brewer's  yeast,  a  table- 
spoonful  twice  a  day  after  meals.  Watermen  swear  by  this,  and 
Mr.  Brickwood  personally  recommends  it. 

If  care  is  taken  a  boil  can  be  thus  nipped  in  the  bud  (figu- 
ratively) ;  to  do  this  literally  is  the  very  worst  thing.  Some 
people  pinch  off  the  head  of  a  small  boil.  This  only  adds  fuel 
to  the  fire.  If  a  boil  has  become  large,  red,  and  angry  before 
any  remedies  are  applied,  it  is  too  late  to  drive  it  in,  and  the 
next  best  thing  is  to  coax  it  out.  This  is  done  with  strong 
linseed  poultices.  A  doctor  should  be  called  in,  and  be  per- 
suaded to  lance  it,  to  the  core,  and  to  squeeze  it,  so  soon  as  he 
judges  it  to  be  well  filled  with  pus. 

Raws  used  to  be  more  common  twenty-five  years  ago  than 


TRAINING.  175 

now  :  boat  cushions  had  much  to  do  with  them.  Few  oarsmen 
in  these  days  use  cushions.  Raws  are  best  anointed  with  a 
mixture  of  oxide  of  zinc,  spermaceti  and  glycerine,  which  any 
chemist  can  make  up,  to  the  consistency  of  cold  cream.  It 
should  be  buttered  on  thickly,  especially  at  bed-time. 

Blisters  should  be  pricked  with  a  needle  {neve?'  with  a///z); 
the  water  should  be  squeezed  out,  and  the  old  skin  left  on  to 
shield  the  young  skin  below. 

Festers  are  only  another  version  of  boils.  The  internal 
remedies,  to  rectify  the  blood,  should  be  the  same  as  for  boils. 
Cuts  or  wounds  of  broken  skin  may  be  treated  like  raws  if 
slight ;  if  deeper,  then  Avrapped  in  lint,  soaked  in  cold  water, 
and  bound  with  oilskin  to  keep  the  lint  moist. 

Abdominal  strains  sometimes  occur  (i.e.  of  the  abdominal 
muscles  of  recovery)  if  a  man  does  a  hard  day's  work  before  he 
is  fairly  fit.  A  day's  rest  is  the  best  thing  ;  an  hour's  sitting  in  a 
hot  hip  bath,  replenishing  the  heat  as  the  water  cools,  gives 
much  relief.  The  strain  works  off  while  the  oarsman  is  warm 
to  his  work,  but  recurs  with  extra  pain  when  he  starts  cold  for 
the  next  row.  If  there  is  any  suspicion  of  hernia  (or  '  rupture  ') 
work  should  instantly  stop,  even  ten  miles  from  home  ;  the 
patient  should  row  no  more,  walk  gently  to  a  resting-place,  and 
send  for  a  doctor.  Once  only  has  the  writer  known  of  real 
hernia  in  a  day's  row,  and  then  the  results  were  painfully  serious. 
Inspection  of  the  abdomen  will  show  if  there  is  any  hernia. 

Diarrhoea  is  a  common  complaint.  It  is  best  to  call  in  a 
doctor  if  the  attack  does  not  pass  off  in  half  a  day.  If  a  man 
has  to  go  to  the  post  while  thus  affected,  it  is  a  good  thing  to 
give  him  some  raw  arrowroot  (three  or  four  table-spoonfuls) 
in  cold  water.  The  dose  should  be  well  stirred,  to  make  the 
arrowroot  swill  down  the  throat.  To  put  the  arrowroot  into 
hot  water  spoils  the  effect  which  is  desired. 

Many  doctors  have  a  tender  horror  of  consenting  to  any 
patient  rowing,  even  for  a  day,  so  long  as  he  is  under  their  care, 
though  only  for  a  boil  which  does  not  affect  his  action. 

Professional  instinct  prompts  them  to  feel  that  the  speediest 


176  BOATING. 

possible  cure  is  the  chief  desideratum,  and  of  course  that  object 
is  best  attained  by  lying  on  the  shelf.  A  doctor  who  will  con- 
sent to  do  his  best  to  cure,  subject  to  assenting  to  his  patient's 
continuing  at  work  so  long  as  actual  danger  is  not  thereby 
incurred,  and  so  long  as  disablement  for  the  more  important 
race  day  is  not  risked,  is  sometimes,  but  too  rarely,  found. 

Sprains^  colds,  coughs,  &c.,  had  better  be  submitted  at  once 
to  a  doctor.  A  cold  on  the  chest  may  become  much  more 
serious  than  it  appears  at  first,  and  should  never  be  trifled  with. 
Slightly  sprained  wrists  weaken,  but  need  not  necessarily  cripple 
a  man.  Mr,  W.  Hoare,  stroke  of  Oxford  boat  in  1862,  had  a 
sprained  wrist  at  Putney,  and  rowed  half  the  race  with  only  one 
hand,  as  also  much  of  the  practice.  He  w^as  none  the  worse 
after  Easter,  when  the  tendons  had  rested  and  recuperated. 

Oarsmen  should  be  careful  to  wrap  up  warmly  the  instant 
that  they  cease  w^ork.  Many  a  cold  has  been  caught  by  men 
sitting  in  their  jerseys — cold  wind  suddenly  checking  perspira- 
tion after  a  sharp  row — while  some  chatter  is  going  on  about 
the  time  which  the  trial  has  taken,  or  why  No.  So-and-so  caught 
a  small  crab  halfway.  A  woollen  comforter  should  always  be 
at  hand  to  wrap  promptly  round  the  neck  and  over  the  chest 
when  exertion  ceases,  and  so  soon  as  men  land  they  should  clothe 
up  in  w^arm  flannel,  until  the  time  comes  to  strip  and  work. 

Siestas  should  not  be  allowed.  There  is  a  temptation  to 
doze  on  a  full  stomach  after  a  hard  day,  or  even  when  fresh 
after  a  midday  meal.  No  one  should  be  allowed  to  give  way  to 
this  ;  it  only  makes  men  '  slack,'  and  spoils  digestion. 

If  a  man  can  keep  his  bedclothes  on  all  night,  and  keep 
warm,  he  will  do  himself  good  if  he  sleeps  with  an  open  win- 
dow, winter  or  summer.  He  thereby  gets  more  fresh  air,  and 
accordingly  has  not  to  tax  the  respiratory  muscles  so  much,  in 
order  to  inhale  the  necessary  amount  of  oxygen.  Eight  hours' 
sleep  with  open  windows  refresh  the  frame  more  than  nine 
hours  and  upwards  in  a  stuffy  bedroom.  A  roaring  fire  may 
obviate  an  open  window,  for  it  forces  a  constant  current  of 
air  through  the  apartment.     The  writer  has  slept  with  windows 


TRAINING.  177 

wide  open,  winter  and  summer,  since  he  first  matriculated  at 
his  University,  save  once  or  twice  for  a  night  or  two  when 
suffering  from  cold  (not  contracted  by  having  slept  with  open 
windows).  If  a  bed  is  well  tucked  up,  and  the  frame  well 
covered,  the  chest  cannot  be  chilled,  and  the  mouth  and  nose 
are  none  the  worse  for  inhaling  cool  fresh  air,  even  below 
freezing-point.  This  refers  to  men  of  sound  chests.  Men  of 
weak  constitution  have  no  business  to  train  or  to  race. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

ROWING    CLUBS. 

The  formation  of  a  '  dub '  for  the  pursuit  of  any  branch  of 
sport  gives  a  local  stimulus  at  once  to  the  game,  and  lends 
facilities  for  the  acquisition  of  merit  in  the  performance.  This 
is  peculiarly  the  case  with  rowing,  and  for  more  than  one 
reason.  Theoretically  a  man  might,  by  unaided  scientific 
study,  elaborate  for  himself  the  most  improved  system  or  prin- 
ciple of  oarsmanship.  Practically  he  will  do  nothing  of  the 
sort,  and  if  left  to  teach  himself  will  develop  all  sorts  of  faults 
of  style,  which  tend  to  the  outlay  of  a  maximum  of  exertion 
for  a  minimum  of  progress.  The  tiro  in  oarsmanship  requires 
instruction  from  the  outset ;  the  sooner  he  is  taught,  the  more 
likely  is  he  to  become  proficient.  If  he  begins  to  teach  him- 
self, he  will  certainly  acquire  faulty  action,  which  will  settle  to 
habit.  If  later  on  he  has  recourse  to  a  mentor,  the  labours  of 
both  pupil  and  tutor  will  be  more  arduous  than  if  the  pupil 


ROWING   CLUBS.  179 

were  a  complete  beginner  ;  the  pupil  will  require  first  to  be 
?/;?taught  from  his  bad  style  before  he  is  adapted  for  instruction 
in  good  action  of  limbs  and  body. 

Moreover,  all  rowing  becomes  so  mechanical  that  the 
polished  oarsman  is  almost  as  unconscious  of  merit  in  his  style 
(save  from  what  others  may  tell  him  of  himself)  as  the  duffer  is 
of  his  various  inelegancies.  The  very  best  oarsman  is  liable  in- 
sidiously to  develop  faults  in  his  own  style  which  he  himself,  or  a 
less  scientific  performer,  would  readily  notice  in  another  person. 

Hence,  where  men  row  together  in  a  club,  each  can  be  of 
service  to  the  other,  in  pointing  out  faults,  of  which  the  per- 
former is  unconscious.  So  that  half-a-dozen  oarsmen  or  sculleis 
of  equal  class,  if  they  will  thus  mutually  assist  each  other,  can 
attain  between  them  a  higher  standard  than  if  each  had  rowed 
like  a  hermit.  Still  more  is  the  standard  of  oarsmanship  raised 
among  juniors  when  the  older  hands  of  a  club  take  them  in 
charge  and  coach  them. 

In  addition  to  this  system  of  reciprocal  education,  a  club 
fosters  rivalry,  and  organises  club  races  ;  and,  in  like  manner,  a 
plurality  of  clubs  stimulates  competition  between  clubs,  and 
produces  open  racing  between  members  of  the  rival  institutions. 

College  clubs  seem  to  be  the  oldest  on  record.  Some  of 
them  go  back  as  early  as  the  concluding  years  of  George  the 
Third.  The  rise  of  British  oarsmanship  has  been  traced  in 
a  preceding  chapter.  The  oldest  '  open '  rowing  club  is  the 
'  Leander.'  When  it  originated  seems  to  be  uncertain,  but  it  was 
considered  relatively  to  be  an  'old'  club  in  1837. 

Mr.  G.  D.  Rowe,  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Club,  has  kindly 
extracted  the  following  memoranda  from  the  Club's  history  of 
its  records  : — 

It  would  seem  that  the  earliest  known  metropolitan  rowing 
clubs  were  '  The  Star'  and  '  The  Arrow,'  which  existed  at  the  end 
of  the  last  century,  and  expired  somewhere  about  1820.  Out  of 
the  ruins  sprang  the  Leander  Club,  which  is  still  a  flourishing  insti- 
tution, and  which  includes  amongst  its  members  most  of  the  great 
University  oarsmen  of  the  last  thirty  years  or  so.     So  far  as  can 

N  2 


i8o  BOATING. 

be  ascertained,  the  Leander  Club  did  not  exist  in  1820,  but  it  was 
in  full  swing  in  1825,  and  in  1830  was  looked  upon  as  a  well-known 
and  long-established  boat  club. 

In  1837,  1838,  and  1841  Leander  rowed  races  against  Cambridge, 
losing  the  first  and  winning  the  last,  whilst  in  1838  the  race  was 
declared  a  draw  owing  to  fouling. 

In  all  three  the  course  was  from  Westminster  to  Putney. 

In  1839  Leander  was  beaten  for  the  Grand  Challenge  Cup  at 
Henley  by  the  Oxford  Etonians  ;  but  in  1840  the  Leander  crew  won 
the  Cup,  whilst  in  1841  they  came  in  first,  but  were  disqualified  on  a 
foul.  In  consequence  of  this  Leander  did  not  again  compete  for  the 
G.C.C.  till  1858,'  as  the  Club  considered  the  ruHng  of  the  Umpire 
unfair. 

Meanwhile,  however,  in  1843,  -4)  ^^d  -5  Leander  won  the  Chal- 
lenge Cup  at  the  Thames  Regatta,  and  between  1845  ^md  1855 
Leander  won  the  Presentation  Cup  at  Erith  for  Four-oars,  several 
times. 

Leander,  however,  was  as  much  a  social  association  as  a  com- 
peting rowing  club.  Up  till  1856  the  number  of  members  was 
limited  to  twenty-five  men,  who  used  to  meet  at  Westminster  once 
or  twice  a  week,  and  row  to  Putney  or  Greenwich,  and  take  dinner 
together.  Sometimes  they  would  goto  the  Albert  Docks,  and  dine 
on  board  a  ship,  at  the  expense  of  one  of  their  members,  who  was  a 
large  shipowner. 

After  1856  the  number  of  members  was  increased  to  thirty-five, 
and  in  1862  the  Club  was  put  on  a  more  modern  footing  after  the 
example  of  the  London  Rowing  Club,  and  no  limit  was  put  on  the 
number  of  members. 

The  Club  quarters  were  moved  to  Putney,  where  a  small  piece  of 
ground  was  rented  on  which  a  tent  was  erected  for  housing  boats. 
This  piece  of  ground  was  acquired  by  the  London  Rowing  Club  in 
1864,  and  on  it  was  built  the  present  L.R.C.  boat-house.  Leander, 
however,  were  abk  to  get  a  lease  of  a  piece  of  land  adjoining,  and 
in  1866  built  a  boat-house,  which  still  exists,  though  the  Club  has  of 
late  thought  of  departing  from  Putney  and  establishing  themselves 
on  one  of  the  upper  reaches  of  the  Thames. 

The  rowing  successes  of  Leander  of  late  years  have  not  been  very 
great,  though  a  Leander  crew  is  always  formidable  '  on  paper '  and 

1  The  Leander  entry  at  Henley,  1858,  arose  thus.  A  mixed  team  of  old 
Blues  of  both  colours  got  up  an  eight,  and  qualified  by  rowing  under  the 
Leander  flag. 


i 


ROWING   CLUBS.  18 1 

comprises  a  good  selection  of  'Varsity  oars.  Want  of  practice  and 
of  combination  usually  outweighs  individual  skill.  In  1875  and  1880 
the  Grand  Challenge  Cup  was  won  by  Leander  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Goldie  and  Edwardes-Moss  respectively,  but  since  1880  all 
attempts  to  carry  off  the  much-coveted  prize  have  proved  futile. 

It  must  have  been  a  curious  sight  in  old  days  to  see  a  Leander 
crew  rowing  in  front  of  the  'Varsity  race  in  their  '  cutter '  steered 
by  Jim  Parish,  their  waterman  coxswain.  The  crew  used  to  wear 
the  orthodox  top-hats  on  their  heads,  whilst  the  coxswain  was 
arrayed  in  all  the  glories  of  'green  plush  kneebreeches,  silk 
stockings,  "  Brummagem"  coat,  and  tall  white  silk  hat.' 

The  match  between  Oxford  and  Leander  in  183 1  had  ended 
in  the  defeat  of  Oxford,  and  when,  six  years  later,  Cambridge 
challenged  Leander,  it  was  thought  by  the  London  division  to 
be  a  rash  venture  on  the  part  of  the  Cantabs.  But  we  read  in 
the  Brasenose  B.C.  records  that  in  the  opinion  of  some  experts 
the  Leander  oarsmanship  was  observed  to  have  rather  fallen  off 
of  late,  and  that  there  were  not  wanting  good  judges  w^ho  were 
prepared  for  the  Cantab  victory  in  which  the  match  resulted. 
This  casual  remark  seems  to  show  that  Leander  was  a  club 
of  some  years'  standing  at  the  time  of  this  match.  There 
seems  to  have  been  a  '  scullers '  club,  hailing  from  Wandsworth, 
even  earlier  than  this.  But  if  it  had  a  name,  the  title  is 
lost.  There  must  have  been  a  fair  amount  of  sculling  among 
amateurs  prior  to  1830,  in  order  to  induce  Mr.  Lewis  Wing- 
field  in  1830  to  present  the  silver  challenge  sculls  which  still 
bear  his  name,  and  which  to  this  day  carry  with  them  the 
title  of  Amateur  Championship.  The  University  clubs,  whfen 
once  founded,  rapidly  developed  strength  ;  new  college  clubs 
were  founded,  and  eights  were  manned  by  colleges  and  halls 
which  hitherto  had  not  entered  for  the  annual  bumping  races. 
But  London  oarsmanship  gradually  deteriorated  between  1835 
and  1855.  The  cause  of  this  decay  is  intelligible.  The  tide- 
way w^as  churned  up  by  steamers,  rowing  from  Westminster  w^as 
no  longer  the  pleasant  sport  which  it  had  been,  and  railway 
facilities  for  suburban  rowing  had  hardly  developed.  Leander 
made  one  show  at  Henley  after  its  foundation  and  failed  to  score 


1 82  BOATING. 

a  win.  After  that  Leander  crews  absented  themselves  from  the 
scene  until  the  da5's  of  their  modern  revival.  There  was  a 
club  called  the  '  St.  George's '  which  put  on  a  good  four-oar  or 
two  in  the  *  forties '  at  Henley  ;  and  after  them  came  a  '  Thames ' 
club,  which  lasted  some  seasons,  and  chiefly  distinguished 
itself  by  winning  thrice  running  the  *  Gold  Cup '  of  the  old 
Thames  Regatta  of  the  '  forties.'  The  Thames  Club  also  won  the 
Grand  at  Henley  ;  but  they  died  out,  and  a  lot  of  local  small- 
fry  clubs  dismembered  the  rowing  talent  of  the  metropolis  for 
the  next  few  years.  Of  these,  the  most  distinguished  were  the 
*  Argonauts,'  between  1853  and  1856.  They  were  not  numeri- 
cally strong,  but  they  made  up  in  quality  for  quantity.  They 
were  not  enough  to  man  an  eight,  and  the  Grand  Challenge 
Cup  at  Henley  was  farmed  for  several  seasons  by  the  Universi- 
ties. The  Chester  men  came  and  went  like  a  meteor  in  1856. 
Their  performances  will  be  found  under  the  description  of  the 
first  keelless  eight.  In  that  year  the  London  Rowing  Club 
was  founded,  and  in  1857,  being  then  a  year  old,  it  made  its 
debut  at  Henley,  and  won  the  Grand  Challenge,  Mr.  Wood  in 
the  Oxford  crew  breaking  an  oar  in  the  last  two  hundred  yards 
of  the  race.  The  foundation  of  the  London  Club  did  more  to 
raise  the  standard  of  amateur  rowing  than  anything  in  modern 
times.  It  created  a  third  great  factor  in  eight-oared  rowing, 
and  served  to  keep  the  Universities  up  to  the  mark.  It  also 
encouraged  other  clubs.  Kingston  soon  followed  suit,  first 
with  a  four  and  afterwards  with  an  eight.  After  them  the  new 
(modern)  Thames  Club  also  made  its  appearance  at  Henley, 
beginning  like  Kingston  with  fours  before  aspiring  to  eights. 
In  these  days  Thames  are  rivals  with  London  for  ^he  pick  of 
the  rowing  talent  of  the  tideway,  and  each  acts  as  a  stimulus 
to  the  other.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  at  an  average 
Henley  Regatta,  during  the  present  decade,  four  or  five  eights 
may  often  be  seen,  any  one  of  which  would,  ceteris  paribus 
(and  sliding  seats  barred),  have  been  considered  a  good  winner 
of  the  Grand  Challenge  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  so  great 
has  been  the  advance  in  the  standard  of  amateur  rowing. 


ROWING   CLUBS.  183 

The  Leander  Club  has  been  a  practical  reality  once  more 
for  nearly  twenty  years  ;  it  has  competed  periodically  for  the 
Grand  Challenge  and  Stewards'  Cups,  and  has  twice  won  the 
Grand,  but  its  composition  is  now  widely  different  from  what 
it  was  in  the  palmy  '  Brilliant '  days  of  fifty  years  ago.  In  those 
times  it  represented  the  rowing  talent  of  the  metropolitan 
element ;  it  filled  the  same  position  that  the  London  and 
Thames  Clubs  now  jointly  occupy.  In  these  days  it  is  almost 
entirely  composed  of  University  men,  past  and  present.  Having 
vacated  its  old  functions,  it  has  in  turn  filled  those  formerly 
performed  by  the  '  Subscription  Rooms '  of  the  Universities, 
which  in  the  '  forties '  used  to  hail  from  Stangate.  There  is 
but  little  junior  rowing  done  or  taught  in  Leander  ;  most  of  its 
recruits  are  already  more  or  less  proficient  before  they  join  it. 
It  is  not  a  nursery  of  oarsmanship,  but  a  colony,  to  which  rowing 
men  from  the  Universities  resort.  It  is  of  value  in  promoting 
sport  and  competition,  but  it  does  not,  from  the  very  nature 
of  its  elements,  fill  the  same  sort  of  position  that  the  London 
and  Thames  Clubs  hold  in  the  rowing  world  —  as  nurseries  of 
junior  talent  on  the  tideway.  On  the  upper  Thames,  Kingston 
holds  a  position  of  much  the  same  nature  as  London  and 
Thames.  Twickenham  are  an  old  club,  but  it  is  only  of  late 
years  that  they  have  aspired  to  Grand  Challenge  form  ;  they 
owe  this  aspiration  to  a  reinforcement  from  Hertford  College, 
Oxon.  Besides  these  leading  clubs  there  are  sundry  smaller 
bodies,  which  content  themselves  chiefly  with  junior  rowing. 
Such  are  the  '  West  London  '  and  '  Grove  Park,' '  the  '  East 
Sheen,'  and  others  of  this  class.  Five-and-thirty  years  ago  it  was 
a  rarity  to  see  even  a  scratch  amateur  eight  on  the  tideway,  so 
much  had  London  rowing  gone  downhill.  In  the  present  day, 
on  a  June  or  July  evening,  especially  on  Saturday,  half-a-dozen 
or  more  may  be  seen  between  Wandsworth  and  Richmond- 
Provincial  oarsmanship  has  made  considerable  advance  during 
the  last  thirty  years.     The  Chester  Club  was  the  first  to  make 

1  Since  the  above  was  written,  West  London  and  Grove  Park  Clubs  have 
become  extinct. 


1 84  BOATING. 

a  great  mark,  as  mentioned  elsewhere.  The  Eastern  Counties 
are  the  most  behindhand  in  the  science,  although  they  have 
good  rivers  in  the  Orwell  and  Yare.  Newcastle  produces 
strong  local  clubs,  and  once  a  champion,  Mr.  Fawcus,  came 
from  the  Tyne.  Mr.  Wallace,  a  high-class  sculler,  also  came 
south,  but  without  absolute  success,  some  years  before  Mr. 
Fawcus.  Durham,  what  with  its  school,  its  University,  and  its 
town,  shows  plenty  of  sport  on  the  Wear.  Lancashire  sent  a 
fair  '  Mersey'  four  to  Henley  in  1862,  and  in  1870  the  'John 
o'  Gaunt'  men  from  the  same  river  made  a  decided  hit  at 
Henley,  although  they  failed  to  win.  Bath  has  produced  some 
good  men  before  now,  chiefly  under  the  tuition  of  Mr,  C. 
Herbert,  a  London  oarsman.  The  Severn  has  woke  up  con- 
siderably. In  1850  we  doubt  whether  four  men  could  have 
been  found  on  the  whole  river  who  could  sit  in  an  outrigger  ; 
but  during  the  last  fifteen  years  amateur  rowing  has  made  great 
advances  at  Worcester,  Bewdley,  Bridgnorth,  and  other  towns. 
Tewkesbury  started  a  regatta  about  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago, 
and  other  towns  on  the  Severn  have  followed  suit.  At  present 
the  Severn  clubs  confine  their  rowing  very  much  to  contests 
among  themselves,  and  do  not  try  their  luck  on  the  Thames 
in  the  leading  regattas.  The  time  may  come  when  they  will 
acquire  sufficient  talent  to  enable  them  to  make  a  creditable 
display  against  the  greater  clubs  of  the  Thames.  The  Trent, 
though  one  of  the  finest  of  our  English  rivers,  does  very  little 
for  oarsmanship.  Some  very  second-class  rowing  is  now  and 
then  seen  at  Nottingham,  and  also  at  Burton-on-Trent.  The 
latter,  many  years  ago,  sent  a  pair-oar  to  Henley  Regatta  ;  but, 
so  far  as  we  can  recall,  the  men,  or  one  of  them,  was  a  Cantab 
(Mr.  Nadin),  and  we  may  surmise  that  he  owed  his  oarsmanship 
to  the  Cam  rather  than  to  the  Trent.  One  curious  feature  in 
provincial  rowing  is,  and  has  been,  the  absence  of  any  profes- 
sional talent.  The  Tyne  alone  has  really  rivalled  the  Thames 
in  respect  of  producing  leading  professionals.  A  good  four 
once  or  twice  came  from  Glasgow  to  the  Thames  Regatta  about 
sixteen  years  ago,  and  now  and  then  a  fair  second-class  sculler 
(such  as  Strong,  of  Barrow-in-Furness)  has  appeared  from  the 


ROWING   CLUBS.  185 

provinces,  but  in  other  respects  great  apathy  seems  to  prevail 
as  regards  professional  oarsmanship  on  all  our  rivers  except 
Thames  and  Tyne.  The  later  decadence  of  professional  talent 
on  these  once  famous  rivers  will  be  treated  in  another  chapter. 
Mr.  Brickwood,  in  his  book  on  'Boat-racing,'  gives  some 
admirable  suggestions  for  the  formation  of  rowing  clubs,  which 
should  be  read  by  all  who  aspire  to  found  such  institutions. 
For  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  hereafter  take  the  lead  in 
establishing  new  boat  clubs,  or  in  remodelling  old  ones,  he 
propounds  a  '  draft '  code  of  general  rules  ;  it  would  be  pre- 
sumptuous to  attempt  to  improve  upon  them,  and  we  take  the 
liberty  of  giving  them  in  exlenso,  as  sketched  by  this  eminent 
authority. 

Draft  Rules. 

1.  This  club  shall  be  called  the  Rowing  (or  Boat)  Club  ; 

and  the  colours  shall  be . 

2.  The  object  of  this  club  shall  be  the  encouragement  of  rowing 
on  the  river amongst  gentlemen  amateurs. 

3.  Any  gentleman  desirous  of  becoming  a  member  shall  cause 
a  notice  in  writing,  containing  his  name,  occupation,  and  address, 
together  with  the  names  of  his  proposer  and  seconder  (both  of  whom 
must  be  members  of  the  club,  and  personally  acquainted  with  him, 
and  one  of  whom  must  be  present  at  the  ballot),  to  be  forwarded 
to  the  secretary  fourteen  days  prior  to  the  general  meeting  at 
which  the  candidate  shall  be  balloted  for  ;  one  black  ball  in  five 
shall  exclude.  In  the  case  of  neither  the  proposer  nor  seconder 
being  able  to  attend  the  ballot  for  a  new  member,  the  committee 
may  institute  such  inquiries  as  they  may  deem  requisite,  and  on 
the  receipt  of  satisfactory  replies  in  writing  from  both  proposer  and 
seconder  such  attendance  may  be  waived,  and  the  election  may 
proceed  in  the  usual  manner. 

4.  The  annual  subscription  shall  be ,  due  and  payable  on 

February  i  in  each  year. 

5.  Subscriptions  becoming  due  on  February  i  shall  be  paid  by 
April  I,  and  subscriptions  becoming  due  after  February  i  be  paid 
within  two  months  ;  or,  in  default,  the  names  of  the  members  whose 
subscriptions  are  in  arrears  may  be  placed  conspicuously  in  the 
club-room,  with  a  notice  that  they  are  not  entitled  to  the  benefits  of 
the  club. 

6.  The  name  of  any  member  whose  subscriptions  shall  be  in 


1 86  BOATING. 

arrear  twelve  months  shall  be  posted  in  the  club-room  as  a  defaulter, 
and  published  in  the  circular  next  issued. 

7.  The  proposer  of  any  candidate  shall  (upon  his  election)  be 
responsible  to  the  club  for  the  entrance-fee  and  first  annual  sub- 
scription of  such  candidate. 

8.  Members  wishing  to  resign  shall  tender  their  resignation  in 
writing  to  the  secretary  before  February  i,  otherwise  they  will  be 
liable  for  the  year's  subscription  ;  the  receipt  of  such  resignation 
shall  be  acknowledged  by  the  secretaiy. 

9.  The  officers  of  the  club  shall  consist  of  a  president,  vice- 
president,  captain,  and  secretary,  to  be  elected  by  ballot  at  the 
first  general  meeting  in  February  in  each  year ;  the  same  to  be 
ex-officio  members  of  the  committee. 

10.  The  captain  shall  be  at  liberty,  from  time  to  time,  to  appoint 
a  member  of  the  club  to  act  as  his  deputy,  such  appointment  to  be 
notified  in  the  club-room. 

1 1.  The  general  management  of  the  club  shall  be  entrusted  to  a 

committee  of members,  and shall  form  a  quorum  ;  such 

committee  to  be  chosen  by  ballot  at  the  first  general  meeting  in 
February  in  each  year. 

12.  A  general  meeting  shall  be  held  in  every  month,  in  the  club- 
room,  during  the  rowing  season,  and  at  such  time  and  place  during 
the  winter  as  may  be  selected  by  the  committee. 

13.  A  notice  containing  the  names  of  candidates  for  election  at 
the  general  meeting  shall  be  sent  to  every  member  of  the  club. 

14.  Any  member  who  shall  wilfully  or  by  gross  negligence 
damage  any  property  belonging  the  club  shall  immediately  have 
the  same  repaired  at  his  own  expense.  The  question  of  the 
damage  being  or  not  being  accidental  shall  be  decided  by  the 
committee  from  such  evidence  as  they  may  be  able  to  obtain. 

1 5.  A  general  meeting  shall  have  power  to  expel  any  member 
from  the  club  who  has  made  himself  generally  obnoxious  ;  but  no 
ballot  shall  be  taken  until  fourteen  days'  notice  shall  have  been 
given  ;  one  black  ball  to  three  white  to  expel  such  member.  This 
rule  shall  not  be  enforced  except  in  extraordinary  cases,  and  until 
the  member  complained  of  shall  have  been  requested  by  the  com- 
mittee to  resign. 

16.  No  crew  shall  contend  for  any  public  prize,  under  the  name 
of  the  club,  without  the  sanction  of  the  committee.  All  races  for 
money  are  strictly  prohibited. 

17.  The  committee  shall  have  the  management  of  all  club 
matches. 


ROWING   CLUBS.  187 

18.  The  rules  and  by  laws  of  the  club  shall  be  printed,  and 
posted  in  the  club-room,  and  the  copy  sent  to  every  member  ; 
and  any  member  who  shall  wilfully  persist  in  the  infraction  of  any 
such  rules  or  by-laws  shall  be  liable  to  be  expelled. 

19.  Any  member  wishing  to  propose  any  alteration  in  the  rules 
of  the  club  shall  give  notice  in  writing  to  the  secretary,  two  weeks 
prior  to  the  question  being  discussed,  when,  if  the  notice  be 
seconded,  a  ballot  shall  be  taken,  and  to  carry  the  proposed  altera- 
tion the  majority  in  favour  must  be  two  to  one. 

20.  The  committee  shall  have  power  to  make,  alter,  and  repeal 
by-laws. 

By-Laws. 

1.  The  boats  of  the  club  shall  be  for  the  general  use  of  the 
members  on  all  days  during  the  season  (Sundays  excepted),  subject 
to  the  following  by-laws. 

2.  That  no  visitor  be  permitted  to  row  in  a  club  boat  to  the 
exclusion  of  a  member  of  the  club. 

3.  That  the  club  day  be in  each  week  during  the  season, 

and  the  hour  of  meeting . 

4.  That  on  club  days  members  be  selected  by  the  captain  (or 
in  his  absence  by  his  deputy)  to  form  crews  ;  the  members  present 
at  the  hour  of  meeting  to  have  priority  of  claim.  Should  the 
decision  of  the  captain  or  his  deputy  be  considered  unsatisfac- 
tory by  the  majority  of  members  present,  the  matter  in  dispute 
shall  be  settled  by  lot. 

5.  All  boats  shall  be  returned  to  the  boathouse  by  ten  o'clock 
at  night,  except  on  club  days,  when  club  boats  taken  out  before 
the  usual  hour  must  be  returned  half  an  hour  before  the  time  fixed 
for  meeting.  Any  expense  incurred  by  the  club  through  an  in- 
fringement of  this  by-law  shall  be  paid  by  the  member  offending. 

6.  Any  dispute  as  regards  rowing  in  any  particular  boat  or 
boats  shall  be  settled  by  lot,  this  provision  having  reference  more 
particularly  to  club  days. 

7.  In  the  event  of  there  being  more  members  present  than  can 
be  accommodated  in  the  club  boats,  it  shall  be  at  the  discretion  of 
the  captain  or  his  deputy,  or  of  such  members  of  the  committee  as 
may  be  present,  to  hire  extra  boats  at  the  expense  of  the  club. 

8.  The  committee  shall  from  time  to  time  appoint  one  of  their 
number  to  superintend  the  management  of  the  boathouse,  and  to 
make  all  necessary  arrangements  for  keeping  the  boats  of  the  club 
in  a  thorough  state  of  repair  and  cleanhness. 


188  BOATING. 

9.  All  crews  sent  by  the  club  to  contend  at  a  public  regatta 
shall  be  formed  by  the  captain  and  two  other  experienced  members 
to  be  named  by  the  committee,  such  crews  when  formed  to  be 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  committee. 

10.  In  the  event  of  a  crew  being  chosen  to  contend  in  any 
public  race  or  match,  such  crew  shall  be  provided  by  the  club 
with  a  boat  for  their  exclusive  use  during  their  time  of  training, 
and  shall  have  their  entrance- fees  paid  by  the  club. 

11.  The  expense  of  conveying  boats  to  public  regattas  at  which 
crews  of  the  club  contend  shall  be  paid  by  the  crews,  but  the  com- 
mittee shall  have  power  to  repay  the  whole  or  any  part  of  such 
expenses  out  of  the  club  funds. 

12.  The  committee,  on  the  occasion  of  a  club  race  or  other 
special  event,  shall  appoint  a  member  of  the  club  to  take  charge  of 
and  conduct  all  arrangements  connected  with  the  same. 

13.  The  member  pulling  the  stroke-oar  in  any  club  boat  shall 
have  command  of  the  crew. 

14.  Upon  the  arrival  of  a  crew  at  the  place  appointed  for  stop- 
ping, the  captain  of  the  boat  shall  (if  required)  fix  the  time  for 
returning  ;  and,  if  any  member  be  absent  at  the  appointed  time, 
the  crew  shall  be  at  Hberty  to  hire  a  substitute  at  the  expense  of 
the  absentee. 

1 5.  Every  member,  on  landing  from  a  club  boat,  shall  be  bound 
to  assist  in  housing  such  boat,  and  in  doing  so  shall  follow  the 
direction  of  the  captain  or  other  officer. 

16.  Any  member  using  a  private  boat  without  the  consent  of 
its  owner  shall  thereby  render  himself  liable  to  a  vote  of  censure, 
and,  if  need  be,  expulsion. 

Clubs  are  often  but  ephemeral.  Some  leading  spirit  founds 
one,  and,  when  his  influence  vanishes  with  himself,  the  club 
wanes  ;  perhaps  it  pales  before  a  rival,  perhaps  it  amalgamates 
with  another.  From  various  causes  many  minor  clubs  have 
risen  and  set  on  the  Thames  within  the  wTiter's  memory  during 
the  last  two  decades  ;  others  which  were  in  full  swing  when  he 
was  at  school  or  college  have  ceased  to  exist.  In  the  summer  of 
1886  this  question  of  extinction  of  small  clubs  became  a  subject 
of  correspondence  in  the  aquatic  columns  of  the  '  P'ield.'  Subse- 
quently the  writer  of  this  chapter  discussed  the  question  in  the 
following  leading  article,  published  in  the  'Field'  on  July  17, 


ROWING   CLUBS.  189 

1886,  and  now  reproduced  by  the  courtesy  of  the  proprietors.- 
It  is  given  in  extenso  for  the  sake  of  the  history  and  reminis- 
cences embodied  in  it. 

The  Exti7iction  of  Small  Rowing  Clubs. 

We  published  a  fortnight  ago  a  letter  of  complaint  on  this 
subject  from  a  correspondent  who  signed  himself  '  Senior  Oars- 
man.' We  quite  admit  the  fact  that  the  tendency  of  the  great 
rowing  clubs  of  the  Thames  has  been  to  absorb  the  numerous 
petty  clubs  which  at  one  time  abounded  on  the  tideway,  but  we 
entirely  fail  to  agree  with  his  view  that  this  consummation  is  to  be 
deprecated,  either  in  the  interests  of  oarsmanship  or  of  regattas. 
Our  own  opinion  is,  that  four  or  five  strong  clubs  raise  the  standard 
of  rowing  and  the  prestige  of  regattas  to  a  far  greater  extent  than 
if  these  same  societies  were  split  up  into  a  dozen  or  more  minor 
associations.  We  can  remember  when  there  were  a  large  number 
of  petty  clubs  of  that  description,  many  of  them  hailing  from 
Putney.  The  ground-floor  doors  of  the  annexe  to  the  '  Star  and 
Garter '  at  Putney  still  commemorate  the  names  of  some  of  them, 
though  the  clubs  have  been  extinct  for  ages.  '  Nautilus '  and 
'  Star '  are  among  the  titles  which  are  still  painted  on  the  doors. 
Prior  to  the  founding  of  the  London  Rowing  Club  in  1856,  the 
rowing  talent  of  the  Thames  was  split  up  into  many  such  small 
sections.  None  of  them,  save  the  '  Argonauts,'  were  fit  to  man  one 
decent  four  between  them.  The  L.R.C.  consolidated  these  small 
societies  for  the  time  being  ;  but  there  are  always  to  be  found 
oarsmen  who  prefer  to  pose  as  leaders  of  small-fiy  clubs  rather 
than  play  second  or  third  fiddle  in  first-class  clubs.  Hence,  no 
sooner  had  the  L.R.C.  consolidated  one  batch  of  small  clubs  than 
others  sprang  into  existence.  At  the  date  of  the  founding  of  the 
Metropolitan  Regatta  in  1866  there  were  once  more  a  host  of  these 
minor  societies  on  the  Thames,  and  one  of  the  causes  of  weakness 
in  the  executive  of  that  regatta  arose  from  the  recognition  of  these 
small  clubs  by  the  L.R.C.  as  factors  to  be  consulted  in  its  organisa- 
tion. These  petty  clubs  had  no  chance  of  winning  the  open  prizes, 
but  they  were  keen  to  distinguish  themselves  and  have  a  hand  in 
the  gathering,  and  accordingly  the  '  metropolitan '  eights  and  pairs 
for  local  second-raters  had  to  be  established,  in  order  to  induce 
the  small  clubs  to  join  the  undertaking.  The  result  of  this  policy 
was,  that  before  long  the  L.R.C.  provided  by  far  the  larger  pro- 
portion of  the  funds  for  the  regatta,  and  yet  had  to  defer  to  the 


I90  BOATING. 

majority  of  votes  of  the  small  clubs  in  the  matter  of  executive. 
At  that  date  Kingston  was  the  only  other  club  (except  those  of  the 
U.B.C's.)  which  was  up  to  Grand  Challenge  form,  like  the  L.R.C. 
Since  that  date  there  has  been  an  expansion  of  other  strong  clubs, 
and,  as  a  necessary  corollary,  a  gradual  decay  of  minor  ones. 
Thames  has  grown  to  be  a  worthy  rival  of  London,  and  has  done 
much  to  raise  the  standard  of  oarsmanship.  Leander  has  been 
revived,  and  Twickenham,  which  at  one  time  (in  the  sixties)  was 
quite  a  small  local  club,  now  comes  out  also  in  Grand  Challenge 
form.  This  club  have  not  yet  actually  landed  the  great  prize,  but 
they  have  more  than  once  been  good  enough  to  win  it,  had  they 
been  fortunate  enough  to  draw  the  best  station.  Besides  these 
clubs,  there  has  been  the  Molesey  Club,  w^hich  in  1875  ^.nd  1876 
was  capable  of  making  the  best  crews  gallop  at  Henley,  and  won 
the  Senior  fours  at  sundry  minor  Thames  regattas  later  in  the 
season.  Its  later  absence  from  Henley  is  due  to  the  retirement 
from  active  oarsmanship  of  Mr.  H.  Chinnery  and  others,  whose 
personal  energies  alone  sufficed  to  combat  the  difficulty  of  distance 
from  London.  Meantime,  clubs  like  the  Ariel,  Corsair  West 
London,  Ino,  and  others  have  become  '  fine  by  degrees  and 
beautifully  less,'  until  they  expired  of  inanition.  There  are,  and 
always  will  be,  sundry  ambitious  second-class  oarsmen  who  regret 
the  extinction  of  societies  of  this  sort,  and  who  recall  with  regret 
the  pot-hunting  for  junior  prizes  which  sometimes  fell  in  their  way. 
But  when  we  recollect  that  clubs  of  this  stamp  were  conspicuously 
absent  from  the  winning  roll,  and  usually  even  from  the  competition 
in  senior  races  in  minor  Thames  regattas,  we  fail  to  see  w^herein 
rowing  science  suffers  by  their  absorption.  Junior  oarsmen  obtain 
far  better  instruction  in  the  ranks  of  the  crack  clubs  than  they 
could  hope  to  find  in  the  small-fry  institutions,  and  they  have  found 
this  out.  When  men  have  matriculated  as  oarsmen  in  weak  clubs, 
they  constantly  contract  insidious  faults  of  style,  the  result  of  being 
put  to  race  in  light  boats  before  they  have  mastered  the  first 
principles  of  oarsmanship.  If  such  men  subsequently  aspire  to 
join  the  better  clubs,  they  have  a  worse  chance  of  attaining  a  seat 
in  a  first  or  even  a  second  crew  than  if  they  had  joined  the  big  club 
at  the  outset,  and  had  been  carefully  taught  in  tubs  till  they  were 
fairly  proficient.  They  have  to  be  '  untaught '  from  a  bad  style 
before  they  can  be  moulded  in  a  good  one.  The  Thames  cup 
eights  at  Henley  are  of  a  higher  order  now  than  they  were  seven 
or  eight  years  ago,  and  we  are  inclined  to  ascribe  this  fact  to  the 


ROWING   CLUBS.  191 

'  absorption '  system,  which  not  only  strengthens  the  large  clubs,  but 
also  provides  better  instruction  for  the  rising  generation  than  was 
the  case  when  talent  was  more  split  up.  Oarsmen  of  good  standard 
who  are  really  desirous  of  distinguishing  themselves,  and  are  not 
too  proud  to  serve  in  the  ranks  of  a  big  club  after  having  held 
office  in  a  smaller  one,  freely  gravitate  from  minor  to  leading  clubs. 
The  juniors  of  their  clubs  follow  their  leaders,  and  so  the  minor 
clubs  become  gradually  depleted. 

We  do  not  consider  that  regatta  entries  are  practically  injured 
by  the  development  of  the  large  clubs  at  the  expense  of  the  smaller 
ones.  We  have  already  said  that  these  small  clubs  are  of  little 
or  no  use  for  senior  races,  whereas  their  ingredients,  consolidated 
in  larger  bodies,  create  one  or  two  more  strong  clubs  which  are 
good  enough  to  produce  competent  senior  crews,  and  so  swell 
senior  entries.  We  admit  that  to  some  extent  junior  entries  may 
fall  off  in  numbers,  in  consequence  of  the  breaking  up  of  petty 
clubs  ;  but,  even  allowing  this,  we  hold  that  the  quality  of  junior 
entries  increases  in  proportion  as  those  juniors  hail  from  a  good 
club  endowed  with  scientific  coaching.  Clubs  whose  powers  are 
limited  to  the  production  of  junior  crews  do  not  contribute  much 
to  the  standard  of  oarsmanship,  and  at  the  same  time  they  divert 
material  which  in  good  hands  might  attain  a  good  standard.  The 
many  petty  clubs  of  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago  used  to  labour, 
each  by  itself,  through  a  whole  season  to  produce  just  one  junior 
crew  ;  and  this  possibly  won  a  race  at  last,  on  a  sort  of  tontine 
principle,  through  the  gradual  victories  of  former  opponents  in 
junior  races,  which  on  each  occasion  removed  a  rival  from  the 
field  of  the  future.  The  modern  strong  and  first  class  clubs  turn 
out  one  junior  crew  after  another  in  the  season  ;  so  that  batch 
after  batch  of  juniors  are  thus  taken  in  hand,  and  competently 
coached  during  the  season.  Besides  regatta  rowing,  there  are 
club  contests,  and  these  are  to  be  found  in  even  greater  abundance 
and  variety  under  the  management  of  the  leading  clubs,  and 
afford  more  scope  for  rising  oarsmen,  than  ever  was  the  case  in 
the  expiring  and  expired  minor  clubs.  We  gave  publicity  to  our 
correspondent's  complaint,  as  a  matter  of  fair  play  in  a  subject 
that  might  be  of  interest  to  many  ;  byt,  all  things  considered,  we 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  his  deductions  break  down  in  every 
respect,  and  that  rowing  and  regattas  alike  benefit  rather  than  lose 
by  consolidation  of  material  in  the  first-class  clubs  of  the  day. 


EARLY   AMATEURS. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


THE   AMATEUR,    HIS    HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION. 


The  old  theory  of  an  amateur  was  that  he  was  a  'gentleman,' 
and  that  the  two  were  simply  convertible  terms.  The  amateur 
of  old  might  make  rowing  his  sport,  so  long  as  he  did  not 
actually  make  it  his  ostensible  means  of  livelihood.  The 
Leander  oarsmen  who  matched  themselves  against  University 
crews  between  1830  and  1840  did  not  consider  that  they  lost 
caste  by  rowing  for  a  stake. 

In  1 83 1  Oxford  and  Leander  rowed  at  Henley  for  200/. 
a  side,  with  watermen  steering  them.  Much  later  than  this 
it  was  not  considered  improper  for  two  '  gentlemen '  to  row  a 
match  (or  race  one)  for  a  mutual  stake  (not  a  bet).  Until  1861, 
when  the  conditions  of  the  Wingfield  Sculls  were  remodelled 
at  a  meeting  of  ex-champions  and  old  competitors,  it  had  been 
the  custom  for  all  entries  for  that  prize  to  pay  a  fee  of  5/.,  and 


THE  AMATEUR.  193 

the  winner  swept  the  pool  !  No  one  dreamed  of  suggesting 
that  this  was  in  any  way  derogatory  to  the  status  of  an  amateur. 

But  as  rowing  became  more  popular,  and  more  widely 
adopted  as  a  pastime,  it  began  to  be  felt  that  it  was  invidious 
to  leave  the  question  '  Is  he  an  amateur  ? '  to  the  local  opinion 
of  the  regatta  committee,  before  whom  such  a  question  might 
be  raised.  Oarsmen  came  to  the  conclusion  that  some  written 
definition  of  the  qualification  was  necessary  ;  some  hard  and 
fast  rule,  prospective,  if  not  retrospective.  Till  then,  various 
executives  had  adopted  various  opinions  as  to  what  constituted 
an  amateur.  One  year,  about  187 1,  the  Henley  executive  de- 
clined to  recognise  one  of  the  local  crews  engaged  in  the 
'  Town  Cup '  as  '  amateurs  ; '  and  on  this  ground  refused  to 
allow  them  to  start  for  the  Wyfold  Cup.  It  was  not  alleged 
that  any  of  this  crew  had  ever  laboured  as  a  mechanic,  or 
rowed  for  money.  The  allegation  of  the  Henley  executive 
was  that  this  crew  were  not  'gentlemen  amateurs,'  and  as  such 
they  declined  to  admit  them.  A  few  days  later  another  regatta 
executive  freely  admitted  this  same  crew,  and  none  of  the  re- 
cognised amateur  clubs  opposed  to  them  raised  any  objection 
to  the  local  crew's  status. 

This  variety  of  opinion  led  to  consultation  among  certain 
old  amateurs  whose  ideas  were  universally  respected,  and  as 
a  result,  on  April  10,  1878,  a  meeting  was  held  at  Putney,  at 
which  there  were  present — 

Francis  Playford,  L.R.C,  Chairman. 
T.  Edmund  Hockin,  Secretary,  C.U.B.C. 
T.  C.  Edwardes-Moss,  President,  O.U.B.C. 
F.  S.  GULSTON,  Captain,  London  R.C. 
Henry  P.  Marriott,  for  Secretary,  O.U.B  C. 
C.  GURDON,  President,  C.U.B.C. 
James  Hastie,  Captain,  Thames  R.C. 
M.  G.  Farrer,  Captain,  Leander  B.C. 
C.  D.  Heatley,  Captain,  Kingston  R.C. 
Robert  W.  Risley,  O.U.B.C. 
Frank  Willan,  O.U.B.C. 

o 


194  BOATING. 

J.  G.  Chambers,  C.U.B.C. 

Edward  H.  Farrie,  C.U.B.C. 

Jno.  Ireland,  L.R.C. 

H.  H.  Playford,  Vice-President,  L.R.C. 

E.  D.  Brickwood,  L.R.C,  Secretary. 

These  gentlemen  drew  up  and  passed  the  following  :  — 

Definition  of  an  Amateur. 

An  amateur  oarsman  or  sculler  must  be  an  officer  of  her 
Majesty's  Army,  or  Navy,  or  Civil  Service,  a  member  of  the 
Liberal  Professions,  or  of  the  Universities  or  Public  Schools,  or  of 
any  established  boat  or  rowing  club  not  containing  mechanics  or 
professionals  ;  and  must  not  have  competed  in  any  competition 
for  either  a  stake,  or  money,  or  entrance-fee,  or  with  or  against  a 
professional  for  any  prize  ;  nor  ever  taught,  pursued,  or  assisted  in 
the  pursuit  of  athletic  exercises  of  any  kind  as  a  means  of  liveli- 
hood, nor  have  ever  been  employed  in  or  about  boats,  or  in  manual 
labour ;  nor  be  a  mechanic,  artisan,  or  labourer. 

In  the  following  year  the  Henley  executive  drew  up  a  defi- 
nition of  their  own,  much  to  the  same  effect,  but  slightly 
different  in  phraseology  (this  was  on  April  8,  1879).  It  read 
thus  : — 

No  person  shall  be  considered  as  an  amateur  oarsman  or 
sculler— 

1.  Who  has  ever  competed  in  any  open  competition  for  a 
stake,  money,  or  entrance-fee, 

2.  Who  has  competed  with  or  against  a  professional  for  any 
prize. 

3.  Who  has  ever  taught,  pursued,  or  assisted  in  the  practice  of 
athletic  exercise  of  any  kind  as  a  means  of  gaining  a. livelihood. 

4.  Who  has  been  employed  in  or  about  boats  for  money  or 
wages. 

5.  Who  is  or  has  been,  by  trade  or  employment  for  wages,  a 
mechanic,  artisan,  or  labourer. 

This  definition,  with  a  further  slight  verbal  alteration,  will 
be  found  still  embodied  in  the  rules  of  Henley  regatta,  which 
are  given  at  p.  48.  This  new  definition  was  adopted  by  the 
'  Amateur  Rowing  Association.' 


THE  AMATEUR.  195 

This  latter  body  arose  in  1879.  The  original  object  of  its 
constitution  was  to  found  a  general  club  which  could  comprise 
all  the  best  amateur  talent  of  Britain,  and  from  which,  in  the 
event  of  any  foreign  or  colonial  crew,  composed  of  the  full 
force  of  its  own  country,  coming  to  these  shores,  could  be  put 
forward  to  represent  the  honour  of  the  mother  country  ;  so 
that  the  individual  clubs  of  Britain  should  never  hereafter  be 
in  danger  of  being  attacked  separately,  with  forces  divided,  by 
the  concentrated  resources  of  some  foreign  or  colonial  country. 
The  association  was  first  called  the  'Metropolitan  Rowing 
Association,'  but  eventually  it  took  its  present  name.  The 
rules  of  this  association  are  here  given  in  extenso,  and  sufficiently 
explain  the  raison  d'etre. 

Rules  of  the  Amateur  Rowing  Association,  late 
Metropolitan  Rowing  Association. 

Committee. 
The  President  of  the  Oxford  University  Boat  Club 


The  President  of  the  Cambridge  University  Boat  Club. 
The  Captain  of  the  Dublin  University  Boat  Club. 
The  Captain  of  the  Dublin  University  Rowing  Club. 
The  Captain  of  the  Leander  Boat  Club. 
The  Captain  of  the  London  Rowing  Club. 
The  Captain  of  the  Kingston  Rowing  Club. 
The  Captain  of  the  Thames  Rowing  Club. 


James  Cattv,  T.R.C. 
H.  J.  Chinnery,  L.R.C. 
Y.  Fenner,  L.R.C. 


F.  S.  Gulston,  L.R.C. 
James  Hastie,  T.R.C. 
Rev.  R.  W.  Rislev,  O.U.B.C 


J.  H.  D.  Goldie,  C.U.B.C.        I     S.  Le  Blanc  Smith,  L.R.C. 

Hon.  Secretary. 
S.  Le  Blanc  Smith,  Esq. 

Head  Qica7'ters,  pro  tern. 
London  Rowing  Club,  Putney. 

1.  That  this  Club  be  called  '  The  Amateur  Rowing  Association.' 

2.  That  the  object  of  the  Association  be  to  associate   mem- 
bers of  existing  amateur  rowing  clubs  for  the  purpose  of  forming 

o  2 


196  BOATING. 

representative  British  crews  to  compete  against  Foreign  and 
Colonial  representative  crews,  in  the  event  of  such  entering  at  any 
regattas  in  the  United  Kingdom,  or  challenging  this  country. 

3.  That  the  government  and  management  of  the  Association  be 
vested  in  a  committee  of  fifteen  members  (of  whom  five  shall  be  a 
quorum),  with  power  to  add  to  their  number,  who,  except  the  ex- 
ojfficio  members,  shall  retire  annually,  and  be  eligible  for  re-election. 

4.  That  the  Presidents  of  the  Oxford  University  Boat  Club 
and  Cambridge  University  Boat  Club,  the  Captains  of  the  Dublin 
University  Boat  Club,  Dublin  University  Rowing  Club,  Leander 
Boat  Club,  London  Rowing  Club,  Kingston  Rowing  Club,  and 
Thames  Rowing  Club,  for  the  time  being  be  ex-officio  members  of 
the  committee. 

5.  That  no  one  be  eligible  as  a  member  of  the  Association 
unless  he  be  a  member  of  a  recognised  Amateur  Rowing  Club. 

6.  That  candidates  for  election  must  be  proposed  and  seconded 
by  two  members  of  the  committee,  and  unanimously  elected  by 
the  committee. 

7.  That,  when  members  of  different  clubs  are  selected  to  form 
a  crew,  they  must,  for  the  time  being,  place  themselves  exclusively 
at  the  disposal  of  the  Association. 

8.  That  general  meetings  of  the  members  be  summoned  by  the 
Honorary  Secretary  at  such  times  as  not  less  than  five  of  the 
committee  think  fit,  and  that  committee  meetings  be  held  once,  at 
least,  in  every  three  months,  and  as  much  oftener  as  a  quorum 
shall,  from  time  to  time,  decide. 


This  Amateur  Rowing  Association  began  modestly,  and 
without  any  assumption,  to  dictate  to  the  rowing  world.  It 
was  content  to  take  the  patriotic  part  of  guarding  national 
amateur  prestige  in  aquatics.  But  all  leading  clubs  so  fully 
recognised  the  value  of  the  new  association,  that  pressure  was 
often  put  upon  it  to  make  a  coup  d'etat^  and  to  take  the  sceptre 
of  amateur  rowing  and  the  control  of  amateur  regattas,  a  position 
analogous  to  that  held  respectively  by  the  '  Jockey  Club '  on 
the  turf,  the  'Grand  National  Hunt  Committee'  in  steeple- 
chasing,  and  the  '  Amateur  Athletic  Association '  on  the  running 
path.  To  some  extent  the  Association  have  followed  the  course 
urged  upon  them,  and  last  season  (1886)  they  propounded  a 


THE  AMATEUR.  i97 

code  of  regatta  rules,  which  will  doubtless  be  adopted  by  all 
regattas  that  desire  to  entice  first-class  amateur  competitions  on 
their  waters.     These  rules  read  thus  : — 

Amateur  Rowing  Association. 
Established  1879. 

(Hon.  Sec,  S.  Le  Blanc  Smith,  Esq.,  Coombeside,  Sydenham,  S.E.) 

Cambridge  University  Boat  Club— Cambridge. 
Kingston  Rowing  Club— Surbiton. 
Leander  Club — Putney. 
London  Rowing  Club — Putney. 
Oxford  University  Boat  Club — Oxford. 
Reading  Rowing  Club — Reading. 
Royal  Chester  Rowing  Club — Chester. 
Thames  Rowing  Club— Putney. 
Twickenham  Rowing  Club^Twickenham. 
West  London  Rowing  Club — Putney. 
Marlow  Boat  Club— Marlow. 
Henley  Rowing  Club — Henley. 

Rules  for  Amateur  Regattas. 

1.  The  committee  shall  state  on  their  programmes,  and  all 
other  official  notices  and  advertisements,  that  their  regatta  is  held 
under  the  Rules  of  the  A.R.A. 

2.  No  'value'  prize  {i.e.  a  cheque  on  a  tradesman)  shall  be 
offered  for  competition,  nor  shall  a  prize  and  money  be  offered  as 
alternatives. 

3.  Entries  shall  close  at  least  three  clear  days  before  the  date 
of  the  regatta. 

4.  No  assumed  name  shall  be  given  to  the  secretary  unless 
accompanied  by  the  real  name  of  the  competitor. 

5.  No  one  shall  be  allowed  to  enter  twice  for  the  same  race. 

6.  The  secretary  of  the  regatta  shall  not  be  permitted  to  divulge 
any  entry,  nor  to  report  the  state  of  the  entrance  list,  until  such 
list  be  closed. 

7.  The  committee  shall  investigate  any  questionable  entry 
irrespective  of  protest. 

8.  The  committee  shall  have  absolute  power  to  refuse  or  return 


198  BOATING. 

any  entry  up  to  the  time  of  starting,  without  being  bound  to  assign 
a  reason. 

9.  The  captain  or  secretary  of  each  club  or  crew  entered  shall, 
at  least  three  clear  days  before  the  day  of  the  regatta,  deliver  to 
the  secretary  of  the  regatta  a  list  containing  the  names  of  the 
actual  crew  appointed  to  compete,  to  which  list  the  names  of  not 
more  than  four  other  members  for  an  eight-oar  and  two  for  a  four- 
oar  may  be  added  as  substitutes  ;  provided  that  no  person  may  be 
substituted  for  another  who  has  already  rowed  a  heat. 

10.  The  secretary  of  the  regatta,  after  receiving  the  list  of  the 
crews  entered,  and  of  the  substitutes,  shall,  if  required,  furnish  a 
copy  of  the  same  with  the  names,  real  and  assumed,  to  the  captain 
or  secretary  of  each  club,  or  in  the  case  of  pairs  or  scullers  to  each 
competitor  entered. 

11.  The  committee  shall  appoint  one  or  more  umpires,  to  act 
under  the  Laws  of  Boat  Racing. 

12.  The  committee  shall  appoint  one  or  more  judges,  whose 
decision  as  to  the  order  in  which  the  boats  pass  the  post  shall  be 
final. 

13.  Objections  to  the  qualification  of  a  competitor  should  be 
made  in  writing  to  the  secretary  of  the  regatta  at  the  earliest 
moment  practicable.  No  protest  shall  be  entertained  unless  lodged 
before  the  prizes  are  distributed. 

14.  Every  competitor  must  wear  complete  clothing  from  the 
shoulders  to  the  knees — including  a  sleeved  jersey. 

15.  In  the  event  of  there  being  but  one  crew  or  competitor 
entered  for  any  prize,  or  if  more  than  one  enter  and  all  withdraw 
but  one,  the  sole  competitor  must  row  over  the  course  to  become 
entitled  to  such  prize. 

16.  Boats  shall  be  held  to  have  completed  the  course  when 
their  bows  reach  the  winning  post. 

17.  The  whole  course  must  be  completed  by  a  competitor  before 
he  can  be  held  to  have  won  a  trial  or  final  heat. 

18.  In  the  event  of  a  dead  heat  any  competitor  refusing  to  row- 
again,  as  may  be  directed  by  the  committee,  shall  be  adjudged  to 
have  lost. 

19.  A  junior  oarsman  is  one  (A)  who  has  never  won  any  race 
at  a  regatta  other  than  a  school  race,  a  race  m  which  the  construc- 
tion of  the  boats  was  restricted,  or  a  race  limited  to  numbers  of 
one  club  ;  (B)  who  has  never  been  a  competitor  in  any  International 
or  Inter-University  match. 


THE  AMATEUR.  199 

A  junior  sculler  is  one  (A)  who  has  never  won  any  sculling  race 
at  a  regatta  other  than  a  race  in  which  the  construction  of  the 
boats  was  restricted,  or  a  race  limited  to  members  of  one  club  ; 
(B)  who  has  never  competed  for  the  Diamond  Sculls  at  Henley,  or 
for  the  Amateur  Championship  of  any  country. 

N.B. — The  qualification  shall  in  every  case  relate  to  the  day 
of  the  regatta. 

20.  All  questions  not  specially  provided  for  shall  be  decided  by 
the  committee. 

With  these  safeguards,  and  with  the  guidance  of  this  leading 
Association,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  status  of  amateurs  in 
England  will  be  preserved  at  that  high  standard  which  alone 
can  properly  demarcate  the  amateur  from  the  professional. 

Foreign  crew^s  which  seek  to  compete  at  our  regattas  are 
often  of  a  very  dubious  character  as  regards  amateurship.  The 
imposture  of  Lee,  the  Yankee  professional,  at  Henley  regatta 
in  1878,  was  not  discovered  until  too  late  ;  and  his  case  has 
been  by  no  means  an  isolated  one.  The  Henley  executive  now 
impose  certain  conditions  upon  foreign  countries,  which  enable 
our  own  authorities  to  make  timely  inquiries  as  to  the  real 
status  of  proposed  visitors.  These  conditions  will  be  found 
under  No.  4  of  the  '  General  Rules '  of  Henley  (p.  49). 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ROWING    AT    ETON    COLLEGE. 

The  River  Thames  flows  so  near  the  College  of  Eton  that  it 
necessarily  afl'ords  an  attraction  to  the  boys  at  least  equal  to 
the  playing  fields,  and  has  always  been  frequented  for  bathing 
and  rowing  as  well  as  other  aquatic  pursuits.  All  such  amuse- 
ments have  been  styled  from  time  immemorial  'Wet  bobbing,' 
as  distinguished  from  cricket,  which  is  '  Dry  bobbing  : '  the  boys 
who  boat  are  called  '  Wet  bobs  '  and  the  cricketers  '  Dry  bobs.' 
In  the  good  old  times,  by  which  we  mean  the  times  told  of  by 
old  men  of  our  early  acquaintance,  extending  to  the  end  of  the 
last  and  beginning  of  this  century,  the  river  was  used  by  the 
boys  for  some  other  delightful  though  unlawful  sports.    Fishing 


ROWING  AT  ETON  COLLEGE.  201 

was  in  those  times  more  attractive  to  them  than  it  has  been  in 
recent  years,  and  many  boys  who  did  not  join  the  boats  would 
go  out  gudgeon,  pike,  or  trout  fishing  with  persistent  zeal.  Old 
gentlemen  have  told  us  of  getting  up  in  the  early  morning  in 
the  summer  half,  breaking  out  through  the  windows  of  their 
dame's  or  tutor's  houses,  and  getting  on  the  river  to  fish  before 
the  early  school.  Shooting  was  also  practised  on  the  river  both 
at  such  times  and  during  the  legitimate  play  hours.  The 
watermen  took  care  of  guns  for  sporting  boys,  and  went  with 
them  in  pursuit  of  water-hens,  kingfishers,  swallows,  or  any  bird 
that  might  be  found  about  the  eyots,  in  the  willow  beds,  or  up 
the  backwaters  of  Clewer  or  Cuckoo  Weir.  Of  course  these 
sports  were  interdicted ;  but  the  use  of  the  river  for  any  purpose 
whatever  was  so  far  forbidden  that  masters  must  be  shirked  in 
going  ta  or  coming  from  it,  and  the  river  itself  was  out  of  bounds. 
The  sixth  form  also  had  to  be  shirked  in  old  times,  and  could 
have  any  lower  boy  punished  for  being  out  of  bounds  ;  but  it 
must  have  been  a  sixth-form  boy  of  no  sporting  propensities 
himself  who  could  have  given  100  lines  to  a  lower  boy  caught 
shooting  in  the  Clewer  stream.  Was  it  more  or  was  it  less 
praiseworthy  of  one  of  the  tutors  who  caught  the  same  lad  with 
his  gun,  and  only  remonstrated  with  him  because  it  might  be  dan- 
gerous, and  not  because  he  was  breaking  the  rules  of  the  school? 
No  one  but  an  Etonian  could  possibly  understand  the 
anomalous  condition  of  things  which  made  the  river  out  of 
bounds,  though  no  boy  was  really  prevented  from  going  on  it 
unless  he  was  caught  on  the  way  by  a  master  and  actually  sent 
back.  The  fact  was  that,  when  on  the  river,  the  boy  was  safe 
from  interference.  Once  only  did  a  headmaster  attempt  to 
stop  an  eight  which  he  heard  was  to  row  up  to  Surly ;  this  was 
Dr.  Keate,  and  he  was  so  finely  hoaxed  that  he  never  even  made 
a  second  attempt.  Hearing  that  an  eight  was  to  go  out  on  a 
certain  day,  he  threatened  to  expel  anyone  who  should  take 
part  in  the  expedition,  and  then"  went  for  a  walk  along  the  tow- 
path  to  waylay  them.  There  issued  from  the  Brocas  a  crew  of 
watermen  dressed  like  the  Eton  eight,  and  wearing  masks  over 


202  BOATING. 

their  faces.  Crowds  of  people  followed  to  see  what  would 
happen.     Keate  caught  them  between  the  Hopes  and  shouted, 

'  Foolish  boys,  I  know  you  all.    Lord ,  I  know  you.    A , 

you  had  better  come  ashore.  Come  here  or  you  will  all  be 
expelled.'  The  boat  however  pursued  its  course,  several  of  the 
masters  followed  on  horseback,  and  the  ruse  was  not  disco- 
vered until  the  crew  disembarked  and  took  off  their  masks 
with  a  loud  '  Hurrah  ! '  Keate  was  furious,  and  vowed  that  there 
should  be  no  Easter  holidays  unless  the  boys  who  had  been 
hooting  him  behind  hedges  gave  themselves  up,  and  some  twenty 
victims  were  accordingly  swished. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  river  was  permitted  from  March  i 
till  Easter  holidays  for  long  boats,  and  from  Easter  till  Mid- 
summer for  boats  of  all  kinds.  In  going  to  or  from  the  river 
a  boy  had  to  shirk  a  master  by  getting  into  a  shop  out  of 
his  sight.  *  The  masters  avoided  going  along  the  river  when 
rowing  was  practised ;  they  ignored,  or  pretended  to  ignore,  the 
procession  of  boats  on  June  4  and  Election  Saturday,  and 
winked  at  the  Fireworks  and  the  boys  being  late  for  lock-up 
on  those  days.  On  June  4,  1822,  Dr.  Keate  sent  for  the  captain 
of  the  boats  and  said  to  him,  '  The  boys  are  often  very  noisy 
on  this  evening  and  late  for  lock-up.  You  know  I  know  no- 
thing !  But  I  hear  you  are  in  a  position  of  authority.  I  hope 
you  will  not  be  late  to-night,  and  do  your  best  to  prevent  dis- 
order. Lock-up  time  will  be  twenty  minutes  later  than  usual : 
it  is  your  customary  privilege.' 

On  March  i,  i860,  the  captain  of  the  boats  went  boldly  up 
to  Dr.  Goodford  and  requested  that  the  '  boats  '  (or  boys  who 
belonged  to  the  eight-oared  boats)  might  be  allowed  to  go  to 
the  Brocas  without  shirking,  and  somewhat  to  his  surprise  the 
Doctor  gave  his  consent.  In  the  following  half  shirking  was 
abolished  in  Eton  for  all  the  school. 

There  is  however  one  important  condition  on  which  a  boy 
may  boat  :  he  must  'pass'  in  swimming.  When  the  authorities 
ignored  the  boating,  boys  who  could  not  swim  daily  risked 
their  lives,  and  casualties  sometimes  occurred.     It  was  in  1840 


I 


ROWING  AT  ETON  COLLEGE.  203 

that  C.  F.  Montagu  was  drowned  near  Windsor  Bridge,  and 
such  an  effect  had  this  calamity,  that  the  masters  thenceforth 
ordained  that  boating  should  be  formally  recognised,  and 
that  no  boy  should  be  allowed  to  get  into  a  boat  until  he  had 
passed  an  examination  in  swimming.  One  or  two  masters 
were  appointed  river  masters.  Bathing-places  were  made  at 
Athens,  Upper  Hope,  and  Cuckoo  Weir,  and  the  eighth  and 
sixth  form  were  allowed  to  bathe  in  Boveney  Weir.  No  boy 
might  bathe  at  any  place  but  Cuckoo  Weir  until  he  had  passed. 
Watermen  were  engaged  to  teach  swimming,  and  be  ready  with 
their  punts  at  bathing-places  and  elsewhere  to  watch  the  boys 
on  the  river,  to  prevent  accidents  and  report  unlawful  acts. 
Bathing  is  permitted  as  soon  after  the  Easter  holidays  as 
weather  is  warm  enough,  and  two  days  a  week  the  river  masters 
attend  at  Cuckoo  Weir  for  *  Passing.'  This  examination  (so 
much  pleasanter  than  any  other)  is  conducted  as  follows  :  a 
number  of  boys  whom  the  waterman  thinks  proficient  enough 
appear  undressed  in  a  punt.  A  pole  is  stuck  up  in  the  water 
(which  is  out  of  depth  at  the  place)  about  thirty  yards  off ;  the 
master  stands  on  a  high  place  called  Acropolis,  and  as  he  calls 
the  name,  each  in  turn  takes  a  header  and  swims  round  the 
pole  once  or  twice.  He  must  not  only  be  able  to  take  a  header 
and  swim  the  distance,  but  must  also  swim  in  approved  form  so 
as  to  be  capable  of  swimming  in  his  clothes.  Since  '  passing ' 
was  established  there  has  been  only  one  boy  drowned,  though 
many  are  swamped  under  all  kinds  of  circumstances.  A  boy 
who  has  not  passed  belongs  to  the  class  called  'non  nant.' 

The  Thames  at  Eton  has  changed  somewhat  from  what  it 
was  in  the  '  old  times.'  Boveney  and  Bray  Locks  were  made 
in  1839,  and  before  that  the  river  was  much  more  rapid,  and 
there  was  no  sandbank  at  Lower  Hope.  At  the  weir  below 
Windsor  Bridge  the  fall  of  water  was  not  so  great  as  it  is  now, 
and  many  a  boy  used  to  amuse  himself  in  the  dangerous  adven- 
ture of  shooting  the  weir  in  a  skiff  or  funny. 

Although  boating  was  formally  recognised  by  the  masters  in 
1 840,  it  is  a  fact  that  the  first  race  honoured  by  the  presence  of 


204  BOA  TING. 

a  headmaster  was  the  SculKng  Sweepstakes  in  1847,  when  Dr. 
Hawtrey  was  rowed  in  a  boat  to  see  the  racing  by  two  under - 
masters,  the  Rev.  H.  Dupuis  and  Mr.  Evans. 

From  time  immemorial  there  was  a  ten-oar  and  several 
eight  and  six-oared  boats,  with  regular  crews,  captains  and 
steerers.  In  the  early  state  of  things  a  waterman  always  rowed 
stroke  and  drilled  or  coached  the  crew,  and  this  practice  was 
continued  with  some  of  the  eights  till  1828,  and  after  that  the 
captain  of  each  crew  rowed  the  stroke  oar.  The  crews  had 
to  subscribe  for  the  waterman's  pay,  his  beer,  and  clothes.  The 
best  remembered  watermen  were  Jack  Hall,  '  Paddle '  Brads, 
Piper,  Jack  Haverley,  Tom  Cannon  and  Fish.  There  wxre 
upper  boats  manned  by  sixth  and  fifth  form  boys,  and  lower 
boats  originally  with  six  oars  for  lower  boys.  A  lower  boy 
could  not  get  into  the  upper  boats  however  well  he  might 
row.  From  more  recent  times  no  lower  boy  can  get  into  the 
'  boats '  at  all,  but  must  content  himself  with  his  own  lock-up 
skiff,  gig,  or  outrigger.  We  should  explain  here  that  a  lock-up 
means  a  boat  which  a  boy,  for  himself  or  jointly  with  a  friend, 
hires  for  the  summer  half  and  keeps  exclusively.  The  boat- 
builders  also  allow  other  boats  (not  lock-ups)  to  be  used  indis- 
criminately on  payment  of  a  less  sum,  which  are  called  'chance 
boats.'  Boys  in  the  '  boats '  generally  also  have  a  lock-up  or 
outrigger  of  their  own,  or  jointly  with  others. 

The  ten-oar  was  always  called  the  '  Monarch,'  and  is  the  head 
boat  in  all  processions.  The  captain  of  the  boats  rows  stroke 
of  the  'Monarch,'  and  until  1830  the  second  captain  rowed 
nine.  After  that  date  the  second  captain  became  captain  of 
the  second  boat.  The  boats  themselves  bore  certain  names.  In 
the  early  lists  (none  exist  earlier  than  1824)  the  'Britannia' 
was  the  second  boat,  and  in  that  year  there  were  five  upper 
boats, '  Hibernia,'  'Etonian,'  and  '  Nelson '  being  the  other  three. 
And  the  lower  boats  with  six  oars  were  the  '  Defiance,' '  Rivals,' 
and  '  Victory.'  The  following  year  there  were  only  three 
upper  boats,  which  has  remained  the  custom  till  this  day, 
except  in  1832,  when  there  was  a  fourth  upper  boat  called  the 


ROWING  AT  ETON  COLLEGE.  205 

'Adelaide.'  The  '  Victory '  has  always  been  the  secoad  boat 
since  1834.  And  the  favourite  names  of  other  boats  whose  places 
have  changed  in  different  years  are  the  'Rivals,'  'Prince  of  Wales,' 
'  Trafalgar,' '  Prince  George, '  Thetis,'  and  '  Dreadnought.'  There 
has  never  been  any  difficulty  in  getting  crews  for  the  one  ten- 
oar  and  seven  eight-oared  boats,  and  in  fact  the  names  put 
down  usually  have  exceeded  the  number  of  vacancies.  In 
1869  an  additional  boat  was  put  on  in  consequence  of  the 
collegers  being  allowed  to  join,  and  in  1877  the  '  Alexandra '  was 
added  to  the  list  owing  to  the  increased  number  of  entries.  Be- 
fore 1869  the  collegers  had  fours  and  sometimes  an  eight  to 
themselves,  but  did  not  join  the  procession  of  the  boats  ;  and  as 
they  did  not  belong  to  the  oppidan  '  boats '  they  could  not  row  in 
the  eight  of  the  school.^  But  they  rowed  some  successful  matches 
against  University  men  on  several  occasions.  There  was  never 
any  racing  between  collegers  and  oppidans,  and  the  collegers 
could  only  race  between  themselves.  Before  1840  they  kept 
their  boats  at  a  wharf  by  the  playing  fields  and  had  a  bathing 
place  there.  They  used  to  row  down  to  Datchet  and  Bells  of 
Ouseley,  but  from  that  time  were  forbidden  to  go  below  bridge 
and  were  put  on  the  same  recognised  footing  as  oppidans. 

As  soon  as  the  boys  return  to  school  after  the  Christmas  holi- 
days a  large  card  is  placed  at  Saunders'  shop,  on  which  those  fifth 
and  sixth  form  who  wish  to  join  and  are  not  then  in  the  boats  in- 
scribe their  names.  There  is  some  excitement  for  a  time  while 
the  captain  of  the  boats  appoints  the  captain  to  each  boat,  which 
he  does  usually  in  the  order  of  '  choices  '  (a  term  which  is  ex- 
plained hereafter)  of  the  previous  year  ;  but  sometimes  it  is 
thought  best  to  put  a  high  '  choice '  or  two  in  the  '  Victory  '  and 
appoint  as  captain  of  some  of  the  lower  boats  some  good  fellow 
who  is  not  likely  to  get  into  the  eight  of  the  school,  in  order 
that  when  the  eight  is  practising  these  boats  should  have  the 
advantage  of  their  captains  to  take  them  out.  The  captain  of 
the  lower  boats  ranks  higher  than  the  captain  of  the  third  upper 

1  In  1864,  however,  Marsden,  a  colleger,  rowed  in  the  eight,  though 
collegers  were  still  excluded  from  the  boats. 


2o6  BOATING. 

boat.  The  crew  of  the  '  Monarch '  (ten -oar)  is  then  selected  by 
the  captain  of  the  boats,  and  he  places  a  high  choice  as  'nine,' 
that  position  being  considered  about  the  fifth  highest  place. 
His  crew  is  chosen  not  of  the  best  oars,  for  they  are  always 
placed  in  the  '  Victory '  or  second  boat,  but  usually  of  boys  high 
up  in  the  school,  and  sometimes  a  good  cricketer  or  two  gets 
a  place  in  the  Easter  half  and  leaves  it  afterwards.  The  captain 
of  the  cricket  eleven  is  almost  always  formally  asked  to  take 
an  oar  in  the  ten.  The  second  captain  then  makes  up  his  crew, 
then  the  captain  of  the  third  upper,  and  so  on.  Each  captain 
has  to  submit  his  list  to  the  captain  of  the  boats,  who  advises 
him  on  his  selection.  The  steerers  are  chosen  in  the  same 
order,  and  the  best  steerer  (who  is  also  to  have  the  honour  of 
steering  the  eight  of  the  school)  always  steers  the  ten.  The 
crews  are  always  selected  on  what  is  known  of  their  merits  as 
good  oars,  and  there  is  never  any  preference  given  to  favour- 
itism or  rank.  When  the  lists  are  all  made  out  they  are  printed 
and  published  in  the  '  Boating  Calendar.' 

Boating  begins  on  March  i  'after  twelve,'  unless  the  weather 
is  excessively  bad,  or  the  river  unusually  high,  when  it  has  to 
be  stopped  for  a  few  days.  It  ends  practically  at  the  summer 
holidays.  The  half  from  after  the  summer  holidays  till  Christ- 
mas is  devoted  to  football  and  fives.  Before  the  Easter  holi- 
days the  long  boats  only  are  allowed,  but  towards  the  end  of 
that  half  some  fours  are  allowed  by  special  permission  of  the 
river  master.  We  remember  a  four  going  out  in  this  half 
without  permission  and  an  attempt  being  made  to  row  up  to 
Maidenhead  when  lock-up  was  at  6.30,  but  it  was  swamped  in 
Bray  Lock  and  the  crew  had  to  walk  or  run  home  ;  on  their 
way  they  met  the  river  master,  and  he  gave  them  all  200  lines 
to  write  out,  though  the  day  being  very  cold  he  might  have 
thought  them  sufficiently  punished  by  the  ducking  they  had  got. 

The  first  day  opens  with  a  procession  of  all  the  boats  to 
Surly  Hall  ;  each  crew  dressed  in  flannel  shirt  and  straw  hats 
of  different  colours,  and  the  name  of  the  boat  on  the  hatband 
The  last  boat  starts  first,  then  the  others  in  inverse  order  to  their 


ROWING  AT  ETON  COLLEGE.  207 

places,  and  after  rowing  a  short  way  they  'easy  all'  and  await 
the  ten-oar,  which  pursues  an  uninterrupted  course  to  Boveney 
Lock,  followed  by  the  others  in  their  proper  order.  All  go 
into  the  lock  together,  and  then  on  to  Surly  Hall,  where  they 
land,  play  games,  and  perhaps  drink  a  glass  of  beer.  '  Oars  '  are 
called  by  the  captain  after  about  twenty  minutes  or  half  an  hour, 
and  all  go  back  in  the  same  processional  order.  Before  locks 
were  built  there  was  always  a  sort  of  race  from  Rushes  to  Surly, 
each  boat  trying  to  catch  and  bump  the  one  before  it,  and  the  fun 
was  to  try  and  get  the  rudders  off  and  have  a  regular  jostle. 
After  12  there  is  not  time  to  get  further  than  Surly,  but  on  a 
half-holiday  after  4  several  of  the  boats  get  to  Monkey  Island, 
and  occasionally  when  lock-up  was  at  6.30  there  was  time  for 
an  eight  to  row  to  Maidenhead.  The  distance  from  Windsor 
Bridge  to  Rushes  is  i  mile  6  furlongs,  to  Boveney  Lock  2  miles 
1 1  furlong,  to  Surly  (about)  3  miles,  to  Monkey  4  miles  3 
furlongs,  to  Bray  Lock  5  miles,  to  Maidenhead  6  miles. 

The  usual  practice  is  for  the  eights  to  go  out  occasionally 
with  the  captain  steering  and  coaching  them,  and  for  long  rows 
to  Surly  or  Monkey.  In  the  summer  half  there  is  so  much 
practising  for  races  that  the  upper  boats  seldom  get  a  row  with 
their  proper  crews.  The  boys  who  '  wet  bob  '  and  are  not  in 
the  boats  row  in  skiffs,  gigs,  or  outriggers  to  the  bathing-places 
and  to  Surly,  or  paddle  about  from  Brocas  to  Lower  Hope. 
Canoes,  punting,  and  sailing  are  not  allowed.  On  June  4 
(and  formerly  on  Election  Saturday)  there  is  a  procession  in  the 
evening,  and  the  crews  wear  striped  cotton  shirts,  straw  hats 
lettered,  and  sailors'  jackets.  The  steerers  are  dressed  as 
admirals,  captains  or  midshipmen  of  the  Royal  Navy,  and  have 
a  large  bouquet  of  flowers ;  we  need  not  further  describe  the 
well-known  scene.  On  the  three  Check  nights  of  old  days  the 
upper  boats  went  to  Surly  in  the  evening  to  partake  of  ducks 
and  green  peas,  and  were  joined  by  the  lower  boats  as  they 
came  home  all  dressed  in  4th  June  costume. 

The  captain  of  the  boats  is  the  acknowledged  '  swell '  of 
the  school.     He  has  unlimited  power  over  the  boats,  managing 


2o8  BOATING. 

and  controlling  all  affairs  connected  with  them  ;  as  treasurer 
and  secretary  he  keeps  the  accounts,  and  writes  a  journal  of  the 
races  and  events.  No  one  disputes  his  authority.  No  money 
can  be  levied  without  the  authority  of  the  headmaster.  The 
changes  effected  in  1861  in  abohshing  Check  nights  and  Oppi- 
dan dinner  were  ordered  and  carried  out  by  him  without  the  least 
idea  that  anyone  might  have  objected.  He  was  always  asked 
to  play  ex  officio  in  the  collegers'  and  oppidans'  football  match  if 
he  was  anything  of  a  good  football  player,  and  in  the  cricket 
match  whether  he  could  play  cricket  or  not.  He  still  manages 
the  foot  races  of  the  school.  It  has  happened  four  times  that 
a  boy  has  been  captain  two  years,  and  his  power  in  his  second 
year  is  if  possible  greater  than  ever. 

The  eight  of  the  school  are  the  best  rowers,  whether  captains 
or  not,  and  are  alone  entitled  to  wear  white  flannel  trousers 
and  the  light  blue  coats.  Now  that  the  race  at  Henley  is  an 
institution  they  are  selected  for  that  event.  Before  the  Radley 
race  of  1858  there  was  no  regular  race,  and  if  a  casual  crew 
came  down  to  row  it  was  generally  without  the  challenge  being 
given  long  beforehand,  so  that  no  training  could  take  place. 
The  last  race  of  the  season  was  upper  eights,  the  captain  and 
second  captain  tossing  up  for  first  choice  and  choosing  alternately  ; 
the  first  eight  choices  were  generally  the  eight,  and  paper  lists 
were  given  out  afterwards  of  these  choices  which  ruled  the 
position  of  the  boys  who  stayed  on  for  the  next  year. 

The  earliest  school  event  we  hear  of  was  a  race  against  a 
Christ  Church  four  in  181 9,  which  was  won  by  the  Eton  four. 

An  attempt  was  made  in  1820  to  have  a  match  against 
Westminster ;  the  challenge  from  them  was  accepted,  and  an 
eight  chosen,  but  the  authorities  forbade  it.  The  first  race 
between  the  two  schools  was  rowed  on  July  27,  1829,  from 
Putney  Bridge  to  Hammersmith  and  back,  and  was  won  easily 
by  Eton,  and  Westminster  were  beaten  at  Maidenhead  in  1831, 
at  Staines  in  1836,  and  at  Putney  in  1843  ^^^^  1847.  Eton 
were  beaten  by  Westminster  at  Datchet  in  1837,  and  at  Putney 
in  1842,  1845,  ^^d  1846.    From  1847  till  1858  there  were  races 


ROWING  AT  ETON  COLLEGE.  209 

only  against  scratch  crews,  and  Oxford  or  Cambridge  colleges. 
In  1858  a  match,  which  was  thought  a  grand  event  at  the  time, 
was  rowed  on  the  Henley  course  against  Radley  and  won  by 
Eton.  In  i860,  1 86 1,  1862,  and  1864  the  Westminster  race 
was  revived  and  was  rowed  from  Putney  Bridge  to  Chiswick 
Eyot,  and  Eton  was  so  easily  the  winner  that  it  has  not  been 
thought  worth  while  to  continue  this  match. 

In  i860  Mr.  Warre  came  to  Eton  as  .an  assistant  master, 
and  at  the  request  of  the  captain  of  the  boats  assisted  him  to 
arrange  the  Westminster  race,  and  engaged  to  coach  the  eight. 
It  was  with  his  assistance  that  Dr.  Goodford  was  persuaded 
to  allow  the  eight  to  go  to  Henley  Regatta  in  1861,  and  the 
tacit  understanding  was  made  that  if  the  authorities  would  allow 
this,  and  also  the  boating  bill  by  which  two  long  boats  might 
escape  six  o'clock  absence  and  have  time  to  row  to  Cliefden, 
the  boats  would  give  up  Oppidan  dinner  and  Check  nights. 
Mr.  Warre,  with'  the  greatest  kindness  and  with  unremitting 
zeal  and  energy,  first  coached  the  eight  for  the  Westminster 
races,  and  then  continued  coaching  for  the  Henley  Regatta 
evening  after  evening  during  their  training  every  year  for 
twenty-four  years,  until  he  was  appointed  headmaster.  The 
Rev.  S.  A.  Donaldson  has  since  undertaken  the  coaching. 
University  men  at  first  disliked  the  appearance  of  Eton  at 
Henley.  Old  oarsmen  thought  it  would  ruin  the  regatta,  as  men 
would  hate  to  be  beaten  by  boys.  Masters  predicted  that  the 
coaching  by  a  master  would  spoil  the  boys,  but  time  has  dis- 
sipated these  objections,  and  the  Regatta  has  flourished  better 
than  ever. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Eton  has  on  several  occasions  beaten 
trained  college  and  other  crews  without  winning  the  plate,  and  we 
may  fairly  say  that  her  place  on  the  river  is  about  equal  to  that 
of  the  best  colleges.  After  all,  the  boys  are  boys  of  seventeen 
and  eighteen,  and  if  they  are  not  as  strong  or  heavy  as  men  a 
year  or  two  older,  they  have  the  advantage  of  practically  always 
being  in  training,  are  easily  got  together,  and  are  living  a 
regular  and  active  life. 

P 


2IO 


BOATING. 


Results  of  Henley  Regatta. 


Average 

Year 

Race 

Eton  was  beaten  by 

Eton  beat 

Weight 

of  Eton 

crew 

St.     lb. 

1861 

Ladies'  Plate     . 

Trinity     College, 
Oxford 

Radley  . 

9    12 

1862 

Ladies'  Plate      . 

University      Col- 
lege, Oxford 

Radley  . 

10      7I 

1863 

Ladies'  Plate     . 

University      Col- 
lege, Oxford 

Trinity  Hall,  Cam- 
bridge ;     Brase- 
nose,      Oxford  ; 
Radley 

10   ^\ 

1864 

Ladies'  Plate     . 
(winners) 

. 

Trinity  Hall,  Cam- 
bridge ;  Radley 

10    6| 

1865 

Grand  Challenge 

London    R.    C.  ; 
Third    Trinity, 
Cambridge 

10   4^ 

Ladies'  Plate     . 

Third        Trinity, 
Cambridge 
(by  a  foul) 

Radley  . 

1866 

Grand  Challenge 

Oxford  Etonians  ; 
London  R.C. 

. 

— 

Ladies'  Plate     . 

First      Trinity    or 

10    9i 

(winners) 

Black        Prince. 
Cambridge ; 
Radley 

1867 

Grand  Challenge 

(scratched) 

Kingston  R.C. 

10    7 

Ladies'  Plate     . 

. 

Radley 

(winners) 

1868 

Grand  Challenge 

London  R.  C. 

University  College, 
Oxford ;    Kings- 
ton R.C. 

10    8 

Ladies'  Plate     . 

•         .         . 

University  College, 

— 

(winners) 

Oxford  ;     Pem- 
broke    College, 
Cambridge 

1869 

Grand  Challenge 

Oxford  Etonians 

. 

10  loj 

Ladies'  Plate      . 

. 

Lady       Margaret, 

— 

(winners) 

Cambridge 

1870 

Grand  Challenge 

London  R.C. 

— 

Ladies'  Plate     . 

. 

Dublin  Trinity  Col- 

10   9^ 

(winners) 

lege 

1871 

Grand  Challenge 

Oxford  Etonians  ; 
London  R.C. 

Dublin  Trinity  Col- 
lege Oscillators 

— 

Ladies'  Plate 

Pembroke       Col- 
lege, Cambridge 

. 

""~ 

1872 

Ladies'  Plate     . 

Jesus        College, 
Cambridge 

. 

10     6 

1873 

Grand  Challenge 

London  R.C. 

Balliol        College, 
Oxford 

lo    9^ 

Ladies'  Plate     . 

Dublin        Trinity 
College 

. 

" 

ROWING  AT  ETON  COLLEGE. 


211 


Year 


1874 


1875 
1876 
1877 
1878 
1879 
1880 

1881 

1882 
1883 
1884 

1885 

1886 
1887 


Race 


Grand  Challenge 

Ladies'  Plate 
Ladies'  Plate 
Ladies'  Plate 
Ladies'  Plate 
Ladies'  Plate 
Ladies'  Plate 
Ladies'  Plate 


I  Grand  Challenge 
Ladies'  Plate 


Ladies'  Plate 

(winners) 
Ladies'  Plate 

Ladies'  Plate 
(winners) 

Ladies'  Plate 
(winners) 

Ladies'  Plate 

Ladies'  Plate 


Eton  was  beaten  by 


London  R.C. 


First  Trinity  Cam- 
bridge 
Dublin        Trinity 

College 
Caius        College, 

Cambridge 
Jesus        College, 

Cambridge 
Jesus        College, 

Cambridge 
Lady     Margaret, 

Cambridge 
Trinity  Hall, 

Cambridge 

Leander  R.C. 
First  Trinity, 

Cambridge 


Christ         Church, 
Oxford 


Pembroke  Col- 
lege, Cambridge 

Trinity  Hall,  Cam- 
bridge 


Eton  beat 


First  Trinity,  Cam- 
bridge;  B.N.C 
Oxford ;  Thames 
R.C. 

Radley  . 


Cheltenham  . 
Cheltenham  . 

Hertford  College 
Oxford 

Exeter  College.  Ox 
ford  ;  Caius  Col- 
lege, Cambridge 


Trinity  Hall,  Cam- 
bridge;   Radley 
Radley . 

Caius  College, 

Cambridge  ; 
Radley 
Oriel  College,  Ox- 
ford  ;       Corpus 
College,    Oxford 
Radley  ;  Bedford 

Hertford    College, 
Oxford 


Average 
Weight 
of  Eton 

crew 

St. 

lb. 

10 

7* 

10 

5^ 

10 

3i 

10 

5i 

II 

0 

II 

Ih 

II 

III 

II 

loi 

II 

0 

II 

S\ 

II 

Si 

10 

I2i 

II 

If 

The  eight  are  permitted  during  training  below  bridge  at 
Datchet.  Of  the  races  at  the  school  in  old  times,  upper  sixes 
was  the  great  event.  It  was  rowed  from  Brocas  up  to  Surly 
and  back  before  the  lock  was  made,  and  in  after  times  round 
Rushes.  All  races  were  rowed  round  a  turning  point,  and 
there  was  more  or  less  bumping.  There  were  no  rules  of 
racing  then,  and  bumping  or  jostling,  knocking  off  a  rudder, 
and  foul  play  of  any  kind  was  part  of  the  fun  ;  the  only  ob- 
ject was  to  get  in  first  anyhow.     There  was  a  match  in  181 7 


212  BOATING. 

between  a  four  of  Mr.  Carter's  house  and  four  watermen  which 
caused  great  excitement,  and  was  unexpectedly  won  by  the  boys. 
Two  sides  of  college,  and  dames  and  tutors,  were  annual  events, 
but  were  done  away  with  in  1870.  Tutors  had  won  thirteen,  and 
dames  the  same  number  of  races.  There  used  to  be  an  annual 
punting  race,  but  punting  was  forbidden  after  1851.  One  of 
the  masters  used  to  give  a  prize  for  tub-sculling,  in  which  about 
100  or  more  started  and  afforded  great  amusement.  This  was 
before  outrigged  sculling  and  pair-oared  boats  were  much  used, 
and  since  they  became  fashionable  there  have  been  junior  pairs 
and  junior  sculling.  House  fours  as  a  regular  institution  was 
begun  in  1857,  when  the  Challenge  cup  was  procured  by  means 
of  a  school  subscription.  In  1876  trial  eights  were  first  rowed, 
and  the  race  took  place  in  the  Easter  half.  There  are  challenge 
prizes  for  the  house  fours  and  for  the  sculling  and  pulling,  as 
the  pair-oar  outrigger  race  is  called.  The  number  of  races  had 
to  be  curtailed  owing  to  the  time  taken  to  train  the  eight  for 
Henley.  The  four  and  eight-oared  races  start  from  Rushes,  and 
are  rowed  down  stream  ;  total  distance  i  mile  6  furlongs.  The 
pulling  and  sculling  races  start  from  Brocas  and  go  round  a 
ryepack  at  Rushes  and  back,  a  distance  of  3  miles  4  furlongs. 
The  winning  point  is  always  Windsor  Bridge.  The  Brocas  is 
the  name  given  to  the  field  between  the  railway  and  the  boat- 
houses,  and  is  so  called  from  the  family  of  Brocas,  who  used 
to  own  the  property.  The  times  vary  so  much  with  the  state 
of  the  river  that  little  comparison  can  be  made  between 
the  merits  of  individual  oarsmen  or  scullers.  It  takes  about 
l\  minutes  for  an  eight  to  row  down  from  Rushes  with  a 
fair  stream,  and  about  8  minutes  20  seconds  for  a  four.  A 
good  sculler  can  get  round  Rushes  and  back  in  about  20  to  21 
minutes.  Pair-oared  rowing  without  coxswains  was  introduced 
in  1863,  and  a  good  pair  now  wins  in  19  to  20  minutes.  Fours 
still  continue  to  carry  coxswains. 

The  boats  themselves  that  are  used  are  very  different  now 
from  what  they  were  forty  years  ago.  Up  to  1839  they  were  still 
built  of  oak  (a  very  heavy  wood),  and  measured  fifty-two  feet  in 


ROWING  AT  ETON  COLLEGE.  213 

length  and  were  painted  all  over.  The  first  outriggers  used  in 
the  University  boat  race  in  1846  were  built  in  streaks,  and  it 
was  not  until  1857  that  both  University  crews  rowed  in  the 
present  sort  of  boats  with  smooth  skins  made  of  mahogany 
without  keels  and  with  round  loomed  oars.  The  first  time  an 
outrigger  was  used  at  Eton  was  in  1852,  and  until  i860  the 
'  Victory '  was  the  only  one  in  regular  use  :  all  the  other  eights 
and  fours  were  built  with  streaks  and  had  rowlocks  in  the  gun- 
wale, with  a  half-outrigger  for  stroke  and  bow.  The  ten-oar  had 
half-outriggers  in  that  year,  but  soon  afterwards  all  the  eights 
became  fully  outrigged.  Sliding  seats  were  first  used  about 
1874.  The  builders  were  Mr.  Searle,  Tolliday,  and  Goodman. 
Perkins,  better  known  for  many  years  by  the  sobriquet  of 
'  Sambo,'  has  now  become  owner  of  Mr.  Searle's  premises. 

In  the  old-fashioned  boats  rowing  was  to  a  certain  extent 
done  in  an  old-fashioned  style.  The  boats  went  steadily  along 
without  any  spring  to  the  first  touch  of  the  oars  in  the  water. 
The  stroke  was  rapid  forward,  but  became  a  slow  drag  from  the 
first  dash  of  the  oar  into  the  water  till  recovered.  Now  the 
boat  leaps  to  the  catch,  whereas  when  the  first  note  was 
sounded  by  a  University  oarsman  to  '  catch  the  beginning,'  the 
Eton  boy  in  the  old  heavy  boat  found  it  impossible  to  respond. 
But  Eton  boys  knew  what  was  meant  by  Mr.  Warre  when  they 
got  the  celebrated  Mat  Taylor  boat  in  i860,  and  soon  learned 
the  new  style.  The  stroke  became  quicker,  the  recovery  sharp, 
and  every  nerve  was  strained  to  cover  the  blade  of  the  oar  at 
the  first  touch  in  the  water  when  the  whole  pull  had  to  be  made. 
From  the  time  when  the  watermen  used  to  coach  and  row,  no 
regular  coaching  had  been  done  by  anyone  but  the  captains. 
A  neat  and  traditional  style  was  handed  down  with  all  the 
essential  points  of  good  oarsmanship.  But  the  art  of  propelling 
the  Mat  Taylor,  and  boats  afterwards  used  of  the  same  sort  of 
type,  was  taught  by  Mr.  Warre. 

We  have  alluded  to  the  doubts  at  first  in  the  minds  of  old 
Etonians  about  the  eight  going  to  Henley,  and  the  great  changes 
effected  at  that  time.    No  one  now  will  say  that  it  was  anything 


214 


BOATING. 


but  unmixed  good  for  the  school.  The  convivial  entertainments 
of  Check  nights  and  Oppidan  dinners  had  already  become  insti- 
tutions of  a  past  age.  Drinking  and  smoking  had  died  out,  and 
all  that  was  wanted  to  stir  the  boys  from  lounging  about  in 
their  skiffs  under  willow  bushes  and  back  streams  was  the  ex- 
citement of  a  great  annual  race  and  the  effort  to  qualify  for  a 
place  in  the  eight.  There  have  almost  always  been  Eton  men 
in  the  University  crews,  and  since  1861  there  have  sometimes 
been  as  many  as  five  in  one  crew,  and  certainly  as  many,  if  not 
more,  in  every  '  Varsity '  race.  Eton  has  always  had  its  full  share 
of  the  Presidentships.  Third  Trinity,  Cambridge,  has  never 
ceased  to  hold  its  own  in  a  high  position  on  the  Cam,  and  we 
have  never  heard  a  word  of  any  deterioration,  and  much  the 
other  way,  of  the  moral  effect  on  the  boys  of  being  coached 
during  their  training.  The  special  advantage  of  having  the 
river  as  a  recreation  place  in  addition  to  the  playing  fields  puts 
Eton  to  the  front  in  athletics  among  our  public  schools  ;  and 
the  use  of  varieties  of  boats  from  early  life,  under  all  sorts  of 
difficulties,  on  a  rapid  stream,  and  having  to  keep  his  proper 
side  to  avoid  other  craft,  makes  the  '  Wet  bob '  a  first  class 
waterman.     Floreat  Etojia. 


Captains  of  the  Boats  and  Notable  Events. 


Year 

Captain  of  the  Boats 

Notable  Events 

1812 

G.  Simson 

1814 

R.  Wyatt  . 

1815 

T.  Hill      . 

— 

1816 

Bridgeman  Simpson   . 

— 

1816 

M.  Bligh   . 

~ 

1817 

J.  0.  Secher       . 

— 

1818 

J.  H.  Tuckfield 



1819 

R.  Tuckfield       . 

— 

'  1820 

Lord  Dunlo 

— 

182I 

M.  Ashley 

— 

1822 

J.  A.  Kinglake  . 

— 

1823 

P.  J.  Nugent      . 

— 

1824 

W.  Carew 

— 

1825 

A.  Leith    . 

— 

1825 

M.  Clifford 

— 

1826 

T.  Staniforth      . 

— 

ROWING  AT  ETON  COLLEGE. 


215 


Year 


Captain  of  the  Boats 


Notable  Events 


1827 

T.  H.  Taunton 

. 

1828 

T.  Edwardes-Moss     . 

1829 

Lord  A 1  ford 

1830 

G.  H.  Ackers 

I83I 

C.  M.  Roupell 

1832 

E.  Moore  . 

1833 

G.  Arkwright 

1834 

J.  QuickC  . 

1835 

E.  Stanley 

1836 

E.  Fellowes 

1837 

W.  J.  Garnett 

1838 

P.  J.  Croft 

1839 

W.  C.  Rayer 

1840 

W.  R.  Harris-Arundell 

I84I 

W.  R.  Harris-Arundell 

1842 

F.  J.  Richards  . 

1843 

F.  E.  Tuke 

1844 

W.  W.  Codrington     . 

1845 

H.  A.  F.  Luttrell       . 

1846 

G.  F.  Luttrell    . 

1847 

C.  H.  Miller      . 

1848 

H.  H.  Tremayne 

1849 

R.  B.  H.  Blundell      . 

1850 

G.  M.  Robertson 

I85I 

J.  B.  H.  Blundell       . 

1852 

C.  H.  R.  Trefusis       . 

1853 

J.  J.  Harding     . 

1854 

J.  C.  Moore 

1855 

R.  L.  Lloyd       . 

1856 

G.  S.  F.  Lane-Fox    . 

1857 

T.  Baring. 

1858 

Mr.  Lawless'     . 

1859 

C.  A.  Wynne     . 

i860 

R.  H.  Blake  Humfrey- 

I86I 

R.  H.  Blake  Humfrey 

1862 

C.  B.  Lawes 

1863 

W.  R.  Griffiths 

. 

Beat  Westminster 

Beat  Westminster ;  beaten  by  Leander 


Beat  Westminster 
Beaten  by  Westminster 


Beat   Old    Etonians,    and   an   Oxford 

Etonian  Club 
Beat  Cambridge  Subscription  Room 
Beaten  by  Westminster 
Beat  Westminster 

Beaten  by  Westminster 
Beaten  by  Westminster 
Beat  W^estminster  ;  beaten  by  Thames 
in  Putney  Regatta 


Beat   scratch  Cambridge  crew  ;  beaten 
by  Oxford 

Beaten  by  an  Oxford  crew 

Beat  a  scratch  Oxford  crew 

Beaten    by  a  Cambridge  crew  and  by 

Balliol 
Beat  an  Oxford  and  Cambridge  mixed 

crew  by  a  foul,  and   beaten  by  an 

Oxford  eight 
Beaten  by  an  Oxford  eight 
Beat  Radley  at  Henley 

Beat  Westminster 

Beat  Westminster  and  Radley  ;  beaten 
by  Trinity  College,  Cambridge 

Beat  Westminster  and  Radley ;    beaten 
by  University  College  at  Henley 

Beat  Trinity  Hall,  Brasenose,  and 
Radley;  beaten  by  University  Col- 
lege at  Henley 


Now  Lord  Cloncurry. 


Changed  his  name  to  Mason. 


2l6 


BOATING. 


Year 


1864 

1865 
1866 

1867 
1868 

1869 

1870 

187I 

•1872 
1873 

1874 


Captain  of  the  Boats 


Notable  Events 


S.  C.  Cockran    . 

J.  Mossop 

E.  Hall     . 

W.  D.  Benson    . 

J.  M'Clintock-Bunbury 

T.  Edvvardes-Moss 

F.  A.  Currey     . 

F.  C.  Ricardo    . 

E.  R.  S.  Bloxsome 
T.  Edwardes-Moss 

T.  Edwardes-Moss 


1875 
1876 

A.  J.  Mulholland 
G.  Cunard 

1876 
1877 

S.  Sandbach 
M.  F.  G.  Wilson 

1878 

G.  Grenville-Grey 

1879 

L.  R.  West 

1880 

G.  C.  Bourne     . 

I88I 
1882 

G.  C.  Bourne     . 
F.  E.  Churchill 

1883 

H.  S.  Close       . 

1884 
1885 
1886 

H.  McLean        . 

C.  Barclay 

C.  T.  Barclay    . 

1887 

Lord  Ampthill  . 

1888 

Lord  Ampthill  . 

Beat  Trinity  Hall,  Cambridge,  and 
Radley,  and  won  Ladies'  Plate  at 
Henley 

Won  Ladies'  Plate  against  Black 
Prince,  Cambridge 

Won  Ladies'  Plate  against  Radley 

Won  Ladies'  Plate  against  University 
College  and  Pembroke,  Oxford 

Won  Ladies'  Plate  against  Lady  Mar- 
garet, Cambridge 

Won  Ladies'  .Plate  against  Dublin 
Trinity  College 

W^on  heats  of  Grand  Challenge  and  of 
Ladies'  Plate 

Won    first    heat   of    Grand    Challenge 

against  Balliol 
Won  second  heat  of  Grand  Challenge 

against    First   Trinity,  Cambridge, 

and  B.N. C,  Oxford 
Beaten  by  Dublin  in  Ladies'  Plate 
Beaten  by  Caius  College,  Cambridge, 

in  Ladies'  Plate 

Beat  Cheltenham,  but  beaten  by  Jesus 

College  for  Ladies'  Plate 
Won  second  heat  against  Cheltenham  ; 

beaten  by  Jesus  College  in  final  for 

Ladies'  Plate 
Won   second    heat    against    Hertford 

College  ;  beaten  by  Lady  Margaret 

in  final  for  Ladies'  Plate 
Won  first  heat,  beaten  by  Trinity  Hall, 

Cambridge,  in  final  for  Ladies'  Plate 

Won   Ladies'   Plate,    after  interval  of 

twelve  years 
Won  first  heat  Ladies'  Plate  ;  lost  with 

broken  stretcher  in  final 
Won  Ladies'  Plate 
Won  Ladies'  Plate 
Beaten  by  Pembroke  College  in  final 

for  Ladies'  Plate 
Beaten  by  Second  Trinity  Hall  in  final 

for  Ladies'  Plate 


217 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

WATERMEN    AND    PROFESSIONALS. 

The  London  waterman  is  the  oldest  type  of  professional  oars- 
manship. He  was  called  into  existence  for  the  purpose  of  loco- 
motion, and  race-rowing  was  a  very  secondary  consideration 
with  him  in  the  first  instance.  Just  as  in  the  present  day 
credentials  of  respectability  are  required  by  the  Commissioners 
of  Police  of  drivers  of  cabs  and  omnibuses  (and  none  may  ply 
for  hire  in  these  capacities  within  the  metropolis  unless  duly 
licensed),  so  in  olden  days  great  stress  was  laid  on  the  due  quali- 
fication of  watermen.  An  aspirant  was  and  is  required  to  serve 
seven  years'  apprenticeship  before  he  can  be  '  free  '  of  the  river, 
and  until  he  is  '  free '  of  it  he  may  not  ply  for  hire  upon  it 
under  heavy  penalties  for  so  doing.  This  regulation  is  in  the 
interests  of  public  safety.  If  apprentices  exhibit  special  talent 
for  rowing  they  can  win  what  are  called  'coats  and  badges,' 
given  by  certain  corporate  bodies,  and  by  so  doing  they  can 
take  up  their  '  freedom  '  without  paying  fees  for  the  privilege. 
We  believe  that  no  such  restrictions  exist  on  our  other  British 
rivers.  The  rule  survives  on  the  Thames  because  in  olden  times 
the  Thames  was  a  highway  for  passenger  traffic  in  'wherries.' 
In  those  times,  where  a  passenger  would  now  go  to  a  thorough- 
fare or  call  a  cab,  he  would  have  gone  to  the  nearest  '  stairs ' 
and  have  hailed  a  wherry.  London  had  not  then  grown  to  its 
present  dimensions,  and  the  Thames  lay  conveniently  as  a  high- 
way between  Westminster,  the  City,  and  the  docks. 

Amateurs  began  to  take  up  rowing  early  in  the  present 
century  as  a  sport ;  and  these  contests  seem  to  have  fostered 


2i8  BOATING. 

the  idea  of  match-making  among  watermen.  The  title  of  a 
Champion  of  the  Thames  seems  first  to  have  been  held  by  one 
R.  Campbell,  who  beat  C.  Williams,  another  waterman,  in  a 
match  on  September  9,  1831,  and  also  beat  R.  Coombes  in  a 
match  the  date  of  which  is  doubtful,  but  it  was  in  heavy  boats. 
Campbell  was  a  powerful  and  heavy  man,  while  Coombes 
weighed  less  that  ten  stone.  Coombes  turned  the  tables  on 
Campbell  a  few  years  later  (in  1846),  and  for  some  years 
Coombes  was  held  to  be  invincible.  In  those  times  London 
watermen  could,  at  scratch,  man  an  eight  to  hold  or  even  beat 
the  best  trained  crew  of  amateurs.  The  original  waterman's 
wherry  was  a  vehicle  of  conveyance  ;  it  was  of  much  greater 
size  than  would  be  required  to  carry  one  man  alone  in  a  sheer 
contest  for  speed,  but  so  soon  as  '  racing '  came  into  vogue 
among  watermen,  lighter  craft  were  built  for  matches,  and  were 
called  '  wager '  boats.  The  hull  of  the  wherry  was  constructed 
as  narrow  as  possible,  and  the  sides  flared  out  just  at  the  greatest 
beam,  so  as  to  allow  of  suflScient  width  to  carry  the  rowlocks 
with  the  requisite  leverage  for  the  sculls.  This  detail  has  already 
been  treated  in  Chapter  XI.  under  the  head  of  '  boat  building.' 
Coombes  had  been  beaten  by  Campbell  in  old-fashioned 
wherries,  such  as  could  be  used  for  the  business  of  conveying 
passengers.  When  he  in  turn  defeated  Campbell  both  men  used 
'  wager  boats.'  The  time  came  when  years  told  on  Coombes, 
and  he  had  to  yield  to  his  own  pupil  Cole.  Coombes  was  not 
convinced  by  his  defeat,  and  made  another  match,  but  Cole 
this  time  won  with  greater  ease.  They  rowed  in  '  outriggers  ' 
on  these  occasions.  Cole  in  turn  succumbed  to  Messenger  of 
Teddington  in  1855,  and  two  years  later  Harry  Kelley,  the  best 
waterman  the  Thames  ever  produced,  either  as  an  oarsman  or 
as  a  judge  of  rowing,  beat  Messenger.  Up  to  this  time  London 
watermen  had  been  considered  invincible  at  sculling.  Harry 
Clasper  had  produced  four-oar  crews  from  the  Tyne  to  oppose 
Coombes  and  his  four,  but  no  Tyne  sculler  had  dared  to  lay 
claim  to  the  Championship,  However,  in  1859  Robert  Cham- 
bers was  matched  with  Kelley,  and  to  the  horror  of  the  Thames 


WATERMEN  AND  PROFESSIONALS.  219 

men  their  favourite  was  beaten,  and  with  considerable  ease. 
The  Tyne  man  was  the  bigger,  and  had  a  very  long  sweep  with 
his  sculls  ;  on  that  day  he  showed  to  great  advantage,  the  more 
so  because  Kelley  was  not  sculling  up  to  his  best  form.  De- 
feated men  can  always  suggest  excuses  for  failure,  and  Kelley, 
for  years  after  that  race,  averred  that  he  had  not  been  beaten 
on  his  merits;  he  had  been  kept  waiting  a  longtime  at  the  post, 
and  was  cold  and  stiff  at  the  start.  In  those  days,  whether  in 
University  matches  or  in  public  sculling  races,  the  lead  was  a 
matter  of  special  importance.  In  the  first  place  the  old  code 
of  rules  were  in  force,  which  enabled  a  leading  sculler  to  take 
his  opponent's  water,  to  wash  him,  to  retain  the  captured  course, 
and  to  compel  his  adversary  to  row  round  him  in  order  to  pass 
him.  Secondly,  and  even  more  important,  was  the  action  of 
the  crowds  of  steamers  which  followed  such  races.  The  Thames 
Conservancy  had  no  control  over  them,  and  they  would  lie 
half-way  up  Putney  Reach  waiting  for  a  race,  and  then  steam 
alongside  of  or  even  ahead  of  the  sternmost  competitor.  Their 
paddles  drew  away  the  water  from  him,  and  caused  him  literally 
to  row  uphill.  Under  such  circumstances  even  the  champion 
of  the  day  would  have  found  it  next  to  impossible  to  overhaul 
even  an  apprentice  sculler,  if  the  latter  were  in  clear  water  ahead 
of  the  steamer  fleet  and  the  former  were  a  few  lengths  behind 
in  the  '  draw  '  of  the  paddles. 

All  this  was  well  known,  and  could  be  seen  any  day  in  an 
important  Thames  race  (the  hollowness  of  the  Oxford  wins 
of  1 86 1  and  1862  against  Cambridge  was  undoubtedly  owing 
to  the  treatment  which  the  Cantabs  experienced  from  the 
steamers  when  once  the  lead  had  become  decisive).  Kelley 
argued  to  his  friends  that  all  that  could  be  said  of  the  race  was 
that  he  could  not  go  as  fast  that  day  as  Chambers  for  the  first 
mile,  and  that  after  this  point,  whether  or  not  he  could  have 
rowed  down  his  opponent  was  an  open  question,  for  the 
steamers  never  gave  him  a  chance  of  fair  play.  However,  for 
a  long  time  Kelley  could  not  find  backers  for  a  new  match. 
Meantime,  Tom  White  and  Everson  in  turn  tried  their  luck 


220  BOATING. 

against  Chambers  and  were  hopelessly  beaten.  In  1863  Green 
the  Australian  came  to  England  to  make  a  match  with  Chambers. 
Green  was  a  square,  powerful  man,  about  Kelley's  height,  but  a 
stone  heavier.  He  sculled  upright  in  body,  and  with  too  much 
arm  work  for  staying  power,  and  did  not  make  enough  use  of 
his  body,  especially  as  to  swing  back  at  the  end  of  the  stroke. 
He  sculled  a  fast  stroke,  and  so  long  as  his  arms  lasted  went 
a  tremendous  pace.  Kelley  and  he  fraternised,  and  practised 
together.  When  the  match  came  off  against  Chambers,  Green 
went  right  away  for  a  mile,  and  then  maintained  his  lead  of 
three  or  more  clear  lengths  for  another  half-mile.  Chambers 
sculled  rather  below  his  form  at  first,  wildly,  as  if  flurried  at 
being  so  easily  led,  but  off  Craven  he  settled  down  to  his  old 
long  sweep,  and  held  Green.  The  end  came  suddenly  ;  off  the 
Soap  Works  Green  collapsed,  clean  rowed  out,  and  Chambers 
finished  at  his  leisure.  This  match  did  Kelley  good  with  his 
friends,  for  they  knew  that  he  could  always  in  private  practice 
go  by  Green  after  a  mile  or  so  had  been  sculled,  quite  as  easily 
as  Chambers  eventually  had  done.  Proposals  were  broached 
for  a  match  between  the  cracks  of  the  Thames  and  Tyne,  and 
although  the  Tyne  party  pressed  to  have  the  race  on  the  Tyne, 
they  gave  way  at  last,  and  the  venue  was  the  Thames.  The 
stakes  were  200/.  a  side,  as  usual  i-n  Champion  matches,  and 
there  was  also  a  staked  '  bet '  of  300/.  to  200/.  on  Chambers. 
(The  race  w^as  on  August  8,  1865.)  The  Tyne  man  was  a 
strong  favourite  at  the  start,  but  Kelley  got  away  with  the  lead, 
and  was  never  again  caught,  winning  cleverly  by  four  lengths, 
and  sculling  in  form  such  as  was  never  seen  before  or  after,  on 
old-fashioned  fixed  seats.  Just  at  this  time  there  was  a  speedy 
Tyne  sculler  called  Cooper  ;  he  lately  had  sculled  a  mile  match 
with  Chambers  on  the  Tyne,  and  Chambers  had  won  by  one 
yard  only,  in  a  surf  which  was  all  in  favour  of  the  bigger  man 
(Chambers).  A  week  or  two  after  the  aforesaid  Champion 
race,  Kelley,  Cooper,  and  Chambers  met  for  a  300/.  sweepstake 
(specially  got  up  for  these  three  men,  over  the  two-mile  tidal 
course  of  the  '  Eau  Brink  Cut '  at  King's  Lynn).     Both  Kelley 


WATERMEN  AND  PROFESSIONALS.  221 

and  Chambers  had  been  indulging  a  Httle  after  their  Champion's 
training.  Cooper,  who  had  been  lately  beaten  by  Chambers  in 
the  Thames  Regatta,  for  a  50/.  purse  (Hammersmith  to  Putney), 
was  very  fit,  and  jumped  away  from  both  the  cracks.  Chambers 
was  short  of  wind,  and  was  never  in  the  race.  Kelley  stuck  to 
Cooper,  and  rowed  him  down  half  a  mile  from  the  finish. 
Cooper  then  rowed  across  Kelley,  fouled  him,  and  drove  him 
ashore.  Cooper  was  properly  disqualified  on  the  foul.  Next 
year  Hammill  the  American  came  over  to  scull  Kelley,  and  the 
races  took  place  on  the  Tyne.  One  race  was  end  on  end,  and 
the  other  round  a  stake  boat.  Kelley  won  each  race  with  utter 
ease.  Hammill's  style  was  an  exaggeration  of  Green's,  all  arm 
work,  and  a  stroke  up  to  55  a  minute  at  the  start.  About  this 
time  J.  Sadler  was  rising  to  fame.  He  had  been  a  chimney- 
sweep, and  afterwards  was  '  Jack  in  the  water '  to  Simmonds' 
yard  at  Putney.  He,  unfortunately  for  himself,  exposed  much 
of  his  merits  when  rowing  for  the  Thames  Regatta  Sculls  in 
1865,  and  instead  of  making  a  profitable  series  of  matches  up  the 
scale,  beginning  with  third-rate  opponents,  he  had  to  make  his 
first  great  match  with  T.  Hoare,  who  was  reputed  second  only 
to  Kelley  on  the  Thames.  Sadler  beat  Hoare  easily,  and  was 
at  the  close  of  1866  matched  to  scull  Chambers  for  the  Cham- 
pionship, Kelley  having  '  retired '  from  the  title  (Kelley  and 
Sadler  were  allies  at  the  time,  and  Sadler  was  Kelley's  pupil). 
In  the  match  Sadler  went  well  and  fast  at  Hammersmith,  and 
then  tired,  fouled  Chambers,  and  lost  the  race. 

In  the  following  year  Kelley  and  Chambers  were  once  more 
matched.  Kelley  came  out  of  his  retirement  in  consequence 
of  some  wrangling  which  had  arisen  out  of  the  previous  defeat 
of  his  pupil  Sadler  by  Chambers.  The  new  match  took  place  on 
the  Tyne,  on  a  rough  day  and  with  a  bad  tide,  on  May  6.  Kelley 
won  and  with  some  ease.  It  was  evident  that  Chambers  was  no 
longer  the  man  that  he  had  been.  He  never  again  sculled  for 
the  Championship,  but  he  took  part  in  the  Paris  International 
Regatta  in  July  of  the  same  year.  Very  soon  after  this  his  lungs 
showed  extensive  disease,  and  he  gradually  sank  of  decline. 


222  BOATING. 

En  passant  we  may  say  of  Chambers  that,  apart  from  grand 
physique  and  science  as  an  oarsman,  he  displayed  quahties 
throughout  his  career  which  would  stamp  him  as  a  model  for 
champions  of  the  present  day.  He  was  always  courteous,  never 
puffed  up  with  success,  never  overbearing,  and  yet  at  the  same 
time  always  fondly  confident  in  his  own  powers  and  stamina. 
A  more  honourable  man  never  sat  in  a  boat.  The  writer  recalls 
a  little  incident  as  characteristic  of  Chambers.  Just  before  the 
1865  match  against  Kelley,  he  accosted  Chambers  at  Putney 
and  asked  him  if  he  wished  to  sell  his  boat  after  the  match. 
(It  was  a  common  practice  for  Tyne  scullers  to  do  this,  to  save 
the  cost  of  conveyance  back  to  the  Tyne.)  Chambers  replied, 
he  would  sell  her.  The  writer  asked  if  he  might  try  her  after 
the  race.  '  Hoot  mon,'  said  Chambers,  '  try  her  noo,  if  ye  like.' 
Now  the  writer  was  known  to  be  an  ally  of  Kelley  (who  usually 
accompanied  him  when  training  on  the  tideway  for  sculling 
races).  In  these  days  we  much  doubt  whether  any  champion- 
ship candidate  would  allow  a  third  person — whether  amateur 
or  professional — known  to  be  in  sympathy  with  his  opponent, 
to  set  foot  in  his  racing  craft  on  the  eve  of  a  match.  Nothing 
would  be  easier  than  to  have  an  '  accident '  with  her  ;  and  all 
scullers  know  that  to  have  to  adopt  a  strange  boat  on  the  day 
of  a  match  would  be  a  most  serious  drawback.  That  Chambers 
never  for  a  moment  harboured  such  suspicion  of  his  rivals  shows 
that  he  judged  them  by  his  own  faultless  standard  of  fair  play. 

Not  that  w^e  suggest  for  an  instant  that  amateurs  of  this  or 
of  former  days  were  ever  suspected  of  being  prone  to  foul  play, 
but  none  the  less  do  we  believe  that  in  these  days  few  scullers 
in  such  a  position  as  Chambers  would  have  made  the  gratuitous 
offer  which  he  did  upon  the  occasion  referred  to. 

In  the  autumn  of  1867,  Kelley  and  his  pupil,  J.  Sadler,  fell 
out ;  the  result  was  a  Champion  match  between  them.  On  the 
first  essay  Kelley  came  in  first  after  having  been  led,  and  having 
fairly  tired  Sadler  out.  But  a  foul  had  occurred  when  Kelley 
was  giving  Sadler  the  go-by,  and  the  referee  was  unable  to 
decide  which  was  in  the  wrong.     He  accordingly  ordered  them 


WATERMEN  AND  PROFESSIONALS.  223 

to  row  again  next  day.  The  articles  of  the  match  provided  for 
a  start  by  'mutual  consent,'  and  somehow  Sadler  did  not  'con- 
sent '  at  any  moment  when  Kelley  was  ready.  Strong  opinions 
were  expressed  by  several  persons  who  watched  the  affair  from 
the  steamers,  and  eventually  the  referee  ordered  Kelley  to  row 
over  the  course.  The  stakes  were  awarded  to  Kelley  by  the 
referee,  but  Sadler  brought  an  action  against  the  stakeholder, 
M.  J.  Smith,  then  proprietor  of  the  '  Sportsman '  newspaper. 
The  case  became  a  cause  celebre.  The  Court  decided  that  the 
referee  had  acted  ultra  vires  in  awarding  the  stakes  to  Kelley, 
inasmuch  as  he  had  not  first  taken  the  trouble  to  observe  for 
himself  Sadler's  manoeuvres  at  the  starting  post.  He  had 
formed  his  opinion  from  hearsay  and  separate  statements. 
Eventually  both  parties  withdrew  their  stakes. 

In  the  year  1868  a  new  sculler  of  extraordinary  merit  came 
suddenly  to  the  fore.  The  late  Mr.  J.  G.  Chambers,  C.U.B.C., 
had  got  up  a  revived  edition  of  the  old  Thames  professional 
regattas,  and  with  a  liberal  amount  of  added  money.  The 
sculls  race  brought  out  all  the  best  men  of  the  day,  and  among 
them  Kelley  ;  the  distance  was  the  full  metropolitan  course. 
Renforth,  a  Tyne  sculler,  electrified  all  by  the  ease  with  which 
he  won.  He  was  a  heavier  man  than  Kelley  ;  he  had  a  rather 
cramped  finish  at  the  chest,  but  a  tremendous  reach  and  grip 
forward.  He  slid  on  the  seat  to  a  considerable  extent,  especi- 
ally when  spurting. 

Kelley  was  rather  over  weight  at  the  time,  and  excuses  were 
made  for  him  on  this  score.  As  a  matter  of  prestige  he  had  to 
defend  his  title  to  the  championship  in  a  match,  and  he  met 
Renforth  on  November  17.  He  made  a  better  fight  on  that 
day  than  in  the  regatta  sculls,  but  the  youth  and  strength  of 
Renforth  were  too  much  for  the  old  champion.  Renforth  re- 
mained in  undisputed  possession  until  his  death,  which  took 
place  under  very  tragic  circumstances  during  a  four-oared  match 
between  an  English  and  Canadian  crew  in  Canada.  The 
Englishmen  were  well  ahead,  when  Renforth,  rowing  stroke, 
faltered,  fainted,  and  died  shortly  after  reaching  shore.     Some 


224  BOATING. 

attributed  his  death  to  poison,  some  to  epilepsy.  The  matter 
remains  a  mystery. 

Sadler  was  now  tacitly  acknowledged  to  be  the  best  sculler 
left  in  the  kingdom  (Kelley  having  retired).  But  Sadler  could 
not  claim  the  title  of  champion  without  winning  it  in  a  match. 
At  last,  in  1874,  a  mediocre  Tyne  sculler  named  Bagnall  was 
brought  out  to  row  him  for  the  title,  and  Sadler  won  easily 
enough.^  Next  year  R.  W.  Boyd  was  the  hope  of  the  Tyne. 
He  had  a  bad  style  for  staying.  He  was  all  slide  and  no  body 
swing  ;  his  body  at  the  end  of  the  stroke  was  unsupported  by 
any  leg  work.  So  long  as  the  piston  action  of  his  legs  con- 
tinued he  went  fast,  but  when  the  legs  began  to  tire  he  stopped 
as  if  shot.  His  bad  style  was  the  result  of  his  having  taken  to 
a  slide  before  he  had  mastered  the  first  principles  of  rowing 
upon  a  fixed  seat,  or  had  learned  how  to  swing  his  body  from 
the  hips.  Sadler,  on  the  other  hand,  had  been  rowing  for  years 
on  fixed  seats  before  he  ever  saw  a  sliding  seat ;  the  veteran 
did  not  discard  his  old  body  swing  when  he  took  to  the  slide, 
but  simply  added  slide  to  swing,  whereas  Boyd  substituted  slide 
for  swing.  The  difference  in  style  between  the  two  was  most 
marked  when  they  showed  in  the  race.  Boyd  had  youth  and 
strength  on  his  side.  Sadler  was  getting  old  and  stale,  his  hair 
was  grey,  and  he  was  not  nearly  so  good  as  when  he  had  rowed 
Kelley  in  1867  (save  that  the  slide  added  mechanically  to  his 
powers  for  speed).  Boyd  darted  away  with  a  long  lead  ;  before 
a  mile  had  been  crossed  his  piston  action  began  to  flag  and 
his  boat  to  go  slower.  Sadler  plodded  on,  and  when  once  up 
to  him  left  him  as  if  standing  still,  led  easily  through  Hammer- 
smith Bridge,  and  won  hands  down.  Boyd  never  seemed  to 
profit  by  this  lesson.  He  stuck  to  his  bad  style  so  long  as  he 
was  on  the  water,  else  he  might  have  made  a  good  sculler. 

In  1876  Australia  once  more  challenged  England.     Sadler 

was  the  holder  of  the  championship,  and  Trickett  was  the  crack 

of  Australia.     The  Australian  was  a  younger  and  bigger  man 

than  Sadler  ;  he  slid  well,  but  he  bent  his  arms  much  too  early 

1  This  was  the  first  champion  race  rowed  on  sliding  seats. 


WATERMEN  AND  PROFESSIONALS.  225 

in  the  stroke.  This  would  tend  to  tire  them  prematurely,  and 
if  the  pace  could  be  kept  up,  Trickett  would  soon  have  realised 
the  effects  of  this  salient  fault  of  his.  But  Sadler  was  older, 
staler,  and  more  grizzled  than  ever.  He  made  a  poor  fight 
against  Trickett,  and  a  few  weeks  later  in  the  Thames  Regatta 
Sculls  he  came  in  nowhere,  finishing  even  behind  old  '  Jock ' 
Anderson,  who  never  had  been  more  than  a  third-rate  sculler. 
Enough  was  then  seen  to  show  that  our  best  sculler,  as  to  style, 
was  hopelessly  old  and  stale,  and  that  our  new  men,  even  if 
faster  than  he,  had  no  style  to  make  them  worthy  to  uphold 
the  old  country's  honours  on  the  water.  Trickett  returned  to 
Australia  without  trying  conclusions  with  any  other  of  our 
scullers  for  the  championship.  He  made  a  match  with  Lums- 
den,  a  Tyne  man,  but  the  latter  forfeited.  If  at  the  moment  it 
had  been  known  that  the  Sadler  of  1876  was  some  ten  lengths 
in  the  mile  inferior  to  the  Sadler  of  1875,  it  is  likely  that  Lums- 
den  would  have  gone  to  the  post,  and  that  some  other  British 
sculler  would  also  have  endeavoured,  while  there  was  time,  to 
arrange  a  match  with  the  Australian. 

The  title  of  Champion  of  the  World  had  now  left  England. 
Sadler  retired,  and  there  was  still  an  opening  for  candidature 
for  his  abandoned  title.  As  regards  the  now  purely  local 
honours  of  the  representatives  of  Britain  in  sculling,  Mr.  Charles 
Bush,  a  well-known  supporter  of  professional  sculling,  had 
found  a  coal-heaver,  by  name  Higgins,  who  had  shown  good 
form  in  a  Thames  regatta,  and  was  looked  upon  as  the  rising  man 
of  the  Thames.  There  was  also  a  rising  sculler  of  the  name  of 
Blackman,  who  had  won  the  Thames  Regatta  Sculls.  Higgins 
was  matched  for  champion  honours  against  Boyd,  and  the 
match  came  off  on  May  20,  1877.  The  wind  blew  a  gale  from 
S.W.,  and  Boyd  had  the  windward  station.  In  such  a  cross 
wind  station  alone  sufficed  to  decide  the  race,  and  Boyd  won 
easily.  The  two  met  again  on  October  8  of  the  same  year, 
and  Higgins  proved  himself  the  better  stayer  of  the  two.  He 
had  a  better  idea  of  sliding  than  Boyd,  and  used  his  legs  better 
and  swung  farther  back.     Boyd  stuck  to  his  piston  action,  and 

Q 


226  BOATING, 

was  rowed  out  in  six  minutes.  They  met  a  third  time  on  the 
following  January  ii,  this  time  on  the  Tyne,  and  once  more 
Higgins  won,  after  a  foul.  He  was  plainly  the  better  man  of 
the  two  for  any  distance  beyond  a  mile. 

In  the  succeeding  summer  a  Durham  pitman,  oneW.  Elliott, 
came  out  as  a  Championship  candidate.  He  was  short  and 
thick- set,  and  was  decidedly  clumsy  at  his  first  essay.  He  met 
Higgins,  and  was  beaten  easily.  He  improved  rapidly  and 
came  out  again  the  following  September.  The  proprietors  of 
the  '  Sportsman  '  had  established  a  challenge  cup,  to  be  won  by 
three  successive  victories,  under  certain  conditions.  Higgins, 
Boyd,  and  Elliott  competed  for  it,  and  Elliott  beat  them  both. 
The  final  heat  was  on  September  17.  In  the  following  year, 
1879,  Elliott  and  Higgins  met  on  the  Tyne,  on  February  21, 
and  once  more  Elliott  held  his  own.  He  remained  the  repre- 
sentative of  British  professional  sculling  until  the  arrival  of 
Edward  Hanlan  in  this  country. 

Hanlan  first  attracted  notice  at  the  Philadelphia  regatta  of 
1876.  Mr.  R.  H.  Labat,  of  the  Dublin  University,  London,  and 
Thames  Rowing  Clubs,  took  part  in  that  regatta,  and  entered 
into  conversation  with  Hanlan.  He,  as  one  of  the  L.R.C.  men, 
lent  Hanlan  a  pair  of  sculls  for  the  occasion,  and  with  them 
Hanlan  won  the  Open  Professional  Sculling  Prize.  He  beat 
among  others  one  Luke,  who  had  beaten  Higgins  in  a  trial  heat. 
Higgins  was  at  the  moment  suffering  from  exertions  in  a  four- 
oared  race  earlier  in  the  day,  so  that  his  defeat  did  not  occasion 
much  surprise  ;  but  Mr.  Labat  on  his  return  to  England  told 
the  writer  of  this  chapter  that  in  his  opinion  Hanlan  was  far  and 
away  the  best  sculler  he  had  ever  seen,  and  that  even  if  Higgins 
had  been  fresh  and  fit,  Hanlan  would  have  been  too  good  for 
him.  At  that  date  Hanlan  had  not  made  his  great  reputation, 
but  the  soundness  of  Mr.  Labat's  estimate  of  his  powers  was 
fully  verified  subsequently. 

In  1879  Hanlan,  having  beaten  the  best  American  scullers, 
came  to  England  to  row  for  the  '  Sportsman '  Challenge  Cup.  He 
commenced  his  career  in  England  by  beating  a  second-rate 


WATERMEN  AND  PROFESSIONALS.  227 

northern  sculler,  in  a  sort  of  trial  match  ;  but  this  was  only  a 
feeler  before  trying  conclusions  with  Elliott.  The  two  met  on 
the  Tyne  on  June  16,  and  Elliott  was  simply  'never  in  it.' 
Hanlan  led  him,  played  with  him,  and  beat  him  as  he  liked. 

It  did  not  require  any  very  deep  knowledge  of  oarsmanship 
to  enable  a  spectator  to  observe  the  vast  difference  which 
existed  between  his  style  and  that  of  such  men  as  Boyd  or 
Elliott.  Hanlan  used  his  slide  concurrently  with  swing,  carrying 
his  body  well  back,  with  straight  arms  long  past  the  perpendi- 
cular, before  he  attempted  to  row  the  stroke  in  by  bending  the 
arms.  His  superiority  was  manifest,  and  yet  our  British  (pro- 
fessional) scullers  seemed  wedded  to  this  vicious  trick  of  pre- 
mature slide  and  no  swing,  and  doggedly  declined  to  recognise 

the  maxim 

Fas  est  et  ab  hoste  doceri. 

At  that  rate  the  two  best  British  scullers  were,  in  the  writer's 
opinion,  two  amateurs — viz.,  Mr.  Frank  Playford,  holder  of  the 
Wingfield  Sculls,  and  Mr.  T.  C.  Edwardes-Moss,  twice  winner 
of  the  Diamonds  at  Henley.  Either  of  these  gentlemen  could 
have  made  a  terrible  example  of  the  best  British  professionals, 
could  amateur  etiquette  have  admitted  a  match  between  the 
two  classes.  The  only  time  that  these  gentlemen  met,  Mr. 
Playford  proved  the  winner,  over  the  Wingfield  course.  A  sort 
of  line  as  to  relative  merit  between  amateur  and  professional 
talent  is  gained  by  recalling  Mr.  Edwardes-Moss's  victory  for 
the  Diamond  Sculls  in  1878.  In  that  year  he  met  an  American, 
Lee,  then  self-styled  an  amateur,  but  who  now  openly  practises 
as  a  professional,  and  who  is  quite  in  the  first  flight  of  that  class 
in  America.  He  could  probably  beat  any  English  professional  of 
to-day,  or  at  least  make  a  close  fight  with  our  best  man.  When 
the  two  met  at  Henley  Mr.  Edwardes-Moss  was  by  no  means 
in  trim  to  uphold  the  honour  of  British  sculling.  He  had  gone 
through  three  commemoration  balls  at  Oxford  about  ten  days 
before  the  regatta.  He  had  only  an  old  sculling  boat,  some- 
what screwed  and  limp.  He  had  lent  her  freely  to  Eton  and 
Windsor  friends  during  the  preceding  summer,  not  anticipating 

Q  2 


228  BOATING. 

that  he  would  need  her  to  race  in  again  ;  but  when  the  regatta 
drew  nigh  he  could  find  no  boat  to  suit  him,  and  had  to  make 
shift  with  the  old  boat.  In  the  race  he  had  to  give  Lee  the 
inside,  or  Berks  station  ;  and  all  who  have  known  Henley 
Regatta  are  well  aware  of  the  advantage  of  that  side  ;  it  gives 
dead  water  for  some  hundreds  of  yards  below  Poplar  Point,  and 
still  further  gains  on  rounding  the  point.  Three  lengths  would 
fairly  represent  the  minimum  of  the  handicap  between  the  two 
stations  on  a  smooth  day,  such  as  that  of  the  race.  The  two 
scullers  raced  round  the  point,  Lee  leading  slightly  ;  but  the 
Oxonian  caught  him  and  just  headed  him  on  the  post.  Lee 
stopped  one  stroke  too  soon,  whether  from  exhaustion  or  error 
is  uncertain,  but  the  performance  plainly  stamped  the  English 
amateur  as  his  superior,  half  trained  and  badly  boated  as  he 
was.  Over  a  champion  course,  in  a  match,  Lee  would  in  his 
Henley  form  have  been  a  score  or  more  lengths  behind  the 
Oxonian. 

Enough  can  be  guessed  from  these  calculations  to  show  that 
there  would  have  been  a  most  interesting  race,  to  say  the  least, 
if  it  could  have  been  arranged  for  a  trial  of  power  between  Mr. 
Playford  and  Hanlan.  The  latter  sculler  used  to  admit,  so  we 
always  understood,  that  the  London  Rowing  Club  sculler  was 
the  only  man  he  had  seen  whom  he  did  not  feel  confident  of 
being  able  to  beat. 

Hanlan's  style,  good  though  it  undoubtedly  was,  appeared 
to  even  greater  advantage  when  seen  alongside  of  the  miserable 
form  of  our  professionals.  Hanlan  was  a  well-made  man,  of 
middle  height,  and  a  thoroughly  scientific  sculler.  He  was  the 
best  exponent  of  sliding-seat  sculling  among  professionals,  only 
a  long  way  so  ;  but  we,  vvho  can  recall  Kelley  and  Chambers  in 
their  best  days,  must  hold  to  the  opinion  that  the  two  latter 
were,  ceteris  paribus,  as  good  professors  of  fixed-seat  sculling  as 
ever  was  Hanlan  of  the  art  on  a  slide.  Had  sliding  seats  been 
in  vogue  in  1 860,  and  the  next  half-dozen  years,  we  believe  that 
Kelley  and  Chambers  would  have  proved  themselves  capable  of 
doing  much  the  same  that  Hanlan  did  in  his  own  generation. 


WATERMEN  AND  PROEESSIONALS.  229 

We  have  seen  Kelley  scull  on  a  sliding  seat.  He  was  fat  and 
short  of  wind,  and  never  attempted  to  make  a  study  of  the  leg- 
work  of  sliding  ;  but,  being  simply  an  amateur  at  it,  his  style 
was  a  model  for  all  our  young  school  to  copy.  Like  all  old 
fixed-seat  oarsmen  who  have  attained  merit  in  the  old  school, 
he  stuck  to  his  traditional  body  swing,  and  added  the  slide  to  it, 
as  it  were  instinctively.  There  could  hardly  be  a  greater  con- 
trast of  action  than  to  see  scullers  like  Boyd  or  Blackman  kicking 
backwards  and  forwards,  with  piston  action  and  helpless  bodies 
doubled  up  at  the  finish,  and  to  observe,  paddling  within  sight 
of  these,  old  stagers  like  Biffen  and  Kelley  in  a  double-sculling 
boat  fitted  with  slides.  It  was  easy  to  see  that  until  the  new 
generation  of  British  professionals  could  be  taught  first  prin- 
ciples of  rowing  on  a  fixed  seat,  there  was  small  chance  of  their 
ever  acquiring  the  proper  use  of  the  slide  as  exemplified  by 
Hanlan. 

To  return  to  Hanlan's  performances.  The  Championship 
of  the  '  World '  still  rested  in  Trickett,  who  had  further  main- 
tained his  title  (since  he  had  beaten  Sadler),  by  defeating  Rush 
on  the  Paramatta,  Sydney,  on  June  30,  1877.  Rush  had  once 
been  the  Australian  champion  ;  Trickett  had  beaten  him  before 
tackling  Sadler,  and  this  was  a  new  attempt  by  Rush  to  regain 
his  lost  honours.  Technically,  Trickett  could  have  claimed  to 
defend  his  title  in  his  own  country  ;  but  plenty  of  money  was 
forthcoming  to  recoup  him  for  expenses  of  travel,  and  he  assented 
to  meet  Hanlan  on  the  Thames  for  the  nominal  trophy  of  the 
'  Sportsman '  Challenge  Cup,  but  really  for  the  wider  honour  of 
champion  of  the  world.  The  match  came  off  on  November  16, 
1880,  and  Trickett  was  defeated  with  even  greater  ease  than 
Elliott  on  the  Tyne. 

Just  about  this  date  a  sculling  regatta,  open  to  the  world, 
was  organised  on  the  Thames.  It  was  got  up  purely  for  com- 
mercial purposes  by  a  company  called  the  '  Hop  Bitters,'  who 
required  to  advertise  their  wares.  Nevertheless,  it  produced  good 
sport.  Hanlan  did  not  compete  in  it.  It  came  off  only  two  days 
after  his  match  with  Trickett.    Our  British  scullers  took  part  in  it, 


230  BOATING. 

and  with  most  humiliating  results.  Not  one  of  them  could  gain  a 
place  in  the  final  heat,  for  which  four  prizes  were  awarded  to  the 
four  winners  of  trial  heats.  The  four  winners  of  the  contest  were 
one  and  all  either  colonials  or  Americans,  and  the  winner  was 
one  Elias  Laycock,  also  a  Sydney  man,  and  undoubtedly  a  better 
sculler  than  Trickett,  although  the  latter  was  the  nominal  cham- 
pion of  Australia  at  the  time.  Laycock  sculled  in  good  style,  so 
far  as  leg- work  and  finish  of  the  stroke  ;  his  body  action  was  not 
cramped,  but  he  had  not  so  long  a  swing  as  should,  if  possible, 
be  displayed  by  a  man  of  his  size.  He  scaled  rather  above 
twelve  stone.  Wallace  Ross,  who  finished  second  to  him,  after 
leading  him  some  distance,  had  been  the  favourite,  and  had 
been  reputed  as  only  a  trifle  inferior  to  Hanlan.  The  forward 
reach  and  first  part  of  Ross's  stroke  was  as  good  as  could  be 
wished,  but  he  had  a  cramped,  tiring,  and  ugly  finish  with  his 
arms  and  shoulders.  When  Laycock  succeeded  in  beating 
him  a  furore  was  created  ;  Laycock's  staying  powers  were  un- 
mistakable, and  many  who  saw  him  fancied  that  his  stamina 
would  enable  him  to  give  Hanlan  trouble  before  the  end  of  four 
miles.  Laycock  himself  was  not  endued  with  so  high  an  opinion 
of  his  own  merits  ;  but  he  was  too  game  a  man  to  shirk  a  con- 
test when  it  was  proposed  to  him,  and  the  result  was  that  he 
was  soon  matched  to  scull  Hanlan. 

The  match  came  off  on  the  following  February  14,  1881, 
over  the  Thames  course.  Laycock  stuck  to  his  work  all  the 
way,  but  was  never  in  it  for  speed.  Hanlan  led  from  start 
to  finish,  and  won  easily.  A  year  later  Hanlan  was  back  in 
England  to  row  Boyd  on  the  Tyne.  Boyd's  friends  fondly 
fancied  that  he  had  developed  some  improvement,  but  it  was  a 
delusion.  Never  was  an  oarsman  more  wedded  to  vicious  style 
and  wanton  waste  of  strength  than  the  pet  of  the  Tyne.  The 
race  came  off  on  April  3,  1882,  and  was,  of  course,  an  easy 
paddle  for  Hanlan.  The  knowledge  that  Hanlan  was  going  to 
be  again  on  English  waters,  brought  about  a  return  match 
between  him  and  Trickett.  This  was  rowed  on  the  Thames  on 
May  I  following,  and  once  more  the  Canadian  won  easily. 


WATERMEN  AND  PROFESSIONALS.  231 

No  one  in  Britain  thought  fit  to  challenge  Hanlan  again, 
after  the  decisive  manner  in  which  he  had  disposed  of  all  his 
opponents  ;  but  in  his  own  country  he  twice  defended  his  title, 
in  1883.  On  May  31  in  that  year  he  rowed  J.  L.  .Kennedy,  a 
comparatively  new  man,  in  Massachusetts,  and  beat  him  ;  and 
on  the  following  July  18  he  once  more  met  his  old  opponent, 
Wallace  Ross,  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  beat  him,  though  after 
a  closer  race  than  heretofore. 

In  England  about  this  time  sculling  had  sunk  even  lower 
among  professionals  than  in  the  days  when  Boyd  and  Elliott 
were  the  professors  of  the  science.  These  men  had  retired  ; 
there  were  sundry  second  and  third  class  competitors  for 
champion  honours,  among  them  one  Largan,  who  had  been 
to  Australia  to  scull  a  match  or  two,  and  one  Perkins,  and  one 
Bubear.  The  latter  at  first  was  inferior  to  Perkins,  and  was  a 
man  of  delicate  health  and  somewhat  difficult  to  train.  He 
often  disappointed  his  backers  by  going  amiss  just  before  a 
match  was  due,  but  he  took  rather  more  pains  with  his  style 
than  other  British  scullers  had  done  of  late,  and  eventually  he 
succeeded  in  surpassing  them,  and  in  becoming  the  representa- 
tive (such  as  it  was)  of  British  professional  oarsmanship. 

We  should  mention  that  in  1881  the  brothers  Messrs. 
Walter  and  Harry  Chinnery  most  generously  made  an  expensive 
attempt  to  raise  the  lost  standard  of  British  sculling,  by  giving 
1000/.  in  prizes  for  a  series  of  years,  to  be  sculled  for.  These 
two  gentlemen  were  well-known  leading  amateur  athletes  in 
their  day.  The  elder  had  been  a  champion  amateur  long- 
distance runner  ;  the  younger  had  won  the  amateur  boxing 
championship,  and  had  rowed  a  good  oar  at  Henley  regattas 
and  elsewhere.  It  may  be  invidious  to  look  a  gift  horse  in  the 
mouth,  but  we  feel  that  this  generous  subsidy  of  the  Messrs. 
Chinnery  was  practically  wasted  for  want  of  being  fettered  with 
a  certain  condition.  That  condition  should  have  been,  that  the 
competitions  for  the  Chinnery  prizes  should  be  on  fixed  seats. 
One  reason  why  professional  racing  has  fallen  off  of  late  so 
much,  compared  to  amateur  performances,  may  be  found  in  the 


232  BOATING. 

fact  that  amateurs  are  taught,  and  are  wilhng  to  be  taught, 
from  first  principles  :  whereas  our  professionals  nowadays  are 
little  better  than  self-taught.  Rowing  and  sculling  require 
scientific  instruction  more  than  ever  on  slides.  In  old  days  the 
main  business  of  a  professional  oarsman  was  to  carry  passengers 
in  his  boat ;  the  calling  produced  a  large  following,  and  out 
of  these  some  few  were  good  oarsmen  and  took  to  boat-racing 
as  well  as  to  mere  plying  for  hire.  Here  there  was  a  natural 
nursery  for  professional  racing  oarsmen.  The  disuse  of  the 
wherry  for  locomotion  destroyed  this  nursery  ;  we  have  already 
shown  that  our  later  professionals  are  as  a  rule  neither  London 
watermen  nor  Tyne  keelmen.  They  are  a  medley  lot  by  trade  ; 
a  chimney-sweep,  a  collier,  a  coal-heaver,  a  miner,  a  cabman, 
&:c.,  all  swell  the  ranks.  Such  men  as  these  take  to  the  water 
simply  for  what  they  can  make  out  of  it,  by  racing  on  it. 
Their  one  ambition  is  to  race,  and  to  run  before  they  can  de- 
cently walk.  Hence  they  do  not  go  through  the  school  of 
fixed-seat  rowing  before  they  graduate  on  sliders,  and  they  have 
no  instructors,  nor  will  they  listen  to  advice. 

Amateurs,  on  the  other  hand,  belong  as  a  rule  to  clubs  ;  and 
all  clubs  of  any  prestige  coach  their  juniors  carefully,  and  lay 
down  rules  for  their  improvement.  Two  very  usual  club  rules 
are,  that  juniors  shall  not  begin  by  racing  in  keelless  crank 
boats,  but  in  steady  '  tub  '-built  craft.  No  such  control  exists 
over  junior  professionals  ;  if  a  bricklayer's' apprentice  takes  to 
the  water  in  spare  hours,  and  begins  to  fancy  himself  as  an 
oarsman,  he  will  probably  find  friends  who  will  back  him  for  a 
small  stake  against  some  brother  hobbledehoy.  Each  of  these 
aspirants  will  thus  endeavour  to  use  the  speediest  boat  and 
appliances  that  he  can  obtain.  Unfortunately  it  so  happens 
that  sliding  seats  give  so  much  extra  power  that  even  bad 
sliding  cl  la  Boyd  produces  more  pace  than  good  fixed-seat 
rowing.  The  result  of  this  is,  that,  however  little  a  tiro  may 
know  of  rowing,  he  will,  in  a  day  or  two,  get  more  pace  on  a 
slide  than  if  he  adhered  to  a  fixed  seat.  So  the  two  cripples 
race  each  other  on  slides,  before  they  have  acquired  the  barest 


WATERMEN  AND  PROFESSIONALS.  233 

rudiments  of  swing,  and  as  a  natural  result  they  can  never  be 
expected  hereafter  to  progress  beyond  mediocrity. 

Now,  if  there  were  prizes  offered  for  rising  professionals, 
subject  to  the  condition  that  sliding  seats  should  not  be  used, 
these  tiros  would  have  some  chance  of  being  induced  to  study 
the  art  of  using  the  body  for  swing,  and  of  mastering  this  all- 
important  feature  in  oarsmanship,  before  they  ventured  to  fly  so 
high  as  to  race  upon  slides. 

Twenty  and  more  years  ago  there  was  a  class  of  match 
making  on  the  Thames  which  is  now  obsolete.  This  was  to 
row  in  what  were  called  '  old-fashioned '  wager  boats,  i.e.  the 
lightest  form  of  wherry  which  used  to  be  built  before  H.  Clasper 
established  outriggers.  The  keelless  boat  requires  a  sharp 
catch  up  at  the  beginning  to  get  the  best  pace  out  of  it,  and  it 
also  requires  more  '  sitting  '  to  keep  it  on  an  even  keel.  (If  it 
is  not  on  an  even  keel,  the  hands  do  not  grip  the  water  evenly, 
and  power  thereby  is  wasted.)  It  was  because  this  fact  used 
to  be  realised  in  those  days  better  than  now,  that  so  many  rough 
scullers  were  matched  in  '  old-fashioned '  boats,  rather  than  in 
'  best  and  best '  boats,  as  the  fastest  built  craft  were  usually 
styled  in  the  articles  of  matches.  It  would  do  good  if  this  quon- 
dam practice  of  matching  duflers  on  even  terms  in  steady  old- 
fashioned  craft  could  be  re-introduced  on  the  Thames. 

Another  incident  has  tended  greatly  to  the  deterioration 
of  professional  rowing,  and  this  is  the  lapse  of  professional  re- 
gattas. Certain  gentlemen  connected  with  the  University  and 
the  leading  Thames  boat  clubs  used  formerly  to  get  up  an 
annual  summer  regatta  for  the  benefit  of  professional  oarsmen. 
In  the  '  forties  '  a  somewhat  similar  regatta  had  also  existed  for 
a  time,  but  it  had  consisted  of  amateur  competitions  as  well  as 
of  professional.  This  earlier  regatta  faded  away  when  its  chief 
trophy,  the  '  Gold  Cup '  for  amateur  eight  oars,  was  won  thrice 
in  succession  by,  and  became  the  property  of,  the  'Thames 
Club.'  (That  Thames  Club  is  now  extinct,  and  must  not  be 
confounded  with  the  well-known  'Thames  Ro7c> ing  Clnh^  of 
the  present  day.)     Some  of  the  members  of  the  Thames  crew 


234  BOATING. 

that  won  this  '  Gold  Cup  '  in  the  forties  are  still  to  be  found, 
the  most  notable  of  them  being  Messrs.  Frank  Playford,  senr. 
(amateur  champion  in  1849) ;  and  Rhodes  Cobb,  the  president 
of  the  Kingston  Rowing  Club.  (The  sons  of  each  of  these  old 
athletes  have  similarly  made  their  mark  in  aquatics  of  the 
present  generation.)  Owing  to  the  action  of  the  chairman  of  a 
steamboat  company  and  other  gentlemen  who  had  other  interests 
than  those  of  boating  to  serve,  these  regattas  have  lapsed. 

To  resume— as  to  Thames  regattas.  The  Thames  Sub- 
scription Club,  between  1861  and  1866,  got  up  a  Thames 
regatta,  which  annually  produced  fine  sport  between  Thames 
and  Tyne  men,  and  once  or  twice  good  Glasgow  crews  joined 
in  the  competition.  In  1866  the  amateur  element  was  intro- 
duced as  a  mixture.     This  was  the  last  year  of  the  series. 

Meantime  the  late  Mr.  H.  H.  Playford  had  for  three  years 
laboured  to  form  a  sort  of  '  nursery '  regatta  for  professionals. 
It  was  styled  the  '  Sons  of  the  Thames '  regatta,  and  it  had  the 
effect  of  bringing  out  several  good  men,  such  as  the  Biffens, 
Wise,  Tagg,  &c.,  who  afterwards  distinguished  themselves  in 
the  greater  regattas  on  the  Thames,  which  were  open  to  the 
world.  Never  was  professional  rowing  at  higher  flood  than 
just  at  this  date,  thanks  to  the  gentleman  referred  to. 

In  1867  there  was  no  regatta  ;  but  in  1868  a  new  series  was 
founded.  The  late  Messrs.  J.  G.  Chambers,  George  Morrison, 
Allan  Morrison,  Rev.  R.  W.  Risley,  the  Playfords,  Brickwood 
and  other  prominent  amateurs,  gave  money  and  labour  to  aid 
the  scheme,  and  it  flourished  right  well  for  nine  seasons.  It 
produced,  like  the  preceding  series,  fine  rowing,  and  many  a 
subsequent  sculling  or  four-oar  match  arose  out  of  the  regatta 
contests.  So  far  these  regattas  had  been  promoted  solely  for 
sport,  and  in  pure  unselfishness.  In  1876  a  steamboat  company 
originated  the  idea  of  a  Thames  regatta,  and  advertised  a  scheme. 
Subscriptions  were  obtained  from  several  of  the  City  sources 
which  had  formerly  subscribed  to  ih^  bond  fide  Thames  regatta, 
and  thus  the  funds  of  the  old-established  meeting  were  sapped. 
The  latter  came  off  all  the  same  that  year,  there  thus  being  two 


WATERMEN  AND  PROFESSIONALS.  235 

Thames  regattas  for  one  season.  But  there  were  not  funds  to 
carry  on  two  such  meetings,  and  the  amateur  promoters  of  the 
old  estabhshed  regatta  retired  next  year  in  favour  of  the  specu- 
lative promoters.  The  speculative  regatta  lived  just  one  year 
more,  and  then  its  promoters  gave  up,  and  left  our  British  pro- 
fessionals with  no  regatta  at  all  to  encourage  them. 

And  this  was  just  at  a  time  when  our  champion  honours 
had  been  wrested  from  us,  and  when  we  needed  more  than 
ever  some  disinterested  assistance,  in  order  to  revive  and  en- 
courage the  falling  fortunes  of  professional  oarsmanship  !  It 
was  too  late  to  revive  the  old  regatta  ;  the  hand  of  Death 
was  busy  among  the  old  amateurs  who  had  founded  the  second 
series,  and  the  four  or  five  gentlemen  whose  names  headed  the 
list  of  promoters  {supra)  have  passed  rapidly  away,  from  one 
cause  or  another,  in  the  prime  of  life.  Whether  hereafter  any 
combination  of  later  amateurs  will  once  more  come  to  the  rescue, 
as  did  the  late  Messrs.  Chambers,  H.  Playford,  the  Morrisons, 
and  Risley,  remains  to  be  seen.  If  they  do  so,  we  hope  they 
will  found  something,  at  first,  piore  on  the  lines  of  the  Playford 
series  of  '  Sons  of  the  Thames '  regatta,  to  bring  out  new  blood  ; 
and  that  they  will  insist  upon  710  slides  being  used  in  any  race 
of  the  meeting,  for  at  least  two  seasons.  Slides  are  not  allowed 
in  the  public  schools  fours  (lately  rowed  for  at  Henley,  and 
now  competed  for  at  Marlow),  nor  in  Oxford  torpids,  nor  in 
Cambridge  lower  division  races.  Nor  do  the  leading  amateur 
tideway  clubs  allow  their  juniors  to  race  on  them  in  club 
matches.  If  we  are  to  educate  a  new  generation  of  professional 
talent,  we  must  do  so  on  the  same  general  principle  that  we 
teach  our  junior  amateurs  in  rowing  clubs. 

Since  the  date  of  Hanlan's  invasion  of  Britain,  British  scullers 
have  not  been  in  the  hunt  for  champion  competitions.  Such 
champion  racing  as  has  taken  place  has  been  confined  to 
Canadians,  Americans,  or  Australians.  In  1884,  May  22,  Lay- 
cock  was  once  more  brought  out  to  row  Hanlan  on  the  Nepean 
river.  New  South  Wales,  and  Hanlan  again  held  his  own. 
Meantime   an   emigrant    (in    childhood)    from    Chertsey,    one 


236  BOATING. 

William  Beach,  had  been  rapidly  improving  his  style  in  New 
South  Wales.  He  took  hints  from  his  conquerors  until, 
Avhen  he  was  about  forty,  a  time  when  most  scullers  are  past 
their  prime,  he  could  beat  all  comers  in  his  own  colony. 
Hanlan  was  persuaded  to  visit  Australia  to  row  him,  and  the 
first  match  between  them  came  off  August  i6,  1884,  on  the 
Paramatta.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  Beach  went  as  fast  as 
Hanlan,  and  outstayed  him.  Excuses  were  made  for  this 
reverse  to  one  who  had  been  reckoned  invincible  :  Hanlan  had 
been  unfairly  washed  by  a  steamer,  and  some  fancied  he  had 
held  Beach  too  cheap,  and  was  not  fully  trained.  Another 
match  was  made  for  March  28,  1885.  Meantime  Beach  easily 
beat,  on  February  28  of  that  year,  another  colonial  challenger, 
T.  Clifford.  In  his  return  match  with  Hanlan  he  fairly  tired 
the  Canadian  out.  Beach  scales  a  trifle  over  twelve  stone,  and 
proves  the  truth  of  the  old  saying  that  a  good  big  one  is  better 
than  a  good  little  one. 

In  December  of  1885  Hanlan  beat  Neil  Matterson,  a  young 
and  rising  Australian  candidate  for  the  championship. 

In  the  summer  of  1886,  a  large  amount  was  subscribed  for 
a  series  of  scuUing  prizes  on  the  Thames.  Beach  was  in  Eng- 
land, training  for  a  match  against  Gaudaur  of  St.  Louis,  U.S., 
who  had  lately  beaten  the  best  American  scullers.  Gaudaur 
did  not  row  in  this  regatta  of  scullers,  but  Beach  did. 

The  trial  heats  of  this  regatta  were  rowed  in  stretches  of 
about  three  miles  each,  following  the  tide  over  different  parts 
of  the  tideway.  In  the  first  heat  Neil  Matterson  beat  Ross. 
In  the  second,  Teenier,  U.S.,  beat  Perkins,  a  London  sculler. 
Bubear  rowed  over  for  the  third  heat,  and  the  fourth  was  won 
by  Beach  beating  Lee,  U.S.  (once  a  pseudo  amateur  and  an 
unsuccessful  competitor  for  the  Diamond  Sculls  of  Henley  !) 
Next  day  Beach  beat  Bubear,  and  Teemer  beat  Matterson. 
The  final  heat  took  place  over  the  regulation  course  of  Putney 
to  Mortlake.  Beach  won  as  he  liked,  on  a  tide  that  was  not 
first  class,  in  22  min.  16  sees.  The  racing  occupied  August  31, 
and  September  i  and  2. 


WATERMEN  AND  PROFESSIONALS.  237 

On  September  18,  Beach  met  Gaudaur  for  the  champion- 
ship over  the  Putney  course.  Beach  was,  as  the  race  showed, 
a  little  '  off ; '  apparently  he  had  been  indulging  ;  for  to  look 
at  Gaudaur  few  would  have  expected  him  to  make  such  a  close 
fit  of  the  race  as  he  did.  The  stakes  were  500/.  a  side.  The 
tide  was  a  good  one,  and  the  water  was  smooth  beyond  Ham- 
mersmith. Beach  led,  and  seemed  to  have  the  race  safe  off 
Chiswick.  Then  he  began  to  lose  ground,  Gaudaur  came  up 
to  him,  and  Beach  stopped,  apparently  rowed  out.  Possibly 
he  had  '  stitch,'  as  the  sequel  shows.  Gaudaur  got  just  in  front 
of  Beach,  and  could  not  get  away.  Beach  stopped  again,  and 
still  Gaudaur  could  do  little  better  than  paddle.  Half  way  up 
Horse  Reach  Beach  seemed  to  recover,  and  once  more  came 
up  with  his  man.  He  led  by  a  few  feet  at  Barnes  Bridge,  and 
after  that  drew  steadily  away,  winning  by  three  lengths  in  the 
exceptionally  good  time  of  22  min.  30  sees,  or  22  min.  29  sees. 

A  week  later  Beach  did  a  much  finer  performance,  for  time. 
He  rowed  Wallace  Ross  for  the  championship,  over  the  usual 
course,  and  beat  him  in  a  common  paddle,  without  being 
extended,  and  with  wind  foul,  on  a  7i€ap  tide,  in  23  min.  5  sees. 
The  pace  of  this  tide,  let  alone  foul  wind,  must  have  been 
about  a  minute  to  a  minute  and  a  quarter  (if  not  more)  slower 
than  the  tide  on  which  Beach  and  Gaudaur  had  sculled  some 
days  before.  Those  who  know  the  effect  of  tides  on  pace,  will 
admit  that  this  last  performance,  all  things  considered,  is 
Beach's  best,  and  is  also  the  best  ever  accomplished  by  any 
sculler  over  the  Thames  tideway  course.  Had  Beach  been  on 
a  spring  tide  that  day,  and  been  doing  his  best,  he  would 
probably  have  done  a  good  deal  faster  than  21  min.  30  sees, 
over  our  champion  course.  All  factors  considered,  we  believe 
that  the  present  champion  sculler  is  the  fastest  that  the  world 
has  yet  produced,  better  than  even  Hanlan  at  his  best.  To 
compare  him  with  the  best  old  fixed-seat  champions  would  be 
invidious  to  all  parties.  Each  in  his  day  made  the  best  of  the 
mechanical  appliances  at  his  disposal,  and  was  Ai  in  style  for 
their  use. 


A   FOUL. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

LAWS    OF    BOAT-RACING    (tHEIR    HISTORY,    AND    RULES    OF 
THE    road). 

Laws  of  boat-racing,  until  1872,  were  variously  read  by  various 
executives.  One  rule  was  common  to  all,  and  yet  differently 
interpreted  by  many  an  umpire  or  referee.  It  was  that  which 
related  to  a  boat's  course. 

The  old  rule,  was,  that  a  boat  which  could  take  a  clear  lead 
of  an  opponent,  and  which  could  cross  the  proper  track  of 
that  opponent  with  such  clear  lead,  became  entitled  to  the 
'water'  so  taken.  The  boat  astern  had  then  to  change  its 
course,  and  to  take  its  leader's  vacated  course.     If  thereafter 


LAWS   OF  BOAT-RACING.  239 

they  fouled,  through  the  leader  returning  to  the  vacated  water, 
the  leader  lost  ;  if  through  the  sternmost  boat  catching  the 
leader  in  the  '  captured '  water,  then  the  pursuer  lost.  Also, 
under  the  old  code,  a  foul,  however  slight,  lost  a  race,  if  one 
boat  was  in  its  right  and  the  other  in  its  wrong  course  at  the 
time.     If  both  were  in  the  wrong,  the  foul  did  not  count. 

This  code  led  to  many  a  wrangle  over  fouls.  It  also  opened 
the  door  to  sharp  practice — e.g.  a  leader  might  cross  an  oppo- 
nent, by  dint  of  pure  speed  ;  and  then,  being  in  his  '  right ' 
water,  by  dint  of  having  crossed  with  a  '  clear  lead,'  the  leader 
might  'accidentally'  shut  off  speed,  before  the  boat  behind 
had  time  to  change  its  course.  This  forced  on  a  foul,  and  the 
leader  could  then  claim  his  pound  of  flesh,  and  the  race.  An 
umpire  had  no  discretion  in  the  matter. 

In  1872  a  meeting  of  leading  amateurs  drew  up  a  new 
code.  This  code  was  put  in  force  at  the  Thames  w^atermen's 
regattas,  governed  by  amateurs.  In  time  Henley  adopted 
them,  as  did  all  leading  regattas.  Watermen  for  some  time 
had  a  liking  for  the  old  code  and  its  facilities  for  '  win,  tie,  or 
wrangle '  in  a  match,  but  as  time  passed  on  the  new  code 
gained  ground,  and  gradually  the  old  one  became  obsolete. 
The  late  Mr.  John  Graham  Chambers,  C.U.B.C.,  was  the 
leading  spirit  in  this  reform. 

The  revised  code  is  now  part  of  the  creed  of  the  Amateur 
Rowing  Association,  of  which  mention  has  already  been  made. 
These  rules  are  now  appended.  The  Henley  executive  publish 
a  similar  code,  but  differently  numbered.  Rule  15  is  more  of 
a  regatta  rule.  It  is  usually  waived  in  sculling  matches,  and  in 
the  Wingfield  Sculls  for  the  amateur  championship  its  opera- 
tion is,  by  order  of  the  parliament  of  old  champions,  suspended. 

The  Laws  of  Boat-racing  as  approved  by  the 
Amateur  Rowing  Association. 

1.  The  starter,  on  being  satisfied  that  the  competitors  are  ready^ 
shall  give  the  signal  to  start. 

2.  If  the  starter  considers  the  start  false,  he  shall  at  once  recall 


240  BOA  TING. 

the  boats  to  their  stations,  and  any  boat  refusing  to  start   again 
shall  be  disqualified. 

3.  Any  boat  not  at  its  post  at  the  time  specified  shall  be  liable 
to  be  disqualified  by  the  umpire. 

4.  The  umpire  may  act  as  starter  as  he  thinks  fit ;  when  he 
does  not  so  act,  the  starter  shall  be  subject  to  the  control  of  the 
umpire. 

5.  Each  boat  shall  keep  its  own  water  throughout  the  race,  and 
any  boat  departing  from  its  own  water  will  do  so  at  its  peril. 

6.  A  boat's  own  water  is  its  straight  course,  paralleled  with 
those  of  the  other  competing  boats,  from  the  station  assigned  to  it 
at  starting  to  the  finish. 

7.  The  umpire  shall  be  sole  judge  of  a  boat's  own  water  and 
proper  course  during  the  race. 

8.  No  fouling  whatever  shall  be  allowed  ;  the  boat  committing 
a  foul  shall  be  disqualified. 

9.  It  shall  be  considered  a  foul  when,  after  the  race  has  com- 
menced, any  competitor  by  his  oar,  boat,  or  person  comes  in  contact 
with  the  oar,  boat,  or  person  of  another  competitor,  unless  in  the 
opinion  of  the  umpire  such  contact  is  so  slight  as  not  to  influence 
the  race. 

10.  The  umpire  may,  during  the  race,  caution  any  competitor' 
when  in  danger  of  committing  a  foul. 

11.  The  umpire,  when  appealed  to,  shall  decide  all  questions 
as  to  a  foul. 

12.  A  claim  of  foul  must  be  made  to  the  judge  or  the  umpire 
by  the  competitor  himself  before  getting  out  of  his  boat. 

13.  In  case  cf  a  foul  the  umpire  shall  have  the  power — 

{a)  To  place  the  boats  —except  the  boat  committing  the  foul, 
which  is  disqualified — in  the  order  in  which  they  come  in  ; 

ip)  To  order  the  boats  engaged  in  the  race,  other  than  the  boat 
committing  the  foul,  to  row  over  again  on  the  same  or  another  day  ; 

{c)  To  re-start  the  qualified  boats  from  the  place  where  the  foul 
was  committed. 

14.  Every  boat  shall  abide  by  its  accidents. 

15.  No  boat  shall  be  allowed  to  accompany  a  competitor  for 
the  purpose  of  directing  his  course  or  affording  him  other  assistance. 
The  boat  receiving  such  direction  or  assistance  shall  be  disqualified 
at  the  discretion  of  the  umpire. 

16.  The  jurisdiction  of  the  umpire  extends  over  the  race,  and 
all  matters  connected  with  it,  from  the  time  the  race  is  specified  to 


LAIVS   OF  BOAT-RACING.  241 

start  until  its  final  termination,  and  his  decision  in  all  cases  shall 
be  final  and  without  appeal. 

17.  Any  competitor  refusing  to  abide  by  the  decision  or  to 
follow  the  directions  of  the  umpire  shall  be  disqualified. 

18.  The  umpire,  if  he  thinks  proper,  may  reserve  his  decision, 
provided  that  in  every  case  such  decision  be  given  on  the  day  of 
the  race. 

The  '  rule  of  the  road '  on  the  river  is  not  settled  quite  as 
hard  and  fast  as  on  land,  or  in  marine  navigation  ;  but  certain 
general  principles  are  recognised  by  all  rowing  men  of  experi- 
ence, for  the  sake  of  mutual  safety.  The  following  draft  of 
the  recognised  principles  referred  to  is  set  forth  by  the  editor  of 
the  '  Rowing  Almanack,'  and  other  authorities,  to  whom  rowing 
men  are  much  indebted  for  the  publication. 

In  case  of  any  '  running-down '  action,  arising  out  of  a 
collision  between  pleasure-boats  on  the  Thames,  it  would 
probably  go  hardly  with  the  occupants  of  a  boat  which  had 
brought  about  an  accident  by  disregard  of  these  '  rules  of  the 
road.' 

*  The  Rule  of  the  Road''  on  the  River. 

The  following  are  the  generally  recognised  rules  adopted  by 
the  leading  rowing  clubs  :— 

1.  A  row-boat  going  against  the  stream  or  tide  should  take  the 
shore  or  bank — which  bank  is  immaterial — and  should  keep  inside 
all  boats  meeting  it. 

2.  A  row-boat  going  with  stream  or  tide  should  take  a  course 
in  mid-river,  and  should  keep  outside  all  boats  meeting  it. 

3.  A  row-boat  overtaking  another  boat  proceeding  in  the  same 
direction  should  keep  clear  of  the  boat  it  overtakes,  which  should 
maintain  its  course. 

4.  A  row-boat  meeting  another  end-on  in  still  or  open  waters, 
or  lakes,  should  keep  to  the  right  as  in  walking,  leaving  the  boat 
passed  on  the  port  or  left  side. 

5.  A  row-boat  with  a  coxswain  should  give  way  to  a  boat  with- 
out a  coxswain,  subject  to  the  foregoing  rules,  in  so  far  as  they 
apply. 

6.  A  boat  towing  with  stream  or  tide  should  give  way  to  a  boat 
towing  against  it,  and  if  it  becomes  necessary  to  unship  or  drop  a 

R 


242  BOATING. 

tow-line,  the  former  should  give  way  to  the  latter ;  but  when  a 
barge  towing  is  passed  by  a  pleasure-boat  towing,  the  latter  should 
give  way  and  go  outside,  as  a  small  boat  is  the  easier  of  the  two 
to  manage,  in  addition  to  which  the  river  is  the  barge's  highway. 

7.  A  row-boat  must  give  way  to  a  sailing-boat. 

8.  When  a  row-boat  and  a  steamer  pass  each  other,  their 
actions  should,  as  a  rule,  be  governed  by  the  same  principle  as  on 
two  row-boats  passing  ;  but  in  shallow  waters  the  greater  draughts 
of  the  steam-vessel  should  be  remembered,  and  the  row-boat  give 
way  to  her. 


243 


THE   TEMPLE   OF   FAME. 


WINNERS  OF  THE   WING  FIELD  SCULLS. 


Time                        Winner 

m.    s. 

Losers 

,  Lewis,      Wood,     Horneman, 
Revel,     A.     Bayford,     C. 
^     Duke,  Hume 

1830 

J.  H.  Bayford  . 

— 

183I 

C.  Lewis 

— 

Bayford 

1832 

A.  A.  Julius     . 

— 

Lewis 

1833    aC.  Lewis. 

— 

Julius 

1834 

A.  A.  Julius     . 

— • 

rowed  over 

1835 

A.  A.  Julius     . 

— 

rowed  over 

1836 

H.  Wood 

— 

Patrick  Colquhoun 

1837 

P.  Colquhoun  . 

— 

Wood,  Jones 

1838 

aH.  Wood 

— 

(Colquhoun,   C.    Pollock,    \\. 
\      Chapman 

1839 

aH.  Chapman    . 

— 

Pollock,  Crockford 

1840 

T.  L.  Jenkins  . 

— 

1  Crockford,  Wallace,  A.  Earn- 
1     shaw 

1841 

aT.  L.  Jenkins  . 

— 

Chapman 

1842 

H.  Chapman    . 

— 

Wallace 

1843 

H.  Chapman    . 

— 

(Wallace,  Kennedy,  A.  Earn- 
1      shaw 

1844 

T.  B.  Bumpstead      . 

— 

(  Chapman,  Hon.  G.  Denman, 
1      Romayne 

1845 

aH.  Chapman    . 

— 

Bumpstead 

1846 

aW.  Russell       . 

— 

Walmsley,  Fellows,  Dodd 

1847 

J.  R.  L.  Walmsley  . 

— 

H.  Murray,  C.  Harrington 

1848 

a].  R.  L.  Walmsley  . 

— 

rowed  over 

i8}9 

ab¥.  Playford     . 

— 

T.  R.  Bone 

1850 

T.  R.  Bone      . 

— 

rowed  over 

1851 

«T.  R.  Bone      . 



rowed  over 

1852 

E.  G.  Peacock 

— 

rowed  over 

1853 

a],  Paine  . 

— 

( A.   Rippingall,   J.    Nottidge, 
1      H.  C.  Smith 

(«)  Resigned. 

(J})  The  course  before  this  race  was  from  Westminster  to  Putney,  but  for  the  first  time 
it  took  place  from  Putney  to  Kew. 

R  2 


244 

B 

GATING. 

Winners  of  the  Wingfield  "^qxha.^— continued. 

Time 

Winner 

m.   s.                                   Losers 

1854 

H.  H.  Playford 



rowed  over 

185s 

A.  A.  Casamajor 

— 

H.  H.  Playford 

1856 

A.  A.  Casamajor 

— 

rowed  over 

1857 

A.  A.  Casamajor 

— 

rowed  over 

1858 

A.  A.  Casamajor      T 

— 

rowed  over 

1859 

A,  A.  Casamajor       .   ' 

— 

rowed  over 

i860 

aK.  A.  Casamajor 

— 

rowed  over 

I86I 

bY..  D.  Brickwood      . 

29     0 

G.  R.  Cox,  A.  0.  Lloyd 

1862 

fliW.  B.  Woodgate      . 

27      0 

E.  D.  Brickwood,  G.  R.  Cox 

1863 

d\.  E.  Parker     . 

2$      0 

E.  B.  Michell,  J.  Wallace 

1864 

W.  B.  Woodgate      . 

25  35 

W.  P.  Cecil,  G.  Ryan 

1865 

aC.  B.  Lawes    . 

27    4 

,  W.B.  Woodgate, E.B.  Michell, 
1      W.  P.  Cecil,  T.  Lindsay 

1866 

«E.  B.  Michell  . 

27  26 

,  W.  B.  Woodgate,  J.  G.  Cham- 
\      bers 

1867 

W.  B.  Woodgate      . 

— 

rowed  over 

1868 

aW.  Stout 

26  52 

f  E.  B.  Michell,  W.  B.  Wood- 
t      gate 

1869 

A.  de  L.  Long 

— ■ 

rowed  over 

1870 

A.  de  L.  Long 

— 

fj.  Ross,  A.  C.  Yarborough, 
\      W.  Chillingworth 

I87I 

W.  Fawcus      . 

26  13 

A.  de  L.  Long 

1872 

C.  C.  Knollys  . 

28  30 

W,  Fawcus 

1873 

A.  C.  Dicker   . 

25  40 

( C.  C.  Knollys,  N.  H.  Eyre, 
1      F.  S.  Gulston 

1874 

A.  C.  Dicker   . 

25  45 

( W.  H.  Eyre,  W.  Fawcus,  W. 
\      Chillingworth 

1875 

F.  L.  Playford 

27    6 

A.  C.  Dicker 

1876 

F.  L.  Playford 

24  46 

jA.  C.  Dicker,  A.  V.  Frere, 
i      R.  H.  Labat 

1877 

F.  L.  Playford 

24  20 

(T.  C.  Edwardes-Moss,  A.  H. 
t      Grove,  J.  H.  Bucknill 

1878 

F.  L.  Playford 

24  13 

Alexander  Payne 

1879 

aY.  L.  Playford 

25  51 

J.  Lowndes 

1880 

Alex.  Payne     . 

24    8 

J.  Lowndes,  C.  G.  White 

I88I 

J.  Lowndes 

25  13 

W.  R.  Grove 

1882 

A.  Payne 

27  40 

W.  R.  Grove 

1883 

J.  Lowndes      . 

rowed  over 

1884 

W.  S.  Unwin  . 

24  12 

( C.  J.  S.  Batt,  E.  F.  Green, 
1     W.  Hawkes,  R.  H.  Smith 

I88S 

W.  S.  Unwin  . 

— 

F.  J.  Pitman,  C.  W.  Hughes 

1886 

aY,  J.  Pitman    . 

24  12 

|W.  H.  Gumming,  A.  M. 
(      Cowper-Smith 

1887 

G.  Nickalls      . 

! 

J.  C.  Gardner. 

(a)  Resigned. 

{b)  The  course   was   altered    again   this  year  to  the  present  one,  from   Putney  to 
Mortlake. 


HENLEY   WINNERS. 


MS 


WINNERS   AT  HENLEY   REGATTA, 


GRAND    CHALLENGE   CUP. 


m.    s. 

1839  Cambridge,  Trin.  Coll.   8  30 

1840  Leander  Club      .         •   9  15 

1 84 1  a  London,  Camb.  Rooms     — 

1842  London,  Camb.  Rooms  8  30 

1843  <^  Oxford  University       .   9     o 

1844  Oxford,  Etonian  Club    8  25 
Cambridge  University    8  30 


1845 
1846 
1847 


London,  Thames  Club  8  15 


Oxford  University 

1848  Oxford  University 

1849  a  Oxford,  Wadham  Coll 

1850  Oxford  University 

1 85 1  f  Oxford  University 

1852  Oxford  University 

1853  Oxford  University 

1854  Cambridge,  Trin.  Coll, 

1855  Cambridge  University 

1856  Royal  Chester  R.C. 

1857  London  R.C.      . 

1858  Cambridge  University 

1859  London  R.C. 
i860     Cambridge,  First  Trin 

1861  Cambridge,  First  Trin 

1862  London  R.C.      . 

i^ 


7  45 


3 
15 
32 


55 
43 
45 
45 
10 

5 
Camb. , 


1863  Oxford  University     .   7  45 

1864  Kingston  R.C.  .         •   7  43 

1865  Kingston  R.C. .         .   7  21 
1806  Oxford,  Etonian  Club  8  22 

1867  Oxford,  Etonian  Club  7  54 

1868  London  R.C.    .         .   7  20 

1869  Oxford,  Etonian  Club  7  28 

1870  o'Oxford,  Etonian  Club  7   17 

1871  Oxford,  Etonian  Club  7  55 

1872  London  R.C.    .         .   8  38 

1873  London  R.C.    .         •   7  52 

1874  London  R.C.    .         •   7  42 

1875  Leander  R.C.   .         •   7  19 

1876  Thames  R.C.    .         •   7  27 

1877  ^London  R.C.    .         .8  16^ 

1878  Thames  R.C.    .         .   7  41 

1879  Camb.,  Jesus  Coll.    .   8  39 

1880  Leander  B.C.    .         -73 

1 88 1  London  R.C.    .         •   7  24 

1882  Oxford,  Exeter  Coll.     811 

1883  London  R.C.    .         •   7  51 

1884  London  R.C.    .         .   7  27 

1885  Camb.  Jesus  Coll.      .   7  22 

1886  Camb.,  Trin.  Hall    .  6  53^- 
Trin.  Hall,  6  56. 


{a)  Won  on  a  foul.  {b)  Ihe  winners  only  rowed  seven  oars  in  the  final  heat. 

(f)  Cambridge  carried  away  a  rowlock  soon  after  starting. 
{d)  The  fastest  on  record  for  the  final. 

(e)   In  the  preliminary  heat   London  did  the  course   in  7  min.   12  sees. — the  fastest 
time  on  record  after  that  date. 


STEWARDS'    CUP. 


841  « First   class 

fours   for 

m.  s. 

1842 

m.  s. 
Oxford  Club,  London     9  16 

medals. 

Won    by 

1843 

London,  St.  George's 

Oxford 

Aquatic 

Club     .         .         .    10  15 

Club     . 

. 

10  5 

1844 

Oxford  University     .     9  16 

(«)  The  prize  which  is  now  known  as  the  Stewards'  Challenge  Cup  was  not  instituted 
until  the  following  year. 


246 

BOATING. 

1 845 

Oxford  University 

m.  s. 
.      825 

1865 

Camb.,  Third  Trin. 

m.    s, 

8    8 

1846 

Oxford  University 

— 

1866 

Oxford,  Univ.  Coll. 

9  20 

1847 

/^Oxford  C.CC. 

r.o. 

1867 

Oxford  University 

.     8  45 

1848 

Oxford  C.C.C. 

r.o. 

1868 

London  R.C.  . 

— 

1849 

London,  Leander 

1869 

London  R.C.  . 

.     8  36 

Club    . 

r.o. 

1870 

<rOxon.,  Etonian  Club 

8    5 

1850 

Oxford  University 

r.o. 

1871 

London  R.C.  . 

— 

1851 

Cambridge  Univ. 

.  854 

1872 

London  R.C.  . 

9  21 

1852 

Oxford  University 

1873 

:/ London  R.C.  . 

8  25 

1853 

Oxford  University 

•  857 

1874 

London  R.C.  . 

9    0 

1854 

Oxon,  Pembroke 

1875 

^London  R.C.  . 

7  56 

Club    . 

.     9  54 

1876 /London  R.C.  . 

— 

1855 

Royal  Chester  R.C. 

— 

1877 

London  R.C.  . 

9    7 

1856 

Argonaut  Club 

— 

1878 

London  R.C.  . 

837 

1857 

London  R.C.  . 

.     825 

1879 

Camb.,  Jesus  Coll.    . 

9  37 

1858 

London  R.C.  . 

r.o. 

1880 

Thames  R.C.  . 

7  58 

1859 

Camb.,  Third  Trin. 

825 

1881 

Oxford,  Hert.  Coll. 

8  15 

i860 

Camb.,  First  Trin. 

9  26 

1882 

Oxford,  Hert.  Coll. 

1861 

Camb.,  First  Trin. 

9  35 

1883 

Thames  R.C.  . 

— 

1862 

Oxon.,  Brasenose 

1884 

Kingston  R.C. 

— 

Coll.   . 

8  40 

1885 

Camb.,  Trin,  Hall 

7  53 

1863 

Oxford,  Univ.  Coll. 

8  .4 

1886 

Thames  R.C.   . 

7  39 

1864 

London  R.C.  . 

— 

1887 

Camb.,  Trin.  Hall. 

7  53 

(^)  Worcester  College,  Oxford,  were  also  entered,  but  withdrawn. 

(c)  Fastest  time  on  record  with  coxswains.  {d)  Coxswains  abolished. 

\e)  Fastest  time  on  record.  (J")  Won  on  a  foul. 


PAIR-OARS. 


Won  by  1 

1845  a  Arnold     and      Mann, 

Cambridge    . 

1846  Milman  and  Haggard, 

Christ  Church 

1847  /;  Falls  and  Coulthard, 

London 

1848  /; Thompson  and  John- 

son, Oxford  . 

1849  Peacock  and  Rayford 


Won  by 

1850  dChitty  and    Hornby, 

Oxford . 

1 85 1  Chitty  and  Guess 

1852  ^Barker  and  Nind 

1853  Barbee  and  Godson, 

Cambridge    . 

1854  Cadogan  and    Short, 

Oxford 


9     5 


(a)  The  first  pair-oared  race  rowed  at  Henley,  which  was  then  called  the  Silver 
Wherries  till  1850. 
(Jb)  Won  on  a  foul. 

{c)  The  race  was  rowed  this  year  for  the  first  time  as  the  Silver  Goblets. 
Xd)  Short  and  Irving,  of  Oxford,  withdrew  in  the  final. 


HENLEY  WINNERS. 


H7 


Won  by 

m. 

s. 

Won  by 

m. 

s. 

1855 

Nottidge    and    Casa- 

1874 

Gulston    and    Long, 

major,  London 

- 

London  R.C. 

10 

3 

1856 

Nottidge    and    Casa- 

1875 

/^i  Herbert  and  Chilling- 

major,  London 

- 

worth   . 

- 

1857 

Warren     and     Lons- 

1876 

S.   Le  B.  Smith  and 

dale,  Oxford 

- 

- 

F.  S.  Gulston 

8 

35 

1858 

Playford     and    Casa- 

1877 

W.    H.    Eyre  and  J. 

major,  London 

- 

Hastie 

10 

30 

1859 

Warre    and    Arkell, 

1878 

W.    A.    Ellison    and 

Oxford 

9 

0 

T.    C.    Edwardes- 

i860 

Casamajor  and  Wood- 

Moss    . 

9 

14 

bridge,  London      . 

II 

50 

1879 

F.    S.    Gulston   and 

I86I 

Woodgate  &  Champ- 

R.  H.  Labat,  Lon- 

neys, Oxford 

- 

don  R.C.      . 

II 

6 

1862 

Woodgate  &  Champ- 

1880 

E.     H.      Eyre     and 

neys,  Oxford 

8 

45 

J.  Hastie,  Thames 

1863 

Woodgate  and  Shep- 

R.C. .  . 

8 

45 

herd,  Oxford 

r. 

0. 

1881 

W.     H.     Eyre     and 

1864 

Selwyn  and  Kinglake, 

J.  Hastie,  Tham.es 

Cambridge    . 

9 

29 

R.C.     . 

9 

4 

1865 

May     and      Fenner, 

1882 

D.  E.   Brown  and  J. 

London  R.C. 

9 

7 

Lowndes,  Hertford 

1866 

Woodgate    and    Cor- 

Coll.,  Oxford 

_ 

_ 

rie,  Kingston  R.C. 

9 

15 

1883 

G.    Q.    Roberts   and 

1867 

Corrie    and     Brown, 

D.       E.       Brown, 

Eton  and  Radley  . 

8 

49 

Twickenham  R.C. 

9 

22 

1868 

Crofts     and     Wood- 
gate,  Oxford 

1884 

J.    Lowndes  and   D. 
E.   Brown,  Twick- 

1869 

Long  and  Stout,  Lon- 

enham R.C  . 

9 

I 

don  R.C.       . 

9 

25 

1885 

H.    McLean  and  D. 

1870 

Corrie      and      Hall, 

H.  McLean,  Etoni- 

Kingston R.C. 

- 

ans,  Oxford  . 

_ 

_ 

I87I 

Gulston    and    Long, 

1886 

F.    E.   Churchill  and 

London  R.C. 

- 

- 

A.   D.  Muttlebury, 

1872 

Long    and    Gulston, 

Third  Trin.,  Cam- 

London R.C. 

- 

bridge. 

8 

40 

1873 

Knollys  and  Trower, 

1887 

C.  T.  Barclay  and  A. 

Kingston  R.C. 

9 

22 

D.  Muttlebury      . 

8 

45 

id)  Won 

Dn  a  foul 

548 


BOATING. 


DIAMOND  SCULLS. 


m.    s. 

m.     s. 

1844 

aBumpstead,    Scullers' 

1867 

W.  C.  Crofts,  Oxford 

10     2 

Club,  London 

10  32 

1868 

W.     Stout,     London 

1845 

Wallace,         Leander 

R.C.     . 

— 

Club     . 

II    30 

1869 

W.   C.  Crofts,  King- 

1846 

Sir  Frederick  Moon, 

ston 

8  57 

Magdalen,  Oxford 

— 

1870 

J.  B.  Close,  Camb.   . 

9  43 

1847 

Maule,  Trinity  Coll., 

1871 

W.     Fawcus,    Tyne- 

Cambridge    . 

10  45 

mouth  R.C.  . 

10    9 

1848 

Bagshawe,  Camb. 

— 

1872 

C.  C.  Knollys,  Oxford 

10  48 

1849 

Bone,    Meteor  Club, 

1873 

A.  C.  Dicker,  Camb. 

9  13 

London 

— 

1874 

A.  C.  Dicker,  Camb. 

10  47 

1850 

Bone,   Meteor   Club, 

1875 

A.  C.  Dicker,  Camb. 

9  15 

London 

— 

1876 

F.  L.  Playford,  Lon- 

I85I 

Edwards,  London 

— 

don  R.C.       . 

928 

1852 

Macnaghten,  Camb. 

— 

1877 

T.      C.      Edwardes- 

1853 

Rippingall,  Camb.     . 

10    2 

Moss,  Oxford 

10  20 

1854  h  Playford,  Wandle  Col- 

1878 

T.       C.      Edwardes- 

lege 

Moss,  Oxford 

9  37^ 

1855 

Casamajor,  Argonauts 

9  27 

1879 

J.  Lowndes,  Oxford  . 

12  30 

1856 

Casamajor,  Argonauts 

— 

1880 

J.  Lowndes,  Derby   . 

9  10 

1857 

Casamajor,  Argonauts 

— 

1881 

J.  Lowndes,  Derby  . 

9  28 

1858 

Casamajor,  Argonauts 

r.o. 

1882 

J.  Lowndes,  Derby  . 

II  43 

1859 

E.      D.     Brick  wood. 

1883 

J.  Lowndes,  Thames 

London 

10     0 

R.C.     . 

10    2 

i85o 

H.  H.  Playford,  Lon- 

1884 

W.   S.   Unwin,  Mag- 

don 

12     8 

dalen    . 

9  44 

1861 

Casamajor,  Argonauts 

10    4 

1885 

W.   S.   Unwin,  Mag- 

1862 

cY..  D.  Brickwood      . 

9  40 

dalen    . 

9  22 

1863 

C.  B.  Lawes,  Camb. 

9  43 

1886 

F.  J.   Pitman,  Third 

1864 

W.  B.  Woodgate      . 

10  10 

Trinity,  Cambridge 

9     5 

1865 

E.  B.  Michell,  Oxford 

9    5 

1887 

J.  C.  Gardner,  Cam- 

1866 

E.  B.  Michell,  Oxford 

bridge  . 

8  51 

(a)  After  two  fouls  the  race  was  given  in  favour  of  Wallace, 

(/')  At  Newenham  a  foul  took  place,  and  the  race  was  awarded  to  Plaj'ford. 

if)  After  a  dead  heat,  which  was  rowed  in  10  minutes  22  seconds. 


LADIES    CHALLENGE  PLATE  FOR  EIGHT-OARS. 
Established  1845. 


1845     London,  St.  George's  I    1846     Camb.,  First  Trin. 

Club     .         ...     8  25    ;    1847  '  Oxford,  Brasenose 


9    o 


HENLEY   WINNERS. 


249 


1848 

Oxon.,  Christ  Church 

— 

1868 

Eton  College  B.C.    . 

7  25 

1849 

Oxon. ,  Wadham  Coll. 

— 

1869 

Eton  College  B.C.    . 

7  56 

1850 

Oxon,,  Lincoln  Coll. 

r.o. 

1870 

Eton  College  B.C.    . 

7  47 

1851 

Oxford,  Brasenose     . 

8  10 

1871 

Oxford,  Pembroke 

1852 

Oxford,  Pembroke 

College. 

7  56 

College 

— 

1872 

Camb.,  Jesus  Coll.    . 

8  39 

1853 

Camb.,  First  Trin.    . 

8  15 

1873 

Camb.,  Jesus  Coll.    . 

7  54 

1854 

Camb. ,  First  Trin.    . 

7  55 

1874 

Camb.,  First  Trin.    . 

8     9 

1855 

Oxford,  Balliol  Coll. 

7  58 

1875 

Dublin,  Trin,  Coll.   . 

7  28 

1856 

Royal   Chester  R.C. 

1876 

Camb.,  Jesus  Coll.    . 

7  31 

1857 

Oxford,  Exeter  Coll. 

7  57 

1877 

Camb.,  Jesus  Coll.    . 

8  22 

1858 

Oxford,  Balliol  Coll. 

7  51 

1878 

Camb,,  Jesus  Coll.    . 

852 

1859 

Camb. ,  First  Trin.    . 

7  55 

1879 

Cambridge,  Lady 

i860 

Camb.,  First  Trin.    . 

r.o. 

Margaret  B.C. 

8  52 

I86I 

Cambridge,  First 

1880 

Camb.,  Trin.  Hall    . 

7  26 

Trinity  (r.o.) 

8  17 

1881 

Camb.,  First  Trin.    . 

7  51 

1862 

Oxford,    Univ.    Coll. 

8  17 

1882 

Eton  College  B.C.     . 

837 

1863 

Oxford,    Univ.    Coll. 

7  23 

1883 

Oxon.,  Christ  Church 

7  50 

1864 

Eton  College  B.C.    . 

7  56 

1884 

Eton  College  B.C.    . 

7  yi 

1865 

Camb.,   Third    Trin. 

7  38 

1885 

Eton  College  B.C.    . 

7  21 

1866 

Eton  College  B.C.    . 

8  16 

1886 

Camb.,  Pembroke 

1867 

Eton  College  B.C.     . 

7  56 

College 

7  17 

1887     Trinity  Hall,  Cambridge  (2nd  crew)     7   10 

VISITORS'    CHALLENGE   CUP  FOR  FOUR-OARS. 
Established  1847. 


1847  Oxon.,  Christ  Church 

1848  Oxon.,  Christ  Church 

1849  Oxon.,  Christ  Church 

1850  Oxon.,  Christ  Church 

1 85 1  Oxon.,  Christ  Church 
J  852     London,  Argonauts 

Club  . 
1853     London,  Argonauts 

Club  . 
J 8*54     Camb.,  St.  John's     . 

1855  Camb,,  St.  John's     . 

1856  Camb.,  St.  John's     . 

1857  Oxford,  Pembroke 

College 

1858  Camb.,  First  Trin.    . 

1859  Camb.,   Third    Trin. 


8  48 


8  40 


i860     Camb.,  First  Trin.    .  — 

1 86 1  Camb.,  First  Trin.    .  8     5 

1862  Oxford,   Brasenose 

College          .         .  8  40 

1863  Oxford,  Brasenose 

College          .         .  — 

1864  Oxford,    Univ.    Coll.  — 

1865  Camb.,  Third  Trin.  .  — 

1866  Oxford,   Univ.    Coll.  8  49 

1867  Oxford,    Univ.    Coll.  — 

1868  Oxford,    Univ.    Coll.  8   15 

1869  Oxford,   Univ.    Coll.  9     7 

1870  Dublin,  Trin.  Coll.  .  8  37 

1 87 1  Camb. ,  First  Trin.    .  9     8 

1872  Oxford,  Pembroke 

College          .         .  9  28 


250 

BOATING. 

m.     s. 

m.     s. 

i873 

Dublin,  Trin.  Coll.  . 

1880 

Camb.,   Third    Trin. 

8  16 

1874 

Dublin,  Trin.  Coll.  . 

8  50 

1881 

Camb. ,  First  Trin.    . 

8  22 

187s 

Oxford,   Univ.    Coll. 

8  20 

1882 

Oxford,  Brasenose 

1876 

Oxford,  Univ.    Coll. 

8    5 

College 

9  23 

1877 

Camb. ,  Jesus  Coll.    . 

9    7 

1883 

Oxon. ,  Christ  Church 

— 

1878 

U.S. A,  Columbia 

1884 

Camb.,  Third  Trin.  . 

8  39 

College 

8  42 

1885 

Camb.,  Trin.  Hall    . 

7  41 

1879 

Cambridge,  Lady 

1886 

Cambridge,  First 

Margaret  B.C.       . 

9  21 

Trinity  B.C. 

8   20| 

1887     Trinity  Hall 

,  Camb 

ridge     8     8 

WYFOLD   CHALLENGE   CUP  FOR  FOUR-OARS. 
Established  1856. 


1856 

London,   Argonauts 

m.     s. 

1870 

Thames  R.C. 

m.     s. 

8  34 

Club 

— 

1871 

Thames  R.C. 

— 

1857 

Oxford,  Pembroke  . 

1872 

Thames  R.C. 

10    8 

College 

8  30 

1873 

Kingstown  Harbou 

1858 

Camb.,   First  Trin. 

— 

B.C.    . 

837 

1859 

Camb.,   First  Trin. 

8  21 

1874 

Newcastle  A. R.C. 

8  58 

i860 

London  R.C. 

10    8 

187s 

Thames  R.C. 

8  10 

I86I 

Oxford,  Brasenose 

1876 

West   London 

R.C 

■      8  56 

College      . 

— 

1877 

Kingston  R.C. 

— 

1862 

London    R.C. 

9  20 

1878 

Kingston  R.  C. 

844 

1863 

Kingston  R.C. 

8  50 

1879 

London  R.C. 

9  56 

1864 

Kingston  R.C. 

— 

1880 

London  R.  C. 

8    4 

1865 

Kingston  R.C. 

8  23 

1881 

Dublin  Univ. 

R.C 

8    8 

1866 

Kingston  R.C. 

— 

1882 

Camb.,  Jesus 

Coll 

8  58 

1867 

Kingston  R.C. 

— 

1883 

Kingston  R.C. 

.       851 

1868 

Kingston  R.C. 

8  32 

1884 

Thames  R.C. 

.       8  58 

1869 

Surbiton,  Oscillators 

1885 

Kingston  R.C. 

— 

B.C.  . 

8  58 

1886 

Thames  R.C. 

.       8    4 

1887     Peml 

)roke  Coll 

2ge,  Cambridge     7  50 

THAMES  CHALLENGE   CUP  FOR  EIGHT-OARS. 
Established  1868. 


1868     Oxford,  Pembroke 

1870     Surbiton,  Oscillators 

College         .         .     7  46 

B.C.     .        .        .      — 

1869     Surbiton,    Oscillators 

1 87 1     London,  Ino  R.C.    .     8     3 

B.C.     .         .         .       — 

1872     Thames  R.C.   .         .     8  42 

i873 
1874 

1875 
1876 
1877 
1878 


Thames  R.C. 
Thames  R.C. 
London  R.C. 
West  London 
London  R.C. 
London  R.C. 


HENLEY 


R.C. 


1879     Twickenham  R.C. 


m 

s. 

.     8 

2 

.     8 

19 

.     7 

33 

•     7 

37 

.     8 

29 

.     7  55    1 

.     8 

55    1 

WINNERS. 

251 

1880     London  R.C.    . 

m.   s. 

7  43 

1 88 1     Twickenham  R.C. 

7  50 

1882     Royal  Chester    R.C 

1883     London  R.C.    . 

8     5 

1884     Twickenham  R.C. 

7  48 

1885     London  R.C.    . 

7  36 

1886     London  R.C.    . 

— 

[887     Trinity  Hall,  Cambridge  (2nd  crew)     7     20 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS'    CHALLENGE   CUP  FOR  FOURS. 
Established  1879. 


1879  Cheltenham  College 

B.C.  .         .         .     II     6 

1880  Bedford  Grammar 

School  B.C.         ,8  42 

1 88 1  Bedford  Grammar 

School  B.C.         .8  22 


1882  Magdalen  College 

B.C.   . 

1883  Hereford  School  B.C. 

1884  Derby  School  B.C. 

1885  Bedford  Model 

School  B.C.'       . 


TOWN  CHALLENGE   CUP. 


1839 

Wave  B.C. 

1864 

Henley  B.C. 

1840 

Dreadnought  Cutter  Club 

1865 

Henley  B.C. 

I84I 

Dreadnought  Cutter  Club 

1866 

Eton  Excelsior  B.C. 

1842 

Dreadnought  Club 

1867 

Eton  Excelsior  B.C. 

1843 

Albion  Club 

1868 

Henley  R.C. 

1844 

Aquatic  Club 

1869 

Eton  Excelsior  B.C. 

1845 

Aquatic  Club 

1870 

Eton  Excelsior  B.C. 

1846 

Dreadnought  Cutter  Club 

1871 

Reading  R.C. 

1847 

Dreadnought  Cutter  Club 

1872 

Marlow  R.C. 

1848 

Dreadnought  Cutter  Club 

1873 

Henley  R.C. 

1849 

Albion  Club 

1874 

Marlow  R.C. 

1850 

Albion  Club 

1875 

Marlow  R.C. 

1854 

Wargrave  Club 

1876 

Marlow  R.C. 

1855 

Henley  B.C. 

1877 

Marlow  R.C. 

1856 

Henley  B.C. 

1878 

Henley  R.C. 

1857 

Henley  B.C. 

1879 

Greenwood  Lodge  B.C 

1858 

Henley  B.C. 

1880 

Reading  R.C. 

1859 

Henley  B.C. 

1881 

Reading  R.C. 

i860 

Dreadnought  Cutter  Club 

1882 

Reading  R.C. 

1862 

Oxford,  Staff  B.C. 

1883 

Marlow  R.C. 2 

1863 

Henley  B.C. 

'  Transferred  to  Marlow  Regatta  In 

1886. 

"  Ditto  in  1884. 

252 


BOATING. 


OXFORD   AND   CAMBRIDGE   BOAT   RACE. 

WINNERS  since    1828. 


Year 

Place 

Winner 

Time 

Won  by 

1829 

Hambledon  Lock  to  Henley 

m.     s. 

Bridge  .... 

Oxford 

14  30 

easy 

1836 

Westminster  to  Putney 

Cambridge 

36      0 

I  m. 

1839 

Westminster  to  Putney 

1   Cambridge 

31      0 

I  m.  45  s. 

1840 

Westminster  to  Putney 

Cambridge 

29  30 

f  length 

184I 

Westminster  to  Putney 

Cambridge 

32  30 

I  m.  4  s. 

1842 

Westminster  to  Putney 

Oxford 

30  45 

13  s. 

1845 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Cambridge 

23  30 

30  s. 

1846 

aMortlake  (Church)  to  Putney 

Cambridge 

21      5 

2  lengths 

1849 

Putney  to  Mortlake  (Ship)    . 

Cambridge 

22    0 

4  lengths 

1849 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

— 

foul 

1852 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

21  56 

27  s. 

1854 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

25  29 

II  strokes 

1856 

^Barker's  rails  to  Putney 

1   Cambridge 

25  50 

\  length 

1857 

rPutney  to  Mortlake 

1       Oxford 

22  55 

35  s. 

1858 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Cambridge 

21  23 

22  s. 

1859 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

24  40 

C.  sank 

i860 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

i   Cambridge 

26    5 

I  length 

1861 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

1       Oxford 

23  28 

43  s. 

1862 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

1       Oxford 

24  41 

30  s. 

1863 

/)Barker's  rails  to  Putney 

j       Oxford 

23     6 

43  s. 

1864 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

22     15 

26  s. 

1865 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

21  24 

4s. 

1866 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

25  14 

15  s. 

1867 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

22  30 

^  length 

1868 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

20  37 

6  lengths 

1869 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

20    6.^ 

3  lengths 

1870 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Cambridge 

21  3o| 

2  lengths 

187I 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Cambridge 

23    9\ 

I  length 

1872 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Cambridge 

21  14 

2  lengths 

1873   Putney  to  Mordake 

Cambridge 

19  36 

3  lengths 

1874 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Cambridge 

22  35 

3.V  lengths 

1875 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

22    2 

29  s. 

1876 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Cambridge 

20  19 

5  lengths 

1877   ^Putney  to  Mortlake 

Dead  heat 

24    61 

dead  heat 

1878 

Putney  to  Mortlake 

Oxford 

22  15 

40  s. 

(a)  This  was  the  first  race  rowed  in  outrigged  eights. 

{b)  These  races  were  rowed  from  Barker's  rails  to  Putney,  about  1,200  yards  more  than 
the  usual  course.  Barker's  rails  are  still  marked  by  a  brick  pedestal  under  Middlesex 
shore. 

(f)  This  was  the  first  race  rowed  in  keelless  boats. 

{d)  Sliding  seats  first  used  in  these  races. 

(<?)  This  is  the  only  dead  heat  ever  rowed  in  this  race.  Bow  in  Oxford  boat  broke 
his  oar. 


HENLEY   WINNERS. 


253 


Year 


879 
880 
881 
882 
883 
884 
885 
886 
887 

888 


Place 


Winner  Time  Won  by 


Putney 
Putney 
Putney 
Putney 
Putney 
Putney 
Putney 
Putney 
Putney 
Putney 


to  Mortlake 
to  Mortlake 
to  Mortlake 
to  Mortlake 
to  Mortlake 
to  Mortlake 
to  Mortlake 
to  Mortlake 
to  Mortlake 
to  Mortlake 


Cambridge 
Oxford 
Oxford 
Oxford 
Oxford 
Cambridge 

Oxford 
Cambridge 
Cambridge 
Cambridge 


21 

18 

21 

23 

21 

52 

20 

12 

S2 

18 

21 

39 

21 

36 

22 
20 

20 

■^2 

20  48 


3^  lengths 

4  lengths 
3 1  lengths 
20  s. 

2|  lengths 
3  lengths 

5  lengths 
I  length 
2\  lengths 
5  lengths 


UNIVERSITY   MEETINGS   AT   HENLEY, 
FOR    THE   GRAND   CHALLENGE   CUP. 


Year 

Winner 

Time 

Won  by           j 

1845 
1847 
1851 

1853 
1855 

Cambridge ..... 
Oxford        .         .         .         ... 

aOxford 

Oxford 

Cambridge 

m.    s. 

8  30 
8    4 

I  ^5 
8    3 
832 

2  lengths 
2  lengths 
6  lengths 
6  inches 
2|  lengths 

(a)  Cambridge  broke  a  rowlock  off  Remenham  farm. 
Also  at  the  Thames  Regatta,  June  22,  1844,  Oxford  beat  Cambridge  for 
the  Gold  Cup. 


UNIVERSITY   OARSMEN. 

The  following  lists  show  what  oarsmen  in  eights  or  fours  repre- 
sented their  respective  Universities  from  year  to  year,  whether  in 
matches  or  at  regattas.  Those  whose  names  appear  as  having 
thus  represented  their  University  are  recognised  as  'old  Blues.' 
In  some  cases  crews  are  given  which  are  not  strictly  University 
crews,  e.g.  the  '  Cambridge  Subscription  Rooms,'  '  Oxford  Aquatic 
Club,'  &c.  These  crews  sometimes  took  the  place  of  U.B.C.  crews, 
and  though  all  these  members  may  not  be  strictly  '  Blues,'  the 
performances  are  recorded,  in  order  to  give  as  far  as  possible  a 
continuous  history. 


254 


BOATING. 


UNIVERSITY   OARSMEN. 

1829. 
Hamhledon  Lock  to  Henley,   Wednesday,  June  10,  1829,  7.56/.W. 

Oxford,  t.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Carter,  J. ,  St.  John's — 

2.  Arbuthnot,  J.  E.,  Balliol — 

3.  Bates,  J.  E. ,  Christ  Church .  •  — 

4.  Wordsworth,  Charles,  Christ  Church   .         .         .         .         .         .  11  10 

5.  Toogood,  J.  J.,  BalHol 14  10 

6.  Gamier,  T.  F.,  Worcester — 

7.  Moore,  G.  B. ,  Christ  Church 124 

Staniforth,  T.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 12     o 

Fremantle,  W.  R.,  Christ  Church  (cox.) — 


Cambridge,  2.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Holdsworth,  A.  B.  E.,  First  Trinity 10     7 

2.  Bayford,  A.  F.,  Trinity  Hall         .......  10     8 

3.  Warren,  C,  Second  Trinity 10  10 

4.  Merivale,  C. ,  Lady  Margaret no 

5.  Entwisle,  T.,  Trinity 114 

6.  Thompson,  W.  T.,  Jesus 11  13 

7.  Selwyn,  G.  A.,  Lady  Margaret n   13 

Snow,  W.,  Lady  Margaret  (stroke) n     4 

Heath,  B.  R.,  First  Trinity  (cox.) 94 

Average n     if 


1S3I. 

Leander  Match  v.  Oxford,  Henley  Cotirse,  June  12. 


Leander,  I. 

1.  Homiman 

2.  Revell 

3.  Weedon 

4.  Cannon 

5.  Lewis 

6.  T.  Bayford 

7.  Capt.  Shaw 
Bishop  (stroke) 
Noulton,  waterman  (cox.) 


Oxford,  2. 

1.  Carter 

2.  Waterford  (Marquis  ol) 

3.  Marsh 

4.  Peard 

5.  Pelham 

6.  Barnes 

7.  Lloyd 
Copplestone  (stroke) 

G.  West,  waterman  (cox.) 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


255 


1836. 

Westminster  to  Putney,  June  17,  1836,  \.2o p.m. 


Cambkidge,  I. 


St.  lbs. 


Solly,  W.  H. ,  First  Trinity  . 
Green,  F.  S.,  Caius 
Stanley,  E.  S. ,  Jesus     . 
Hartley,  P.,  Trinity  Hall      . 
Jones,  W.  M.,  Caius    . 
Keane.  J.  H.,  First  Trinity  . 
Upcher,  A.  W.,  Second  Trinity   . 
Granville,  A.  K.  B.,  C.C.C.  (stroke) 
Egan,  T.  S.,  Caius  (cox.)     , 

Average 


II 

0 

II 

2 

II 

4 

12 

0 

12 

0 

12 

0 

12 

0 

II 

7 

9 

0 

8^ 


Oxford, 

1.  Carter,  G.,  St.  John's  . 

2.  Stephens,  E. ,  Exeter     . 

3.  Baillie,  W. ,  Christ  Church    . 

4.  Harris,  T. ,  Magdalen  . 

5.  Isham,  J.  v.,  Christ  Church 

6.  Pennefather,  J.,  Balliol 

7.  Thompson,  W.  S. ,  Jesus 

Moysey,  F.  L.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 
Davies,  E.  W.  L. ,  Jesus  (cox. )     . 

Average        , 


St.  lbs. 


10 

0 

10 

7 

II 

7 

12 

4 

12 

0 

12 

10 

13 

0 

10 

6 

10 

3 

H 

7l 

1837. 

First  Leander  Match  [C.  U.B.  C),   Westminster  to  Putney,  June  9,  1837. 

Cambridge,  i.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Nicholson,  W.  N.,  First  Trinity no 

2.  Green,  Y.  S.,  Caius 112 

3.  Budd,  R.  H. ,  Lady  Margaret 12    o 

4.  Keane,  J.  H.,  First  Trinity 12    o 

5.  Brett,  W.  B..  Caius 12     o 

6.  Penrose,  C.  T. ,  First  Trinity         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  12     o 

7.  Fletcher,  R. ,  Lady  Margaret         .         .         .         .         .         .         .1110 

Granville,  A.  K.  B.,  Corpus  (stroke) "7 

Moulton,  W.  (cox.) — 

Average 119^ 


r.  Shepheard 

2.  Layton 

3.  Wood 

4.  Lloyd 

5.  Sherrard 


Leander,  2. 


6.  Dalgleish 

7.  Lewis 
Horneman  (stroke) 
James  Parish  (cox.) 


:56 


BOATING. 


1838. 

Second  Leander  Match  [C.  U.B.  C) 


Cambridge,  i. 

Leander,  2. 

I. 

Shadwell,  A.  H.,  Lady  Margaret. 

I.  Shepheard 

2. 

Smyth,  W.  W.,  Second  Trinity. 

2.  Sherrard 

3- 

Gough,  Walter  R.,  First  Trinitv. 

3.  Lloyd 

4- 

Yatman,  W.  H.,  Caius. 

4.  Lavton 

5' 

Penrose,  C.  T. ,  First  Trinity. 

5.   VV6od 

6. 

Paris,  A,,  Corpus. 

6.  Dalgleish 

7- 

Breit,  W.  B.,  Caius. 

7.   Bishop 

Stanley,  E.,  Jesus  (stroke). 

Lewis  (stroke) 

Moulton,  W.  (cox.) 

Parish  (cox.) 

(Afoul.) 

1839- 

Westminster  to  Putney,  Ap7-il  2,  1839,  ^.^j p.m. 


Cambridge,  i. 


St.  lbs. 


1.  Shadwell,  Alfred  H. ,  Lady  Margaret 

2.  Smyth,  W.  W.,  Second  Trinity 

3.  Abercrombie,  J.,  Caius. 

4.  Paris,  A.,  Corpus. 

5.  Penrose,  C.  T. ,  First  Trinity 

6.  Yatman,  W.  H.,  Caius 

7.  Brett,  W.  B.,  Caius      . 
Stanley,  E.  S. ,  Jesus  (stroke) 
Egan,  T.  S.,  Caius  (cox.)     . 


10 

7 

u 

0 

10 

7 

— 

12 

0 

— 

12 

0 

9 

0 

Oxford,  2. 


St.  lbs. 


Lee,  S.,  Queen's   . 
Compton,  J.,  Merton    . 
Maberly,  S.  E.,  Christ  Church 
Gamett,  W.  J.,  Christ  Church 
Walls,  R.  G.,  Brasenose 
Hobhouse,  R.,  Balliol  . 
Powys,  P.  L.,  Balliol    . 
Bewicke,  C,  University  (stroke) 
Ffooks,  W.  W.,  Exeter  (cox.) 

Average 


II   loi 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN, 


257 


1840. 

Westminster  to  Putney,   Wednesday,  April  x<^,  1840,  t.^op.ni. 

Cambridge,  i.  st.  lbs. 

Shadwell,  A.  H.,  Lady  Margaret 10    7 

Massey,  W.,  First  Trinity     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     o 

Taylor,  S.  B. ,  First  Trinity   .         . n     7 

Ridley,  J.  M.,  Jesus 12     8 

Uppleby,  G.  C.,  Magdalene  .         .         .     '    .         .         .         .  11  12 

Penrose,  F.  C,  Magdalene  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  12     i 

Jones,  H.,  Magdalene 119 

Viales,  C.  M. ,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 11     6 

Egan,  T.  S.,  Caius,  (cox.) 90 


Average 


I     8 


Oxford,  2.  st.  lbs. 

Mountain,  J.  G.,  Merton ..no 

Pocock,  J.  J.  I.,  Merton       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .112 

Maberly,  S.  E. ,  Christ  Church 114 

Rogers,  W.,  Balliol 12  10 

7 


I. 
2. 
3- 
4. 

5.  Walls,  R.  G.,  Brasenose       ........     12 

6.  Royds,  E. ,  Brasenose 12 

7.  Meynell,  G.,  Brasenose  .         .         .         .         .         ,         .         .11 

Somers  Cocks,  J.  J.  T.,  Brasenose  (stroke) 11 

Garnett,  W.  B. ,  Brasenose  (cox. ) 9 


Average 


1841. 


Westminster  to  Putney,  Wednesday,  April  14,  1S41,  6.10 p.?n. 
Cambridge,  i. 

1.  Croker,  W.  R. ,  Caius  . 

2.  Denman,  Hon.  L.  W.,  Magdalene 

3.  Ritchie,  A.  M. ,  First  Trinity 

4.  Ridley,  J.  M.,  Jesus 

5.  Cobb  old,  R.  H.,  Peterhouse 

6.  Penrose,  F.  C,  Magdalene  . 

7.  Denman,  Hon.  G.,  First  Trinity  . 
Viales,  C.  M.,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 
Croker,  J.  M.,  Caius  (cox.)  . 

Average 

Oxford,  2. 

1.  Bethell,  R.,  Exeter        .... 

2.  Richards,  E.  V.,  Christ  Church     . 

3.  Mountain,  J.  G.,  Merton 

4.  Rovds,  E. ,  Brasenose  .... 

5.  Hodgson,  H.  W.,  Balliol      . 

6.  Lea,  W.,  Brasenose      .... 

7.  Meynell,  G.,  Brasenose 
Somers  Cocks,  J.  J.  T.,  Brasenose  (stroke) 
WoUaston,  C.  B.,  Exeter  (cox.)     . 

Average         .         .         .     . 


I    lO^ 


St.  lbs. 


"     4^ 


158 


BOATING. 


1841. 

Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley,  1841. 
Cambridge  Subscription  Rooms,  i 


1.  Denman,  Hon.  G.,  First  Trinity 

2.  Shadwell,  A.  H.,  Lady  Margaret 

3.  Cross,  W.  A. ,  First  Trinity  . 

4.  Anson,  T.  A. ,  Jesus 

5.  Yatman,  W.  H.,  Caius 

6.  Jones,  W.  M,,  Caius     . 

7.  Viales,  C.  M. ,  Third  Trinity 
Brett,  W.  B.,  Caius  (stroke) 
Egan,  T.  S.,  Caius  (cox.) 


Leander.  2. 


1.  Shepheard 

2.  Layton . 

3.  Julius,  W. 

4.  Romayne 

5.  Jenkins 

6.  Wallace 

7.  Wood  . 
Dalgleish  (stroke) 
Gibson,  H.  (cox.) 


St.  lbs. 


10 

8 

10 

9 

10 

6 

12 

8 

10 

10 

II 

10 

II 

9 

II 

10 

9 

6 

St. 

lbs 

10 

2 

10 

II 

II 

6 

II 

8 

12 

3 

II 

7 

10 

12 

II 

2 

II 

0 

1842. 

Westminster  to  Putney,  Saturday,  June  11,  1842. 


Oxford,  i. 

1.  M'Dougall,  F.  T.,  Magdalen  Hall 

2.  Menzies,  Sir  R.,  University 

3.  Breedon,  E.  A.,  Trinity 

4.  Brewster,  W.  B. ,  St.  John's , 

5.  Bourne,  G.  D.,  Oriel    . 

6.  Cox,  J.  C. ,  Trinity 

7.  Hughes,  G.  E.,  Oriel    . 
Menzies,  F.  N.,  University  (stroke) 
Shadwell,  A.  T.  W.,  Balliol  (cox.) 

Average 

Cambridge,  2. 


1.  Tower,  E. ,  Lady  Margaret  . 

2.  Denman,  Hon.  L.  W.,  Magdalene 

3.  Watson,  W.,  Jesus 

4.  Penrose,  F.  C.,  Magdalene  . 

5.  Cobbold,  R.  H.,  Peterhouse 

6.  Royds,  J. ,  Christ's 

7.  Denman,  Hon.  G.,  First  Trinity 
Ridley,  J.  M.,  Jesus  (stroke) 
Pollock,  A.  B.,  First  Trinity  (cox.) 


Average 


St.  lbs. 

9    8 

11  3 

12  4 

12  10 

13  12 

10  8 

11  6 
10  12 
10     4 


St.  lbs. 


10 

2 

10 

II 

10 

13 

II 

10 

12 

6 

II 

7 

10 

9 

12 

0 

9 

7 

I     3l 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN, 

1842. 

Grand  Challenge  Clip,  Henley,  1842. 
Cambridge  Subscription  Rooms,  i 


1.  Yatman,  W.  H.,  Caius 

2.  Shadwell,  A.,  John's     . 

3.  Appleby,  G.  C. ,  Magdalene . 

4.  Lonsdale,  J.  G.,  First  Trinity 
S-  Ritchie,  A.  M.,  First  Trinity 

6.  Jones,  W.  M.,  Caius     . 

7.  Selwyn,  C.  J.,  Second  Trinity 
Beresford,  J.,  Peter's  (stroke) 
Egan,  T.  S.,  Caius  (cox.)      . 


Average 
Cambridge  University  Boating  Club,  2. 


1.  Tower,  E.,  John's 

2.  Denman,  Hon.  L.  W.,  Magdalene 

3.  Watson,  W.,  Jesus 

4.  Viales,  C.  M. ,  Third  Trinity 

5.  Cobbold,  R.  H.,  Peter's 

6.  Royds,  J.,  Christ's 

7.  Denman,  Hon.  G.,  First  Trinity 
Ridley,  J.  M.,  Jesus  (stroke) 
Pollock,"  J.  C,  Third  Trinity  (cox.) 

Average 


1843. 

Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley,  1843. 

Oxford,  the  'Seven  Oar,'  i. 


r.  Menzies,  Sir  R.,  University  . 

2.  Royds,  E.,  Brasenose   . 

3.  Brewster,  W.  B. ,  St.  John's . 

4.  Bourne,  G.  D.,  Oriel     . 

5.  Cox,  J.  C. ,  Trinity 

6.  Lowndes,  R.,  Christ  Church 

7.  Hughes,  G.  E.,  Oriel    . 
Shadwell,  A.  T.  W.,  Balliol  (cox.) 
Menzies,  F.  (stroke),  eager    . 

Average 


Cambridge  Subscription  Rooms,  2 


1.  Yatman,  W.  H.,  Caius 

2.  Shadwell,  A.  H.,  Lady  Margaret , 

3.  Mann,  G.,  Caius  . 

4.  Ridley,  J.  M. ,  Jesus 

5.  Cobbold,  R.  H.,  Peterhouse 

6.  Jones,  W.  M. ,  Caius     . 

7.  Denman,  Hon.  L.  W.,  Magdalene 
Viales,  C.  M.,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 
Egan,  T.  S.,  Caius  (cox.) 

Average 


259 


St.  lbs. 


10 

10 

10 
II 

9 

2 

12 
12 

4 
0 

II 

10 

II 

12 

10 

10 

9 

2 

II 

"5.^ 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

2 

ID 

II 

10 
II 
12 

13 

9 
6 

II 
10 
12 

7 
9 
0 

10 

2 

3t 


St.  lbs. 


II 

12 

3 
0 

13 
13 
II 

0 

12 

12 

II 

2 

II 
10 

IT 
8 

12 

if 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

12 

II 

0 

12 
12 

0 

6 

12 

ir 

5 
12 

10 

II 

II 
9 

13 
6 

II 

9 

S  2 

26o 


BOATING. 


1843. 

Gold  Cup,  Thames  Regatta. 

Oxford,  i. 

Crew  same  as  '  Seven  oar'  S7ij)ra,  except  W.  Chetwynd-Stapylton,  Merton, 
10  St.  6  lbs.  at  bow. 

1844. 
Gold  Cup,  Thames  Regatta.     Chiswick  Eyot  to  Putney  Bridge. 


Oxford, 


St.  lbs. 


1.  Chetwynd-Stapylton,  W.,  Merton 

2.  Spottiswoode,  W.,  Balliol     . 

3.  Milman,  W.  H.,  Christ  Church 

4.  Morgan,  H.,  Christ  Church  . 

5.  Buckle,  W.,  Oriel 

6.  Dry,  W.  J. ,  Wadham  . 

7.  Wilson,  F.  M.,  Christ  Church 
Tuke,  F.  E.,  Brasenose  (stroke) 
Shadwell,  A.  T.  W.,  Balliol  (cox. 

Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


1.  Raven,  J.,  Magdalene  , 

2.  Venables,  H.,  Jesus 

3.  Mann,  G.,  Caius  . 

4.  Cloves,  W.  P.,  First  Trinity 

5.  Brookes,  T.  W.,  First  Trinity 

6.  Richardson,  J.,  First  Trinity 

7.  Nicholson,  W.  W.,  First  Trinity 
Arnold,  F.  M.,  Caius  (stroke) 
Egan,  T.  S.,  Caius  (cox.)      . 

Average 


Leander 


1.  Soanes 

2.  Peacock 

3.  Lee 

4.  Hodding 

5.  Juhus   . 

6.  Bumpstead 

7.  Jefferies 
Dalgleish  (stroke) 
Shepheard  (cox. )  . 


Average 


10 

8 

10 

6 

II 

0 

12 

11 

13 

12 

II 

5 

12 

8 

II 

9 

10 

8 

II   It 


St.  lbs. 

8  13 
10     2 

10  7 

11  II 
II  9 
II  12 

10  3 

11  II 
10     o 

10  12 


St.  lbs. 


•   9 
.  10 

3 
0 

12 
.  II 

0 
6 

.  12 

0 

.  12 

0 

•   9 
.  10 

4 
6 

.  10 

0 

.  10 

~^{ 

.  UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN.  261 

1844. 
Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley. 

Oxford,  i.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Chetwynd-Stapylton,  W.,  Merton 10    8 

2.  Spottiswoode,  W.,  Balliol lo     6 

3.  Chetwynd-Stapylton,  H.  E.,  University 10  10 

4.  Spankie,  J.,  Merton 114 

5.  Wilson,  F.  M.,  Christ  Church 12     8 

6.  Tuke,  F.  E.,  Brasenose 119 

7.  Ccnant,  J.  W.,  St.  John's 12    7 

Morgan,  H.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 12    7 

Shad  well,  A.  T.  W.,  Balliol  (cox.) io_o 

Average n     7I 

1844. 
The  Stewards'  Cup,  Henley.     [Final  Heat. ) 
Oxford,  i.  St.  George's  Club,  London,  2. 

St.  lbs. 


1.  Chetwvnd-Stapylton,  W.,  Merton 

2.  Dry,  W.  J.,  Wadham 

3.  Wilson,  F.  M.,  Christ  Church 
Tuke,  F.  E..  Brasenose  (stroke) 
Lewis,  G.  B.,  Oriel  (cox.) 


1.  Wadham 

2.  M'Kay  . 

3.  Ross 

Smith  (stroke) 
Johnson,  A.  (cox.) 


9  10 

10  II 

11  4 
10    4 

7  n 


1845. 
Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  March  15,  1845,  6.i p.m. 

Cambridge,  i.  st.  lbs. 

Mann,  G.,  Caius 

Harkness,  W.,  Lady  Margaret 


3.  Lockhart,  W.  S.,  Christ's 

4.  Cloves,  W.  P.,  First  Trinity 

5.  Arnold,  F.  M.,  Caius    . 

6.  Harkness,  R.,  Lady  Margaret 

7.  Richardson,  J.,  First  Trinity 

Hill,  C.  G.,  Second  Trinity  (stroke) 
Munster,  H.,  First  Trinity  (cox.) . 


Average 

Oxford,  2. 


1.  Haggard,  M.,  Christ  Church 

2.  Chetwynd-Stapylton,  W.,  Merton 

3.  Milman,  W.  H. ,  Christ  Church    . 

4.  Lewis,  H..  Pembroke   . 

5.  Buckle,  W.,  Oriel 

6.  Royds,  F.  C,  Brasenose 

7.  Wilson,  F.  M.,  Christ  Church 
Tuke,  F.  E.,  Brasenose  (stroke)    . 
Richards,  F.  J.,  Merton  (cox.) 


10 

7 

10 

0 

II 

3 

12 

0 

12 

0 

II 

0 

12 

0 

10 

II 

9 

2 

II 

2.! 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

3 

10 

12 

II 

0 

II 

7 

13 

12 

II 

5 

12 

3 

12 

2 

Average 


262 


BOATING. 


1845. 
Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley. 


Cambridge,  i. 


St.  lbs. 


1.  Mann,  G. ,  Caius  .         .         • 

2.  Harkness,  W.,  Lady  Margaret 

3.  Lockhart,  W.  S.,  Christ's     . 

4.  Cloves,  W.  P.,  First  Trinity 

5.  Hopkins,  F.  L.,  First  Trinity 

6.  Potis,  H.  J.,  Second  Trinity 

7.  Arnold,  F.  M.,  Caius    . 
Hill,  C.  G.,  Second  Trinity  (stroke) 
Munster,  H.,  Second  Trinity  (cox.) 

Average 


10 

8 

10 

I 

II 

3 

12 

I 

12 

7 

II 

9 

12 

2 

10 

12 

9 

2 

I     5.^ 


Oxford  2.  st.  lbs, 

'i.  Chetwynd-Stapylton,  W.,  Merton         .         .         .         .         .         .  10    6 

2.  Spottiswoode,  W.,  Balliol 10  11 

3.  Milman,  W.  H.,  Christ  Church    .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10  12 

4.  Buckle,  W.,  Oriel        *.         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  13    7 

5.  Breedon,  E.  A.,  Trinity         .         . 11  10 

6.  Penfold,  E.  H.,  St.  John's 11  10 

7.  Conant,  J.  W.,  St.  John's     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11  13 

Wilson,  F.  M.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 12  ii 

Shadwell.  A.  T.  W.,  Balliol  (cox.) 10    4 

Average 11  10 


1845. 
The  Stewards'  Cup,  Henley,     [Final  Heat.) 


Oxford,  i.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Chetwynd-Stapylton,  W.,  Merton 10    6 

2.  Milman,  W.  H.,  Christ  Church 10  10 

3.  Conant,  J.  W.,  St.  John's 113 

Wilson,  F.  M.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 12     i 

Lewis,  G.  B.,  Oriel  (cox.) — 

St.  George's  Club,  London,  2.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Wadham 10    o 

2.  Ross no 

3.  Coulthard 11  11 

Smith  (stroke) ic  12 

Johnson,  A.,  (cox.) 8    4 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN.  263 

1845. 

Gold  Cup,  Thames  Regatta. 

Cambridge  London  Rooms,  i. 

1.  Rippingall,  C,  Lady  Margaret 

2.  Shadwell,  A,  H.,  Lady  Margaret 

3.  Lockhart,  W,  S.,  Christ's 

4.  Cloves,  W.  P. ,  First  Trinity 

5.  Wilder,  E. ,  Magdalen 

6.  Hopkins,  F.  L..  First  Trinity 

7.  Arnold,  F.  M. ,  Caius 

Hill,  C.  G.,  Second  Trinity  (stroke) 
Fgan,  T.  S.,  Caius  (cox.) 

Oxford  Aquatic  Club,  2. 

1.  Chetwynd-Stapylton,  W.,  Merton 

2.  Milman,  W.  H.,  Christ  Church 

3.  Meynell,  G.,  Brasenose 

4.  Buckle,  W.,  Oriel 

5.  Breedon,  E.  A.,  Trinity 

6.  Hughes,  G.  E.,  Oriel 

7.  Conant,  J.  W.,  St.  John's 

Wilson,  F.  M.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 
Richards,  F.  J.,  Merton  (cox.) 

1846. 
Mortlake  to  Putney,  April  3,  1846,  11. 10  a.m. 

Cambridge,  i.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Murdoch,  G.  F.,  Lady  Margaret 10  2 

2.  Holroyd,  G.  F.,  First  Trinity .  11  i 

3.  Clissold,  S.  T.,  Third  Trinity 12  o 

4.  Cloves,  W.  P.,  First  Trinity 12  12 

5.  Wilder,  E.,  Magdalene 12  2 

6.  Harkness,  R. ,  Lady  Margaret 11  6 

7.  Wolstenholme,  E.  P.,  First  Trinity 11  i 

Hill,  C.  G. ,  Second  Trinity  (stroke) 11  i 

Lloyd,  T.  B.,  Lady  Margaret  (cox.) 98 

Average .     11     8| 

Oxford,  2.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Polehampton,  H.  S.,  Pembroke 10     9 

2.  Burton,  E.  C,  Christ  Church 11     o 

3.  Heygate,  W.  U.,  Merton 11     8 

4.  Penfold,  E.  H.,  St.  John's 11     8 

5.  Conant,  J.  W.,  St.  John's 12    4 

6.  Royds,  F.  C,  Brasenose n     9 

7.  Chetwynd-Stapylton,  W.,  Merton 10  12 

Milman,  W.  H.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) no 

Soanes,  C.  J.,  St.  John's  (cox.) 9  13 

Average        .         . n     4^ 


264 


BOATING. 


1846. 

The  Stewards  Cup,  Henley.     {Final  Heat.) 
O.U.B.C,  I. 


1.  Chetwynd  Stapylton,  W.,  Merton 

2.  Wilson,  F.  M.,  Christ  Church 

3.  Conant,  J.  W.,  St.  John's     . 
Milman,  W.  H.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 
Haggard,  M,,  Christ  Church  (cox.) 

Average        , 


St.  lbs. 

10  6 
12     I 

11  13 
10  10 


Guy's  Club,  London,  2. 


Forster 
Gruggen 
Ferguson 
Cooper  (stroke) 
Roland  (cox.) 


1847. 
Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley. 


Oxford, 

1.  Moon,  E.  G.,  Magdalen 

2.  Haggard,  M.,  Christ  Church 

3.  Oldham,  J.,  Brasenose  . 

4.  Royds,  F.  C.,  Brasenose 

5.  Griffiths,  E.  G.  C,  Worcester 

6.  King,  W. ,  Oriel    .... 

7.  Winter,  G.  R.,  Brasenose 

Burton,  E.  C,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 
Soanes,  C.  J.,  St.  John's  (cox.)     . 

Average 


St.  lbs. 
10    4 

10  8 

11  7 

11  10 

12  6 
II      o 

II     3 

II      o 

9  10 


Cambridge,  2. 


1.  Maule,  W.,  First  Trinity 

2.  Gisborne,  T.  M.,  Lady  Margaret 

3.  Wolstenholme,  E.  P. ,  First  Trinity 

4.  Garfit,  A.,  First  Trinity 

5.  Nicholson,  C.  A.,  First  Trinity     . 

6.  Harkness,  R.,  Lady  Margaret 

7.  Vincent,  S.,  First  Trinity 
Jackson,  F.  C,  Lady  Margaret  (stroke) 
Murdoch,  G.  F.,  Lady  Margaret  (cox.) 


St.  lbs. 


Average 


9 

12 

10 

10 

10 

10 

12 

8 

13 

5 

II 

4 

10 

10 

II 

0 

10 

3 

II      35 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


i6s 


1848. 

Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley.     {First  Heat.) 

Oxford,  i.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Rich,  W.  G.,  Christ  Church .  10  11 

2.  Haggard,  M.,  Christ  Church 10     4 

3.  Sykes,  E.,  Worcester no 

4.  Royds,  F.  C,  Brasenose n     4 

5.  Winter,  G.  R. ,  Brasenose 11     6 

6.  Mansfield,  A.,  Christ  Church 10  10 

7.  Milman,  W.  H.,  Christ  Church no 

Burton,  E.  C. ,  Christ  Church  (stroke)  ..       .         .         .         .         .  11     o 

Soanes,  C.  J.,  St.  John's  (cox.) 9  13 

Average 10  ii| 

Thames  Club,  London,  2.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Bruce 10    6 

2.  Tr.ompson    ...........  10    8 

3.  Blake 10  12 

4.  Playford n     4 

5.  Robinson 12    o 

6.  Wallace 12     8 

7.  Chapman      .         .  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .113' 

Walmsley  (stroke)          .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10     6 

Field  (cox.) 97 


1849 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Thursday,  March  29,  ^.^q p.m.     {First  Race.) 


Cambridge,  i. 


St.  lbs. 


1.  Proby,  H.,  Second  Trinity 9  13 

2.  Jones,  W.  J.  H.,  Second  Trinity 10  13 

3.  De  Rutzen,  A.,  Third  Trinity 11     8 

4.  Holden,  C.  J.,  Third  Trinity 11     8 

5.  Bagshawe,  W.  L.  G.,  Third  Trinity 11  10 

6.  Waddington,  W.  H.,  Second  Trinity  .         .         .         .         .         .  11  10 

7.  Hodgson,  W.  C. ,  First  Trinity     .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     2 

Wray,  J.  C. ,  Second  Trinity  (stroke)    .         .         .         .         .         .  10  12 

Booth,  G. ,  First  Trinity  (cox.)       .         .         .         .         .         ,         .  10    7 


Average 


2i 


Oxford,  2. 


1.  Wauchope,  D. ,  Wadham     . 

2.  Chitty,  J.  W. ,  Balliol   . 

3.  Tremayne,  H.  H.,  Christ  Church 

4.  Burton,  E.  C,  Christ  Church 

5.  Steward,  C.  H.,  Oriel  . 

6.  Mansfield,  A. ,  Christ  Church 

7.  Sykes,  E. ,  Worcester    . 

Rich,  W.  G.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 
Soanes,  C.  J.,  St.  John's  (cox.)     . 

Average 


St.  lbs. 

4 
2 

5 
o 
o 


II     o| 


266 


BOATING. 


1849 
Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  December  15,  2.44  p.m.     {Second  Race.) 

Oxford,  i.  st.  1 

Brasenose 
Braseno5e 
Wodehouse,  J.,  Exeter 

4.  Chitty,  J.  W.,  Balliol   . 

5.  Aitken,  J.,  Exeter 

6.  Steward,  C.  H.,  Oriel   . 

7.  Sykes,  E. ,  Worcester    . 
Rich,  W.  G. ,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 
Cotton,  R.  W.,  Christ  Church  (cox.) 


Hornby,  J.  J. ,  E 
Houghton,  W. , 


Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


Baldry,  A. ,  First  Trinity 
Pellew,  H.  E. ,  Third  Trinity 
De  Rutzen,  A.,  Third  Trinity 
Holden,  C.  J. ,  Third  Trinity 
Bagshawe,  W.  L.  G. ,  Third  Trinitv 
Miller,  H.  J. ,  Third  Trinity  . 
Hodgson,  W.  C. ,  First  Trinity 
Wray.  J.  C,  Clare  (stroke)  . 
Booth,  G. ,  First  Trinity  (cox. ) 

Average 


1850. 
Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley. 

O.U.B.C.     [Walked  over.) 

Cheales,  H.  J. ,  Exeter . 

Houghton,  W. ,  Brasenose 

Hornby,  J.  J.,  Brasenose 

Aitken,  J. ,  Exeter 

Steward,  C.  H.,  Oriel   . 

Chitty,  J.  W.,  Balliol    . 

Svkes,  E.,  Worcester    . 

R'ich,  W.  G.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 

Cotton,  R.  W.,  Christ  Church  (cox.) 


Average 


St.  lbs. 


10 

II 

II 

2 

II 

8 

12 

I 

12 

2 

II 

9 

10 

2 

II 

2 

9 

0 

4i 


1850. 
The  Stewards'  Cup ^ Henley. 
O.U.B.C.     {Walked  over.) 


1.  Hornby,  J.  J.,  Brasenose 

2.  Aitken,  J.,  Exeter 

3.  Steward,  C.  H.,  Oriel  . 
Chitty,  J.  W.,  Balliol  (stroke) 
Rich,  W.  G. ,  Christ  Church  (cox 

Average 


St.  lbs. 

11  8 

12  I 
12  2 
II  9 
II  2 

II  I2i 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN.  267 

1851. 

Grand  Challenge  Cvp,  Henley.     [Final  Heat.) 

Oxford,  1.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Rich,  W.  G.,  Christ  Church 10    o 

2.  Nixon,  W.,  Worcester "4 

3.  Hornby,  J.  J.,  Brasenose       . no 

4.  Houghton,  W. ,  Brasenose    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11  10 

5.  Aitken,  J.,  Exeter  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11  12 

6.  Greenall,  R. ,  Brasenose        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     2 

7.  Sykes,  E. ,  Worcester    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     4 

Chitty,  J.  W.,  Balliol  (stroke) n     3 

Burton,  E.  C,  Christ  Church  (cox.) no 

Average n     4I 

Cambridge,  2.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Page,  A.  S. ,  I^ady  Margaret 10     i 

2.  Longmore,  W.  S. ,  Sydney    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10    4 

3.  Formby,  R. ,  First  Trinity     .         .         .      ■    .         .         .         .         .  11  11 

4.  Cowie,  H. ,  First  Trinity        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11  12 

5.  Brandt,  H.,  First  Trinity n     5 

6.  Holden,  C.  J. ,  Third  Trinity 11  11 

7.  Tuckey,  H.  E. ,  Eady  Margaret 10  13 

Johnson,  F.  W.,  Third  Trinity  (stroke)     • 10  n 

Crosse,  C.  H.,  Caius  (cox.)  .         .         .         .         ,         .         .         .91 

Average n     li 


The  Stewards '  Cup,  Henley.     [Final  Heat. ) 

C.U.B.C,  I.  St.  lbs. 

1.  Page,  A.  S.,  Lady  Margaret 10    i 

2.  Longmore,  W.  S.,  Sidney     .         . 10    4 

3.  Tuckey,  H.  E.,  Lady  Margaret 10  13 

Johnson,  F.  W.,  Third  Trinity  (stroke)          .         .         ...  10  11 

Crosse,  C.  H.,  Caius  (cox.)  . 91 


Brasenose  CoLLtcE,  Oxon,  2. 

1.  Mescott 

2.  Errington 

3.  Hornby 
Greenall  (stroke) 
Balguy  (cox.) 


BOATING. 


1852. 


Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  April  ■^,  1.4   p.m. 


Oxford, 

1.  Prescot,  K.,  Brasenose 

2.  Greenall,  R. ,  Brasenose 

3.  Nind,  P.  H. ,  Christ  Church 

4.  Buller,  R.  J.,  Balliol     . 

5.  Denne,  H.,  University. 

6.  Houghton,  W. ,  Brasenose    . 

7.  Meade-King,  W.  O. ,  Pembroke 
Chitty,  J.  W. ,  Balliol  (stroke) 
Cotton,  R,  W. ,  Christ  Church  (cox. ) 

Average 


St.  lbs. 

10  o 

10  12 

11  2 

12  4 
12  8 
II  8 
II  II 
II  7 

9  2 

II  6h 


Cambridge,  2.  •  st.  lbs. 

1.  Macnaghten,  E. ,  First  Trinity      .         .         .         .         .         .         .     11     o 

2.  Brandt,  H.,  First  Trinity      .         .         .         .         .         ..         .115 

3.  Tuckey,  H.  E.,  Lady  Margaret    .         .         .         .         .         .         .     11     3 

4.  Foord,  H.  B. ,  First  Trinity  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         ,126 

5.  Hawiey,  E. ,  Sidney       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     12     4 

6.  Longmore,  W.  S. ,  Sidney     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     11     4 

7.  Norris,  W.  A. ,  Third  Trinity n     9 

Johnson,  F.  W.,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 11     8 

Crosse,  C.  H.,  Caius  (cox.) 97 

Average        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .     11     8J 


1852. 
The  Stewards'  Cup,  Henley.     [Final  Heat. ^ 

Oxford,  i. 

1.  Greenall,  R.,  Brasenose 

2.  Barker,  H.  R, ,  Christ  Church 

3.  Nind,  P.  H. ,  Christ  Church 
Meade-King,  W.  O. ,  Pembroke  (stroke) 
Balguy,  F.  St.  J.,  Brasenose  (cox.) 


Argonauts,  London,  2. 

1.  Pryor 

2.  Payne 

3.  L.  Payne 

H.  H.  Playford  (stroke) 
Burchett  (cox.) 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


269 


1853. 
Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley. 

Oxford,  i.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Short,  W.  F.,  New 10  8 

2.  Moore,  P.  H.,  Brasenose      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  9  12 

3.  King,  W. ,  Morton        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .iiii 

4.  Duller,  R.  J. ,  Balliol 12  o 

5.  Denne,  R.  H.,  Universi'y 12  10 

6.  Nind,  P.  H.,  Christ  Church 10  12 

7.  Prescot,  K.,  Merton     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10  3 

Meade-King,  W.  O.,  Pembroke  (stroke) n  7 

Marshall,!'.  H.,  Exeter  (cox.) 10  i 

Average        .         .         .         .         .         ...         .  11  4I 

Cambridge,  2.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Forster,  G.  B.,  Lady  Margaret 10  10 

2.  Stephenson,  S.  V.,  Caius      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10  8 

3.  Bramwell,  A.,  First  Trinity 10  12 

4.  Hawley,  E.,  Sidney 12  i 

5.  Courage,  E.,  First  Trinity     .         .         .      • 12  12 

6.  Tomkinson,  H.  R. ,  First  Trinity  .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10  9 

7.  Blake,  H.,  Corpus 10  11 

Macnaghten,  E.,  First  Trinity  (stroke) 10  6 

Freshfield,  E. ,  First  Trinity  (cox. ) 8  6 

Average 11  i| 


1854. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  April  8,  10.40  a.m. 


Oxford,  i. 

1.  Short,  W.  F.,  New       .... 

2.  Hooke,  A. ,  Worcester  .... 

3.  Pinckney,  W. ,  Exeter  .... 

4.  Blundell,  T.,  Christ  Church 

5.  Hooper,  T.  A.,  Pembroke    . 

6.  Nind,  P.  H.,  Christ  Church 

7.  Mellish,  G.  L.,  Pembroke    . 
Meade-King,  W.  O. ,  Pembroke  (stroke) 
Marshall,  T.  H.,  Exeter  (cox.)      . 


Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


Galton,  R.  C,  First  Trinity 
Nairne,  S.,  Emmanuel 
Davis,  J.  C,  Third  Trinity  . 
Agnew,  S. ,  First  Trinity 
Courage,  E.,  First  Trinity    . 
Johnson,  H    F. ,  Third  Trinity 
Blake,  H.,  Corpus 
Wright,  J.,  Lady  Margaret  (stroke) 
Smith,  C.  T.,  Caius  (cox.)    . 

Average 


St.  lbs. 


10 

3 

II 

0 

II 

2 

II. 

8 

II 

5 

10 

13 

II 

2 

II 

8 

10 

3 

II 

i| 

St. 

lbs. 

9 

II 

10 

2 

II 

I 

10 

12 

12 

0 

10 

13 

II 

I 

10 

2 

9 

12 

10  xo\ 


270 


BOATING, 


1855. 
Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley.     {Final  Heat.) 

Cambridge,  i.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Pearson,  P.  P.,  Lady  Margaret    .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     o 

2.  Graham,  E.  C,  First  Trinity        .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     3 

3.  Schreiber,  H.  W. ,  Trinity  Hall    .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     3 

4.  Fairrie,  E.  H.,  Trinity  Hall           .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11  12 

5.  Williams,  H.,  Lady  Margaret 11     8 

6.  Johnson,  H.  F.,  Third  Trinity     .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     6 

7.  Blake,  H.,  Corpus        .         .         . 11  li 

Jones,  H.  R.  M.,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 10     2 

Wingfield,  W.,  First  Trinity  (cox.) 8     6 

Average 

Oxford,  2. 

1.  Short,  W.  F.,  New       . 

2.  Codrington,  J.  E.,  Brasenose 

3.  Everett,  C.  H.,  BallioL.       . 

4.  Denne,  R,  H.,  University     . 

5.  Craster,  T.  H.  University     . 

6.  Nind,  P.  H.,  Christ  Church 

7.  Pinckney,  W.,  Exeter  . 
Hooke,  A. ,  Worcester  (stroke) 
Marshall,  T.  H.,  Exeter  (cox.) 


Average 


II 

5 

St. 

lbs 

10 

9 

10 

9 

II 

2 

12 

6 

12 

7 

II 

8 

II 

2 

10 

6 

ID 

8 

4t 


1856. 

Mortlake  to  Putney,  Saturday,  March  15,  10.45  ^• 

Cambridge,  i. 

King-Salter,  J.  P. ,  Trinitv  Hall  . 
Alderson,  F.  C,  Third  Trinity     . 
Lewis-Lloyd.  R. ,  Third  Trinity   . 
Fairrie,  E.  H.,  Trinity  Hall 
Williams,  H.,  Lady  Margaret 
M'Cormick,  J.,  Lady  Margaret    . 
Snow,  H. ,  Lady  Margaret    . 
Jones,  H.  R.  M.,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 
Wingfield,  W. ,  First  Trinity  (cox. ) 

Average 

Oxford,  2. 
Gurdon,  P.,  University 
Stocken,  W.  F.,  Exeter 
Salmon,  R.  T.,  Exeter 
Rocke,  A.  B. ,  Christ  Church 
Townsend,  R.  N.,  Pembroke 
Lonsdale,  A.  P. ,  Balliol 
Bennett,  G.,  New         .... 
Thorley.  J.  T. ,  Wadham  (stroke) 
Elers,  F.  W.,  Trinity  (cox.) 


St.  lbs. 


9  13 

II 

3 

II 

12 

12 

10 

12 

8 

1.3 

0 

II 

8 

10 

7 

9 

0 

II 

9l 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

8 

10 

I 

10 

10 

12 

8 

12 

8 

II 

4 

10 

10 

9 

12 

9 

2 

Average        .         .         .     • "  o}! 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


271 


1857. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  Aprils,,  ii.io  a.m. 


Oxford,  i. 


1.  Risley,  R.  W.,  Exeter  . 

2.  Gurdon,  P.,  University 

3.  Arkell,  J. ,  Pembroke    . 

4.  Martin,  R.,  Corpus 

^.  Wood,  W.  H.,  University    . 

6.  Warre,  E.,  Balliol 

7.  Lonsdale,  A.  P. ,  Balliol 
Thorlev,  J.  T.  Wadham  (stroke) 
Elers.  F.  W.,  Trinity  (cox.). 


Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


Holme,  A.  P. ,  Second  Trinity 
Benn,  A.,  Emmanuel   . 
Holley,  W.  H.,  Trinity  Hall 
Smith,  A.  L.,  First  Trinity  . 
Serjeantson,  J.  J.,  First  Trinity    . 
Lewis-Lloyd,  R. ,  Magdalene 
Pearson,  P.  P.,  Lady  Margaret    . 
Snow,  H.,  Lady  Margaret  (stroke) 
Wharton,  R.,  Magdalene  (cox.)   . 


St.  lbs. 

"    3 
10    o 

10  10 

12  I 

11  13 

13  3 

12  o 
10    I 

9    2 

"     9h 

St.  lbs. 


Averagfe 


II 

8 

II 

5 

II 

8 

II 

3 

12 

4 

II 

ri 

II 

2 

II 

8 

9 

2 

II     8 


1858. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  March  27,  i  /. 
Cambridge,  i. 
Lubbock,  H.  H.,  Caius 
Smith,  A.  L.,  First  Trinity  . 
Havart,  W.  J.,  Lady  Margaret     . 
Darroch,  D.,  First  Trinity    . 
Williams,  H.,  Lady  Margaret 
Lewis-Lloyd,  R. ,  Magdalene 
Fairbairn,  A.  H.,  Second  Trinity 
Hall,  J.,  Magdalene  (stroke) 
Wharton,  R.,  Magdalene  (cox.)    . 


Average 


Oxford,  2. 


Risley,  R.  W.,  Exeter  . 
Arkell,  J.,  Pembroke     . 
Lane,  C.  G.,  Christ  Church 
Austin,  W.  G.  G.,  Magdalen 
Lane,  E. ,  Balliol  .         .         .         . 
Wood,  W.  H.,  University     . 
Warre,  E.,  Balliol 
Thorlev,  J.  T.,  Wadham  (stroke) 
Walpole,  H.  S.,  Balliol  (cox.,      . 

Average 


St.  lbs. 


II 

4 

II 

4 

II 

4 

12 

I 

12 

4 

II 

13 

II 

12 

10 

7 

9 

2 

II 

7S 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

8 

II 

3 

II 

10 

12 

7 

TI 

ip 

12 

0 

13 

.2 

10 

3 

9 

5 

II  io| 


272 


BOATING. 


1858. 
Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley,     {Final Heat.) 


Cambridg 

1.  Paley,  G.  A. ,  Lady  Margaret 

2.  Smith,  A.  L, ,  First  Trinity   . 

3.  Havart,  W.  J. ,  Lady  Margaret     . 

4.  Darrock,  D. ,  First  Trinity    . 

5.  Fairbairn,  A.  H.,  Second  Trinity 

6.  Lewis-Lloyd,  R. ,  Magdalene 

7.  Royds,  N. ,  First  Trinity 
Hall,  J. ,  Magdalene  (stroke) 
Morland,  F.  T.,  First  Trinity  (cox.) 


St.  lbs, 
II  2 
II     4 

11  6 

12  2 
II  13 
II  13 
10     4 

10     5 
8  12 


L.R.C.,2.  ■  St.  lbs. 

1.  Leeds-Paine,  F.     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10     3 

2.  Walter,  F 10     o 

3.  Schlotel,  C.  .         .         .         .         .         ,         .         .         .         .  10  II 


Ditton,  E.  G. 


5.  Farrar,  W 12 

6.  Paine,  J .         .         .12 

7.  Casamajor,  A .         .  n 

Playford,  H.  H.  (stroke) 10 

Weston,  H.  (cox.) 6 

Average        .         ... 


10  13A 


1859. 
Putney  to  Mart  lake,  Friday,  April  15,  ii  a.m. 

Oxford,  i.  st.  lbs. 

Baxter,  H.  F.,  Brasenose 10  12 

Clarke,  R.  F.,  St.  John's 11  13 

9 
3 


Lane,  C.  G. ,  Christ  Church  .         .         .         .         .         .         .  ri 

Lawless,  Hon.  V.,  Balliol     ........  12 

Morrison,  G.,  Balliol    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         ...  13 

Risley,  R.  W. ,  Exeter 11 

Thomas,  G.  G.  T.,  Balliol 12 

Arkell,  J.,  Pembroke  (stroke) 
Robarts,  A.  J.,  Christ  Church  (cox.) 


2 
o 

10    12 

9     I 


Average        .         .         . 11     8f 


Cambridge,  2. 


Royds,  N. ,  First  Trinity 
Chaytor,  A.  J. ,  Jesus    . 
Smith,  A.  L.,  First  Trinity  . 
Darroch,  D. ,  First  Trinity    . 
Williams,  H. ,  Lady  Margaret 
Lewis- Lloyd,  R.,  Magdalene 
Paley,  G.  A.,  Lady  Margaret 
Hall,  J.,  Magdalene  (stroke) 
Morland,  J.  T.,  First  Trinity  (cox.) 

Average 


St.  lbs. 

10    6 

10  13 

11  II 

12  4 
12 
II 
II 
10 

9 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


273 


1859. 
Grand  Challenge  Cup,  Henley.     {First  HeaL) 


London,  i.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Dunnage,  G 95 

2.  B'oster   C .         .         .         .  10     o 

3.  Potter,  F .         .         .         .         .         .  10    4 

4.  Dunnage,  W.        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .117 

5.  Farrar,  W 12    4 

6.  Paine,  T.       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  12  10 

7.  Casamajor,  A.  A.          .         .         .         ,         .         .         .         .         .  10    9 

Playford,  H.  H.  (stroke) 10     3 

Weston,  H.    cox.)         .         .         .     ' 64 

Average        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10  12 


Oxford,  2. 

1.  Strong,  C.  T.,  University 

2.  Baxter,  H.  F. ,  Brasenose 

3.  Lane,  E.,  Balliol  . 

4.  Warre,  E.,  Balliol 

5.  Morrison,  G. ,  Balliol    . 

6.  Arkell,  J.,  Pembroke     . 

7.  Lane,  C.  G.,  Christ  Church 
Risley,  R.  W. ,  Exeter  (stroke) 
Robarts,  A.  J.,  Christ  Church  (cox. 

Average 


St.  lbs. 

10  n 

11  3 

12  I 

12  10 

13  S 
II  2 
II  12 
II     I 

9     I 
II  10^ 


Final  Heat. 
London,  i.     (as  before. ) 


Cambridge,  2. 


St.  lbs. 


1.  Heathcote,  S. ,  First  Trinity  . 

2.  Chaytor,  H.  J.,  Jesus  . 

3.  Ingham,  J.  P.,  Third  Trinity 

4.  Lewis-Lloyd,  R. ,  Magdalene 

5.  Holley,  W.  H. ,  Trinity  Hall 

6.  Collings,  H.  H.,  Third  Trinity 

7.  Royds,  N.,  First  Trinity 
Hall,  J.,  Magdalene  (stroke) 
Morland,  J.  T.,  First  Trinity  (cox 

Average 


9 

7 

II 

2 

10 

12 

II 

lO 

12 

0 

10 

12 

ID 

4 

10 

■S 

8 

13 

10  III 


274 


BOATING. 


i860. 
Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  March  31,  8.15  a.m. 


Cambridge,  i. 


Heathcote,  S. ,  First  Trinity 
Chaytor,  H.  J.,  Jesus  . 
Ingles,  D. ,  First  Trinity 
Blake,  J.  S. ,  Corpus     . 
Coventry,  M. ,  Trinity  Hall 
Cherry,  B.  N. ,  Clare    . 
Fairbairn,  A.  H. ,  Second  Trinity 
Hall,  J.,  Magdalene  (stroke) 
Morland,  J.  T..  First  Trinity  (cox.) 


Average 


Oxford,  2. 


1.  Macqueen,  J.  N.,  University 

2.  Norsworthy,  G. ,  Magdalen   . 

3.  Halsey,  T.  F. ,  Christ  Church 

4.  Young,  J.,  Corpus 

5.  Morrison,  G. ,  Balliol    . 

6.  Baxter,  H.  F.,  Brasenose      , 

7.  Strong,  C.  T.,  University      . 
Risley,  R.  W. ,  Exeter  (stroke) 
Robarts,  A.  J.,  Christ  Church  (cox.) 


Average 


1861. 


Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  March  23,  11  a.m. 
Oxford,  i. 


1.  Champneys,  W.,  Brasenose 

2.  Merriman,  E.  B. ,  Exeter 

3.  Medlicott,  H.  E.,  Wadham 

4.  Robertson,  W.,  Wadham 

5.  Morrison,  G.,  Balliol    . 

6.  Poole,  A.  R.,  Trinity    . 

7.  Hopkins,  H.  G. ,  Corpus 
Hoare,  W.  M.,  Exeter  (stroke) 
Ridsdale,  S.  O.  B.,  Wadham   cox, 


Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


Richards,  G.  H. ,  First  Trinity 
Chaytor,  H.  J. ,  Jesus  . 
Tarleton,  W.  H.,  St.  John's 
Blake,  J.  S. ,  Corpus     . 
Coventry,  M. ,  Trinity  Hall  . 
Collings,  H.  H. ,  Third  Trinity 
Fitzgerald,  R.  U.  P.,  Trinity  Hall 
Hall,  J. ,  Magdalene  (stroke) 
Gaskell,  T.  K.,  Third  Trinity  (cox.) 

Average 


St.  lbs. 


10 

3 

II 

4 

10 

13 

12 

9 

12 

8 

12 

I 

II 

10 

10 

4 

9 

0 

II 

"6^ 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

7 

II 

0 

II 

II 

12 

8 

12 

13 

II 

7 

II 

2 

II 

8 

9 

9 

I  loj 


St.  lbs. 


10 

II 

10 

I 

12 

4 

II 

3 

12 

8 

12 

3 

10 

8 

10 

10 

_9_ 

0 

II 

li 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

4 

II 

3 

II 

0 

12 

10 

13 

3 

10 

II 

II 

2 

10 

6 

8 

3 

"   aI 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


275 


1862. 
Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  April  12,  ^  p.m. 


Oxford,  r. 


I.  Woodgate,  W.  B. ,  Brasenose       .         .         .         .         .         .         .11 

Wynne,  O.  S.,  Christ  Church 11 


3-  Jacobson,  W.  B.  R.,  Christ  Church 

4-  Burton,  R.  E.  L.,  Christ  Church 12 

5-  Morrison,  A.,  Balliol    .         .         .         .       '  .         .         .         .         .12 

6.  Poole,  A.  R.,  Trinity "12 

7.  Carr,  C.  R. ,  Wadham 11 

Hoare,  W.  M.,  Exeter  (stroke) 11 

Hopwood,  F.  E.,  Christ  Church  (cox.) 7 


St.  lbs. 

II  6 
3 
4 
5 

8i 
5 

I 

3 


Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


1.  Gorst,  P.  F. ,  Ladv  Margaret        .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10    4 

2.  Chambers,  J.  G. ,  Third  Trinity 11     8 

3.  Sanderson,  E. ,  Corpus          .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10  10 

4.  Smyly,  W.  C,  First  Trinity n     5 

5.  Fitzgerald.  R.  U.  P. .  Trinity  Hall 11     3 

6.  CoUings,  H.  H. ,  Third  Trinity     .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     2 

7.  Buchanan,  J.  G. ,  First  Trinity      .         .         .         .         .         .         .  10  12 

Richards,  G.  H.,  First  Trinity  (stroke) 10     5 

Archer,  F.  H.,  Corpus  (cox.) 52 

Average .         ,10  13^^ 

1863. 

Mortlake  to  Putney,  Saturday,  March  28,  10.25  a.m. 

Oxford,  i.  st.  lbs. 

T.  Shepherd,  R.,  Brasenose 11     oV 

2.  Kellv,  F.  H. ,  University       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     5^ 

3.  Jacobson,  W.  B.  R. ,  Christ  Church     .         .         .         .         .         .  12    4 

4.  Woodgate,  W.  B. .  Brasenose       .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11  11 

5.  Morrison,  A.,  Balliol    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  12    4 

6.  Awdry,  W. ,  Balliol       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .114 

7.  Carr,  C.  R. ,  Wadham 

Hoare,  W.  M. ,  Eveter  (stroke) 11 

Hopwood,  F.  E. ,  Christ  Church  (cox. )         .         .         .         . 

Average        ....... 


Cambridge,  2. 


1.  Hawkshaw,  J.  C,  Third  Trinity  . 

2.  Smyly,  W.  C. ,  First  Trinity 

3.  Morgan,  R.  H.,  Emmanuel. 

4.  Wilson,  J.  B. ,  Pembroke 

t;.  La  Mothe,  C.  H. ,  St.  John's 

6.  Kinglake,  R.  A. ,  Third  Trinity    . 

7.  Chambers,  J.  G. ,  Third  Trinity  . 
Stanning,  J. ,  First  Trinity  (stroke) 
Archer,  F.  H.,  Corpus  (cox.) 

Average        .    .     . 


II 

3* 

II 

7* 

8 

4i 

II 

8.i 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

0 

II 

4 

II 

3 

II 

10 

12 

3 

12 

0 

II 

6 

10 

6 

5 

9i 

II 

5l 

T  2 

276 


BOATING. 


1864. 
Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  March  19,  11.30  a. 
Oxford,  i. 


St.  lbs. 


1.  Roberts,  C.  P.,  Trinity 

2.  Awdry,  W.,  Balliol        .... 

3.  Kelly,  F.  H.,  University 

4.  Parson,  J.  C,  Trinity  .... 

5.  Jacobson,  W.  B.  R.,  Christ  Church     . 

6.  Seymour,  A.  E.,  University. 

7.  Brown,  M.  M.,  Trinity 
Pocklington,  D.,  Brasenose  (stroke) 
Tottenham,  C.  R.  W.,  Christ  Church  (cox. 

Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


1.  Hawkshaw,  J.  C. ,  Third  Trinity  . 

2.  Pigott,  E.  v..  Corpus  . 

3.  Watson,  H.  S. ,  Pembroke   . 

4.  Hawkins,  W.  W. ,  Lady  Margaret 

5.  Kinglake,  R.  A. ,  Third  Trinity    . 

6.  Borthwick,  G. ,  First  Trinity 

7.  Steavenson,  D.  F. ,  Trinity  Hall    . 
Selwyn,  J.  R.,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 
Archer,  F,  H.,  Corpus  (cox.) 


Average 


1865. 


Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  Aprils,  i.^p-m. 


Oxford,  i 

1.  Raikes,  R.  T.,  Merton 

2.  Senhouse,  H.  P.,  Christ  Church 

3.  Henley,  E.  F.,  Oriel     . 

4.  Coventry,  G.  G. ,  Pembroke 

5.  Morrison,  A.,  Balliol    . 

6.  Wood,  T.,  Pembroke  . 

7.  Schneider,  H.,  Trinity 
Brown,  M.  M.,  Trinity  (stroke) 
Tottenham,  C.  R.  W.,  Christ  Church  (cox.) 


Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


Watney,  H. ,  Lady  Margaret 
Beebee,  M.  H.  L. ,  Lady  Margaret 
Pigott,  E.  v.,  Corpus  . 
Kinglake,  R.  A. ,  Third  Trinity   . 
Steavenson,  D.  F.,  Trinity  Hall   . 
Borthwick,  G.,  First  Trinity 
Griffiths,  W.  R. ,  Third  Trinity     . 
Lawes,  C.  B. ,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 
Archer,  F.  H.,  Corpus  (cox.) 

Average       .        . 


10 

9 

II 

4i 

11 

9 

12 

9 

12 

3\ 

II 

I 

II 

0 

II 

4 

7 

3 

II 

7h 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

3 

II 

9 

12 

4 

12 

0 

12 

4 

12 

I 

12 

I 

II 

0 

6     6 
II  11^ 


St.  lbs. 


II 

0 

II 

I 

12 
II 
12 

13 

12 

6 

12 

2 

II 

10 

II 

7 

4 
13 

II 

Hi 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

I 

10 

12 

11 
12 

12 
8 

12 
II 
II 

4 

II 

7 

7     3 
II     9 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


277 


.1866. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  March  24,  7.48  a.m. 


Oxford, 

I. 

I. 

Raikes,  R.  T.,  Merton          .         .         .         . 

2. 

Crowder,  F. ,  Brasenose 

3- 

Freeman,  W.  L.,  Merton     . 

4- 

Willan,  F.,  Exeter 

5- 

Henley,  E.  F.,  Oriel     . 

6. 

Wood,  W.  W.,  University  . 

7- 

Senhouse,  H.  P. ,  Christ  Church 
Brown,  M.  M.,  Trinity  (stroke) 

Tottenham,  C.  R.  W.,  Christ  Church 

(cox.) 

Average 

Cambridge,  2. 

1.  Still,  J.,  Caius 

2.  Selwyn,  J.  R. ,  Third  Trinity 

3.  Bourke,  J.  U.,  First  Trinity 

4.  Fortescue,  H.  J.,  Magdalene 

5.  Steavenson,  D.  F. ,  Trinity  Hall 

6.  K  inglake,  R.  A. ,  Third  Trinity 

7.  Watney,  H.,  Lady  Margaret 
Griffiths,  W.  R. ,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 
Forbes,  A, ,  Lady  Margaret  (cox. ) 

Average 


St.  lbs. 


II 

0 

II 

II 

12 

7 

12 

2 

13 

0 

12 

4 

II 

3 

II 

5 

7 

13 

II 

I2| 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

6 

II 

6 

12 

3, 

12 

2.i 

12 

5 

12 

9 

10 

12 

II 

9 

8 

0 

1867. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  April  13,  8.50  a.tn. 

Oxford,  i. 

1.  Bowman,  W.  P.,  University 

2.  Fish,  J.  H.,  Worcester 

3.  Carter,  E.  S. ,  Worcester 

4.  Wood,  W.  W. ,  University   . 

5.  Tinnd,  J.  C. ,  University 

6.  Crowder,  F. ,  Brasenose 

7.  Willan,  F.,  Exeter 
Marsden,  R.  G. ,  Merton  (stroke) 
Tottenham,  C.  R.  W.,  Christ  Church  (cox.) 

Average        ... 

Cambridge,  2. 


St.  lbs. 


1.  Anderson,  W.  H. ,  First  Trinity    . 

2.  Collard,  J.  M. ,  Lady  Margaret     . 

3.  Bourke,  J.  U.,  First  Trinity 

4.  Gordon,  Hon.  J.  H. ,  First  Trinity 

5.  Cunningham,  F.  E.,  King's 

6.  Still,  J.,  Caius 

7.  Watney,  H. ,  Lady  Margaret 
Griffiths,  W.  R.,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 
Forbes,  A. ,  Lady  Margaret  (cox. ) 

Average 


10 

II 

12 

I 

II 

12 

12 

6 

13 

4 

II 

II 

12 

3 

II 

II 

8 

8 

• 

— 

12 

oh 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

0 

II 

4 

12 

9 

12 

3 

12 

12 

II 

12 

II 

0 

12 

0 

8 

2 

278 


BOATING. 


1868. 
Putney  to  Morilake,  Saturday,  April  4,  12  noon. 

Oxford,  i.  st.  lbs. 

Benson,  W.  D.,  Balliol 10  13 

Yarborough,  A.  C,  Lincoln 11     8 

Ross  of  Bladensburgh,  R.,  Exeter         ...         .         .         .         .  11     8 

Marsden,  R.  G.,  Merton 11  13 

Tinn^,  J.  C. ,  University ^3     7 

Willan,  F. ,  Exeter 12     5 

Carter,  E.  S.,  Worcester 11     8 

Darbishire,  S.  D. ,  Balliol  (stroke) 11     3 

Tottenham,  C.  R.  W.,  Christ  Church  (cox.)         .         .         .         .87 


Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


Anderson,  W.  H. ,  First  Trinity 
Nichols,  J.  P.,  Third  Trinity 
Wood,  J.  G. ,  Emmanuel 
Lowe,  W.  H.,  Christ's 
Nadin,  H.  T.,  Pembroke      . 
MacMichael,  W.  F.,  Downing 
Still,  J.,  Caius 
Pinckney,  W.  J. ,  First  Trinity  (stroke) 
Warner,  T.  D.,  Trinity  Hall^cox.)       . 


Average 


II 

12 

St. 

lbs 

II 

2 

II 

3 

12 

6 

12 

4 

12 

II 

12 

2 

12 

I 

10 

10 

8 

4 

1869. 


Putney  to  Mortlake,   Wedtiesday,  March  17,  3. 58  /.  in. 
Oxford,  i. 


St.  lbs. 

1.  Woodhouse,  S.  H.,  University 10  13 

2.  Tahourdin,  R. ,  St.  John's     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .iiii 


Baker,  T.  S. ,  Queen's  .........     12 


4.  Willan,  F.,  Exeter         .         , 12     2^ 

5.  Tinn6,  J.  C.,  University 

6.  Yarborough,  A.  C. ,  Lincoln 

7.  Benson,  W.  D.,  Balliol 
Darbishire,  S.  D. ,  Balliol  (stroke) 
Neilson,  D,  A.,  St.  John's  (cox.) 7  10 


13 

10 

II 

n 

II 

7 

II 

9 

Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


12    o\ 

St.  lbs. 


Rushton,  J.  A.,  Emmanuel  . 

Ridley,  J.  H.,  Jesus      . 

Dale,  J.  W. ,  Lady  Margaret 

Young,  F.  J.,  Christ's  . 

MacMichael,  W.  F.,  Downing 

Anderson,  W.  H.,  First  Trinity 

Still,  J.,  Caius 

Goldie,  J.  H.  D,,  Lady  Margaret  (stroke) 

Gordon,  H.  E,,  First  Trinity  (cox.) 

Average       .        .        .    . 


II 

5 

II 

10 

II 

12 

12 

4 

12 

4 

II 

4 

12 

I 

12 

I 

7 

8 

:i  12^ 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


279 


1869. 
Putney  to  Mortlake,  August  27. 


Oxford, 


St.  lbs. 


1.  Willan,  F.,  Exeter 

2.  Yarborough,-A.  C,  Lincoln 

3.  Tinn^,  J.  C,  University 
Darbishire,  S.  D. ,  Balliol  (stroke) 
Hall,  J.  H.,  Corpus  (cox.)    . 


Harvard 

I. 

Fay,  J.  S.,  Boston 

2. 

Lyman,  F.  O.,  Hawaiian  Islands. 

S. 

Simmonds,  W.  H.,  Concord 

Loring,  A.  P.,  Boston  (stroke) 

Burnham,  A.,  Chicago  (cox.) 

II 

10 

12 

2 

13 

8 

11 

6 

7 

2 

St. 

lbs 

II 

I 

II 

I 

12 

2 

II 

0 

7 

10 

1870. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,   Wednesday,  April  6,  5. 14  p. 


Cambridge,  i.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Randolph,  E.  S.  L.,  Third  Trinity 10  ii^ 

2.  Ridley,  J.  H.,  Jesus n     9i 

3.  Dale,  J.  W. ,  Lady  Margaret 12    2^ 

4.  Spencer,  E.  A.  A. ,  Second  Trinity 12    4^ 

5.  Lowe,  W.  H. ,  Christ's 12    7^ 

6.  Phelps,  E.  S.,  Sidney 12     i^ 

7.  Strachan,  J.  F. ,  Trinity  Hall 11  13 

Goldie,  J.  H.  D.,  Lady  Margaret  (stroke) 12    o 

Gordon,  H.  E.,  First  Trinity  (cox.) 7  12 

Average n  13 

Oxford,  2.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Mirehouse,  R.  W.  B.,  University no 

2.  Lewis,  A.  G.  P.,  University 11     2J 

3.  Baker,  T.  S. ,  Queen's  .         .         .         .    ■     .         .         .         .         .  12     9 

4.  Edwardes  Moss,  J.  E. ,  Balliol      . 13    o 

5.  Payne,  F.  E.  H.,  St.  John's 12  10 

6.  Woodhouse,  S.  H. ,  University      .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     4 

7.  Benson,  W.  D. ,  Balliol n  13 

Darbishire,  S.  D. ,  Balliol  (stroke) 11  11 

Hall,  F.  H.,  Corpus  (cox.) t    y 

Average        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11  13 


28o 


BOATING. 


1871. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  April  i,  10.8  a.m. 

Cambridge,  i.  st.  lbs. 

Follett,  J.  S. ,  Third  Trinity 11  6| 

Close,  John  B. ,  First  Trinity 11  8 

Lomax,  H.,  First  Trinity      . 12  2 

Spencer,  E.  A.  A.,  Second  Trinity 12  9 

Lowe,  W.  H.,  Christ's           . 12  10 

Phelps,  E.  L. ,  Sidney 12  i 

Randolph,  E.  S.  L. ,  Third  Trinity        .         ,         .         ,         ,         .  11  10 

Goldie,  J.  H.  D. ,  Lady  Margaret  (stroke) 12  6^ 

Gordon,  H.  E.,  First  Trinity  (cox.)       .         .         .         .         .         .  7  13 


Average 


Oxford,  2. 


St.  lbs. 


II 

6* 

II 

13^ 

13 

3i 

13 

I 

12 

8. 

12 

9'r 

II 

8 

II 

loi 

7 

loi 

12     4 


Woodhouse,  S.  H.,  University 
Giles,  E.,  Christ  Church 
Baker,  T.  S.,  Queen's  . 
Malan,  E.  C. ,  Worcester 
Edwardes-Moss,  J.  E. ,  Balliol 
Payne,  F.  E.  H. ,  St.  John's 
Bunbury,  J.  M'C. ,  Brasenose 
Lesley,  R. ,  Pembroke  (stroke) 
Hall,  F.  H.,  Corpus  (cox.)   . 

Average 

1872. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  March  22,,  1.35 /.^«. 

Cambridge,  i.  st.  lbs. 

Close,  James  B. ,  First  Trinity 113 

Benson,  C.  W. ,  Third  Trinity ii     4 

Robinson,  G.  M. ,  Christ's     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11  12 

Spencer,  E.  A.  A. ,  Second  Trinity         .         .         .         .         .         .  12     8^ 

Read,  C.  S. ,  First  Trinity 12    8 

Close,  John  B.,  First  Trinity 11  10 

Randolph,  E.  S.  L.,  First  Trinity 11  11 

Goldie,  J.  H.  D. ,  Lady  Margaret  (stroke) 125 

Roberts,  C.  H.,  Jesus  (cox.) 6 6^ 

Average 11  12 

Oxford,  2.  st.  lbs. 

Ornsby,  J.  A.,  Lincoln 11     o,^ 

Knollys,  C.  C,  Magdalen 10  12 

Payne,  F.  E.  H. ,  St.  John's 12  11 

Nicholson,  A.  W. ,  Magdalen        .         .         .         .         .         .         .  12    2^ 

Malan,  E.  C,  Worcester 13    3 

Mitchison,  R.  S.,  Pembroke 12    4J 

Lesley,  R. ,  Pembroke  .         .         . 11  13 

Houblon,  J.  H.  A.,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 10    5 

Hall,  F.  H.,  Corpus  (cox.) 8    o 

Average 11  11^ 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


281 


1873. 

Put?iey  to  Morilake,  Saturday  March  29,  2. 32/.  7/7. 


Cambridge,  i, 

1.  Close,  James  B. ,  First  Trinity 

2.  Hoskyns,  E.,  Jesus 

3.  Peabody,  J.  E. ,  First  Trinity 

4.  Lecky-Brown,  W.  C. ,  Jesus 

5.  Turnbull,  T.  S. ,  Trinity  Hall 

6.  Read,  C.  S. ,  First  Trinity     . 

7.  Benson,  C.  W. ,  Third  Trinity 
Rhodes,  H.  E.,  Jesus  (stroke) 
Candy,  C.  H.,  Caius  (cox.)  . 

Average 

Oxford,  2. 

1.  KnoUys,  C.  C,  Magdalen    . 

2.  Little,  J.  B, ,  Christ  Church  . 

3.  Farrer,  M.  G. ,  Brasenose 

4.  Nicholson,  A.  W. ,  Magdalen 

5.  Michison,  R.  S. ,  Pembroke 

6.  Sherwood,  W.  E. ,  Christ  Church 

7.  Ornsby,  J.  A. ,  Lincoln 
Dowding,  F.  T. ,  St.  John's  (stroke) 
Frewer,  G.  E.,  St.  John's  (cox.)    . 

Average 

1874. 
Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  Marc 

Cambridge,  i. 

1.  Hibbert,  J.  P.,  Lady  Margaret 

2.  Armytage,  G.  F. ,  Jesus 

3.  Close,  James  B. ,  First  Trinity 

4.  Escourt,  A.  S. ,  Trinity  Hall 

5.  Lecky-Brown,  W.  C. ,  Jesus 

6.  Aylmer,  J.  A. ,  First  Trinity  . 

7.  Read,  C.  S. ,  First  Trinity  . 
Rhodes,  H.  E. ,  Jesus  (stroke) 
Candy,  C.  H.,  Caius  (cox.)  . 

Average 

Oxford,  2. 

1.  Benson,  H.  W. ,  Brasenose   . 

2.  Sinclair,  J.  S. ,  Oriel       .... 

3.  Sherwood,  W.  E. ,  Christ  Church 

4.  Harding,  A.  R.,  Merton 

5.  Williams,  J.,  Lincoln    .... 

6.  Nicholson,  A.  W.,  Magdalen 

7.  Stayner,  H.  J.,  St.  John's     . 
Way,  J.  P. ,  Brasenose  (stroke)     . 
Lambert,  W.  F.  A.,  Wadham  (cox.)    . 


28,  II.  14  a. 


St.  lbs. 


II 

3 

II 

2 

II 

7 

12 

A 

12 

12 

12 

IS 

II 

5^ 

II 

i^ 

7 

5 

II 

ID 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

n 

10 

II 

II 

i3i 

12 

5 

12 

2 

II 

I 

II 

3 

II 

0 

7 

10 

St.  lbs. 


II 

I* 

II 

8 

II 

Og 

II 

IO2 

12 

5 

12 

II 

12 

II* 

II 

7 

7 

5 

II 

lof 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

0 

II 

5^ 

II 

8 

II 

14 

13 

oi 

12 

10 

II 

rok 

10 

9 

7 

2 

Average 


9h 


282 


BOATING. 


1875. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  March  20,  1. 13 

Oxford,  i. 

Courtney,  H.  M'D.,  Pembroke,    . 
Marriott,  H.  P.,  Brasenose   .     .    . 
Banks,  J.  E. ,  University 
Mitchison,  A.  M.,  Pembroke 
Stayner,  H.  J.,  St.  John's     . 
Boustead,  J.  M.,  University 
7.   Edwardes  Moss,  F.  C. ,  Brasenose 
Way,  J.  P. ,  Brasenose  (stroke) 
Hopwood,  E.  O. ,  Christ  Church  (cox. ) 


Average 


Cambridge,  2 


Hibbert,  J.  P. ,  Lady  Margaret 
Close,  W.  B. ,  First  Trinity  . 
Dicker,  G.  C. ,  First  Trinity  . 
Michell,  W.  G.,  First  Trinity 
Phillips,  C.  A.,  Jesus    . 
Aylmer,  J.  A. ,  First  Trinity  . 
Benson,  C.  W.,  Third  Trinity 
Rhodes,  H.  E. ,  Jesus  (stroke) 
Davis,  G.  L.,  Clare  (cox.)     . 

Average 


1876. 
Ptitney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  April  8,  2.2/. 


Cambridge,  i. 


1.  Brancker,  P.  W.,  Jesus 

2.  Lewis,  T.  W.,  Caius     . 

3.  Close,  W.  B.,  First  Trinity  . 

4.  Gurdon,  C,  Jesus 

5.  Pike,  G.  L.,  Caius 

6.  Hockin,  T.  K,  Jesus   . 

7.  Rhodes,  H.  E.,  Jesus  . 
Shafto,  C.  D. ,  Jesus  (stroke) 
Davis,  G.  L.,  Clare  (cox.)    . 

Average 


Oxford,  2. 

Courtney,  H.  M'D.,  Pembroke 

Mercer,  F.  R.,  Corpus 

Hobart,  W.  H.,  Exeter 

Mitchison,  A.  M.,  Pembroke 

Boustead,  J.  M. ,  University 

Stayner,  H.  J.,  St.  John's     . 

Marriott,  H.  P.,  Brasenose  , 

Edwardes- Moss,  T.  C,  Brasenose  (stroke) 

Craven,  W.  D. ,  Worcester  (cox. ) 

Average 


St.  lbs 


11 

0 

II 

12 

II 

II 

12 

12 

12 

2i 

12 

4 

12 

5 

10 

II 

8 

_3^ 

II 

12 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

3 

II 

10 

II 

8 

II 

II 

12 

4i 

12 

12 

II 

3 

II 

7 

6 

10 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

f 

11 

II 

8 

12 

9f 

12 

9 

12 

8 

II 

13 

II 

9i 

6 

^3 

II 

13 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

If 

II 

6 

II 

II 

13 

0 

12 

5l 

12 

2i 

II 

9f 

12 

3i 

7 

6i 

II  13 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


283 


1877. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  March  24,  8.27  a.m.     {Dead  Heat.) 


Oxford,  f 
Cowles,  D.  J.,  St.  John's      . 
Boustead,  J.  M.,  University 
Pelham,  H.,  Magdalen 
Grenfell,  W.  H.,  Balliol 
Stayner,  H.  J.,  St.  John's 
Mulholland,  A.  J.,  Balliol 
Edwardes-Moss,  T.  C. ,  Braocnose 
Marriott,  H.  P.,  Brasenose  (stroke) 
Beaumont,  F,  M. ,  New  (cox) 

Average 

Cambridge,  t 
Hoskyns,  B.  G. ,  Jesus 
Lewis,  T.  W. ,  Caius    . 
Fenn,  J.  C. ,  First  Trinity     . 
Close,  W.  B. ,  First  Trinity  . 
Pike,  L.  G.,  Caius        .     '  . 
Gurdon,  C. ,  Jesus 
Hockin,  T.  S.,  Jesus    . 
Shafto,  C.  D.,  Jesus  (stroke) 
Davis,  G.  L.,  Clare  (cox.)    . 

Average 


St.  lbs. 

11  3i 

12  9 

12   ^\ 
12  10 

12    si 

12   ^\ 
12   2 

12  oi 

7  o 

12  3 

St.  lbs. 

10  11^ 

11  10 
II  6 

11  12 

12  8 
12  13^ 
12  iii 
12     i^ 

7    6 

II  13 


1878. 
Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  April  13,  10.15  a. 

Oxford,  i. 
Ellison,  W.  A.,   University  . 
Cowles,  D.  J.,  St.  John's 
Southwell,  H.  B.,  Pembroke 
Grenfell,  W.  H.,  Balliol        . 
Pelham,  H.,  Magdalen 
Burgess,  G.  F.,  Keble . 
Edwardes-Moss,  T.  C. ,  Brasenose 
Marriott,  H.  P.,  Brasenose  (stroke) 
Beaumont,  F.  M.,  New  (cox.) 

Average 

Cambridge 
Jones,  L.  I.  R. ,  Jesus  . 
Watson-Tavlor,  J.  A.,  Magdalene 
Barker,  T.  W. ,  First  Trinity 
Spurrell,  R.  J. ,  Trinity  Hall 
Pike,  L.  G. ,  Caius 
Gurdon,  C. ,  Jesus 
Hockin,  T.  E. ,  Jesus    . 
Prest,  E.  H. ,  Jesus  (stroke) 
Davis,  G.  L.,  Clare  (cox.) 

Average 


St. 

lbs. 

10 

i3i 

II 

12 

8 

12 

II 

12 

9h 

13 

Si 

12 

3 

12 

2i 

7 

_5 

12 

3 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

9 

II 

9l 

12 

6 

II 

i3i 

12 

8i 

12 

loi 

12 

4i 

10 

12J 

7 

Si 

284 


BOATING. 


1879. 

Putney  to  Mort lake,  Saturday,  April  ^,  12.45/.;;?. 

Cambridge,  i. 
Prest,  E.  H.,  Jesus 
Sandford,  H.,  Lady  Margaret 
Bird,  A.  H.  S. ,  First  Trinity 
Gurdon,  C. ,  Jesus 
Hockin,  T.  E.,  Jesus    . 
Fairbairn,  C. ,  Jesus 
Routledge,  T. ,  Emmanuel    . 
Davis,  R.  D. ,  First  Trinity  (stroke) 
Davis,  G.  L.,  Clare  (cox.)     . 


Average 


Oxford,  2. 


St.  lbs. 


1.  Wharton,  J.  H.  T.,  Magdalen      . 

2.  Robinson,  H.  M. ,  New 

3.  Disney,  H.  W.,  Hertford      . 

4.  Southwell,  H.  B.,  Pembroke 

5.  Cosby-Burrowes,  T.,  Trinity 

6.  Rowe,  G.  D.,  University 

7.  Hobart,  W.  H.,  Exeter 
Marriott,  H.  P. ,  Brasenose  (stroke) 
Beaumont,  F.  M. ,  New  (cox.) 

Average 


II 

2 

II 

6| 

II 

8 

13 

0^ 

12 

4i 

12 

ik 

12 

ih 

12 

Ah 

7 

7 

12 

I 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

3i 

II 

2i 

12 

7 

12 

9 

12 

9 

II 

13 

II 

12 

12 

2i 

7 

5 

II  13 


1880. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Monday,  March  22,  10.40  a.m. 


Oxford,  i. 


1.  Poole,  R.  H.  J.,  Brasenose  . 

2.  Brown,  D.  E. ,  Hertford 
3- 
4- 


Hargreaves,  F.  M. ,  Keble  . 
Southwell,  H.  B.,  Pembroke 
Kindersley,  R.  S.,  Exeter     . 

6.  Rowe,  G.  D. ,  University 

7,  Wharton,  J.  H.  T.,  Magdalen 
West,  L.  R. ,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 
Hunt,  C.  W.,  Corpus  (cox.) 

Average 

Cambridge,  2. 

1.  Prest,  E.  H.,  Jesus 

2.  Sandford,  H.,  Lady  Margaret 

3.  Barton,  W. ,  Lady  Margaret 

4.  Warlow,  W.  M. ,  Queens' 

5.  Armytage,  N.  C,  Jesus 

6.  Davis,  R.  D.,  First  Trinity  . 

7.  Prior,  R.  D.,  Queens'   . 
Baillie,  W.  W.,  Jesus  (stroke) 
Clarke,  B.  S.,  Lady  Margaret  (cox.) 

Average 


St. 

lbs. 

10 

6 

12 

6 

12 

2 

13 

0 

12 

6 

12 

3 

11 

II 

II 

I 

7 

5 

II 

13I 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

12 

II 

s\ 

II 

3l 

12 

0 

12 

2^ 

12 

8i 

II 

13 

II 

^h. 

7 

0 

UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN, 


285 


1881. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Friday,  April  8,  8.34  a. 


Oxford, 


St.  lbs. 


Poole,  R.  H.  J.,  Brasenose 
Pinckney,  R.  A.,  Exeter 
Paterson,  A.  R. ,  Trinity 
Buck,  E.,  Hertford 
Kindersley,  R.  S. ,  Exeter 


6.  Brown,  D.  E., 

7.  Wharton, 


Hertford 
T.,  Magdalen 


J.  H. 
West,  L.  R. ,  Christ  Church  (stroke) 
Lyon,  E,  H.,  Hertford  (cox.) 


Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


1.  Gridley,  R.  G.,  Third  Trinity 

2.  Sandford,  H.,  Lady  Margaret 

3.  Watson-Taylor,  J.  A.,  Magdalene 

4.  Atkin,  P.  W.,  Jesus 


5.  Lambert,  E. ,  Pembroke 

6.  Hutchinson,  A.  M.,  Jesus     . 

7.  Moore,  C.  W. ,  Christ's 
Brooksbank,  E.  C. ,  Trinity  Hall  (stroke) 
Woodhouse,  H.,  Trinity  Hall  (cox.) 


Average 


10 

II 

II 

3 

12 

7 

II 

II 

13 

3 

12 

7 

II 

10 

II 

oi 

7 

0 

II 

10 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

7 

II 

loi 

12 

34 

II 

13 

12 

0 

II 

13 

II 

9 

II 

8 

7 

2 

I     9l 


1882. 
Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  April  i,  1.2  p.m. 


Oxford,  i. 
Bourne,  G.  C. ,  New 
De  Haviland,  R.  S.,  Corpus 
Fort,  G.  S.,  Hertford    . 
Paterson,  A.  R. ,  Trinity 
Kindersley,  R.  S.,  Exeter 
Buck,  E.,  Hertford 
Brown,  D.  E.,  Hertford 
Higgins,  A.  H.,  Magdalen  (stroke) 
Lyon,  E.  H.,  Hertford  (cox.) 


Average 

Cambridge 

1.  Jones,  LI.  R. ,  Jesus 

2.  Hutchinson,  M.,  Jesus 

3.  Fellowes,  J.  C. ,  First  Trinity 

4.  Atkin,  P.  W.,  Jesus 

5.  Lambert,  E. ,  Pembroke 

6.  Fairbairn,  S.,  Jesus 

7.  Moore,  C.  W. ,  Christ's 
Smith,  S.  P. ,  First  Trinity  (stroke 
Hunt,  P.  L.,  Cavendish  (cox.) 

Average    .... 


St.  lbs. 


ID 

13 

II 

I 

12 

3h 

12 

12 

13 

4i 

12 

0 

12 

6 

9 

eh 

7 

12 

II 

iiA 

St. 

lbs. 

II 

I 

12 

^h 

12 

7 

12 

"i 

II 

12 

13 

0 

II 

7 

II 

I 

7 

5 

II    I2| 


286 


BOATING. 


1883. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Thtirsday,  March  15,  S-39 P-''^- 

Oxford,  i. 

1.  Bourne,  G.  C,  New 

2.  De  Haviland,  R.  S.,  Corpus 

3.  Fort,  G.  S.,  Hertford 

4.  Puxley,  E.  L. ,  Brasenose      ....... 

5.  Maclean,  D.  II.,  New 

6.  Paterson,  A.  R. ,  New  Inn  Hall 

7.  Roberts,  G.  Q.,  Hertford 

West,  L.  R.,  New  Inn  Hall  (stroke) 

Lyon,  E.  H.,  Hertford  (cox.) 

Average 


St. 

lbs. 

10 

ii4 

II 

4 

12 

0 

12 

6i 

13 

24 

13 

I 

II 

I 

II 

0 

Cambridge,  2. 


1.  Gridley,  R.  G.,  Third  Trinity 

2.  Fox,  F.  W. ,  First  Trinity      . 

3.  Moore,  C.  W. ,  Christ's 

4.  Atkin,  P.  W.,  Jesus 

5.  Churchill,  F.  E. ,  Third  Trinity 

6.  Swann,  S. ,  Trinity  Hall 

7.  Fairbairn,  S.,  Jesus 
Meyrick,  F.  C. ,  Trinity  Hall 
Hunt,  P.  L.,  Cavendish  (cox.) 

Average 


St.  lbs. 

10  7 
12  2 

11  13 

12  I 

13  4 

12  12 

13  4 

11  7 
8  I 

12  2f 


Putney  to  Mortlake,  Monday,  April  7,  it.. ^\  p.m. 
Cambridge,  i. 

1.  Gridley,  R.  C. ,  Third  Trinity 

2.  Eyre,  G.  H. ,  Corpus  ........ 

3.  Straker,  F. ,  Jesus        ........ 

4.  Swann,  S. ,  Trinity  Hall       ....... 

5.  Churchill,  F.  E. ,  Third  Trinity 

6.  Haig,  E.  W..  Third  Trinity 

7.  Moore,  C.  W. ,  Christ's 

Pitman,  F.  J. ,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 

Biscoe,  C.  E.  T. 


St.  lbs. 


Jesus  (cox.) 
Average 


Oxford,  2. 


1.  Shortt,  A.  G. ,  Christ  Church 

2.  Stock,  L.,  Exeter 

3.  Carter,  C.  R.,  Corpus 

4.  Taylor,  P.  W.,  Lincoln 

5.  McLean,  D.  H.,  New 

6.  Paterson,  A.  R.,  Trinity 

7.  Blandy,  W.  C. ,  Exeter 

Curry,  W,  D.  B. ,  Exeter  (stroke) 
Humphreys,  F.  J. ,  Brasenose  (cox. 

Average 


10 

6 

II 

3i 

12 

2 

13 

3, 

13 

2i 

II 

6S 

II 

12^ 

II 

Hi 

8 

2 

11 

13 

St. 

lbs. 

11 

2 

II 

0 

12 

10 

13 

I 

12 

Hi 

13 

4 

10 

13 

10 

4 

7 

4 

II  I2H 


UNIVERSITY  OARSMEN. 


287 


1885. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  March  28,  12.26 p. 7n. 


Oxford 

1.  Unwin,  W.  S.,  Magdalen 

2.  demons,  J.  S. ,  Corpus 

3.  Taylor,  P.  W.,  Lincoln 

4.  Carter,  C.  R. ,  Corpus 

5.  McLean,  H. ,  New 

6.  Wethered,  F.  O. ,  Christ  Church 

7.  McLean,  D.  H.,  New 
Girdlestone,  H. ,  Magdalen  (stroke) 
Humphreys,  F.  J.,  Brasenose  (cox.) 

Average 


Cambridge,  2. 


1.  Symonds,  N.  P.,  Lady  Margaret 

2.  Hardacre,  W.  R.,  Trinity  Hall  . 

3.  Perrott,  W.  H.  W.,  First  Trinity 

4.  Swann,  S. ,  Trinity  Hall 

5.  Churchill,  F.  E.,  Third  Trinity   . 

6.  Haigh,  E.  W.,  Third  Trinity       . 

7.  Coke,  R.  H. ,  Trinity  Hall  . 
Pitman,  F.  J. ,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 
Wilson,  G.,  Third  Trinity  (cox.) 


Average 


1886 


St.  lbs. 


II  13 


St.  lbs. 


Putney  to  Mortlake,  Saturday,  April  3,  x.-^^ p.m. 
Cambridge,  i. 

Bristowe,  C.  J. .  Trinity  Hall 
Symonds,  N.  P.,  Lady  Margaret 
Walmsley,  J.,  Trinity  Hall 
Flower,  A.  D.,  Clare  . 
Fairbairn,  S.,  Jesus     . 
Muttlebury,  S.  D. ,  Third  Trinity 
Barclay,  C  Third  Trinity  . 
Pitman,  F.  J.,  Third  Trinity  (stroke) 
Baker,  G.  H.,  Queen's  (cox.) 

Average 

Oxford,  2. 
Unwin,  W.  S.,  Magdalen   . 
Bryne,  L.  S.  R.,  Trinity      . 
Robertson,  W.  St.  L.,  Wadham 
Carter,  C.  R.,  Corpus 
McLean,  H.,  New      .... 
Wethered,  F.  O.,  Christ  Church 
McLean,  D.,  New      .... 
Girdlestone,  H. ,  Magdalen  (stroke)     . 
Maynard,  W.  E.,  Exeter  (cox.)  . 

Average      .         ,         .         .         .         .         .         .12    3§| 


10 

Si 

10 

10 

12 

I 

12 

8V 

13 

9 

13 

3 

II 

3 

II 

10^ 

6 

9 

II 

r3H 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

II 

II 

11^ 

II 

7h 

13 

oh 

12 

12 

12 

6 

13 

0- 

12 

9i^ 

7 

12 

BOATING. 


1887. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  March  26.     ( Time,  20  min.  52  sec. ) 

Cambridge,  i. 

1.  McKenna,  R. ,  Trinity  Hall. 

2.  Barclay,  F.,  Third  Trinity    . 

3.  Landaie,  P. ,  Third  Trinity  . 

4.  Oxford,  J.  R. ,  King's   . 

5.  Fairbairn,  S. ,  Jesus 

6.  Muttlebury,  S.  D.,  Third  Trinity. 

7.  Barclay,  C. ,  Third  Trinity   . 
Bristowe,  C.  J. ,  Trinity  Hall  (stroke) 
Baker,  G.  H. ,  Queen's  (cox. ) 


Oxford,!  2. 

1.  Holland,  W.  F.  C,  Brasenose 

2.  Nickalls,  G.,  Magdalen 

3.  Williams,  L.  G. ,  Corpus 

4.  Parker,  H.  R.,  Brasenose     . 

5.  McLean,  H,,  New 

6.  Wethered,  F.  O.,  Christ  Church 

7.  McLean,  D.  H.,  New. 
Titherington,  A.  F. ,  Queen's  (stroke) 
Clarke,  H.  F.,  Exeter  (cox.) 

'  Oxford  broke  an  oar  (No.  7)  at  Barnes  Bridge. 


St.  lbs. 


10 

7 

II 

I 

12 

0^ 

13 
13 
13 
II 

0 

8 

10 

Ih 

7 

I 

St. 

lbs. 

10 

7 

12 

I 

12 

5 

13 
12 

3 
8i 

12 

S 

12 

9 

12 

2 

7 

9 

1888. 

Putney  to  Mortlake,  March  24.     ( Time,  20  vtin.  48  sec.) 

Cambridge,  i.  st.  lbs. 

1.  Symonds-Tayler,  R.  H. ,  Trinity  Hall .         .         .         .         .         .  10    7 

2.  Hannen,  L.,  Trinity  Hall     .         .         .         .         .         .         ,         .  11     3 

3.  Orde,  R.  H.  P. ,  First  Trinity 11     7 

4.  Bell,  C.  B.  P.,  Trinity  Hall 12  13^ 

5.  Muttlebury,  S.  D. ,  Third  Trinity 137 

6.  Landaie,  P.,  Trinity  Hall 12     4 

7.  Maugham,  F.  H.,  Trinity  Hall    .         .         .         .         .         .         .  11     5 

Gardner,  J.  C,  Emmanuel  (stroke)       ,         .         .         .         .         .  11     7 

Roxburgh,  J.  R.,  Trinity  Hall  (cox.) 82 


Oxford,  2. 

St.  lbs. 

I.  Holland,  W.  F.  C. ,  Brasenose no 

2.   Parker,  A.  P.,  Magdalen      . 

II  II 

3.  Bradford,  W.  E.,  Christ  Church 

, 

II    9 

4.  Fothergill,  S.  R.,  New 

12  10 

5.  Cross,  H.,  Hertford      . 

13    0^ 

6.   Parker,  H.  R.,  Brasenose    . 

13    5 

7.  Nickalls,  G,,  Magdalen 

12    4 

Frere,  L. ,  Brasenose  (stroke) 

10    o\ 

Stewart,  A.,  New  (cox.) 

7^Zi 

COLLEGE  AND   CLUB  RACES. 


289 


O.U.B.C.  :    COLLEGE    AND    CLUB    RACES. 

OXFORD     UNIVERSITY     COILEGE     EIGHTS:     HEAD     OF 
THE  RIVER. 


I8I5 

Brasenose  (?) 

1854 

Brasenose 

1822 

Christ  Church 

1855 

Balliol 

1823 

No  races 

1856 

Wadham 

1824 

Exeter 

1857 

Exeter 

1825 

Christ  Church 

1858 

Exeter 

1826 

Christ  Church 

1859 

Balliol 

1827 

Brasenose 

i860 

Balliol 

1828 

( Balliol 

1861 

Trinity 

'  Christ  Church  later  on 

1862 

Trinity 

1829 

Christ  Church 

1863 

Trinity 

1830 

No  races 

186  + 

Trinity 

I83I 1 
1832  f 

No  records 

1865 

Brasenose 

1866 

Brasenose 

1833 

Queen's 

1867 

Brasenose 

1834 

Christ  Church 

1868 

Corpus 

1835 

Christ  Church 

1869 

University 

1836 

Christ  Church 

1870 

University 

1837 

Queen's 

187 1 

University 

1838 

Exeter 

1872 

Pembroke 

1839 

Brasenose ' 

1873 

Balliol 

1840 

Brasenose 

1874 

University 

I84I 

University 

1875 

University 

1842 

Oriel 

1876 

Brasenose 

1843 

University 

1877 

University 

1844 

Christ  Church 

1878 

University 

1845 

Brasenose 

1879 

Balliol 

1846 

Brasenose 

1880 

Magdalen 

1847 

Christ  Church 

1881 

Hertford 

1848 

Christ  Church 

1882 

Exeter 

1849 

Christ  Church 

1883 

Exeter 

1850 

Wadham 

1884 

Exeter 

I85I 

Balliol 

1885 

Corpus 

1852 

Brasenose 

1886 

Magdalen 

1853 

Brasenose 

1887 

New  College 

'  O.U  B  C. 

founded. 

290  BOA  TING. 


WINNERS   OF   THE    UNIVERSITY  PAIR-OARS. 

1839  R.  Menzies,  F.  W.  Menzies,  R.  S.  Fox  (cox.),  University. 

1840  O.   B.  Barttelot,  Corpus  Christi  ;  E.   Royds,  Brasenose  ;  T.  Evett 

(cox.),  Corpus  Christi. 

1841  H.  E.  C.  Stapylton,  W.  Bolland,  J.  H.  Griffiths  (cox.),  University. 

1842  W.  Wilberforce,  (i.  E.  Hughes,  G.  B.  Lewis  (cox.).  Oriel. 

1843  M.  Haggard,  W.  H.  Mihnan,  F.  J.  Prout  (cox.),  Christ  Church. 

1844  M.  Haggard,  W.  H.  Milman,  F.  J.  Prout  (cox.),  Christ  Church. 

1845  M.  Haggard,  W.  H.  Milman,  C.  J.  Fuller  (cox.),  Christ  Church. 

1846  A.  Milman,  E.  C.  Burton,  H.  Ingram  (cox.),  Christ  Church. 

1847  W.  G.  Rich,  A.  Milman,  Christ  Church. 

1848  T.  H.  Michel,  C.  H.  Steward,  Oriel. 

1849  E.  M.  Clissold,  Exeter  ;  J.  W.  Chitty,  Balliol. 

1850  J.  C.  Bengough,  Oriel  ;  J.  W.  Chitty,  Balliol. 

1 85 1  R.  Greenall,  R.  Prescot,  Brasenose. 

1852  W.  F.  Short,  W.  L.  Rogers,  New. 

1853  C.  Cadogan,  Christ  Church  ;  W.  F.  Short,  New. 

1854  C.  Cadogan,  Christ  Church  ;  W.  F.  Short,  New. 

1855  A.  F.  Lonsdale,  E.  Warre,  Balliol. 

1856  E.  Warre,  A.  F.  Lonsdale,  Balliol.. 

1857  P.  W.  Phillips,  J.  Arkell,  Pemberton. 

1858  T.  B.*Shaw-Hellier,  Brasenose  ;  F.  Ho"" comb,  Wadham. 

1859  B.  de  B.  Russell,  R.  F.  Clarke,  St.  John's. 
i860  W.  B.  Woodgate,  H.  F.  Baxter,  Brasenose. 

1 86 1  W.  Champneys,  W.  B.  Woodgate,  Brasenose. 

1862  R.  Shepherd,  W.  B.  Woodgate,  Brasenose. 

1863  C.  P.  Roberts,  M.  Brown,  Trinity. 

1864  C.  P.  Roberts,  M.  Brown,  Trinity. 

1865  R.  T.  Raikes,  Merton  ;  M.  Brown,  Trinity. 

1866  G.  H.  Swinney,  G.  H.  Morrell,  Merton. 

1867  W.  C.  Crofts,  F.  Crowder,  Brasenose. 

1868  A.  V.  Jones,  Exeter;  W.  C.  Crofts,  Brasenose. 

1869  F.  Pownall,  A.  V.  Jones,  Exeter. 

1870  J.  Mair  St.  Alb,  C.  J.  Vesey,  St.  John's. 

1 87 1  J.  W.  M'C.  Bunbury,  Brasenose  ;  A.  G.  P.  Lewis,  University. 

1872  H.  J.  Preston,  A.  S.  Daniel,  University. 

1873  W.  Farrer,  Balliol ;  M.  Farrer,  Brasenose. 

1874  M.  Farrer,  H.  Benson,  Brasenose. 

1875  H.J.  Preston,  University;  Ed  ward  es- Moss,  Brasenose. 

1876  H.  M.  Marriott,  T.  C.  Edwardes-Moss,  Brasenose. 

1877  D.  J.  Cowles,  W\  L.  Giles,  St.  John's. 


COLLEGE  AND  CLUB  RACES. 


2.91 


1878 

T. 

1879 

C. 

1880 

E. 

1881 

C. 

1882 

G. 

1883 

A. 

1884 

W. 

i88s 

H. 

1886 

H. 

1887 

M. 

C.  Edwardes-Moss,  Brasenose  ;  W.  A.  Ellison,  University. 
R.  L.  Fletcher,  F.  P.  BuUey,  Magdalen. 
Staniland,  Magdalen  ;  L.  R.  West,  Christ  Church. 
Lowry,  R.  de  Haviland,  Corpus. 
C.  Bourne,  New  ;  C.  H.  Sharpe,  Hertford. 
G.  Shortt,  A,  B.  Shaw,  Christ  Church. 
S.  Unwin,  Magdalen  ;  J.  Reade,  Brasenose. 
McLean,  D.  H.  McLean,  New. 
McLean,  D.  H.  McLean,  New. 
E.  Bradford,  F.  W.  Douglas,  Christ  Church. 


WINNERS   OF   THE  OXFORD    UNIVERSITY  SCULLS, 
Originally  presented  by  Members  of  Christ  Church. 


I84I 

T.  T.  Peocock,  Merton 

1865 

J.  Rickaby,  Brasenose 

1842 

H.  Morgan,  Christ  Church 

1866 

W.  L.  Freeman,  Merton 

1843 

Sir     F.     E.     Scott,    Christ 

1867 

W.  C.  Crofts,  Brasenose 

Church 

1868 

W.  C.  Crofts,  Brasenose 

1844 

Sir     F.     E.     Scott,     Christ 

1869 

A.  C.  Yarborough,  Lincoln 

Church 

1870 

A.  C.  Yarborough,  Lincoln 

1845 

J.  W.  Conant,  St.  John's 

1871 

J.      W.       McC.      Bunbury, 

1846 

E.  S.  Moon,  Magdalen 

Brasenose 

1847 

E.  C.  Burton,  Christ  Church 

1872 

C.  C.  Knollys,  Magdalen 

1848 

D.  Wauchope,  Wadham 

1873 

J.  B.  Little,  Christ  Church 

1849 

T.  Erskine  Clarke,  Wadham 

1874 

A.  Michell,  Oriel 

1850 

T.  Erskine  Clarke,  Wadham 

1875 

L.  C.  Cholmeley,  Magdalen 

I85I 

W.  Heaven,  Trinity 

1876 

D.  J.  Cowles,  St.  John's 

1852 

IL  M.  Irving,  Balliol 

1877 

T.      C.      Edwardes  -  Moss, 

1853 

W.  F.  Short,  New 

Brasenose 

1854 

W.  F.  Short,  New 

1878 

J.  Lowndes,  Hertford 

1855 

E.  Warre,  Balliol 

1879 

J.  Lowndes,  Hertford 

1856 

E.  W^arre,  Balliol 

1880 

H.  S.  Chesshire,  Worcester 

1857 

R.  W.  Risley,  Exeter 

1881 

H.  S.  Chesshire,  W^orcester 

1858 

R.  W.  Risley,  Exeter 

1882 

G.  Q.  Roberts,  Hertford 

1859 

H.  F.  Baxter,  Brasenose 

1883 

A.  E.  Staniland,  Magdalen 

i860 

T.  R.  Finch,  Wadham 

1884 

W.  S.  Unwin,  Magdalen 

I86I 

W.  B.  Woodgate,  Brasenose 

1885 

W.  S.  Unwin,  Magdalen 

1862 

W.  B.  Woodgate,  Brasenose 

1886 

F.     0.     Wethered,     Christ 

1863 

J.  E.  Parker,  University 

Church 

1864 

E.  B.  Michell,  Magdalen 

1887 

G.  Nicholls,  Magdalen 

292 


BOATING. 


WINNERS  OF   THE    UNIVERSITY  FOUR-OARS. 


1840 

Brasenose 

1864 

University 

I84I 

University 

1865 

University 

1842 

University 

1866 

University 

1843 

Oriel 

1867 

University 

1844 

University 

1868 

University 

1845 

Christ  Church 

1869 

Balliol 

1846 

Christ  Church 

1870 

Balliol 

1847 

Christ  Church 

1871 

Christ  Church 

1848 

Oriel 

1872 

Balliol 

1849 

Brasenose 

1873 

University 

1850 

Brasenose 

1874 

Brasenose 

I85I 

Christ  Church 

1875 

University 

1852 

Trinity 

1876 

Brasenose 

1853 

Trinity 

1877 

Brasenose 

1854 

Exeter 

1878 

Magdalen 

1855 

Exeter 

1879 

Hertford 

1856 

Balliol 

1880 

Magdalen 

1857 

Pembroke 

1881 

Hertford 

1858 

Balliol 

1882 

Hertford 

1859 

University 

1883 

Corpus 

i860 

Brasenose 

1884 

Magdalen 

I86I 

Trinity 

1885 

Magdalen 

1862 

University 

1886 

Magdalen 

1863 

Trinity 

1887 

Brasenose 

C.U.B.C.  :    COLLEGE   AND   CLUB   RACES. 


CAMBRIDGE    UNIVERSITY  BOAT  CIUB :  HEAD   OF  THE 

RIVER. 


1827  Trinity 

1828  St.  John's 

1829  St.  John's 
Lent,  St.  John's 
May,  Trinity 
Lent,  St.  John's 


[830  I 


[831 


May,  First  Trinity 


1832 
1833 

1834 

1835 


First  Trinity 
(  Lent,  First  Trinity 
*  May,  Christ's 
f  Lent,  First  Trinity 
^  May,  Third  Trinity 
f  Lent,  Third  Trinity 
^  May,  Second  Trinity 


COLLEGE  AND   CLUB  RACES. 


293 


g  g  j  Lent,  First  Trinity 
'  May,  Corpus 

i860 

First  Trinity 

1861 

First  Trinity 

1837     Lady  Margaret 

1862 

Trinity  Hall 

1838     Lady  Margaret 

1863 

Third  Trinity 

1839     First  Trinity 

1864 

Trinity  Hall 

1840     Caius 

1865 

Third  Trinity 

1 84 1     Caius 

1866 

First  Trinity 

1842     Peterhouse 

1867 

First  Trinity 

1843     First  Trinity 

1868 

First  Trinity 

1844     Caius 

1869 

First  Trinity 

1845     First  Trinity 

1870 

First  Trinity 

1846     First  Trinity 

1871 

First  Trinity 

1847     First  Trinity 

1872 

Lady  Margaret 

1848     Third  Trinity 

1873 

First  Trinity 

g       (Lent,  Third  Trinity 
*  May,  Second  Trinity 

1874 

First  Trinity 

1875 

Jesus 

1850     First  Trinity 

1876 

Jesus 

g       (Lent,  Lady  Margaret 
^  May,  First  Trinity 

1877 

Jesus 

1878 

Jesus 

1852     First  Trinity 

1879 

Jesus 

1853     First  Trinity 

1880 

Jesus 

g       J  Lent,  First  Trinity 
'  May,  Lady  Margaret 

1881 

Jesus 

1882 

Jesus 

1855     Lady  Margaret 

1883 

Jesus 

1856     Lady  Margaret 

1884 

Jesus 

1857     Lady  Margaret 

1885 

Jesus 

g  g  (Lent,  Lady  Margaret 
^  May,  First  Trinity 

1886 

Trinity  Hall 

1887 

Trinity  Hall 

g       f  Lent,  Trinity  Hall 
^^  ^  May,  Third  Trinity 

WINNERS   OF   THE    UNIVERSITY  FAIR-OARS. 


1844  T.  W.  Brooks  and  W.  P.  Cloves,  First  Trinity. 

1845  S.  Vincent  and  E.  P.  Wolstenholme,  First  Trinity, 

1846  T.  M.  Hoare  and  T.  M.  Gisborne,  St.  John's. 

1847  S.  Vincent  and  W.  Maule,  First  Trinity. 

1848  A.  B.  Dickson  and  W.  L.  G.  Bagshawe,  Third  Trinity. 

1849  A.  Baldry,  First  Trinity,  and  W.  L.  G.  Bagshawe,  Third  Trinity. 

1850  J.  B.  Cane  and  C.  Hudson,  St.  John's. 

1 85 1  E.  Macnaghten,  First  Trinity,  and  F.  W.  Johnson,  Third  Trinity. 

1852  W.  S.  Langmore  and  E.  Havvley,  Sidney. 

1853  R.  Gordon  and  J.  G.  Barlee,  Christ's. 


294  BOATING. 

1854  R.  C.  Galton,  First  Trinity,  and  H.  Blake,  Corpus. 

1855  H.  Blake,  Corpus,  and  J.  Wright,  St.  John's. 

1856  R.  Gordon  and  P.  H.  Wormald,  Christ's. 

1857  R.  E.  Thompson  and  N.  Royds,  First  Trinity. 

1858  R.  Beaumont  and  F.  W.  Holland,  Third  Trinity. 

1859  D.  Ingles,  First  Trinity,  and  J.  P.  Ingham,  Third  Trinity, 
i860  R.  P.  Fitzgerald,  Trinity  Hall,  and  J.  P.  Ingham,  Third  Trinity. 

1 86 1  A.  D.  A.  Barney  and  A.  M.  Channell,  First  Trinity. 

1862  J.  G.  Chambers,  Third  Trinity,  and  R.  Neave,  Trinity  Hall. 

1863  R.  A.  Kinglake  and  J.  R.  Selwyn,  Third  Trinity. 

1864  R.  A.  Kinglake  and  W.  R.  Griffiths,  Third  Trinity. 

1865  J.  R.  Selwyn  and  W.  R.  Griffiths,  Third  Trinity. 

1866  W.  R.  Griffiths,  Third  Trinity,  and  J.  U.  Bourke,  First  Trinity. 

1867  E.  Hopkinson  and  H.  Herbert,  Christ's. 

1868  C.  Pitt-Taylor  and  J.  Blake-Humphrey,  Third  Trinity. 

1869  L.  P.  Muirhead  and  E.  Phelps,  Sidney. 

1870  John  B.  Close  and  G.  L.  Rives,  First  Trinity. 

1 87 1  James  B.  Close  and  John  B.  Close,  First  Trinity. 

1872  H.  E.  Rhodes  and  E.  Hoskyns,  Jesus. 

1873  P.  J.  Hibbert  and  E.  Sawyer,  Lady  Margaret. 

1874  G.  F.  Armytage  and  C.  D.  Shafto,  Jesus. 

1875  W.  B.  Close  and  G.  C.  Dicker,  First  Trinity. 

1876  T.  E.  Hockin  and  C.  Gurdon,  Jesus. 

1877  J.  G.  Binder  and  C.  O.  L.  Riley,  Caius. 

1878  A.  H.  Prior  and  H.  Sanford,  Lady  Margaret. 

1879  J.  A.  Watson-Taylor,  Magdalene,  and  T.  E.  Hockin,  Jesus. 

1880  L.  R.  Jones  and  E.  Priest,  Jesus. 

1881  J.  F.  Reiser  and  S.  P.  Smith,  P^irst  Trinity. 

1882  W.  K.  Hardacre  and  F.  C.  Meyrick,  Trinity  Hall. 

1883  C.  J.  Bristowe  and  F.  C.  Meyrick,  Trinity  Hall. 

1884  P.  S.  Propert  and  S.  Swann,  Trinity  Hall. 

1885  R.  H.  Coke  and  S.  Swann,  Trinity  Hall. 

1886  S.  D.  Muttlebury  and  C.  Barclay,  Third  Trinity. 

1887  S.  D.  Muttlebury  and  C.  T.  Barclay,  Third  Trinity. 

WINNERS  OF  THE    UNIVERSITY  FOUR-OARS. 


[849  First  Trinity 

[850  Lady  Margaret 

[851  Third  Trinity 

[852  First  Trinity 

[853  Lady  Margaret 

[854  Third  Trinity 

[855  Trinity  Plall 


[856  Lady  Margaret 

[857  Magdalene 

[858  Third  Trinity 

[859  Third  Trinity 

[860  First  Trinity 

1 861  First  Trinity  and   Trinity 
Hall  rowed  a  dead-heat 


COLLEGE  AND   CLUB  RACES. 


295 


1862 

Third  Trinity 

1875 

Jesus 

1863 

Lady  Margaret 

1876 

Jesus 

1864 

Lady  Margaret 

1877 

Jesus 

1865 

Third  Trinity 

1878 

Lady  Margaret 

1866 

First  Trinity 

1879 

Lady  Margaret 

1867 

Emmanuel 

1880 

Jesus 

1868 

Sidney 

1881 

Jesus 

1869 

Sidney 

1882 

Third  Trinity 

1870 

First  Trinity 

1883 

Third  Trinity 

I87I 

First  Trinity 

1884 

Third  Trinity 

1872 

First  Trinity 

1885 

Third  Trinity 

1873 

Jesus 

1886 

Trinity  Hall 

1874 

First    Trinity    and    Jesus 
rowed  a  dead -heat. 

1887 

Trinity  Hall 

WINNERS   OF   THE   CAMBRIDGE    UNIVERSITY  SCULLS 

(COLQUHOUN    CHALLENGE    SCULLS). 

Presented  in    1 837   by  P.    Colqtihoun,  Esq.,  to  the  Lady  Margaret  Boat 
Club,  and  by  that  Chtb  in  1842  to  the  competition  of  the  C.  U.B.  C. 


1837  Berney,  Lady  Margaret 

1838  Antrobus,  Lady  Margaret 

1839  Vincent,  Lady  Margaret 

1840  Shadwell,  Lady  Margaret 

1 841  Shadwell  (no  challenger) 

1842  Denman,  First  Trinity 

1843  Thompson,  Peterhouse 

1844  Miles,  Third  Trinity 

1845  Cloves,  First  Trinity 

1846  Maule,  First  I'rinity 

1847  Bagshawe,  Third  Trinity 

1848  Bagot,  Second  Trinity 

1849  Miller,  Third  Trinity 

1850  Cowle  and  Hudson  ' 

1 85 1  Macnaghten,  First  Trinity 

1852  Courage,  First  Trinity 

1853  Gallon,  First  Trinity 

1854  Wright,  Lady  Margaret 

1855  Salter,  Trinity  Hall 

1856  Beaumont,  Third  Trinity 


1857  Busk,  First  Trinity 

1858  Ingles,  First  Trinity 

1859  Faley,  Lady  Margaret 
i860  Channell,  First  Trinity 

1 86 1  J.     C.     Hawkshaw,     Third 

Trinity 

1862  C.  B.  Lawes,  Third  Trinity 

1863  J.  G.  Chambers,  Third  Trin. 

1864  G.  D.  Redpath,  First  Trinity 

1865  H.  Watney,  Lady  Margaret 

1866  G.  Shann,  First  Trinity 

1867  G.  H.  Wright,  First  Trinity 

1868  E.   Phelps,    Sidney,   and  F. 

E.  Marshall,  First  Trinity 

1869  No  race  ;  postponed  to  1870 

1870  J.  B.  Close,  First  Trinity 

1870  J.  H.  D.  Goldie,  Lady  Mar. 

1 87 1  C.  W.  Benson,  Third  Trinity 

1872  James  B.  Close,  First  Trinity 

1873  A.  C.  Dicker,  Lady  ALirgaret 


Dead  heat  and  division. 


296 

BOATING. 

1 874 

W.  B.  Close,  First  Trinity 

1881 

1875 

S.     A.     Saunders,     Second 

1882 

Trinity 

1883 

1876 

J.  C.  Fenn,  First  Trinity 

1884 

1877 

T.  W.  Barker,  First  Trinity 

1885 

1878 

H.  Sandford,  Lady  Margaret 

1879 

Prior,  Lady  Margaret 

1886 

1880 

J.  Keiser,  P'irst  Trinity 

1887 

J.  C.  Fellowes,  First  Trinity 
F.  W.  Fox,  First  Trinity 
S.  Swann,  Trinity  Hall 
F.  J.  Pitman,  Third  Trinity 
J.    M.   Cowper-Smith,   First 

Trinity 
J.  C.  Gardner,  Emmanuel 
C.  B.  P.  Bell,  Trinity  Hall 


PROFESSIONAL   WINNERS   OF   REGATTAS   AND 
CHAMPIONSHIPS. 

WINNERS   OF   THE  AQUATIC   CHAMPIONSHIP. 


Date 


1831. 
1838, 
1846, 
1847, 
1851, 
1852, 
1S52, 
1854, 
1857. 
1859, 
i860, 
1863, 
1863, 
1865, 
a  1866, 
b  1866, 
1866, 
1867, 
1868, 
1874. 
1875. 
c  1876, 

1876, 


Sept.  9 
Nov.  I 
Aug.  19 
Sept.  29 
May  7 
Mav  24. 
Oct'.  14 
Nov.  20 
Mav  12 
Sept.  29 
Sept.  18 
April  14 
June  16 
Aug.  8 
July  4 

J"iy  5 

Nov.  22 
May  6 
Nov.  17 
April  16 
Nov.  15 
June  27 


Winner 


C.  Campbell 
C.  Campbell 
R.  Coombes 
R.  Coombes 
R.  Coombes 
T.  Cole 
T.  Cole 

J.  A.  Messenger 
H.  Kelley 
R.  Chambers 
R.  Chambers 
R.  Chambers 
R.  Chambers 
H.  Kelley 
H.  Kelley 
H.  Kelley 
R.  Chambers 
H.  Kelley 
J.  Renforth 


J.  H.  Sadler 
I  T.  H.  Sadler 
I  E.  Trickett 

{      A   match 


Loser 


C.  Williams 

R.  Coombes 

C.  Campbell 

R.  Newell 

T.  Mackinnery 

R.  Coombes 

R.  Coombes 

T.  Cole 

J.  A.  Messenger 

H.  K 


1876,  June  29 


Kelley 

T.  White 

G.  W.  Everson 

R.  A.  W.  Green 

R.  Chambers 

Ham  mill 

Hammill 

J.  H.  Sadler 

R.  Chambers 

H.  Kelley 

R.  Bagnall 

R.  W.  Boyd 

J.  Sadler 
was  made  between  Trickett  and 
1  Lumsden,  but  the  latter  forfeited. 
/  A  match  was  made  between  Sadler  and 
]  Higgins  for  the  Championship,  subject  to  the 
former  beating  Trickett,  but  after  being  de- 
^  feated  Sadler  forfeited. 


Course        !    Time 


W.  to  P. 

W.  to  P. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 
Tyne 
Tyne 

P.  to  M. 
Tvne 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 

P.  to  M. 


25  15 
23  46 
25  5 
25  15 

23  35 

24  30 

24  30 

25  25 
23  IS 
25  27 

I  25  25 

I   23  25 

'  33  29 


25 

4  1 

31 

4t 

23 

^5  i 

24 

15  1 

29 

2  i 

24  35 

(«)  This  was  virtually  a  row  over  for  Kelley,  and  no  time  was  taken. 

{b)  Won  on  a  foul. 

\c)  The  first  occasion  of  the  Championship  being  taken  from  England. 


COURSES 

I^Ato  B. Starting  posts  of  the  Eights  in  the  Lent&Ms^  Raxses  (Bumping  Races) 

C.Winningpostforthe  lasthaif  of  each  division  of  boats. D.  Winning  post  ■for  first 
haJf  of  each  division  of  boats:  A/.S.Each  boatinthefirsthaJf  ofthedivisionmay  be 
bumped  until  it  passes  D.&  each  boatin  the  last  half  of  thedivision  may  bebumped 
until  it  has  passed  Cn"?*  E.to  F.  Starting  posts  lOOyds.from  each  other  for  Fours  i 
Universr^  Fours  (TimeRacesjGtoH.Winning posts  for  sa/ne-A/fi. The lastboat 
aJwsys  startsfromE.thefirst  boat  always  finishes  at  H.w/hatevBT  number 
startin  aheaX  ICL''.^  E.to  F. Starting  posts  lOOjds.af  artfor  Colquhour 
Challenge  Sculls  (Varsity  Sculls)&  Magdalen  Pairs  (Varsi^  Pairs)(Time 
Races)  K.to  L. Winning  posts  for  same.  The  last  boat  always  starts 
■from  E. the  first,  boat  aiwsLys  finishes  at  K.v/hatever  number 
start  in  a  heat. 


NOTEtoII^i'&IIFf'TheciisteuiceE.toF.is  variable  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
boats  starting  in  a  heat  The  point  E  .  istal<en  &  the  last boa±, started  there.the 
next  1 00 ^ds .towards  F.&.soon. 

Key  by  R.  G.  Gridley,  Esq., 
ExPres.  C.U.B.C. 


LondoTL!  Lorupmjana  <fe  Co. 


PROFESSIONAL   WINNERS    OF  REGATTAS,  ETC.  297 


Winners  of  the  Aquatic  Q\\kwp\o^'s,\\\v—  contimied. 


Date 

Winner 

Loser 

Course 

l"ime 

1877,  May  28 

R.  W.  Boyd 

J.  Higgins 

■ 
P.  to  M. 

m.    s. 
29     0 

/      Trickett  beat  Michael  Rush  for 

the  Cham- 

1877,  June  30 

pionship  of  the  World,  on  the  Paramatta  River, 

'  New  South  Wales. 

1877,  Oct.  8 

J.  Higgins 

R.  W.  Boyd 

P.  to  M. 

24  10 

1878,  Jan.  14 

J.  Higgins 

R.  W.  Boyd 

Tyne 

Foul 

1878,  June  3 

J.  Higgins 

W.  Elliott 

P.  to  M. 

24  38 

/      d  W.  Elliott  b 
J  of  race  for  the 

eat  R.   W.    Boyd  in  final  heat  , 

1878,  Sept.  17 

Sportsman's  '  Challenge  Cup,  !■ 

24  20 

*  Putney  to  Mortl 

Ike. 

) 

1879,  Feb.  21 

W.  Elliott 

J.  Higgins 
W.  Elliott 

Tyne 

22     I 

1879,  June  16 

E.  Hanlan 

Tyne 

21     I 

1880,  Nov.  16 

E.  Hanlan 

E.  Trickett 

Thames 

26  12 

1881,  Feb.  14 

E.  Hanlan 

E.  C.  Laycock 

P.  to  M. 

25  41 

I  1882,  April  3 

E.  Hanlan 

R.  W.  Boyd 

T\ne 

21    25 

}  1882,  May  I 

E.  Hanlan 

E.  Trickett 

P.  to  M. 

28      0 

:  1884,  May  22 

E.  Hanlan 

E.  C.  Laycock 

Nepean 
Riv.,N.S.W. 

— 

1884,  Aug.  16 

W.  Beach 

E.  Hanlan 

Paramatta 
Riv.,N.S.W 

— 

1885,  Feb.  28 

W.  Beach 

C.  Clifford 

Paramatta 
Riv.,N.S.W 

26      0 

1885,  Mch.  28 

W.  Beach 

E.  Hanlan 

Paramatta 
Riv.,N.S.W. 

22    51 

1885,  Dec.  18 

W.  Beach 

N.  Matterson 

Paramatta 
Riv.,N.S.W. 

24    11^ 

1  1886,  Sept.  18 

W.  Beach 

y.  Gaudaur 

P.  to  M. 

22    29 

'  1886,  Sept,  25 

W.  Beach 

Wallace  Rcss 

P.  to  M. 

23     5 

id)  Boyd  passed  the  post  first,  but  the  race  was  awarded  to  Elliott  on  the  foul 


298  BOA  TING. 

THAMES   NATIONAL   REGATTA 

FOR    WATERMEN. 


CHAMPION  FOUHS  (IVmners). 

1854  Ehzoick  Crew.  — Winship,  Cook,  Davidson,  Bruce,  Oliver  (cox.^ 

1855  Shakspeare  Cretv. — Wood,  Carrol,  Ault,  Taylor,  Malony  (cox.) 

1856  North  and  South  Crew. — H.   Clasper,  W.  Pocock,  R.  Chambers, 

T.  Mackinney,  G.  Driver  (cox. ) 

1857  Newcastle    Crew. — J.    H.    Clasper,    A.   Maddeson,   R.    Chambers, 

H.  Clasper,  Short  (cox.) 

1858  Pride  of  the   Thames    Crew.—G.    Francis,    S.   Salter,   T.  White, 

G.  Hammerton,  J.  Driver  (cox.) 

1859  Newcastle    Crew. — J.     H.    Clasper,    R.    Chambers,     E.    Winship, 

H.  Clasper,  R.  Clasper  (cox. ) 
i860     london  Crew.—T.   Pocock,  J.   Wise,  T.  White,   H.    Kelley,  W. 
Peters  (cox.) 

1861  Kilmorey    Creiv.  —  G.    Hanmierton,    J.    W.    Tagg,    E.    Winship, 

R.  Chambers,  R.  Clasper  (cox. ) 

1862  Newcastle  Cre7o. — J.  H.  Clasper,  R.    Chambers,   E.  Winship,   H. 

Clasper,  R.  Clasper  (cox. ) 

1863  Thames  Cretu.  —  H.  Harris,  T.  G.  Tagg,  J.  W.  Tagg,  G.  Hammer- 

ton,  R.  W.  Hanna  (cox. ) 

1864  Pride  of  the    Thames  Crew. — T.   Hoare,   H.   Kelley,  J.  W.  Tagg, 

G.  Hammerton,  R.  Hammerton  (cox.) 

1865  Sons  of  the   Thames  Cj-exu.  —  Y.    Kilsby,    R.   Cook,    G.    Cannon, 

J.  Sadler,  S.  Peters  (cox.) 

1866  Pride  of  the   Thames   Creiv. — T.    Hoare,   J.    Pedgrift,   J.    Sadler, 

G.  Hammerton,  J.  Hill  (cox.) 


1854  H.  Kelley,  Fulham 

1855  R.  Chambers,  Newcastle 

1856  H.  Kelley,  Fulham 

1857  R.  Chambers,  Newcastle 

1858  R.  Chambers,  Newcastle 

1859  J.  Wise,  Kew 
i860  G.  Hammerton,  Teddington 


SCUIIS 

;  1861 

H.  Kelley,  Fulham 

:                1862 

R.  Cooper,  Redheugh 

1863 

R.  A.  W.  Green,  Australia 

!       1  1864 

H.  Kelley,  Putney 

1865 

R.  Chambers,  Newcastle 

1866 

R.  Cooper,  Redheugh 

PROFESSIONAL  WINNERS   OF  REGATTAS,  ETC.  299 


PAIR-OARS  ( Winners). 


1854  Pocock  and  Clasper 

1855  Winship  and  Bruce,  Elswick 

1856  Winship  and  Bruce 

1857  Hammerton     and     Francis, 

Teddington 

1858  Hammerton  and  Francis 
i860     Winship     and      Chambers, 

Newcastle    . 
1 86 1     Winship  and  Chambers 


1862  Winship  and  Chambers 

1863  Green  and  Kelley,  Australia 

and  Putney 

1864  Kilsby  and    Cook,    London 

and  Oxford 

1865  Kilsby  and    Cook,    London 

and  Oxford 

1866  G.  Hammerton  and  J.  Sad- 

ler, Surbiton 


APPRENTICES'   SCULLS :   COAT  AND  BADGE  {Winners). 


1856  G.  Hammerton,  Teddington 

1857  S.  Salter,  Wandsworth 
185S  E.  Bell,  Richmond 

1859  W.  Hemmings,  Richmond 

i860  E.  Eagers,  Chelsea. 

1 86 1  T.  Hoare,  Hammersmith 


1862  J.  W.  Tagg,  Moulsey 

1863  R.  Cook,  Oxford 

1864  T.  Wise,  Hammersmith 

1865  J.  Callas,  Richmond 

1866  W.  Sadler,  Putney 


THAMES    NATIONAL    ^^.Q^NYTK  {Second  Series). 


FOURS. 


1868  Nezucastle  Crexa.—].  Taylor,  M.  Scott,  A.  Thompson,  R.  Cham- 

bers (Wallsend)  (stroke),  T.  French  (cox.) 

1869  Snrbiton  Crew. — ^J.   Sadler,  J.   Pedgrift,  W.  Messenger,  G.  Ham- 

merton (stroke),  R.  Hammerton  (cox.) 

1870  Newcastle  Crew.—  R.   Hepplewhite,  J.  Percy,  J.  Bright,  R.  Cham- 

bers (stroke),  F.  M'Lean  (cox.) 

1 87 1  Glasgow  Crew.—].  Moody,  T.  Smillie,  J.  Calderhead,  W.  Calder- 

head  (stroke),  J.  M.  Green  (cox.) 

1872  Hammersmith   Crezv. — H.    Thomas,  T.  Green,  J.   Anderson,  W. 

Bififen,  jun.  (stroke),  G.  Martin  (cox.) 

1873  Hammersmith   Crew. — T.   Green,   H.   Thomas,  J.   Anderson,  W. 

Biffen  (stroke),  JL  Goldsmith  (cox.) 

1874  Hammersmith   Crew. — T.   Green,  H,    Thomas,   J.  Anderson,  W. 

Biffen  (stroke),  G.  Holder  (cox.) 


300 


BOATING. 


1875  Netocastle  C7-ew. — R.    Hepplewhite,  W.    Nicholson,    R.    Bagnall, 

R.  W.  Boyd  (stroke),  J.  Cox  (cox.) 

1876  Thames  Creiv. — W.  F,  Spencer,  H.  Thomas,  J.  Higgins,  T.  Green 

(stroke),  J.  Holder  (cox.) 


PAIRS, 

1868  J.  Taylor  and  M.  Scott,  Newcastle 

1869  J.  Taylor  and  T.  Winship,  Newcastle 

1870  G.  Carr  and  T.  Matfin,  Newcastle 

1 87 1  \V.  Eiffen,  jun.  and  G.  Hammerton 

1872  J.  Taylor  and  T.  Winship,  Newcastle 

1873  R.  Bagnall  and  J.  Taylor,  Newcastle 

1874  W.  Biflen  and  H.  Thomas 

1875  R-  Bagnall  and  R.  W.  Boyd,  Newcastle 

1876  T.  Green  and  H.  Thomas,  Thames 


SCULLS. 


1868  J.  Renforth,  Newcastle 

1869  J.  Renforth,  Newcastle 

1870  J.  H.  Sadler,  Surbiton 

1 87 1  a].  Anderson,  Hammersmith 

1872  h].  Anderson,  Hamanersmith 


1873  ^'  ^-  Hogarth,  Sunderland 

1874  /^R.  W.  Boyd,  Newcastle 

1875  ^^^'  Blackman,  London 

1876  T.  Blackman,  Dulwich 


APPRENTICES'   SCULL.S:    COAT  AND  BADGE. 


1868  W.    Biffen,  Jun.,    Hammer-  I  1872 

smith  I  1873 

1869  J.  Griffiths,  Wandsworth  j  1874 

1870  W.  Messenger,  Teddington  i  1875 

1871  T,  Green,  Hammersmith  1  1876 


H.  Messum,  Richmond 
J.  Phillips,  Putney 
W.  Phillips,  Putney 
J.  Tarryer,  Rotherhithe 
H.  Clasper,  Oxford 


(a)  Limited  to  men  who  have  never  sculled  for  a  stake  of  50/. 
\l))  For  men  who  have  never  sculled  for  a  stake  of  100/. 


THAMES  INTERNATIONAL  REGATTA. 


CHAMPION  SCULLS. 

1876     R.  W.  Boyd,  1877     T.  Blackman, 

1878     W.  Elliott. 


CHAMPLON  FOURS. 

[876  aTyne  crew,  1877     Thames  crew 

1878     Tyne  crew. 


CHAMPLON  PA  LPS. 

1876  R.  \V.  Boyd  and  W.  Lumsden. 

1877  J.  Higgins  and  H.  Thomas. 

1878  R.  W.  Boyd  and  W.  Lumsden. 

(a)  After  a  foul,  the  Tyne  men  won  on  the  second  day. 


•     ROYAL  THAMES   REGATTA, 

Established  1843. 

WATERMEN'S  PRIZES. 

1843  No  race  for  professionals. 

1844  Fours. — London  four,    T.    Coonibes,    Phelps,    Newell,    and    R. 

Coombes  beat  H.  Clasper's  crew  for  100/.  prize. 
Sculls. — H.  Clasper  won  in  the  first  '  outrigged  '  sculling  boat, 

1845  Fours. — H.  Clasper,   R.  Clasper,  W.  Clasper,  and   Hawtor  beat 

Coombes's  four. 

1846  Fours. — T.  Coombes,  Newell,  Phelps,  and  R.  Coombes  won. 

1847  No  race. 

1848  Clasper's  crew  won  (Coombes  in  the  boat). 

1849  Clasper's  crew  won  fours.     (This  was  the  last  year  of  the  regatta.) 


302  BOATING. 


BRITISH   REGATTA   IN   PARIS,    1867 
(exhibition  year). 

CHAMPION  FOURS. 

1867     AUnon   Crew,  Nezucastle.—].   Taylor,    M.    Scott,   A.    Thompson, 
R.  Chambers  (St.  Anthony's)  (st.),  T.  Richardson  (cox.) 

FAIR-OARS. 
R.  Cook  and  H.  Kelley,  Oxford  and  London. 

SCULLS. 
H.  Kelley,  Putney. 


WORLD'S   REGATTA   ON   THE   THAMES. 


[880  On  November  18  a  sculling  regatta  organised  by  an  American  firm, 
'  The  Hop  Bitters'  Co.,  was  commenced  on  the  Thames.  It 
lasted  three  days,  and  prizes  amounting  to  1,000/.  were  given 
and  won  as  under  : — 

1.  Elias  C.  Laycock,  Sydney,  N.S.W ;^50o 

2.  Wallace  Ross,  St.  John's,  New  Brunswick         .         .  300 

3.  George  Hosmer,  Boston,  U.S.A.       .         .         .         .  140 

4.  Warren  Smith,  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia         ...  60 


WINNERS   GF  DOGGETT'S  PRIZE. 


303 


WINNERS   OF   DOGGETT'S   COAT   AND 
BADGE. 


I79I 

T.  Easton,  Old  Swan 

1825 

1792 

J.  Kettleby,  Westminster 

1826 

1793 

A.  Haley,  Horselydown 

1827 

1794 

J.  Franklin,  Putney 

1828 

1795 

W.  Parry,  Hungerford 

1829 

1796 

J.  Thompson,  Wapping  Old 

1830 

Stairs 

1831 

1797 

J.  Hill,  Bankside 

1832 

1798 

T.  Williams,  Ratcliff  Cross 

1833 

1799 

J,  Dixon,  Paddington  Street 

1834 

1800 

J.  Burgoyne,  Blackfriars 

1835 

1 801 

J.  Curtis,  Queenhithe 

1836 

1802 

W.  Burns,  Limehouse 

1837 

1803 

J.  Fowler,  Hungerford 

1838 

1804 

C.  Gingle,  Temple 

1839 

1805 

T.  Johnson,  Vauxhall 

1840 

1806 

J.  Godwin,  RatclifF  Cross 

1841 

1807 

J.  Evans,  Mill  Stairs 

1842 

1808 

G.  Newell,  Battle  Bridge 

1843 

1809 

F.  Jury,  Hermitage 

1844 

I8I0 

J.  Smart,  Strand 

1845 

I8II 

W.  Thornton,  Hungerford 

1846 

I8I2 

R.  May,  Westminster 

1847 

I8I3 

R.  Farson,  Bankside 

1848 

I8I4 

R.  Harris,  Bankside 

1849 

I8I5 

J.  Scott,  Bankside 

1850 

I8I6 

T.  Senham,  Blackfriars 

1851 

I8I7 

J.     Robson,    Wapping    Old 

1852 

Stairs 

1853 

I8I8 

W,  Nicholls,  Greenwich 

1854 

I8I9 

W.  Emery,  Hungerford 

1855 

1820 

J.  Hartley,  Strand 

1856 

I82I 

T.  Cole,  sen.,  Chelsea 

1857 

1822 

W.  Noulton,  Lambeth 

1858 

1823 

G.  Butcher,  Hungerford 

1859 

1824 

G.  Fogo,  Battle  Bridge 

i860 

G.  Staples,  Battle  Bridge 
J.  Foett,  Bankside 
J.  Foss,  Fountain  Stair 
R.  Mallett,  Lambeth 
S.  Stubbs,  Old  Barge  House 
W.  Butler,  Vauxhall 
R.  Oliver,  Deptford 
R.  Waight,  Bankside 
G.  Maynard,  Lambeth 
W..  Tomlinson,  Whitehall 
W.  Dyson,  Kidney  Stairs 
J.  Morris,  Horselydown 
T.  Harrison,  Bankside 
S.  Bridge,  Kidney  Stairs 
T.  Goodrum,  Vauxhall  Stairs 
W.   Hawkins,  Kidney  Stairs 
R.  Moore,  Surrey  Canal 
J.  Liddey,  Wandsworth 
J.  Fry,  Kidney  Stairs 

F.  Lett,  Lambeth 
J.  Cobb,  Greenwich 
J.  Wing,  Pimlico 

W.  Ellis,  Westminster 
J.  Ash,  Rotherhithe 
T.  Cole,  jun.,  Chelsea 
W.  Campbell,  Winchester 

G.  Wigget,  Somer's  Quay 

C,  Constable,  Lambeth 
J.  Finnis,  Tower 

D.  Hemmings,  Bankside 
H.  White,  Mill  Stairs 

G.  W.  Everson,  Greenwich 
T.  White,  Mill  Stairs 
C.  J.  Turner,  Rotherhithe 
C.  Farrow,  jun..  Mill  Stairs 
H.  J.  M.  Phelps,  Fulham 


3^)4 


BOATING. 


I86I 

S.  Short,  Bermondsey 

1874 

1862 

J.  Messenger,  Cherry  Garden 

1875 

Stairs 

1876 

1863 

T.  Young,  Rotherhithe 

1864 

D.  Coombes,  Horselydown 

1877 

1865 

J.  W.  Wood,  Mill  Stairs 

1878 

1866 

A.  lies,  Kew 

1867 

H.     M.     Maxwell,    Custom 

1879 

House 

1880 

1868 

A.  Egalton,  Blackwall 

1881 

1869 

G.  Wright,  Bermondsey 

1882 

1870 

R.  Harding,  Blackwall 

1883 

I87I 

T.  J.  Mackinney,  Richmond 

1884 

1872 

T.  G.  Green,  Hammersmith 

1885 

1873 

H.  Messum,  Richmond 

1886 

1887     W 

G.  Ei 

R.  W.  Burwood,  Wapping 

W.  Phelps,  Putney 

C.     T.     Bullman,    Shadwell 

Dock 
J.  Tarryer,  Rotherhithe 
T.     E.    Taylor,    Hermitage 

Stairs 
Henry  Cordery,  Putney 
W.  G.  Cobb,  Putney 
G.  Claridge,  Richmond 
H.  A.  Audsley,  Waterloo 
J.  Lloyd,  Chelsea 
C.  Phelps,  Putney 
J.  Mackinney,  Richmond 
H.  Cole,  Deptford 


RIVERS   AND   COURSES. 


RIVER   LEA. 

Distance  from 

LiMEHOusE        Hertford 

m,     f.                  m.     f. 

Hertford 27     7              00 

Hertford  Lock     . 

27      2                  05 

Ware  Lock  . 

25      7                  20 

Ware. 

25      2                  25 

Hard  Mead  Lock 

24     3                3     4 

Amwell  Lock 

23     4                4     3 

Stanstead  Lock   . 

22      7                  50 

Rye  House,  Hoddesdon 

21      4                  63 

Feildep  Weir  Lock 

21       2                    65 

Dobbs's  Weir  Lock      . 

20     3              7     4 

Carthagena  Lock 

19    6              81 

Broxbourne  Lock 

19     I              8     6 

Aqueduct  Lock    . 

17     5            10    2 

Cheshunt  Mill      . 

16     7            II     I 

Waltham' Common  Lock 

15     7            12     0 

Waltham  Abbey  Lock 

14     7            13    0 

Romney  Marsh  Lock   . 

14    3            13    4 

Enfield  Lock 

13     I             14    6 

Fonder's  End  Lock       . 

II     2            16    5 

RIVERS  AND   COURSES. 


305 


Pickett's  Lock     . 
Edmonton  Lock  . 
Stone  Bridge  Lock 
Tottenham  Lock 
Tottenham  Railway  Bridge 
Lea  Bridge . 
Homerton  Lock  , 
Duckett's  Canal  Junction 
Old  Ford  Lock    . 
Bow  Railway  Bridge    . 
Bow  Bridge 
Bromley  Lock 
Britannia  Lock    . 
Limehouse  Cut  Entrance 


Distance  from 

Limehouse 

Hertford 

m. 

f. 

m. 

f. 

10 

2 

17 

5 

9 

2 

18 

5 

8 

2 

19 

5 

7 

3 

20 

4 

.      6 

7 

21 

0 

5 

0 

22 

7 

4 

2 

23 

5 

•       3 

I 

24 

6 

2 

6 

25 

I 

2 

3 

25 

4 

2 

I 

25 

6 

I 

4 

26 

3 

0 

I 

27 

6 

0 

0 

27 

7 

LENGTH  OF  RACING    COURSES. 


Barnes  Regatta  Course 

Barrow,  Walney  Channel 

Bedford  Regatta  . 

Blyth,  Flanker  to  Cowper  Ciut 

Bristol,  from  Hotwells  to  Bristol 

Boston,  River  Witham 

Cambridge 

Chester 

Clydesdale 

Cork  . 

Derby 

Dublin 

Durham 

Ely,  Littleport  to  Adelaide  Bridge 

Exeter 

Halton  Water 

Henley-on-Thames 

Huntington 

,,  for  time  races 

Hollingworth  Lake 
Hereford 

Ipswich        .     ■     . 
King's  Lynn,  Champion  Course 

,,  Prince  of  Wales's  Course 


i\  mile 

2  miles  600  yards 

f  mile 

2  miles 

1 1  mile 

2|  miles 

i|  mile 

i\  mile 

1 1  mile 

2  miles 

I  mile 

2\  miles 

I  mile  300  yards 

2\  miles 


if  mile 

I  mile  2\  furlongs 

if  mile 

3  miles 

3  miles 

I  mile  536  yards 

1  mile  700  yards 

2  miles 
i^  mile 

X 


3o6 


BOATING. 


Kingston-on-Thames,    Seething   Wells   to    Kingston 
Bridge      ........ 

Lincoln,  sculling  and  pair-oared 

,,       four-oared  ...... 

London  Bridge  to  Old  Swan,  Chelsea 
Manchester      ...... 

Moulsey  (down  stream)    .... 

Newark,  Devonmouth  to  Magnus  Boathouse 
Oxford,  Iffley  to  the  Barges      .          .  .         , 

,,       Abingdon  Lasher  to  Nuneham  Cottage 
Putney  to  Barnes  Bridge  ..... 

,,      to  Chiswick  ..... 

,,      to  Hammersmith  .... 

,,      to  Mortlake 

Richmond,  Sion  House  to  Richmond  Bridge     . 

,,  Cross  Deep,  Twickenham,  to  Richmond 

Railway  Bridge  ..... 

Stockton-on-Tees,  Portrack  Course  . 

,,  ,,  ,,       above  bridges 

Stourport         ....... 

Sunderland,  North  Hylton  to  Spa  Well     . 
Tyne,  High  Level  Bridge  to  Waterson's  Gates  . 
,,  ,,  ,,  Meadow's  House  . 

,,  ,,  ,,  Armstrong's  Crane 

,,  ,,  ,,  West  Point  of  Paradise 

Quay 
,,  ,,  ,,  Scotswood    Suspension 

Bridge 
,,  ,,  ,,  Lemington  Point 


Tewkesbury  .... 
Walton-on-Thames  (up  stream) 
Warwick  .... 

Worcester        .... 


\\  mile 
'\  mile 

1  \  miles 

4  miles  3  furlongs 

2  miles 
I  J-  mile 

1  mile 
i|  mile 
\\  mile 

3  miles  6  furlongs 

2  miles  4  furlongs 
I  mile  6  furlongs 

4  miles  3  furlongs 
I  mile  7  furlongs 

I  mile  5  furlongs 
4  miles 

I I  mile 
\\  mile 
I  mile 

1  mile 

1 1  mile 

2  miles 

2.\  miles 

3  miles  713  yards 

4  J  miles 
2  miles 

I  mile 
\\  mile 
I  mile 


DISTANCES  OF    WEIRS  ETC,    OXFORD    TO  LECH  LADE. 

Distance  from 

Oxford         Lechlade 
Bridge  Bridge 

m.     f.  m.     f. 

Oxford  Bridge 00  36     o 

Godstow  Lock     .......       3     3  33     o 

King's  Weir 44  314 

Ensham  Bridge 75  28     3 


RIVERS  AND   COURSES. 


307 


Pinkhill  Lock 
Skinner's  Weir     . 
Badlock  Ferry 
Ridge's  Weir 
Newbridge  . 
Shifford  Weir       . 
Dexford  Weir 
Tenfoot  Weir  Bridge    . 
Kent  or  Tadpole  Bridge 
Bushey  Weir 


Old  N: 


W( 


Old  Man's  or  Harper's  Weir 

Radcot  Bridge 

Eaton  or  Hart's  Upper  Weir 

Buscot  Lock 

St.  John's  Bridge 

Lechlade  Bridge . 


Dlstan 

IRD 

ce  from 

OXFC 

Lechlade 

Bridge 

Bridge 

m. 

f. 

m. 

f. 

10 

0 

26 

0 

II 

0 

25 

0 

12 

4 

23 

4 

16 

0 

20 

0 

17 

2 

18 

6 

19 

0 

17 

0 

20 

0 

16 

0 

22 

0 

14 

0 

23 

12 

3 

24 

II 

3 

26 

9 

26 

9 

28 

7 

31 

4 

33 

2 

35 

2 

0 

6 

36 

0 

0 

0 

TABLES  OF  DISTANCES  OF  LOCKS  ETC. 
ON  THE    THAMES. 

Distance  from 


dge  (stone)  and  Lock 


Oxford  Folly  Bri 

Iffley  Lock 

Rose  Island 

Sand  ford  Lock 

Abingdon  Loci 

Al)ingdon  Bridge  (stone) 

Culham  Lock 

Clifton  Lock 

Clifton  Hampden  Bridge  (brick) 

Day's  Lock 

Shillingford  Bridge  (stone) 

Benson  Lock 

Wallingford  Bridge  (stone) 

Wallingford  Lock 

Little  Stocke  Ferry     . 

Moulsford  Ferry 


Oxford 

Folly 

London 

Bridge 

Bridge 

m. 

f. 

m.        f. 

0 

0 

no     I^ 

I 

I 

109    ol 

I 

71 

108    ll 

2 

5! 

107     3j 

7 

o\ 

103     I 

7 

3 

102    5| 

9 

51- 

100    4 

12 

2! 

97    6 

12 

6| 

97     2| 

15 

2>\ 

94    6} 

17 

71 

92     I 

19 

o\ 

91     I 

20 

2} 

89     6} 

20 

6| 

81     7 

23 

o| 

^7    0} 

24 

31 

85    5! 

X  2 

3o8                                        BOATING. 

Distance 
Oxford  Folly 

from 

London 

Bridge 

Bridge 

m. 

f. 

m. 

f. 

Cleeve  Lock 

25 

S\ 

84 

3^ 

Goring  Lock 

26 

3 

83 

6} 

Basiklon  Railway  Bridge     .... 

27 

5 

82 

4^ 

Whitchurch  Lock 

30 

3 

79 

6i 

Pangbourne  Bridge 

30 

4| 

79 

4! 

Maple  Durham  Lock           .... 

32 

S\ 

77 

3f 

Caversham  Bridge  (iron)     .... 

36 

o\ 

74 

o| 

Caversham  Lock 

36 

6 

73 

3^ 

Sonning  Lock 

39 

3 

70 

61- 

Sonning  Bridge  (brick)        .... 

39 

5^ 

70 

.4 

vShiplake  Lock    .         .         .         .          .         . 

42 

oi 

68 

I 

Wargrave  Railway  Bridge  .         .         .       '  ! 

42 

2^- 

67 

71 

Wargrave  Ferry 

42 

4| 

67 

4! 

Marsh  Lock 

44 

5 

65 

41- 

Henley  Bridge  (stone)         .... 

45 

4 

64 

51 

Regatta  Island  (from  this  to  Henley  Bridge  is  th 

usual  Regatta  course)  .... 

46 

71 

63 

i! 

H  ambled  on  Lock        .          .          . 

47 

6| 

62 

2! 

Medmenham  Abbey  and  Ferry    . 

49 

6| 

60 

2| 

Hurley  Lock 

51 

2 

58 

71 

Temple  Lock 

51 

71 

58 

Marlow  Suspension  Bridge  (iron) 

53 

31 

56 

5i 

Marlow  Lock 

53 

5 

56 

4\ 

Cookham  Railway  Bridge  (wooden)     . 

56 

0} 

54 

I 

Cookham  Bridge  (iron)        .... 

57 

2 

52 

7k 

Cookham  Lock 

57 

5 

52 

4\ 

Boulter's  Lock    ...... 

60 

0} 

50 

ol 

Maidenhead  Bridge  (stone) 

60 

6| 

49 

A 

Maidenhead  Railway  Bridge  (brick)     , 

.       60 

0.^ 

49 

I 

Bray 

.       61 

6| 

48 

2\ 

Bray  Lock          ...... 

62 

0} 

48 

Of 

Monkey  Island 

62 

ol 

47 

3 

Queen's  Island  ...... 

63 

2i 

46 

7 

Boveney  Lock    

64 

71 

45 

i| 

Windsor  Railway  Bridge  (iron)    . 

66 

6.^ 

43 

3 

Windsor  Bridge  (iron) 

67 

il 

43 

0 

Windsor  Lock 

67 

4| 

42 

4\ 

South- Western  Railway  Bridge  (iron) . 

67 

7 

42 

21- 

Victoria  Bridge  (iron)          .... 

68 

3 

41 

6'r 

Datchet 

68 

71 

41 

^\ 

RIVERS  AND   COURSES. 


309 


r 

)istance 

from 

Oxford 

Folly 

London 

Bridge 

Bridge 

m. 

f. 

m.       f. 

Albert  Bridge  (iron) .69 

6 

40    3r 

Old  Windsor  Lock      .... 

70 

4| 

39    4| 

Magna  Charta  Island 

71 

7h 

38     If 

Bell  Weir  Lock           .... 

n 

3| 

36    5^ 

Staines  Bridge  (stone) 

74 

3.^ 

35     5^ 

Staines  Railway  Bridge  (iron) 

74 

61- 

35     3 

Penton  Hook  Lock     .... 

76 

i| 

33     7} 

Laleham  Ferry 

76 

7h 

33    2 

Chertsey  Lock 

77 

71 

32     li 

Chertsey  Bridge  (stone) 

78 

o| 

32    o.| 

Shepperton  Lock 

79 

6 

30    3\ 

Shepperton         .... 

80 

4 

29    5f 

Halliford 

81 

0]- 

29    0^- 

Walton  Bridge  (iron) 

81 

7\ 

28    I'i 

Sun  bury  Lock    .... 

83 

A} 

26     41 

Hampton  Ferry           .         .         . 

85 

S} 

24     3| 

Moulsey  Lock    .... 

86 

4! 

23     4j 

Hampton  Court  Bridge  (iron) 

86 

5} 

23     3^- 

Thames  Ditton  Ferry 

^7 

4! 

22     4^ 

Messenger's  Island 

88 

s\ 

21     31 

Kingston  Bridge  (stone) 

89 

51- 

20    4 

Kingston  Railway  Bridge  (iron)  . 

89 

61- 

20    3 

Teddington  Lock 

91 

21- 

18    7 

Twickenham  Ferry     . 

92 

51 

17     3i 

Richmond  Bridge  (stone)    . 

94 

ol- 

16    0} 

Richmond  Railway  Bridge  (iron) 

.       94 

3\ 

15    5! 

Isleworth  (Railhead)  Ferry 

94 

7h 

15     If 

Isleworth 

95 

2.V 

14    6| 

Brentford  Ferry 

96 

4V 

13     4f 

Kew  Bridge  (stone)    . 

•       97 

I 

13    ol 

Strand-on-the-Green  Railway  Bridge 

(iron) 

abou 

t       97 

5 

12     4^ 

Barnes  Railway  Bridge  (iron) 

•       99 

o| 

II      o| 

Hammersmith  South  Bridge  (iron) 

.     100 

7^ 

9     Ik 

Putney  Bridge  (wooden) 

.     102 

5f 

7     31 

Battersea  Railway  Bridge    . 

.      104 

4\ 

5     5 

Battersea  Bridge  (wooden) . 

.      105 

il- 

5    0 

Chelsea  Suspension  Bridge  (iron) 

.     106 

^l 

4    0 

Vauxhall  Bridge  (iron) 

.     107 

^h 

2    71 

Lambeth  Suspension  Bridge  (iron) 

.      107 

6 

2     31- 

Westminster  Bridge  (iron)  . 

.     108 

i| 

I     7i 

3IO 

BOATING. 

Distance  from 

Oxford  Folly 

London 

Bridge 

Bridge 

m       f. 

m.      f. 

Charing  Cross  Railway  Bridge  (iron)    .         .         .108     4^ 

I     4f 

Waterloo  Bridge  (stone) 

, 

108     6i 

I     2} 

Blackfriars  Bridge  (iron)      . 

. 

109     3 

0    6^ 

Southwark  Bridge  (iron)     . 

. 

109     6| 

0      2L 

Cannon  Street  Railway  Bridge  (iron)  . 

IIO     0 

0       I,^ 

London  Bridge  (stone) 

' 

IIO      I^ 

0      0 

ON   THE  RIVER  MED  WAY. 

Distance  from 

Shee^ness      1 

Tonbridge 

m.      f. 

m.      f. 

Tonbridge 46     4 

0     0 

Tonbridge  Lock  . 

.      46      2 

0      2 

Giles's  Lock 

•     45     5 

0      7 

Eldridge's  Lock  . 

.     44    4 

2      0 

Porter's  Lock 

•     43     5 

2       7 

East  Lock   . 

.     42    0 

4     4 

Nook  Weare  Lock 

•     41     3 

5     I 

New  Lock   . 

•     40    4 

6     0 

Sluice  Weare  Lock 

.     40    0 

6     4 

Brandbridge's  Lock 

•     39     3 

7     I 

South-Eastern  Railway  Brid 

l^ 

.     39    0 

7     4 

Stonehani  Lock    . 

.     38     6 

7     6 

Yalding  Village    . 

•     37     6 

8     6 

Hampstead  Lock 

•     37     3 

9     I 

Wateringbury  Bridge    . 

•     35     4 

II     0 

Yeston  Lock 

.     34     2 

12     2 

Yeston  Bridge 

34     I 

12     3 

East  Farleigh  Lock 

32    0 

14    0 

East  Farleigh  Bridge   . 

32    0 

14    4 

Maidstone  Lock 

29     7 

16     5 

Maidstone  Bridge 

.     29     6 

16     6 

Gibraltar  Lock     . 

.     27     6 

18     6 

Aylesford  Bridge 

.     25     6 

20     6 

Snodland  Ferry    . 

.     20    4 

26     0 

Lower  Hailing  Ferry    . 

.     18    4 

28     0 

Rochester  Bridge 

.     14    0 

32     4 

Rochester  Railway  Bridge    . 

14    0 

32     4 

Chatham      .... 

12    4 

34    0 

RIVERS  AND   COURSES. 


311 


Distance  from 


Sheerness      Tonbridge 


Chatham  Dockyard 
Upnor  Castle 
Gillingham 
River  Swale 
Sheerness     . 


m. 

f. 

m 

f. 

12 

0 

34 

4 

II 

0 

35 

4 

8 

4 

38 

0 

2 

0 

44 

4 

0 

0 

46 

4 

ON   THE   RIVER    IVEY. 


Distance  from 

X 

Thames  Lock 

GODALMII 

m       f. 

m.     f. 

Godalming 20     i 

0      0 

Catshail  Lock 

.     19     3 

0     0 

Unsted  Lock 

.     18     3 

I     6 

Broadford  Bridge 

•     17    5 

2     6 

Shalford  Railway  Bridge 

17    0 

3    0 

St.  Catherine's  Lock    . 

16    5 

3    4 

St.  Catherine's  Ferry    . 

.     16    3 

3    6 

Guildford  Lock    . 

15    5 

4     4 

Guildford  Bridge 

15    4 

4     5 

Stoke  Lock 

12    4 

7     5 

Bower's  Lock       .... 

II     5 

6    4 

Trigg's  Lock 

9    5 

10    0 

Scud  Heath 

9     I 

II     5 

Worsfold's  Gates . 

8    7 

II     2 

Paper  Court  Lock 

7     3 

12     6 

Newark  Lock       .... 

6     I 

14    0 

Pirford  Lock 

5    2 

14    0 

South-Western  Railway  Bridge 

3    0 

17     I 

New  Plaw  Lock  .... 

2    4 

17     0 

Cox's  Lock           .... 

I     5 

18    4 

Weybridge  Lock .... 

I     0 

19     I 

Thames  Junction  Lock 

0    0 

20     I 

APPENDIX. 


THE   EARLY  HISTORY  OF  BOAT  RACING  AT 
THE    UNIVERSITIES} 

The  history  of  early  college  boat  racing  is  not  strictly  that  of 
the  University  boat  race  itself,  but  it  is  closely  wound  up  with  it, 
and  it  was,  moreover,  the  origin  of  that  aquatic  rivalry  between 
the  two  Universities  which  led  to  the  first  match  of  1829. 

Oxford  had  inaugurated  eight-oared  rowing  ;  that  introduced 
inter-college  bumping  races.  Cambridge  followed  suit  and  esta- 
blished similar  races,  and  hence  arose  the  constant  study  of 
aquatics  which  produced  the  first  match.  For  these  reasons,  we 
think  that  the  history  here  given  will  be  read  with  interest  by  all 
University  oarsmen,  the  more  so  because  it,  to  the  best  of  our 
knowledge,  has  never  before  appeared  in  print.  No  official  record 
of  their  early  races  has  been  preserved  ;  the  oldest  boating  record 
in  Oxford  is  the  Brasenose  Club  Book,  dating  1837.  That  of  the 
O.U.B.C.  commences  with  its  establishment,  1839.  The  'Charts  ' 
of  the  boat  races  from  1837,  published  by  Messrs.  Spiers  &  Sons, 
and  which  were  not  invented  till  after  the  year  1850,  obtain  the 
retrospective  racing,  prior  to  the  time  when  they  first  appeared, 
from  the  MS.  records  of  the  B.N.C.  book,  the  contents  of  which 
were  communicated  to  the  publishers  by  the  late  Rev.  T.  Codrington. 
But  prior  to  1837  all  is  blank.  For  the  lost  history  here  unearthed 
we  are  indebted  to  the  reminiscences  and  diaries  of  oarsmen  of 
those  days  still  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

Oxford  started  college  boat  racing  before  Cambridge.  It  does 
not  seem  quite  clear  as  to  when  bumping  races  actually  com- 

'   Reprinted  from  Z^;zfl't?«rf  tP '(7 /^r  of  December  17,  1881. 


314  BOATING. 

menced.  Two  or  three  colleges  had  boat  clubs  and  manned  eight 
oars,  and  at  first  it  seems  to  have  been  the  practice  for  out-college 
men  to  join  the  club  and  crew  of  colleges  to  which  they  did  not 
belong. 

The  eight  oars  seem  to  have  been  in  the  habit  of  going  down 
to  Sandford  or  Nuneham  to  dine,  and  of  rowing  home  in  company. 
From  Iffley  to  Oxford  they  were  inclined  to  race  to  see  who  could 
be  home  first.  They  could  not  race  abreast,  so  they  rowed  in 
Indian  file,  and  those  behind  jealously  tried  to  overtake  the  leaders. 
Hence  began  the  idea  of  starting  in  a  fixed  order  out  of  Iffley 
Lock,  of  racing  in  procession,  and  of  an  overtaken  boat  giving 
place  to  its  victor  on  the  next  night  of  procession. 

In  1822,  at  all  events,  there  were  bumping  races.  Christ 
Church  seems  to  have  been  head.  There  was  a  disputed  bump 
between  B.N.C.  and  Jesus,  and  some  violence  seems  to  have 
occurred,  B.N.C.  trying  to  haul  down  the  Jesus  flag,  and  the  Jesus 
men  defending  their  colours.  The  dispute  was  finally  closed  by 
Post  of  B.N.C.  saying,  'These  cries  of  "Jesus"  and  "B.N.C." 
remind  me  of  the  old  saying  : — 

Different  people  are  of  different  opinions; 
Some  like  leeks,  some  like  onions.' 

(The  oars  of  Jesus  were  decorated  with  leeks.)  The  quarrel  was 
made  up,  and  the  crews  went  together  to  Nuneham  in  their  racing 
boats.  Unfortunately  Musgrave,  one  of  the  party,  fell  overboard 
and  was  drowned  during  the  festivities.  In  1823  there  were  no 
eight-oared  races,  the  sad  accident  of  the  year  before  having  cast 
a  gloom  over  the  pursuit.  But  several  boats  were  manned. 
Christ  Church  refused  to  put  on  a  boat  in  consequence  of  Stephen 
Davis,  the  boat-builder,  rowing  in  the  B.N.C.  eight,  and  Isaac 
King  (who  eventually  took  Davis's  business)  in  the  Jesus  boat. 
Some  strong  feeling  was  displayed  on  this  point.  When  the 
B.N.C.  boat  came  up  the  river,  the  Christ  Church  men  used  to  run 
alongside  of  it  for  many  nights  shouting,  '  No  hired  watermen.' 
After  this  year  no  watermen  rowed  in  the  college  crews.  Exeter 
had  a  boat  afloat  that  year,  built  by  Hall  of  Oxford.  She  was 
called  the  '  Buccleuch  '  in  honour  of  the  Duke  of  that  ilk. 

Among  the  Exeter  men  was  one  Moresby,  who  was  a  relative 
of  a  naval  captain  of  that  name,  and  through  his  advice  Exeter 
ordered  an  eight-oar  of  Little,  of  Plymouth.  She  was  finished  in 
time  to  be  put  on  in  1824,  and  became  famous  as  the  'Exeter 


APPENDIX. 


315 


white  boat.'  Stephen  Davis  was  sent  with  a  carriage  constructed 
for  the  purpose,  to  meet  the  boat  at  Portsmouth,  whither  she  was 
brought  by  sea.  As  this  boat  was  built  of  deal,  a  raft  was  provided 
to  receive  her— the  first  use  of  a  raft  for  this  purpose  at  Oxford. 
The  oars  sent  with  the  boat  were  such  as  are  used  at  sea,  and 
made  of  ash.  They  were  discarded  in  favour  of  ordinary  oars, 
such  as  those  already  in  use  for  fresh-water  rowing.  She  was 
found  to  be  too  high  out  of  the  water,  so  Isaac  King  cut  her  down 
one  streak.  The  boat,  as  depicted  in  Turner's  water-colour  draw- 
ing of  her,  was  taken  when  she  was  afloat  and  unmanned  ;  her 
crew  were  painted  in  her  afterwards  ;  consequently  she  rides  too 
high  out  of  the  water.  The  boats  on  the  river  in  1824  were,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  season,  Christ  Church  i,  B.N.C.  2,  Exeter  3. 
Exeter  bumped  B.N.C.  under  the  willows  on  the  first  night ;  the 
next  night  of  racing  Christ  Church  took  off,  and  Exeter  became 
head  by  the  other's  default.  The  races  were  renewed  another  day, 
and  B.N.C.  bumped  Christ  Church.  This  was  the  last  year  in 
which  the  boats  started  out  for  Iffley  Lock.  The  racing  has 
hitherto  been  conducted  on  this  principle ;  the  start  between  the 
boats  were  just  so  much  as  the  dexterity  of  the  stroke  could  obtain. 
He,  the  stroke,  stood  on  the  bow  thwart,  and  ran  down  the  row  of 
thwarts  ;  pushing  the  boat  along  with  his  shoulder  against  the  lock 
gates,  he  reached  his  own  thwart,  by  which  time  the  impetus  had 
shot  the  boat  clear  of  the  lock,  he  dropped  on  to  his  own  seat,  and 
began  to  row.  The  oarsmen  had  their  oars  '  tossed '  meantime. 
The  boat  next  in  order  then  followed  the  same  process,  and  so  on. 
The  boats  lay  in  echelon  while  waiting  for  the  start.  Bulteel,  who 
was  stroke  of  B.N.C.  in  the  disputed  race  of  1822  (above  men- 
tioned), and  who  afterwards  was  elected  Fellow  of  Exeter  in  1823, 
was  especially  skilful  at  this.  The  Exeter  crew  of  1824  were  : 
Wareing,  Dick,  Parr,  Dowglass,  J.  C.  Clutterbuck,  Cole,  R.  Pock- 
lington  (father  of  D.  Pocklington,  stroke  of  Oxford  in  1864), 
Bulteel  (stroke),  S.  Pocklington  (cox.)  The  Rev.  J.  C.  Clutterbuck, 
now  rector  of  Long  Wittenham,  near  Abingdon,  is  well  known  as 
a  conservator  of  the  Thames,  to  whom  the  Universities  and  rowing 
men  are  much  indebted  for  the  clauses  in  the  Conservancy  Acts 
which  give  that  body  powers  to  clear  the  river  for  boat  racing. 
The  names  of  the  other  two  crews  of  1824  have  not  come  fully  to 
posterity,  but  among  B.N.C.  are  Meredith,  North  and  Karle 
(stroke)  ;  and  in  the  Christ  Church  crew  were  Hussey,  Baring  and 
Smyth  (stroke). 


3i6  BOATING. 

In  1825  the  boats  started  in  line  alon^  the  bank,  each  having 
its  umpire  to  regulate  the  distance  between  it  and  its  neighbours 
(one  length).  The  boats  at  starting  were  Exeter,  Christ  Church 
Worcester,  Balliol  (in  this  order).  Exeter  had  discarded  their  old 
love,  and  had  got  a  '  black  boat,'  larger  than  the  old  '  white  boat,' 
but  not  so  fast,  according  to  later  experiments.  However,  they 
elected  to  row  in  her  at  tirst,  and  Christ  Church  bumped  them, 
also  Worcester  on  a  subsequent  night.  Later  on  Exeter  rebumped 
Worcester,  and  at  the  close  of  the  racing  the  order  was  :  Christ 
Church,  Exeter,  Worcester,  Balliol.  Smyth  was  again  stroke  of 
Christ  Church,  and  R.  Pocklington  stroke  of  Exeter,  in  which 
Messrs.  Clutterbuck,  Parr,  Dowglass,  Cole,  and  Wareing  rowed 
again,  with  Messrs.  Harndon  and  Day  as  recruits. 

The  term  '  Torpid '  seems  to  have  arisen  about  this  date,  and 
to  have  been  applied  to  the  '  second '  boats  of  colleges,  such  as 
Christ  Church,  who  launched  a  second  boat  in  1826.  Later  on 
the  '  Torpids '  took  to  racing  among  themselves  as  a  separate 
class,  and  under  distinct  qualifications. 

In  1826  the  following  rules  were  drawn  up  for  the  boat-racing, 
and  we  give  them  verbatim  : — 

Rule  186. — Resolved  (1)  That  racing  do  commence  on  Monday, 
May  I. 

(2)  That  the  days  for  racing  be  Monday  and  Friday  in  each 
week,  and  that  if  any  boat  does  not  come  out  on  those  days  its 
flag  do  go  to  the  bottom. 

(3)  That  no  out-college  crews  be  allowed  to  row  in  any  boat 
except  in  cases  of  illness  or  other  unavoidable  absence,  and  then 
that  the  cause  of  such  absence  be  signified  to  the  strokes  of  the 
other  boats. 

(4)  That  the  boats  below  the  one  that  bumps  stop  racing,  and 
those  above  continue  it. 

(5)  That  there  be  a  distance  of  fifty  feet  between  each  boat  at 
starting. 

(6)  That  the  boats  start  by  pistol  shot. 

(7)  That  umpires  be  appointed  by  each  college  to  see  each 
boat  in  its  proper  position  before  starting,  and  to  decide  any  acci- 
dental dispute. 


H.  Saunders,  Ch.  Ch. 
H.  Moresby,  Ex.  Coll. 
E.  A.  Hughes,  Jes.  Coll. 


Henry  Tow^ers,  Ch.  Ch. 
T.  North,  B.  N.  Coll. 
H. 


APPENDIX. 


317 


Of  the  details  of  the  racing,  all  that  we  can  gather  is  that 
Christ  Church  finished  head. 

In  1827  rules  were  again  drawn  up  and  signed  at  a  meeting  of 
strokes  ;  the  new  code  being  much  the  same  as  its  predecessor, 
but  with  one  or  two  small  alterations.  There  was  no  U.B.C.  in 
existence,  and  therefore  no  fixed  code,  but  only  such  as  was  agreed 
on  from  year  to  year. 

Rides  for  Boat-racing.,  1827. 

(i)  That  the  racing  do  begin  on  May  29. 

(2)  Ihat  the  days  of  racing  be  Tuesday  and  Friday  in  each 
week,  and  that  if  any  boat  does  not  come  out  on  those  days  its 
flag  do  go  to  the  bottom. 

(3)  That  no  :>ut-college  man  be  allowed  to  row  in  any  boat. 

(4)  That  no  boat  be  allowed  to  race  with  less  than  eight  oars. 

(5)  That  the  boats  below  the  one  that  bumps  stop  racing,  those 
above  continue  it. 

(6)  That  there  be  a  distance  of  fifty  feet  between  each  boat  at 
starting. 

(7)  That  the  boats  start  by  pistol  shot. 

(8)  That  umpires  be  appointed  by  each  college  to  see  each 
boat  in  its  proper  place  at  starting,  and  to  settle  any  accidental 
dispute. 

The  rules  of  the  racing  signed  by  : — 

C.  H.  Page,  Ch.  Ch. 
R.  T.  Congreve,  B.N.C. 
A.  C.  Budge,  Ex.  Coll. 
R.  Pennefather,  Ball.  Coll. 


F.  C.  Chaytor 

Geo.  D.  Hill,  Trin.  Coll. 

David  Reid 

T.  Fox 


During  these  races  Christ  Church  lost  their  pride  of  place. 
Balliol  seems  to  have  first  displaced  them,  and  they  in  tutn  fell 
victims  to  B.N.C.  who  remained  head.  The  exact  details  of  the 
racing  and  full  list  of  boats  in  this  are  unfortunately  wanting. 

The  racing  of  1828  began  as  usual.  No  MS.  copy  of  the  rules 
has  come  to  our  hands  for  this  year,  but  they  are  believed  to  be  a 
reproduction  of  those  of  1827. 

The  racing  resulted  thus  :~ 

June  I.— Order  of  starting  B.N.C,  Balliol,  University,  Christ 
Church,  Trinity,  Oriel. 

B.N.C.  and  Balliol  remained  in  statu  quo ;  Christ  Church 
claimed   a  bump   against   University  which   the  latter  disputed. 


3i8  BOATING. 

Oriel  bumped  Trinity.  The  disputed  race  between  University  and 
Christ  Church  was  renewed  on  June  3,  and  the  Christ  Church  men 
put  wet  paint  on  their  bows  so  as  to  make  sure  of  leaving  their 
mark  if  they  should  touch  their  opponents.  They  effected  their 
bump.     The  other  boats  do  not  seem  to  have  raced  on  June  3. 

The  next  race  was  on  June  4  between  B.N.C.,  Balliol,  Christ 
Church,  University,  Trinity,  and  Oriel.  Balliol  bumped  B.N.C., 
and  the  other  boats  therefore  ceased  rowing  according  to  the  rules. 

The  third  race  was  on  June  7.  Balliol,  B.N.C.,  Christ  Church, 
University,  Trinity,  and  Oriel,  started  in  this  order  :  Balliol  kept 
ahead  ;  Christ  Church  bumped  B.N.C.,  and  the  two  between  them 
had  therefore  to  cease  rowing ;  Trinity  then  took  off.  On  June 
10  the  races  were  renewed,  but  no  bump  was  effected  by  any  boat. 

On  June  13  there  was  another  race,  and  Christ  Church  displaced 
Balliol  and  went  head. 

The  races  concluded  on  June  16,  when  Christ  Church  retained 
the  headship,  and  B.N.C.  rebumped  Balliol. 

The  Christ  Church  crew  of  1828  w^ere  :- (bow)  Goodenough  ; 
2,  Gwilt ;  3,  Lloyd  ;  4,  Moore  ;  5,  Hamilton  ;  6,  Mayne  ;  7,  Bates  ; 
(stroke)  Staniforth.     Hamilton  became  Bishop  of  Salisbury. 

In  1829,  in  consequence  of  the  first  match  of  its  kind  being 
then  arranged  with  Cambridge,  and  the  date  being  fixed  for  March 
10,  there  were  no  bumping  races.  Christ  Church  were  accredited 
as  head  of  the  river,  from  their  having  held  that  position  from  the 
preceding  year ;  and  they  were  saluted  as  such.  A  scratch  race, 
however,  was  improvised  on  Commemoration  afternoon,  between 
the  boats,  apparently  manned  by  mixed  crews  of  all  colleges.  It 
seems  to  have  been  a  bumping  and  not  a  level  race,  for  the  record 
of  the  race  is  '  no  bump.' 

In  1830  the  races  were  renewed,  and  the  following  colleges  put 
on  eights  : — Christ  Church,  B.N.C,  Balliol,  University,  St.  John's, 
in  the  order  named. 

The  racing  began  on  June  8,  and  Balliol  bumped  B.N.C. 

On  June  11,  another  race,  and  no  bump  by  any  boat. 

On  June  15,  St.  John's  bumped  University,  the  others  above 
them  retaining  their  places  and  rowing  to  the  end,  as  the  bump 
was  astern  of  them. 

On  June  18  another  race,  but  no  bump. 

On  June  20  another  race,  and  no  bump. 

We  hope  at  a  later  period  to  supply  the  hiatus  in  history  be- 
tween this  last  mentioned  year  and  1837,  in  which  year  the  written 


APPENDIX. 


319 


records  of  the  B.N.C.  book  commenced,  and  for  which  charts  of 
the  races  are  published.  Meanwhile  we  shall  thankfully  receive 
any  information  on  this  subject  from  the  heroes  of  those  days  who 
may  now  be  alive  and  hearty. 


HENLEY,  PAST  AND  FUTURE} 

The  inauguration  of  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  Henley  Regatta 
naturally  tends  to  make  the  mind  wander  into  vistas  of  the  past, 
perhaps  even  more  than  into  speculations  of  the  future.  There 
are  oarsmen  living  who  can  recollect  when  Henley  Regatta  did  not 
even  exist,  and  yet  we  are  within  an  appreciable  distance  (three 
years)  of  the  'jubilee'  of  the  gathering.  There  are  sundry  old 
Blues  of  the  1829  match  still  hale  and  hearty,  and  the  regatta  was 
not  founded  until  ten  years  after  that  date.  Apropos  of  that  1829 
match,  we  have  never  seen  it  officially  recorded  that  in  the  race 
Cambridge  steered  up  the  Bucks  and  Oxford  in  the  Berks  channel 
of  the  river,  where  the  island  divides  it.  Yet  we  have  heard  the 
Rev.  T.  Staniforth,  the  Oxford  stroke,  relate  the  fact.  For  some 
strange  reason,  the  general  opinion  Qi  habitues  of  the  river  prior  to' 
that  match  was  that  the  Bucks  channel  gave  the  better  course.  The 
boughs  of  the  island  trees  obstructed  the  Berks  channel  more  than 
now,  and  this  may  explain  the  delusion.  However,  the  Oxonians 
doubted  the  soundness  of  local  opinion,  and  tested  in  practice  the 
advantages  of  the  two  channels  by  timing  themselves  through 
each.  They  naturally  found  the  inside  course  the  shorter  cut.  In 
the  race  they  adopted  it,  while  Cambridge,  so  we  hear,  took  the 
outside  channel ;  and  the  previous  lead  of  Oxford  was  more  than 
trebled  by  the  time  that  the  boats  came  again  into  the  main  river. 
Times  and  ideas  of  rowing  have  changed  much  since  the  first 
regatta  at  Henley  opened  and  closed  with  contests  for  the  Grand 
Challenge  Cup,  the  only  prize  at  its  foundation.  The  '  Town ' 
Cup  seems  to  have  been  the  next  addition,  under  the  name  of  the 
'District  Challenge'  Cup,  in  1840;  but  it  does  not  figure  again 
until  1842,  and  in  1843  takes  the  name  of  the  Town  Cup.  There 
were  first  class  fours  'for  medals'  in  1841,  but  the  Stewards'  Cup 
was  not  founded  till  the  following  year.    The '  Diamonds '  appeared 

i  From  the  Field,  July  5,  1886. 


320  BOATING. 

in  1844.  '  Pairs'  came  into  existence  in  1845,  styled  '  silver  wher- 
ries,' and  the  then  winners,  Arnold  and  Mann,  of  Caius,  have  ever 
been  handed  down  by  tradition  as  something  much  above  the  aver- 
age. The  prize  became '  silver  goblets '  in  1850,  and  the  first  winners 
of  them  were  Justice  Sir  Joseph  Chitty  and  Dr.  Hornby,  provost 
of  Eton.  The  Ladies'  Plate  was  called  the  'New'  Cup  when  it 
appeared  in  1845.  At  that  time  it  was  open  to  the  world,  like  the 
Grand.  Clubs  from  the  Thames  won  it  on  sundry  occasions.  In 
1857  it  was  restricted  to  schools  and  colleges  as  now,  copying  the 
'Visitors'  Cup'  for  fours,  founded  upon  parallel  principles  in  1847. 
The  Wyfold  Cup  dates  from  1847,  though  it  does  not  figure  in  the 
local  official  calendar  of  the  regatta  as  a  four-oar  prize  until  1856. 
In  the  latter  year  it  became  a  four-oar  prize,  open  to  all,  and  the 
Argonauts  won  it  and  the  '  Stewards,'  with  the  same  crew.  Later 
on  it  obtained  its  present  qualification.  As  to  the  forgotten 
functions  of  the  'Wyfold'  between  1847  and  1856,  we  venture  to 
record  them.  The  cup  originally  was  held  by  the  winner  of  the 
trial  heats  for  the  Grand.  If  the  best  challenger  won  the  Grand 
also,  or  if  the  'holders'  did  not  compete,  then  the  same  crew 
would  take  both  Grand  and  Wyfold  for  the  season  ;  but  the  Grand 
holders  were  ineligible  to  row  for  the  Wyfold.  This  latter  anomaly 
in  time  induced  the  executive  to  obtain  leave  from  the  donor  to 
alter  the  destination  of  the  cup  and  to  devote  it  to  fours.  Local 
races  flourished  in  the  forties  and  fifties.  Besides  the  Town  Cup, 
there  were  local  sculls,  sometimes  for  a  '  silver  wherry,'  and  some- 
times for  a  presentation  cup.  Local  pairs  existed  from  1858  to 
1 861  inclusive.  The  Thames  Cup  began  life  in  1868  as  a  sort  of 
junior  race,  but  later  on  obtained  its  present  qualification.  There 
was  a  presentation  prize  for  fours  without  coxswains  in  1869,  but 
the  Stewards'  Cup  was  not  opened  for  fours  of  the  modern  style 
till  1873  ;  and  the  Visitors'  and  Wyfold  were  similarly  emanci- 
pated a  year  later.  The  advent  and  disappearance  of  the  Public 
Schools'  Cup  need  no  comment. 

We  well  recollect  the  sensation  produced  by  the  first  keelless 
eight,  that  of  Chester,  in  1856.  The  club  came  like  a  meteor,  and 
won  both  Grand  and  Ladies'  (the  latter  being  an  open  race  for  the 
last  time  in  that  year).  The  art  of  '  watermanship '  had  not  then 
reached  its  present  pitch.  The  Chester  men  could  not  sit  their 
boat  in  the  least ;  they  flopped  their  blades  along  the  water  on  the 
recovery  in  a  manner  which  few  junior  crews  at  minor  regattas 
would  now  be  guilty  of;  but  they  rowed  well  away  from  their 


APPENDIX.  321 

opponents,  who  were  only  college  crews.  In  that  year,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  Chester  ship  being  some  dozen  feet  shorter  than  the 
iron  keeled  craft  of  Exeter  and  Lady  Margaret,  a  question  arose  as 
to  how  the  boats  should  be  adjudicated  past  the  post.  The  boats 
started  by  sterns^  therefore  Chester  would  be  giving  several  feet 
start  if  adjudged  at  the  finish  by  bows.  So  the  stewards  ordered 
the  races  to  be  decided  by  ster7is  past  the  post.  This  edict  re- 
mained in  force,  but  unknown  to  the  majority  of  competitors,  till 
after  1864.  In  thaf  year  the  winner  of  the  Diamonds  reached  the 
post  several  lengths  before  his  opponent,  but  stopped  opposite  to 
it  in  a  stiff  head  wind.  The  loser  came  up  behind  him  leisurely, 
chatted,  and  shoved  the  winner  past  the  post  by  rowlocks  locking. 
Presently  it  transpired  that  the  official  fiat  was  '  won  by  a  foot,' 
and  that  the  judge  did  not  consider  the  race  over  until  the  winner's 
stern  was  clear  of  the  line  !  This  discovery  caused  some  inquiry, 
and  the  half-forgotten  edict  of  1857  was  thus  repealed  ;  and  races 
have  since  then  been  adjudged  again  by  bows.  Among  other 
reminiscences,  we  can  recall  the  old  starting  '  rypecks,'  with  bungs 
and  cords  attached  ;  these  bungs  had  to  be  held  by  competitors 
till  the  signal  to  start  ;  the  ropes  often  fouled  rudder  lines,  and 
were  awkward  to  deal  with.  In  1862  the  system  of  Starting  with 
sterns  held  from  moored  punts,  now  in  vogue,  was  first  adopted. 

Such  are  some  of  the  recollections  which  evolve  themselves  at 
this  date,  when  we  are  on  the  eve  of  a  new  era  and  a  new  course. 
The  old  'time'  records,  which  have  been  gradually  improving 
and  which,  to  our  knowledge,  are  recorded  in  the  most  random 
manner  in  the  local  calendar,  will  now  have  to  stand  or  fall  by 
themselves.  A  new  course,  with  less  slack  water  in  it,  will  hardly 
bear  close  comparison  with  an  old  one  as  to  time.  The  old  sore- 
ness of  fluky  winds,  and  '  might  have  beens,'  laid  to  the  discredit  of 
much-abused  Poplar  Point,  must  now  find  no  longer  scope.  Luck 
in  station  there  still  will  be,  inevitably,  when  wind  blows  off  shore  ; 
but  there  now  will  be  no  bays  to  coast,  and  no  Berks  corner  to 
cut.  The  glories  of  Henley  bridge  have  been  on  the  wane  for  some 
years  past ;  we  can  remember  when  enterprising  rustics  ranked 
their  muck  carts  speculatively  along  the  north  side  of  the  bridge  ; 
but  fashion  and  the  innovation  of  large  moored  craft  have  lost 
the  bridge  much  of  its  old  popularity.  Besides,  the  newly  planted 
aspens  along  the  towpath,  which  were  given  to  replace  the  old 
time-honoured  'poplars,'  shut  off  the  view  of  the  reach  from  the 
bridge.     It  is  no  longer  possible,  telescopically,  to  time  opponents 

Y 


322  BOATING. 

in  practice  from  the  Lion  and  Angel  window,  as  of  old.  It  is  not 
so  much  as  twenty  years  ago  that  steamers  were  unknown  on  the 
reach.  The  '  Ariel '  (the  late  Mr.  Blyth's)  was  the  first  of  her  kind 
built  by  Mr.  Thornycroft.  Till  then,  row-boats  had  the  reach  to 
themselves.  We  are  old  enough  to  recall  the  Red  Lion  flourishing 
as  a  coaching  inn  ;  then  came  its  breakdown,  when  '  rail '  broke  the 
road,'  and  it  shut  up,  until  Mrs.  Williams,  the  veteran  landlady, 
who  erst  welcomed,  and  is  still  welcomed  by,  so  many  retired 
generations  of  oarsmen,  migrated  from  the  Catherine  Wheel  in  1858, 
and  re-opened  the  Lion  once  more. 

The  strength  of  amateur  talent  is  treble  what  it  was  twenty-five 
years  ago.  After  the  pristine  Leander  retired  from  action,  and  the 
St.  George's  shut  up,  and  the  Old  Thames  Club  dispersed,  the  Univer- 
sities had  Henley  almost  to  themselves  as  to  eights  and  fours  until 
Chester  woke  them  up  in  eights  in  1856,  and  the  Argonauts  four 
a  year  or  two  before  produced  the  nucleus  of  the  talent  which  in 
1857  burst  upon  the  world  under  the  new  flag  of  the  L.R.C.  They 
were  joined  by  Kingston  in  a  four  in  1859.  In  186 1  Kingston  had 
their  first  eight.  Thames,  in  hke  m.anner,  began  modestly  with  a 
four,  which  in  due  time  developed  winning  Grand  eights.  We  have 
already  spoken  of  the  march  of  watermanship.  A  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury ago  the  idea  of  amateurs  sitting  a  keelless  eight  or  four,  with- 
out rolling  rowlocks  under,  until  they  had  first  practised  for  days 
or  weeks  in  a  steady  craft,  would  have  been  derided.  In  these 
days  three  or  four  scratch  eights  can  be  manned  any  day  at  Putney, 
capable  of  sitting  a  racing  ship,  and  of  trying  starts  with  trained 
University  crews.  We  are  not  laudatores  teinporis  acti  as  to  oars- 
manship ;  sliding  seats  spoilt  form  and  style  at  first  until  they  were 
better  understood  ;  but,  in  our  opinion,  there  are  now  {ccEteris paribus 
as  to  slides  versus  fixed  seats)  many  more  high-class  oarsmen  than 
were  to  be  found  thirty,  or  even  twenty,  years  ago.  There  are 
more  men  rowing,  and  more  science,  and  better  coaching  than  of 
old.  '  Vixere  fortes  ante  Agamemnona ; '  but  we  believe  that  there 
are  on  the  average  some  five  Agamemnons  now  afloat  for  every 
two  in  the  fifties  and  early  years  of  the  sixties.  Nor  do  we  wonder 
at  it  with  four  or  five  times  as  many  men  on  the  muster  rolls  of 
rowing  clubs  of  the  present  day.  As  to  boat-building,  we  think  that 
the  '  lines  '  of  racing  eights  have  fallen  oflf.  We  can  recall  no  such 
capacity  for  travelling  between  the  strokes  as  in  Mat  Taylor's  best 
craft,  e.g.  the  Chester  boat  and  the  old  'Eton'  ship;  both  of 
which  did  duty  and  beat  all  comers  for  many  years.     While  look- 


APPENDIX. 


Z'^7> 


ing  back  with  interest,  we  look  forward  with  hope,  and  believe 
that  the  new  Henley  will  maintain,  and  perhaps  improve,  its 
modern  enhanced  and  extended  standard  of  oarsmanship,  and 
that  the  new  course,  when  fairly  tried,  will  encourage,  rather  than 
discourage,  competition  that  looks  for  fair  field  and  no  favour. 


THAMES  PRESERVATION  ACT 

In  1884  a  Committee  of  the  House  of  Commons  sat  to  inquire 
into  the  best  method  of  preserving  public  rights  and  those  of 
riparians  on  the  Thames.  The  latter  had  developed  so  much 
pleasure  traffic  during  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  that  some 
'  highway '  legislation  on  the  subject  became  imperative.  An  Act 
for  regulating  steam-launch  traffic  on  the  Thames  had  been  passed 
in  1883.  The  report  of  the  Committee  produced  the  following  Act, 
which  should  be  read  by  all  who  intend  to  navigate  the  Thames 
for  pleasure. 

Draft  by-laws,  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  this  Act  in  detail, 
have  twice  been  propounded  by  the  Thames  Conservancy  during 
1886,  and  a  third  code  was  drafted  early  in  1887,  but  the  first  two 
editions  provoked  so  much  hostile  criticism  that  the  Conservancy 
withdrew  them  ;  and,  up  to  the  date  of  going  to  press,  the  third 
edition  of  proposed  by-laws,  which  still  seems  too  objectionable 
in  many  details,  has  not  received  the  sanction  of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  which  is  necessary  before  the  code  can  become  law. 

THAMES   PRESERVATION   ACT,    1885. 
48  &  49  ViCT.  CAP.  -je. 

An  Act  for  the  preservation  of  the  River  Thames  alove  Teddington  Lock  for 
purposes  of  public  recreation,  and  for  regulating  the  pleasure  traffic  thereon. 
{August  14,  1885.] 

Whereas  the  River  Thames  is  a  navigaLIe  highway  ;  and  whereas,  by  reason 
of  the  increase  of  population  in  London  and  other  places  near  the  said  river,  it 
has  come  to  be  largely  used  as  a  place  of  public  recreation  and  resort,  and  it  is 
expedient  that  provision  should  be  made  for  regulating  the  different  kinds  of 
traffic  in  the  said  river  between  the  town  of  Cricklade  and  Teddington  Lock, 
and  upon  the  banks  thereof  v\  ithin  the  limits  aforesaid,  and  for  the  keeping  of 

Y  2 


524  BOA  TING. 

public  order  and  the  prevention  of  nuisances,  to  the  intent  that  the  said  river 
should  be  preserved  as  a  place  of  regulated  public  recreation  : 

Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  Queen's  most  Excellent  Majesty,  by  and  with 
the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Lords  Spiritual  and  Temporal,  and  Commons, 
in  this  present  Parliament  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  as 
follows  : 

Part  I. — Navigation. 

1.  Public  right  of  navigation.  —  It  shall  be  lawful  for  all  persons,  whether 
for  pleasure  or  profit,  to  go  and  be,  pass  and  repass,  in  boats  or  vessels  o\er 
or  upon  any  and  every  part  of  the  River  Thames,  through  which  Thames 
water  flows,  between  the  town  of  Cricklade  and  Teddington  Lock,  including 
all  such  backwaters,  creeks,  side-channels,  bays  and  inlets  connected  therewith 
as  form  parts  of  the  said  river  within  the  limits  aforesaid. 

2.  Private  artificial  cuts  not  to  le  deemed  parts  of  the  river.  — All  private 
ar.ificial  cuts  for  purposes  of  drainage  or  irrigation,  and  all  artificial  inlets  for 
moats,  boathouses,  ponds,  or  other  like  private  purposes,  already  made  or 
hereafter  to  be  made,  and  all  channels  which  by  virtue  of  any  conveyance  from 
or  agreement  with  the  Conservators,  or  the  Comniissioners  acting  under  any 
of  the  Acts  mentioned  in  the  First  Schedule  to  this  Act,  or  by  any  lawful 
title  have  been  enjoyed  as  private  channels  for  the  period  of  twenty  years  before 
the  passing  of  this  Act,  shall  be  deemed  not  to  be  parts  of  the  said  river  for 
the  purposes  of  the  last  preceding  section,  or  any  provisions  consequent 
thereon. 

3.  Conservators  ;««>' ^jrc/?/^/^? ///^/«(5/^V. —Notwithstanding  anything  in  the 
first  section  contained,  it  shall  I  e  lawful  for  the  Conservators  from  time  to  time 
to  exclude  the  public  for  a  limited  period  from  specified  portions  of  the  said 
river,  for  purposes  connected  with  the  navigation,  or  with  any  public  work  or 
uses,  or  for  the  preservation  of  public  order, 

4.  Right  of  navigation  to  include  anchoring  and  mooring. — The  right  of 
navigation  hereinbefore  described  shall  be  deemed  to  include  a  right  to 
anchor,  moor,  or  remain  stationary  for  a  reasonable  time  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  pleasure  navigation,  subject  to  such  restrictions  as  the  Conservators  shall 
from  time  to  time  by  by-laws  determine  ;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Con- 
servators to  make  special  regulations  for  the  prevention  of  annoyance  to 
any  occupier  of  a  riparian  residence,  by  reason  of  the  loitering  or  delay  of  any 
house-boat  or  steam-launch,  and  for  the  prevention  of  the  pollution  of  the  river 
by  the  sewage  of  any  house-boat  or  steam-launch.  Provided  that  nothing  in 
this  Act,  or  in  any  by-law  made  thereunder,  shall  be  construed  to  deprive  any 
riparian  owner  of  any  legal  rights  in  the  soil  or  bed  of  the  river  which  he  may 
now  possess,  or  of  any  legal  remedies  which  he  may  now  possess  for  prevention 
of  anchoring,  mooring,  loitering,  or  delay  of  any  boat  or  other  vessel,  or  to  give 
any  riparian  owner  any  right  as  against  the  public,  which  he  did  not  possess 
before  the  passing  of  this  Act,  to  exclude  any  person  from  entering  upon  or 
navigating  any  backwater,  creek,  channel,  bay,  inlet,  or  other  water,  whether 
deemed  to  be  part  of  the  River  Thames  as  in  this  Act  defined  or  not. 

Provided  also,  that  the  powers  given  by  this  clause  shall  be  in  addition  to, 
and  not  to  be  deemed  to  be  in  substitution  for,  any  powers  already  possessed 
by  the  Conservators. 


APPENDIX. 


325 


5.  Riparian  mvner  to  remove  obstructions  unless  7naintaincd  for  tiventy 
years.— hx\y  person  obstructing  the  navigation  hereinbefore  described,  by 
means  of  any  weir,  bridge,  piles,  dam,  chain,  barrier,  or  other  impediment, 
shall  be  liable  to  be  called  upon  by  the  Conservators  to  remove  the  same,  and 
his  refusal  to  do  so  shall  be  deemed  to  be  a  continuing  offence  within  the 
meaning  of  this  Act,  and  the  obstruction  itself  shall  be  deemed  to  be  a  nuisance 
to  the  navigation  unless  the  same,  or  substantially  the  same,  has  been  main- 
tained for  the  period  of  twenty  years  before  the  commencement  of  this  Act. 

6.  Provision  against  shooting  or  use  of  firearms  on  the  river.  -  From  and 
af.er  the  passing  of  this  Act  it  shall  be  unlawful  to  discharge  any  firearm,  air- 
gun,  gun,  or  similar  instrument  over  or  upon  the  said  river  within  the  Hmits 
aforesaid,  or  the  banks  or  towpaths  thereof,  or  any  land  acquired  by  the  Con- 
servators under  the  provisions  of  this  Act,  and  every  person  discharging  any 
firearm,  air-gun,  gun,  or  similar  instrument  over  or  upon  the  said  river  limits 
as  aforesaid,  or  the  banks  or  towpath  thereo'",  or  any  such  land  as  aforesaid, 
shall  be  deemed  to  have  committed  an  offence  under  this  Act. 

Part  II. — Regulation  of  Pleasure-eoats. 

7.  Registration  of  boats. — In  addition  to  the  rights  and  duties  of  the  Con- 
servators relating  to  registration  and  tolls  already  created  by  the  Thames 
Navigation  Act,  1870,  the  Thames  Conservancy  Act,  1878,  and  the  Thames 
Act,  1883,  or  by  any  other  of  the  Acts  in  the  First  Schedule  to  this  Act  men- 
tioned, it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Conservators  to  direct  by  by-law  that  all  boats 
or  vessels,  with  the  exception  of  any  such  class  of  boats  or  vessels  as  may, 
together  with  the  reasons  of  such  exception,  be  specified  in  any  such  by-law 
for  pleasure  navigation,  shall  be  registered,  together  with  the  true  names  and 
addresses  of  the  owners  thereof  respectively,  in  a  General  Register  to  be  kept 
at  their  chief  office  in  a  form  by  them  to  be  prescribed,  and  as  to  all  vessels 
propelled  by  steam  power,  and  all  house-boats,  and  all  rowing  or  sailing  boats 
plying  for  hire,  and  any  such  other  particular  class  of  boats  or  vessels  as  by 
them  from  time  to  time  by  by-law,  may  be  prescribed  to  issue  licences  to  ply 
upon  any  part  of  the  upper  navigation,  or  upon  a  limited  part  thereof  only, 
according  to  regulations  in  each  case  by  them  to  be  made  by  by-law  in 
manner  hereinafter  provided. 

8.  Navigating  without  registration  to  be  an  offence. — From  and  after  the 
dates  by  any  such  by-law  to  be  fixed  respectively,  it  shall  be  an  offence  under  this 
Act  to  use  any  boat  or  vessel  of  the  class  mentioned  in  the  same  by-law,  on 
any  part  of  the  river  to  which  such  by-law  applies,  unless  such  boat  or  vessel 
shall  have  been  previously  registered  or  licensed  in  manner  therein  provided. 

9.  Lists  to  be  kept  of  private  boats  and  boats  for  iiire. — In  the  General 
Register  in  the  seventh  section  of  this  Act  mentioned,  separate  lists  shall  be 
kept  of  boats  and  vessels  used  for  pleasure  navigation  by  private  owners,  and 
of  boats  and  vessels  let  for  hire.  The  former  class  of  boats  or  vessels  shall  be 
distinguished,  according  to  regulations  to  be  made  from  time  to  time  by  the 
Conservators,  by  a  registered  number,  crest,  badge,  or  mark,  and  the  latter 
class  by  a  registered  number  ;  and  the  provisions  of  section  eleven  and  section 
thirteen  of  the  Thames  Act,  1883,  as  to  displaying  or  concealing  the  same  or 
number  of  any  steam-launch   shall  be  deemed  in  all  cases  to  apply  to   the 


326  BOATINC. 

said  registered  numbers,  crests,  badge,  and  marks  respectively,  with  such 
modifications  as  the  Conservators  may  by  such  regulations  from  time  to  time 
direct. 

10.  Renewal  of  yearly  registration . — It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Conservators 
by  by-law  to  enact  as  to  any  or  all  of  the  classes  of  boats  or  vessels  by  them 
from  time  to  time  requ'red  to  be  licensed  or  registered  as  aforesa'd,  that  such 
licence  or  registration  shall  be  renewed  at  any  interval  not  being  less  than  one 
year. 

11.  Fee  for  registration.— \\  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Conservators  to  charge, 
in  respect  of  boats  or  vessels  registered  under  this  Act,  sums  not  exceeding  the 
sums  following  ;  that  is  to  say,  for  each  registration  of  a  pleasure-boat  not  being 
a  house-boat,  a  sum  not  exceeding  two  shillings  and  sixpence,  and  for  each 
registration  of  a  house-boat  a  sum  not  exceeding  five  pounds  ;  and  if  such 
house-boat  shall  be  more  than  thirty  feet  in  length,  a  further  sum  not  exceeding 
twenty  shillings  in  respect  of  every  complete  five  feet  and  the  fraction  of  an 
incomplete  five  feet  by  which  such  houseboat  shall  exceed  thirty  feet  in 
length. 

Provided  always  that  nothing  in  this  Act  shall  require  a  boat  or  vessel  not 
being  a  house-boat  to  te  registered  oftener  than  once  in  three  years. 

12.  Present  registration  or  licence  not  to  be  affected. — Nothing  in  this  Act 
shall  require  any  vessel  which  may  under  any  Act  be  required  to  be  registered 
or  licensed  by  the  m:ister,  wardens,  and  commonalty  of  watermen  and  lighter- 
men of  the  River  Thames  to  be  registered  or  licensed  under  this  Act. 

13.  First  registration. — For  the  purposes  of  the  last  preceding  section  a 
fresh  registration  or  licence  of  any  boat  or  vessel  in  a  class  other  than  that  in 
which  the  same  was  first  registered  or  licensed  shall  be  deemed  a  first  registra- 
tion or  licence. 

14.  Application  of  ss.  7,  8,  9,  and  14  of  The  Thames  Act,  1883,  to  all 
registered  boats  and  vessels. — The  provisions  of  sections  seven,  eight,  nine,  and 
fourteen  of  The  Thames  Act,  1883,  as  to  registered  owners  of  steam-launches, 
shall  apply  to  the  registered  owners  of  all  boats  or  vessels  for  the  time  being 
registered  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  this  Act,  and  of  the  by-laws  in  that 
behalf  from  time  to  time  in  force,  and  the  same  section  nine  and  section  four- 
teen shall  be  read  as  if  the  words  '  boat  or  vessel '  therein  were  substituted  for 
the  word  '  steam-launch,'  and  as  if  the  words  '  this  Act '  therein  re'"erred  to  the 
present  Act. 

15.  Every  boat  or  vessel  to  be  deemed  to  be  in  charge  of  one  person. — Every 
boat  or  vessel  used  for  pleasure  navigation  upon  any  part  of  the  River  Thames 
within  the  limits  aforesaid  shall  be  deemed  to  be  in  charge  of  one  person,  who 
shall  be  in  every  case  a  registered  owner,  or  the  person  duly  appointed  or  per- 
mitted by  him  to  be  in  charge,  or  the  person  hiring  such  boat  or  vessel,  and,  in 
the  absence  of  any  such  person,  then  any  person  having  control  or  being  in 
command  of  such  boat  or  vessel. 

16.  Person  in  charge  to  be  responsible  for  order. — Every  person  who  for  the 
time  being  is  in  charge  of  any  boat  or  vessel  shall  be  responsible  for  the  pre- 
sen'ation  of  order  and  decency,  and  for  the  obsenance  of  the  provisions  of 
this  Act  ;  and  upon  proof  that  an  offence  under  this  Act  has  been  committed 
by  any  person  on  board  such  boat  or  vessel,  and  that  the  person  in  charge  has 


APPENDIX.  327 

fused  to  give  the  name  and  address  of  the  oflfender,  then  the  person  in  charge 
shall  be  deemed  to  have  committed  an  ofi'ence  under  this  Act. 

Part  III.— General  Powers. 

17.  Conservators  may  accept  and  hold  land  for  certain  purposes. — In  addi- 
tion to  their  existing  powers  to  take  and  hold  land,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the 
Conservators  to  accept  and  hold  any  land  which  any  person  may  offer  to  them 
for  dedication  to  public  uses  in  connection  with  the  purposes  of  this  Act,  upon 
such  terms  and  conditions  as  they  may  see  fit,  and  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the 
Corporation  of  the  City  of  London,  or  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Works,  and 
for  the  University  of  Oxford,  or,  subject  to  the  provisions  of  the  Municipal 
Corporations  Act,  1882,  so  far  as  they  are  applicable,  for  the  Corporation  of 
the  City  of  Oxford,  or  any  corporation  or  other  person,  to  give,  grant,  dedicate, 
convey,  or  devise  any  land  or  right  over  land  to  the  extent  of  their  estates  and 
interests  respectively,  unto  the  Conservators,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the 
public  to  use  such  and  or  any  part  thereof  as  a  public  highway,  or  as  a  place 
of  pubhc  resort,  or  for  the  purpose  of  creating  bathing-places  or  camping- 
grounds  or  landing-places,  or  for  any  other  purposes  connected  with  this  Act, 
any  of  the  provisions  of  the  Act  passed  in  the  ninth  year  of  the  reign  of  King 
George  the  Second,  chapter  thirty-six,  or  any  other  statute  or  any  rule  of  law 
to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

18.  Acquisition  by  agreement  of  right  of  abstracting  water  from  the  river. — 
Where  any  company  or  person  is  entitled  under  any  Act  of  Parliament,  grant, 
custom,  or  otherwise,  to  any  right  of  abstracting  or  appropriating  water  which 
might  otherwise  flow  or  find  its  way  into  the  river,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  any 
such  person  on  the  one  hand  and  the  Conservators  or  any  other  person  on  the 
other  hand,  to  enter  into  and  carry  into  effect  an  agreement  or  agreements  for 
the  conveyance  of  such  right  to  the  Conservators  ;  and  every  such  right  may 
he  conveyed  to  the  Conservators  by  deed,  and  shall  as  from  the  date  of  such 
conveyance  be  absolutely  extinguished  to  the  intent  that  such  water  shall 
thereafter  be  allowed  to  flow  into  the  river. 

And  it  shall  be  lawful  for  any  of  the  companies  supplying  water  within  the 
Metropolis  to  make  contributions  out  of  their  capital  or  revenue  in  aid  of  the 
acquisition  and  extinguishment  of  any  such  right,  and  for  the  Conservators  to 
accept  such  contributions  and  contributions  from  any  other  person  or  persons 
and  employ  them  for  that  purpose. 

19.  Alteration  and  suspension  of  by-laws. — It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Con- 
servators, in  addition  to  all  powers  of  making  by-laws  already  possessed  by 
ihem  under  the  Acts  mentioned  in  the  First  Schedule  hereto,  to  make,  and  from 
time  to  time  to  suspend  or  alter  in  the  same  manner  and  with  the  same  consent 
as  in  the  same  Acts  is  provided,  all  by-laws  which  they  may  deem  necessary 
for  the  purposes  mentioned  in  this  Act,  or  in  the  Second  Schedule  hereto, 

20.  Continuing  offences.— Any  act  or  default  in  contravention  of  any  of  the 
said  by-laws  or  of  the  provisions  of  this  Act,  which  after  due  notice  is  repeated 
or  continued,  shall  be  a  continuing  offence  under  this  Act. 


328  BOATING. 


Part  IV.— Procedure. 

21.  Penalty  for  offence  against  the  Act. — Any  person  convicted  of  an  offence 
under  this  Act  shall,  where  no  other  penalty  is  provided  by  this  Act  or  any  of 
the  Acts  mentioned  in  the  First  Schedule  hereto,  or  by  any  by-law  made  there- 
under respectively,  be  liable  to  a  penalty  not  exceeding  forty  shillings. 

22.  Penalty  for  continuing  offence. — Any  person  convicted  of  an  offence 
which  is  a  continuing  offence  under  this  Act  shall,  where  no  greater  penalty 
has  been  provided  for  such  offence  by  any  of  the  Acts  mentioned  in  the  First 
Schedule  hereto,  be  liable  to  a  penalty  not  exceeding  five  pounds. 

23.  Jurisdiction  of  certain  justices. — For  the  purposes  of  this  Act,  and  of 
every  by-law  to  be  made  by  the  Conservators  thereunder,  the  jurisdiction  of 
all  justices  of  the  peace  for  the  counties  of  Surrey,  Berkshire,  Wiltshire, 
Gloucester,  Oxford,  Buckingham,  and  Middlesex,  and  of  the  magistrates  for 
the  city  of  Oxford,  and  of  every  other  borough,  the  police  jurisdiction  of  which 
extends  to  any  place  upon  the  River  Thames  within  the  hmits  aforesaid,  and 
the  jurisdiction,  powers,  and  authority  of  the  Proctors  of  the  University  of 
Oxford  and  the  marshals  and  officers  acting  under  them,  and  the  power  and 
authority  of  the  Metropolitan  Police,  and  of  all  police  officers  and  constables 
acting  for  any  of  the  said  counties  or  boroughs,  shall  extend  over  the  whole  of 
the  River  Thames,  and  the  towpaths,  banks,  and  precincts  thereof,  within  the 
limits  aforesaid. 

24.  As  to  place  cohere  offence  committed. — For  the  purposes  of  any  proceed- 
ings in  respect  of  any  offence  under  this  Act,  or  under  any  of  the  Acts  men- 
tioned in  the  First  Schedule  hereto,  every  such  offence  shall  be  deemed  to  have 
been  committed,  and  every  cause  of  complaint  in  respect  thereof  shall  be 
deemed  to  have  arisen  either  in  the  place  in  which  the  same  actually  was  com- 
mitted or  arose,  or  in  any  place  in  which  the  offender  or  person  complained 
against  may  be. 

25.  Bailiffs  and  servants  of  Conservators  may  be  sworn  in  as  police  con  - 
stables. — It  shall  be  in  the  power  and  at  the  discretion  of  the  Conservators  to 
procure  all  or  any  of  their  water-bailiffs,  river-keepers,  lock-keepers,  or  other 
servants,  to  be  sworn  in  as  police  constables  for  any  of  the  counties  or  boroughs 
aforesaid,  but  they  shall  not  be  liable,  without  the  consent  of  the  Con- 
servators, to  be  called  upon  to  perform  the  duties  of  such  police  constables, 
except  for  the  purposes  of  this  Act  or  of  the  Acts  mentioned  in  the  First 
Schedule  hereto. 

26.  Proceedings  for  summary  conviction. — Proceedings  in  relation  to  any 
offence  or  continuing  offence  under  this  Act  or  any  of  the  Acts  mentioned  in 
the  First  Schedule  hereto,  or  under  any  by-law  already  made  or  hereafter  to 
be  made  by  the  Conservators,  or  for  the  recovery  of  any  penalty  under  this 
Act  or  any  of  the  said  Acts  mentioned  in  the  First  Schedule  hereto,  or  any 
by-law  made  thereunder  respectively,  may  be  taken  before  a  court  of  summary 
jurisdiction,  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  Summary  Jurisdiction  Acts, 
and  all  such  penalties,  whether  recovered  summarily  or  otherwise,  shall  be  paid 
to  the  Conservators,  and  shall  form  part  of  their  funds. 

27.  Moneys  paid  to  the  Conservators  to  be  carried  to  tlU  Conservancy  Fund. 


APPENDIX.  329 

— All  moneys  recovered  or  received  by  the  Conservators  or  their  secretary,  or 
other  officer  under  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  Act,  shall  be  carried  to  the 
Conservancy  Fund,  and  all  moneys  arising  in  respect  of  the  Upper  River,  as 
defined  by  the  Acts  mentioned  in  the  schedule  hereto,  shall  be  credited  to  the 
Upper  Navigation  Fund. 

28.  Saving  clause.— S2i\'\x\g  always  to  the  Queen's  most  Excellent  Majesty, 
her  heirs  and  successors,  and  to  all  and  every  other  person  or  persons  and 
body  or  bodies  politic,  corporate  or  collegiate,  and  his,  her,  or  their  heirs, 
successors,  executors,  and  administrators,  all  such  right,  title,  estate,  and 
interest,  as  they  or  any  of  them  could  or  ought  to  have  had  or  enjoyed  of,  in 
to  or  in  respect  of  the  river  and  the  banks  and  towpaths  thereof  within  the 
limits  aforesaid  in  case  this  Act  had  not  been  passed,  excepting  so  far  as  relates 
to  the  said  right  of  navigation  and  other  rights  expressly  declared  and  provided 
for  by  this  Act. 

29.  Definitions. — In  this  Act  the  following  terms  have  the  several  meanings 
hereby  assigned  to  them,  unless  there  be  something  in  the  subject  or  context 
repugnant  to  such  construction  (that  is  to  say)  : 

The  terms  '  the  River  1  hames  '  and  '  the  said  river  '  shall  for  the  purposes 
of  this  Act  mean  and  include  all  and  every  part  of  the  River  Thames 
specified  in  section  one,  excepting  the  cuts,  inlets,  and  channels  specified 
in  section  two  ; 

The  term  'the  Conservators'  means  the  Conservators  of  the  River  Thames; 

The  term  '  due  notice '  means  a  notice  in  writing  given  by  the  Conservators 
or  any  person  duly  authorised  in  writing  by  them  to  act  in  their  behalf  ; 

The  words  '  consent  of  the  Conservators  '  shall  mean  permission  in  writing 
signed  by  the  secretary  of  the  Conservators  ; 

The  term  '  by-law  '  includes  rules,  orders,  and  regulations  ; 

The  term  '  person  '  includes  corporation  ; 

1  he  term  '  land  '  includes  land  of  any  tenure,  and  tenements  and  heredita- 
ments, corporeal  or  incorporeal,  and  houses  and  other  buildings,  and 
also  an  undivided  share  in  land,  and  any  rights  over  land  whatsoever, 
whether  appendant,  appurtenant,  or  in  gross  ; 

The  term  '  precincts  '  includes  any  place  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  said 
river  on  either  side  thereof  ; 

The  term  'vessel'  shall  include  any  ship,  lighter,  barge,  launch,  house- 
boat, boat,  randan,  wherry,  skiff,  dingey,  shallop,  punt,  canoe,  raft,  or 
other  craft. 

30.  Short  title. — This  Act  may  be  cited  as  '  The  Thames  Preservation  Act, 
1885.' 

Schedule  I. 

24.  Geo.  II.  c.  8,  30  Geo.  II.  c.  21,  11  Geo.  III.  c.  45,  14  Geo.  III.  c.  91, 
15  Geo.  III.  c.  II,  17  Geo.  III.  c.  18,  28  Geo.  III.  c.  51,  35  Geo.  III.  c.  106, 
50  Geo.  III.  c.  cciv.,  52  Geo.  III.  c.  xlvi.,  52  Geo.  III.  c.  xlvii.,  54  Geo.  III. 
c.  ccxxiii.,  20  &  21  Vict.  c.  cxlvii.  (the  Thames  Conservancy  Act,  1857),  27  & 
28  Vict.  c.  113  (the  Thames  Conservancy  Act,  1864),  29  &  30  Vict.  c.  89  (the 
Thames  Navigation  Act,  1866),  30  &  31  Vict.  c.  ci.  (the  Thames  Conservancy 
Act,  1867),  33  &  34  Vict.  c.  cxlix.  (the  Thames  Navigation  Act,  1870),  41  &  42 


330  BOATING. 

Vict.  c.  ccxvi.  (the  Thames  Conservancy  Act,   1878),  46  &  47  Vict.  c.  Ixxix. 
(the  Thames  Act,  1883). 

Schedule  II. 

Purposes  for  which  By-laws  may  be  made  under  the  Powers 
AND  Provisions  of  this  Act. 

1.  For  preventing  offences  against  decency  by  persons  using  the  River 
Thames,  and  the  banks  and  towpaths  thereof,  or  any  land  acquired  by  the 
Conservators  under  the  provisions  of  this  Act. 

2.  For  preventing  disorderly  conduct,  or  the  use  of  obscene,  scandalous,  or 
abusive  language  to  the  annoyance  of  persons  using  the  said  River  Thg.mes  or 
the  banks  or  towpaths  thereof,  or  any  land  acquired  by  the  Conservators  under 
the  provisions  of  this  Act. 

3.  For  preventing  any  nuisance  to  riparian  residents  or  others  by  persons 
using  the  river. 

4.  For  preventing  trespasses  upon  any  riparian  dwelling-houses  or  the 
curtilages  or  gardens  belonging  thereto. 

5.  For  regulating  the  navigation  with  a  view  to  the  safety  and  amenity  of 
the  said  river  in  relation  to  the  purposes  of  this  Act. 

6.  For  preventing  injury  to  flowering  and  other  plants,  shrubs,  vegetation, 
trees,  woods  and  underwoods  on  or  near  the. said  river. 

7.  For  preventing  bird-catching,  bird-nesting,  bird-trapping,  and  the  search- 
ing for,  taking,  or  destruction  of  swans'  and  other  birds'  nests,  eggs,  or  the 
young  of  any  birds  or  other  animals  on  or  about  the  said  river,  saving  all 
existing  rights  of  fowling,  shooting,  hunting,  and  sporting. 

8.  For  preserving  the  various  notice-boards  and  other  works  and  things  set 
up  by  the  Conservators  or  with  their  consent. 

9.  For  preventing  disturbance  of  the  navigation  provided  for  by  this  Act. 

10.  For  registering  and  licensing  boats  or  vessels,  and  for  regulating ,  the 
conditions  of  such  licences,  and  the  letting  or  hiring  of  boats,  vessels,  convey- 
ances, horses  or  other  animals,  in  connection  with  the  purposes  of  this  Act. 

11.  For  imposing  penalties  for  breaches  of  by-laws,  subject  to  the  pro- 
visions of  this  Act  and  of  the  Acts  in  the  First  Schedule  mentioned. 


INDEX. 


AED 

Abdominal  strains,    treatment 

of,  175 

Ailments,  172-176 

Amateur,  the,  anomalous  status 
of,  193  ;  definition  of  term,  48, 
194  ;  Henley  executive  defi- 
nition, 194 ;  foundation  of 
Amateur  Rowing  Association, 
195;  A.R.A.  rules,  195;  re- 
gulations for  the  conduct  of 
amateur  regattas,  197-199  ? 
conditions  imposed  on  foreign 
crews,  199  ;  laws  of  boat- 
racing  approved  by  A.R.A. , 

239 

Amateur  Rowing  Association, 
195-199,  239,  240 

Amateurs,  past  and  present  :  — 
Babcock,  J.  C. ,  105  ;  Barnes, 
35;  Bayford,  J.,  35,  36; 
Birch,  R.  O.,  104;  Bishop, 
35  ;  Brickwood,  E.  D. ,  29, 
107,  138,  172,174,  185,  234; 
Brown,  M, ,  86  ;  Brown,  W. , 
105;  Balteel,  315;  Carter, 
35  ;  Casamajor,  134,  137, 
138  ;  Chambers,  J.  G.,  44, 
223,  239  ;  Chinnery,  Walter 
and  Harry,  231  ;  Close,  J.  B. , 
105  ;  Clutterbuck,  Rev.  J.  C, 
315;     Cobb,    Rhodes,    234; 


AMA 
Copplestone,  35,  36;  Cork- 
ran,  Colonel  Seymour,  86  ; 
Cox,  J.  R.,  138;  Donaldson, 
Rev.  S.  A,,  209;  Edwardes- 
Moss,  T.  C,  181,  227;  Faw- 
cus,  184  ;  Godfrey,  85,  86  ; 
Goldie,  J.  H.  D.,  86,  117, 
181;  Griffiths,  W.  R.,  86; 
Gulston,  F.  S.,  87,  88,  105, 
107;  Henley,  E.  ¥.,  152; 
Herbert,  C,  184  ;  Hoare,  W., 
S6,  176;  Hornemann,  35; 
Hughes,  G.,  156;  Jacobson, 
89;  Labat,  R.  H.,  226;  Le 
Blanc  Smith,  195,  197  ;  Les- 
ley, R.,  86  ;  Lewis,  35 ;  Lloyd, 
35;  Long,  A.  de  L.,  105  ; 
Long,  W. ,  87 ;  Lowndes, 
141 ;  Marsh,  35  ;  Marshall, 
T.  H.,  92  ;  Menzies,  F.,  156  ; 
Montagu,  C.  F.,  203;  Morri- 
son, Allan,  234,  235  ;  Morri- 
son, George,  89,  234,  235  ; 
Mossop,  Sj ;  Musgrave,  32, 
314  ;  Nad  in,  184  ;  Parker,  J. 
E.,  134,  137;  Payne,  141  ; 
Peard,  35,  36;  Pelham,  34- 
46 ;  Percy,  103  ;  Phillips, 
R.  M.,  37  ;  Pitman,  86;  Play- 
ford,  Frank,  134,  227,  234; 
Playford,  H.    H.,  234,   235  ; 


332 


BOATING. 


AMA 

Amateurs  : — continued 

Revell,  35;  Rhodes,  H.,  86, 
1 1 6,  117;  Risley,  Rev.  R. 
W.,  234,  235  ;  Rowe,  G.  D., 
179  ;  Shadwell,  Rev.  A.,  92, 
156  ;  Shaw,  Captain,  35,  36  ; 
Staniforth,  Rev.  T.,  30,  32, 
34,  319;  Unwin,  W.  S.,  134  ; 
Wallace,  184;  Warre,  209, 
213;  Way,  116,  117;  Wee- 
don,  35  ;  West,  86  ;  Wood, 
182  ;  Wynne,  89  ;  see  under 
Temple  of  Fame,  243-296 

Aquatic  championship,  winners 
of  the,  296 

Authors  quoted,  see  under  Books 


Bathing,  156 

Beach,  W.,  champion  of  the 
world,  236,  237 

Biglin-Coulter  crew,  the,  105 

Biremes,  12,  15-17 

Blisters,  treatment  of,  173,  175 

Boats,  early  history  of,  3  ;  san- 
pans,  4,  6,  10;  Ulysses'  boat, 
5  ;  dug-outs,  6  ;  canoes,  7  ; 
cayaks,  8  ;  Madras  surf-boats, 
9 ;  analogy  of  construction 
with  that  of  orders  of  fishes,  9  ; 
Chinese  junks,  10  ;  Egyptian 
boats,  12;  Phoenician  vessels, 
13  ;  ships  of  Homer,  13  ;  bi- 
remes, 1 5- 1 7,  25  ;  triremes, 
17,  18,  20-23;  pace  of  the 
ancient  Greek  galleys,  24 ; 
early  Roman  vessels,  24  ; 
boat-building,  142  ;  wherries, 

142  ;  skiffs,  143,  144 ;  gigs, 
143,     144;     'carvel'    build, 

143  ;  inrig  and  outrig,  144  ; 
dingies,  145  ;  dimensions, 
145-152  ;   prices,    146,    148  ; 


BOO 
shape,  150,  151  ;  position  of 
seats,  151 
Boat-builders:— Archer  'of  Lam- 
beth), 35  ;  Clasper,  Jack,  146, 
147  ;  Goodman,  213  ;  Hall 
(of  Oxford),  314;  Little  (of 
Plymouth),  314  ;  Perkins 
(Sambo),  213 ;  Saher,  Messrs. , 
145,  152  ;  Searle,  35,  213 ; 
Sewell,  147 ;  Swaddell  and 
Winship,  147  ;  Taylor,  Mat, 
87,  147-149,  I5I»  213,  322  ; 
Thornycroft,  322  ;  Tolliday, 
213 
Boils,  treatment  of,  173,174 
Books,  &c.  and  authors  quoted  : 
Archeologie  Navale,  25  ;  Aris- 
tophanes, 18  ;  'Argonaut,' 
147,  148  ;  Bell's  Life,  28,  34, 
35,  no,  147  ;  Boating  Calen- 
dar, 206;  Boat  Racing,  27, 
31,  162,  172, 185  ;  Brickwood, 
E.  D.,  27,  31,  32,  95,  103, 
104,  162  ;  Denkmaler  (Lep- 
.sius's),  10;  Egan,  T. ,  no, 
147  ;  Encyclopa-dia  Britan- 
nica,  20;  field,  the,  40,  107, 
188,  319  ;  Fleet  of  an  Egyp- 
tian Queen  (Duemichen's), 
10;  Frogs,  18;  Graser,  Dr., 
20  ;  Glossaire  Nautique,  25  ; 
Herodotus,  9  ;  Homer,  4,  5, 
13;  Horace,  3  ;  Jal,  M.,  25; 
Land  and  Water,  30,  313  ; 
Lane,  122;  Merivale,  Dr., 
33  ;  Notes  on  Coaching  (Dr. 
Warre's),  77  ;  Oars  and  Sculls, 
161  ;  Old  Blues  and  their 
Battles,  34 ;  Record  of  the 
University  Boat  Race,  34 ; 
Rowing  Almanack,  241  ;  So- 
crates, 154;  Stonehenge,  174; 
Staniforth,   Rev.  T. ,  30,  32  ; 


INDEX 


ZZZ 


BOO 
Trehenie,  G.  T.,  34;  Urkun- 
den  iiber   das    Seewesen  das 
attischen  Staates.  20  ;  Warre, 
Dr.,    64,    77;     Westminster 
Water  Ledger,  27  ;  William- 
son, Dr.,  28;  Xenophon,  24 
Brandy,  as  a  restorative,  172 
Building  (boat),  see  under  Boats 
Bumping  races,  33,  3 1 3-315,  3^8 
By-laws  of  boat  clubs,  187 


Cambridge  University  Boat 
Club,  32,  36,  42  ;  head  of  the 
river,  292 ;  pair-oars,  293 ; 
four-oars,  294  ;  sculls,  295  ; 
races  with  Oxford,  &c.,  252- 
288  ;  college  and  club  races, 
292-296 ;  see  Temple  of  Fame 

Canoes,  7 

Captains,  79  ;  qualifications  for, 
80  ;  multitude  of  counsellors, 
80  ;  dealing  with  malcontents, 
82-84  ;  enforcement  of  punc- 
tuality, 84  ;  position  in  boat, 
85,  207  ;  former  identity  of 
stroke  and  captain,  86  ;  duties 
of,  87  ;  recruiting,  87  ;  selec- 
tion by,  of  candidates  for  trial 
eights,  88  ;  coaching  of  juniors 
1^75  89  ;  conduct  of,  on  retire- 
ment from  office,  90  ;  resident 
in  college,  90  ;  lessons  of  the 
post,  91 ;  list  of  captains  of 
Eton  boats,  214-216 

Championship  of  the  world, 
296,  297  ;  see  also  under  Pro- 
fessional racing 

Chitty,  Sir  Joseph,  320 

Clothing,  Henley  rule  concern- 

Clubs,  practical  advantages  of, 
178;  Star  and   Arrow,    179; 


CLU 
early  records  of  the  Leander, 
179-181  ;       Ihe        Leander's 
matches  with  the  Universities, 
181  ;    the     Argonauts,    182  ; 
foundation    of     the    London 
Rowing  Club,  182  ;  past  and 
present    composition    of    the 
Leander,  183;  suburban  clubs, 
183  ;  provincial    clubs,    184  ; 
draft  rules  for  the  formation 
of,    185;    by-laws,    187;  ex- 
tinction of  small  clubs,  188- 
191  ;  list  of  those  contending 
at  Henley,  245-73;  O.  U.B.C. 
college  and  club  races,   289- 
292;    C. U.B.C.    college  and 
club  races,  292-296 
Clubs  : — Argonauts,    189,    269, 
320,  322 ;  Ariel,  190 ;  Atalanta 
(New  York),  106  ;  Bath,  184  ; 
B.N.C.     Oxon,      J 19,      122, 
181,    267 ;    Burton-on-Trent, 
184 ;      Cambridge      London 
Rooms,      263  ;       Cambridge 
Subscription      Rooms,     285, 
289;     Chester,     182,      183  ; 
Christ  Church,  31,  208  ;  Cor- 
sair,    190;     C.  U.B.C,     see 
under ;    Dublin,     106,     184  ; 
Durham,   184  ;   Grove  Park, 
183  ;  Guy's    Club  (London), 
264;     Ino,     190;     John    o' 
Gaunt,    184 ;    Kingston,    43, 
79,   87,   106,   109,   182,    183, 
19c,    210,    234,    322  ;    Lady 
Margaret,  38,  106 ;  Leander, 
33»    34,    79,    117,   179,    180, 
183,  190,  192,   211,  254-256, 
258,  260,   272  ;  London,   79, 
87,  88,    105,   106,    180,    182, 
183,  189,  190,  210,  211,  226, 
228,  272,  273;  Mersey,  184; 
Molesey,  190;  Nautilus,  189; 


334 


BOATING. 


CLU 
Clubs  : — continued 

Newcastle,  184  ;  Nottingham, 
184;  Oscillators,  122  ;  Oxford 
Aquatic,  263 ;  Oxford  Rad- 
leian,  119;  Oxford  Etonians, 
152,  180,  210;  O.U.B.C. 
(see under);  Pembroke (Oxon), 
106,  109 ;  Queen's  College, 
Oxford,  31,  38,  85,86;  Rad- 
ley  College,  209 ;  St.  George's, 
182,  261,  262;  St.  John's 
Canadian,  119;  Severn,  184; 
Star,    189 ;  Thames,   42,    79, 

182,  183,  233,  265  ;  Thames 
Subscription,  42,  234  ; 
Twickenham,  183,  190  ;  Uni- 
versity College,  87 ;  Wands- 
worth;   181  ;   West    London, 

183,  190  ;  Westminster,  208, 
209;  see  also  Temple  of  Fame, 
245-296 

Coaching,  66  ;  tendency  to  be- 
come 'mechanical,'  66;  coach 
should  be  a  scientific  oarsman, 
67  ;  testing  rowing  apparatus, 

67  ;  cause  of  faults  in  rowing, 

68  ;  '  lateness,'  68  ;  over- 
reach of  shoulders,  69  ;  meet- 
ing oar,  70  ;  faulty  swing,  70  ; 
screwing,  70 ;  feather  under 
water,  71  ;  swing  across  boat, 
71  ;  prematurely  bending  the 
arms,  71 ;  exercise  of  crew  in 
paddling,  72,  73  ;  waterman- 
ship, good  and  bad,  74,  75  ; 
firmness  in  dealing  with  pupils, 
75  ;  selection  and  arrange- 
ment of  crew,  76  ;  Dr.  Warre's 
*  Notes  on  Coaching,'  77  ; 
consumption  of  liquid  in  train- 
ing, 161 

Colds  and  coughs,  treatment  of, 
176 


ETO 

College  races,  245-251 
Colquhoun  Challenge  Sculls,  38; 

winners  of,  295,  296 
Conservators,    Thames,    powers 

of,  323-327 
Course,  boat's,  238 
Coxswains,       Henley      Regatta 

rules  concerning,  51  ;  see  also 

under  Steering 


Diamond  Challenge  Sculls, 
rules,  48  ;  Ed  ward  es- Moss's 
victory,  227  ;  winners  of,  248 

Diarrhoea,  treatment  of,  175 

Diet,  153-163 

Dingey,  the,  145,  146 

Doggett's  coat  and  badge,  26  ; 
list  of  winners  of,  303,  304 

Drink,  158 

Dublin  Trinity  College,  results 
of  matches  at  Henley  Regatta, 
210,  211 

Dug-outs,  6 


Egyptian  boats,  12 

Entries,  regulations  concerning, 
49 

Eton,  rowing  at,  ^6,  87,  200; 
fishing  and  shooting  at,  201  ; 
the  river  out  of  bounds,  201  ; 
Dr.  Keate  and  the  sham  eight, 
201  ;  shirking  abolished,  202  ; 
swimming  enforced,  202  ; 
river  masters  and  bathing 
places,  203;  'passing,'  203; 
changes  in  the  course  of  the 
Thames,  203  ;  first  race  under 
official  patronage,  204  ;  water- 
men as  stroke  or  coach,  204  ; 
upper  and  lower  boats,  204  ; 
names  and  number  of  boats, 


INDEX. 


335 


ETO 
204,  205  ;  entries  for  eights, 
205;  captains  and  'choices,' 
205 ;  procession  on  opening 
day,  206  ;  practice,  207  ;  pro- 
cession on  June  4,  207  ; 
position  of  captain  of  boat, 
207 ;  V.   Christ  Church   four, 

208  ;    V.    Westminster,    208, 

209  ;  V.  Radley,  209  ;  lists 
of  results  of  races  at  Henley 
Regatta,  210  21 1  ;  upper 
sixes,  211  ;  four  v.  watermen, 

212  ;  punting  and  tub-scull- 
ing, 212  ;  courses  and  winning 
point,  212  ;  the  Brocas,  212  ; 
limes,   212 ;    build    of  boats, 

213  ;  style  of  rowing,  213  ;  list 
of  captains  of  boats  and  not- 
able events,  214-216 

Festers,  treatment  of,  175 

'  Field,'  article  on  Henley  Past 

and  Present,  319-323 
Firearms,  use  of,  on  river,  325 
Foreign  crews,  regulations  con- 
cerning, 199 
Fouls,  239 

Four-oars,  1 18;  without  cox- 
swain, 119  ;  steering  appa- 
ratus, 119;  in  practice,  122; 
winners  of  races,  249-251, 
292,  294,  298,  299,  301,  302 

Gigs,  143,  144 
Gold  Cup  for  eights,  42,  260 
Goodford,  Dr.,  202,  209 
Grand  Challenge  Cup,  40  ;  rules 
concerning,  47  ;  racing  record, 
182,  183,  210,  211,  253,  258, 
259,  261,  262,  264-268,  270, 
272,  273,   319,   320  ;    list  of 
winners,  245 


LAN 

Hanlan,  E.,  Canadian  cham- 
pion, 227,  229-231,  236 

Hawtrey,  Dr.,  204 

Henley  Regatta,  foundation  of, 
38  ;  old  and  new  courses,  40  ; 
qualification  rules  for  cups, 
47  ;  general  rules,  48 ;  de- 
finition of  an  amateur  oarsman, 
48 ;  entries,  49 ;  objections 
to  entries,  50  ;  course  and 
stations,  50  ;  a  row  over,  50  ; 
heats,  50;  clothing,  51  ;  cox- 
swains, 51  ;  flag,  51  ;  umpire 
and  judge,  51  ;  prizes,  51  ; 
com.mittee,  52  ;  restrictions 
on  foreign  crews,  199;  Eton 
eight  first  at,  209 ;  results  of 
Eton  racing  at,  210  ;  advan- 
tage of  Berks  station  at,  228  ; 
Oxford  V.  Cambridge  at,  254  ; 
Leander  v.  Oxford  at,  254  ; 
random  recollections  of,  319- 
323 ;  see  also  Temple  of  Fame, 
245-253,  258-262,  264-270, 
272,  273 

Hornby,  Dr.,  320 

House-boats,  324,  325 


Junks,  Chinese,  10 


Keate,  Dr.,  201,  202 
Kelley,  Harry,  and  his  contests, 
218,  220,  221,  223 


Ladies'  Challenge  Plate,  rules, 
47  ;  racing  record,  210,  211  ; 
winners  of,  248 

'  Land  and  Water,'  article  on 
Boat-racing  at  the  Universi- 
ties, 313  319 


33^ 


BOA  TING. 


LAW 

Laws  of  boat-racing,  238  ;  boats' 
course,  238  :  fouls,  239  ;  code 
adopted  by  Amateur  Rowing 
Association,  239,  240 ;  rule 
of  the  road  on  river,  241,  242 

Limehouse  to  Hertford  and 
intermediate  distances,  304, 
305 


Med  WAY  (Sheerness  to  Ton- 
bridge,  and  intermediate  dis- 
tances), 310 

Milk,  cautious  use  of,  161 


Navigation  of  the  Thames,  re- 
gulations for,  324 


Oxford  and  Cambridge  Uni- 
versity Boat  Race,  list  of 
winners  since  1828,  252 

Oxford  to  Lechlade  and  inter- 
mediate distances,  306,  307 

Oxford  to  London  and  interme- 
diate distances  of  locks,  &c., 
307-310 

Oxford  University  Boat  Club, 
races  of,  with  C.U.B.C.  and 
other  clubs,  32,  36,  42,  89, 
252-258,  260-288 ;  college 
eights  (head  of  the  river), 
289 ;  winners  of  pair-oars, 
290;  winners  of  sculls,  291  ; 
winners  of  four-oars,  292 ; 
college  and  club  races,  289- 
292  ;  see  Temple  of  Fame 


Paddling,  72,  73 
Pair-oars,  the    acme  of    water- 
manship,   123 ;  give-and-take 


PRO 
action,  124;  'jealous'  row- 
ing, 124;  balance  and  steer- 
ing, 126;  the  start,  126; 
manipulation  of  the  oars,  126  ; 
winners  of,  at  Henley,  246, 
293 

Paramatta,  rowing  on   the,  229, 
236 

Passing  swimmers  at  Eton,  203 

Phoenicians,  the,  13 

Pleasure-boats,      regulation    of, 

325 
Professional  races  and  their 
winners  : — The  aquatic  cham- 
pionship, 296,  297  ;  Thames 
National  Regatta  (champion 
fours),  298  ;  sculls,  299 ;  ap- 
prentices' sculls  (coat  and 
badge),  299;  T.N.R.  (second 
series),  fours,  299 ;  pairs, 
300 ;  sculls,  300 ;  appren- 
tices' sculls  (coat  and  badge), 
300 ;  Thames  International 
Regatta,  champion  sculls, 
fours,  and  pairs,  301  ;  Royal 
Thames  Regatta,  watermen's 
prizes,  301  ;  British  Regatta 
in  Paris,  fours,  pairs,  and 
sculls,  302  ;  World's  Regatta 
on  the  Thames,  302  ;  winners 
of  Doggett's  coat  and  badge, 

303 
Professional  racing,  217  ;  the 
London  waterman,  217;  first 
championship  of  the  Thames, 
218  ;  defeat  of  Kelley  by 
Chambers,  218 ;  Green  de- 
feated by  Chambers,  220 ; 
Chambers  beaten  by  Kelley, 
220 ;  Cooper  and  Chambers 
defeated  by  Kelley,  221  ; 
Hammill  beaten  by  Kelley, 
221  ;  Hoare  defeated  by  Sad- 


INDEX. 


ZV 


PRO 

ler,  221  ;  second  defeat  of 
Chambers  by  Kelley,  221  ; 
anecdote  of  Chambers,  222  ; 
Kelley  defeats  Sadler,  223 ; 
Renforth  beats  Kelley,  223  ; 
Sadler  defeats  Boyd,  224 ; 
Trickett  defeats  Sadler,  225  ; 
Boyd  beats  Higgins,  225 ; 
Higgins  beats  Boyd,  225  ; 
Higgins  defeats  Elliott,  226  ; 
Elliott  beats  Boyd  and  Hig- 
gins, 226  ;  Elliott  defeated  by 
Hanlan,  227  ;  Trickett  beaten 
by  Hanlan,  229;  Hanlan's 
victories  over  Laycock  and 
Boyd,  230;  he  beats  Kennedy 
and  Wallace  Ross,  231  ;  cause 
of  deterioration  in  professional 
rowing,  232,  233  ;  bad  form 
with  sliding  seats,  224,  225, 
229,  230,  232,  235  ;  lapse  of 
professional  regattas,  233 ; 
Beach  defeats  Hanlan,  236  ; 
Gaudaur  beaten  by  Beach, 
237  ;  Beach  paddles  away 
from  Wallace  R'  ss,  237 
Professionals,  past  and  present  : 
—  Anderson,  Jock,  225  ;  Bag- 
nail,  224 ;  Beach,  William, 
236,  237  ;  Bififen,  229,  234  ; 
Blackman,  225,  229 ;  Boyd, 
R.  W.,  224,  225,  226,  229- 
231  ;  Bubear,  146,  231,  236; 
Cannon,  Tom,  204 ;  Cham- 
bers, Robert,  103,  105,  137, 
218-222,  228  ;  Campbell,  28, 
218 ;  Clasper,  Harry,  124,  143, 
218  ;  Clasper,  Jack,  103,  124; 
Clifford,  T.,  236;  Cole,  29, 
218;  Coombes,  R.,  218; 
Cooper,  220,  221  ;  Everson, 
219;  Fish,  204;  Gaudaur, 
236,   237;  Green,    137,    138, 


REG 

220;  Elliott,  W.,  226,  231; 
Hall,  Jack,  204 ;  Hammill, 
221  ;  Hanlan,  Edward,  134, 
137,  225-230,  235,  236; 
Haverley,  Jack,  204  ;  Hoare, 
T.,  221  ;  Kelley,  Harry,  138, 
172,  218-223,  228;  Kemp, 
29;  Kennedy,  J.  L.,  231  ; 
Largan,  231  ;  Laycock,  Elias, 

230,  231,  235;  Lee,  199, 
227  ;  Luke,  226  ;  Lumsden, 
225  ;  Matterson,  Neil,  236 ; 
Noulton,  36  ;  Paddle  Brads, 
204;  Perkins,  231,  236; 
Piper,  204 ;  Renforth,  104, 
105,  223  ;  Ross,  Wallace,  230, 

231,  237  :  Rush,  229  ;  Sadler, 
J.  H.,  103,  221-223  ;  Strong, 
184;  Tagg,  234;  Taylor, 
105  ;  Teenier,  236  ;  Trickett, 
224,  225,  229,  230;  West, 
George,  33  ;  White,  Tom, 
219;  Williams,  28;  Williams, 
C,  218  ;  Wise,  234;  see  also 
296-304 

Prizes,  rules  regarding,  51 
Public  Schools    Challenge    Cup 

for  fours,  winners  of,  251 
Punctuality,  84 


Racing  courses,  length  of,  305 

Raws,  cure  of,  174 

Regattas,  amateur  rules  govern- 
ingj  197-1995  lapse  of  profes- 
sional, 233 ;  see  Temple  of 
Fame 

Regattas  :— Barnes,  43  ;  British 
Regatta  in  Paris,  302  ;  Har- 
vard, 279;  Henley,  see  under  ; 
International,  44  ;  King's 
Lynn,  104  ;  Metropolitan,  42, 
189;  Molesey,  43J  National, 


33^ 


BOATING. 


REG 
Regattas  '.—continued 

42  ;  Paris  International,  1 19, 
152,  221  ;  Philadelphia,  226  ; 
Reading,  44  ;  Royal  Thames, 
301  ;  Sons  of  the  Thames, 
234,235;  Tewkesbury,  184; 
Thames,  42,  180,  221,  234, 
260,  263 ;  Thames  Interna- 
tional, 301 ;  Thames  National, 
298-300 ;  Walton-on-Thames, 

43  ;  World's  Regatta  on  the 
Thames,  302 

Registration  of  boats,  325 
Renforth,  James,  champion,  223 
Rivers  and  courses,  304;  dis- 
tances of  locks,  &c.,  on  river 
Lea  from  Limehouse  to  Hert- 
ford, 304  ;  length  of  racing 
courses,  305  ;  distances  of 
weirs,  &c.,  from  Oxford  to 
Lechlade,  306  ;  tables  of  dis- 
tances of  locks,  &c.,  from 
Oxford  to  London,  307-310  ; 
intermediate  distances  on  river 
Medvvay  from  Sheerness  to 
Tonbridge,  310 ;  intermediate 
distances  on  river  Wey  from 
Thames  Lock  to  Godalming, 

311 

Rowing,  rise  of  modern,  26  ; 
Doggett's  prize,  26,  303 ;  West- 
minster '  Water  Ledger,'  27  ; 
match  between  randan  and 
four-oar,  28 ;  modest  cham- 
pionship stakes,  28  ;  Kemp's 
match  against  time,  29  ;  foun- 
dation of  Wingfield  Sculls,  29; 
University  training,  30  ;  first 
University  race,  32 ;  records 
of  college  racing,  33  ;  Oxford 
eight  steered  by  professional, 
34  ;  London  and  Oxford  ama- 
teurs, 35  ;  adoption  of  'light 


RYP 

blue '  by  Cambridge,  37 ; 
match  between  Universities  at 
Henley,  37,  38  ;  foundation 
of  Henley  Regatta,  38  ;  pair- 
oar  races  established  at  Uni- 
versities, 38  ;  Colquhoun  sculls 
and  University  sculls,  38  ; 
four-oar  races,  39  ;  regattas, 
40  ;  Grand  Challenge  Cup  at 
Henley,  40,  42  ;  the  '  seven- 
oar  episode,'  42  ;  Thames 
Regatta,  42  ;  '  National '  Re- 
gatta, 42  ;  Metropolitan  Re- 
gatta, 42  ;  Barnes  Regatta, 
43  ;  minor  regattas,  43 ;  con- 
stitution and  rules  of  Henley 
Regatta,  45-52  ;  first  princi- 
ples of  scientific  rowing,  53- 
56  ;  muscular  movement  and 
mental  volition,  54,  55  ;  in- 
struction in  details,  57,  58  ; 
stroke,  57  ;  set  of  back,  58, 
59 ;  swing,  59  ;  use  of  legs 
and  feet,  59,  60,  62,  64  ;  go- 
vernment of  oar,  60,  62  ;  re- 
covery, 61-63 ;  feathering, 
63  ;  notes  en  stroke,  64 ; 
origin  and  use  of  sliding-seats, 
102-I17  ;  four-oared  rowing, 
118-122;  pairoared  rowing, 
123-126  ;  sculling,  127-141  ; 
training,  153-177  ;  clubs,  178- 
191  ;  amateurs,  192- 199  ; 
Eton,  200-216 ;  watermen 
and  professionals,  217-237  ; 
laws  of  racing,  238-242 
Rule  of  the  road  on  river,  241 
Rules  for  boat-racing,  316,  317 
Rules  for  the  formation  of  row- 
ing clubs,  185 
Running,  168,  171 
Rupture,  treatment  of,  175 
Rypecks,  321 


INDEX. 


339 


SAN 
Sanpan,  the,  4,  6 
Scientific   oarsmanship,    art  of, 

53-65 

Sculling,  127  ;  management  of 
sculls,  128,  129,  132,  136; 
first  lessons,  128  ;  stretcher, 
128;  rowlocks,  129;  thowl, 
128  ;  even  action  of  wrists, 
130,  131,  132;  steering,  131 ; 
feathering  under  water,  131  ; 
the  swing,  134,  136,  137,  138; 
steering  apparatus,  134;  slides, 
135;  pace,  137,  138;  taking 
an  opponent's  w^ater,  1 39 ; 
pilots,  140 

Sheerness  to  Tonbridge,  310 

Siestas,  176 

Silver  Goblets  for  pair-oars, 
rules,  48 

Skiffs,  143,  144 

Sleep,  163 

Sliding  seats,  their  origin,  I02- 
106  ;  use,  107 ;  merits  and 
defects  of,  108  ;  superiority 
over  fixed  seats,  109  ;  practice 
at,  112;  swing,  113;  recovery, 
114;  remedying  faulty  work 
on,  115;  introduction  at  Eton, 
213  ;  professionals  at  fault  in 
use  of,  224,  225,  229,  230, 
232,  235  ;  Hanlan's  superi- 
ority on,  227,  228 

Smoking,  165 

'  Sportsman '  Challenge  Cup, 
146,  226,  229 

Sprains,  treatment  of,  176 

Steamers  at  races,  219 

Steering,  92  ;  early  days  of  the 
coxswain,  93 ;  the  coxswain's 
attitude  and  action,  94  ;  hand- 
ling the  rudder-lines,  94 ; 
words  of  command,  94  ;  turn- 
ing, 95  ;    '  coaxing   with    the 


TRA 

rudder,'  95  ;  landmarks,  95, 
96 ;  characteristics  of  the 
boat,  96  ;  four-oars,  119  ;  boy 
coxswains,  122 ;  pair-oars, 
125  ;  in  sculling,  131,  134 

Stewards'  Cup,  rules,  49  ;  racing 
record,  261,  262,  264,  266, 
267,  269,  320 ;  winners  of, 
245 

Strains,  treatment  of,  175 

Stroke,  notes  on  the,  64 

Surf  boats,  9 

Swimming  at  Eton,  202,  203 


Tea,  172 

Temple  of  Fame,  the,  a  list  01 

.  winners,  crews  and  men,  243- 
304 

Thames  Challenge  Cup,  rules, 
47  ;  winners  of,  250 

Thames  Lock  to  Godalming,  311 

Thames  Preservation  Act,  323  ; 
navigation,  324 ;  regulation 
of  pleasure-boats,  325  ;  gene- 
ral powers  of  conservators, 
327  ;  legislative  procedure, 
328 

Thirst,  160-163 

Torpid,  the  term,  316 

Town  Challenge  Cup,  winners 
of,  251 

Training,  153;  diet,  154;  old 
training  of  a  prizefighter  or 
a  waterman,  155  ;  present 
course,  156;  morning  bathing, 
156;  breakfast,  156;  luncheon, 
157  ;  dinner,  158;  drink,  158; 
practice,  160;  thirst,  160-163; 
consumption  of  fluids,  161- 
163  ;  sleep,  163  ;  period  of 
training,  164 ;  smoking,  165  ; 
aperients,    165  ;   work,    166  ; 


340 


BOATING. 


TRA 
running,  i68,  171  ;  the  'set' 
stroke,  169  ;  starting,  169  ; 
avoidance  of  over-fineness  of 
condition,  170 ;  use  of  the 
tooth-brush,  171  ;  value  of  the 
'odd  man,'  171  ;  the  'long 
course,'  171  ;  meal  before  and 

•  between  races,  172  ;  ailments, 
1 72-176  ;  wraps,  176  ;  siestas, 
176 

Triremes,  17,  18,  20-23 


Universities,  results  of  races 
at  Henley  Regatta,  210,  211  ; 
record  of  inter  and  club  con- 
tests, &c.,  254-288;  early 
history  of  boat-racing  at  the, 
313 ;  Brasenose  Club  Book, 
313;  bumping  races.  314; 
'no  hired  watermen,' 
the  'Buccleuch,'  314; 
use  of  a  raft  at  Oxford, 
boats  and  crews  in  1824 
the  term  'Torpid,'  316  ; 
drawn  up  for  boat-racing  in 
1826,  316  ;  ditto  for  1827, 
317  ;  results  of  racing  in  1828, 
317;  racing  in  1829  and  1830, 
318 

University    oarsmen,    lists    of. 


314; 
first 

315; 
,315; 

rules 


WYF 

with  their  weights,  and  races 
in  which  they  rowed,  243-296 

Visitors'  Challenge  Cup,  win- 
ners of,  249 

Water,  abstraction  of,  from 
river,  327 

Waterford,  Marquis  of,  34,  35 

Water-gruel,  as  a  corrective  of 
thirst,  160 

Watermanship,  as  a  technical 
term,  explained,  74,  75 

Watermen,  employed  as  stroke 
or  coach,  204  ;  and  see  under 
Professionals 

Westminster  School,  208,  209 

Wey  (Thames  Lock  to  Godal- 
ming  and  intermediate  dis- 
tances), 311 

W^herries,  142,  218 

Wingfield,  Mr.  Lewis,  his  insti- 
tution of  the  prize  which  bears 
his  name,  181 

Wingfield  Sculls,  foundation  of, 
29  ;  winners  of  the,  243,  244 

Wraps,  176 

Wyfold  Challenge  Cup,  rules, 
48  ;  conditions  held  under, 
320  ;  winners  of,  250 


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