AQUATICS OLD AND NEW.

Otago Witness, Issue 1951, 11 April 1889, Page 25

AQUATICS OLD AND NEW.

(Licensed Victuallers' Gazette.) I shall endeavour to show that there is very little, if any, 'difference between the men who row now and those who have for some years gone over to the majority, in point of speed. lam writing from a knowledge of facts, from observations which I have personally made since the year 1846, when old Bob Coombes rowed and beat Campbell. The time given for that race is 25min 15sec. lam well aware that wind, the time fixed for the race, the height of the tide, labour, and many other reasons, tend to give and fix times one way or the other ; but still if a careful estimate be taken of the times in which these trials of speed were done, I maintain that the disadvantage will be found, on an average, not to be with the old men of the good class. After the race with Campbell, Coombes took on old Bob Newell. Now the former was always looked upon as a clinker, and all the cognoscenti, and even the unsophisticated youths who knocked about the " waterside," looked upon the match as a foregone conclusion for old Bob Coombes ; and so it turned out, for he won, hands down, in 23min 46sec; He next took on T. Mackinney, of Richmond— a man who never was counted of champion class. He was easily disposed of in 26min ssec, and bhe old one was scarcely ever extended. But in 1852 he had to meet a perfect wonder in young Tom Cole, of Chelsea, and to row second to his own pupil. I recollect the match well. Tom simply played with him up to a certain point, thinking he had the old 'un safe ; but with wonderful pluck and perseverance Coombes stuck to him, and although Cole won, it was only by about half a length on the post— all out with both of them. Coombes thought the win a fluke, and so became anxious for another match, which was fixed for October in the same year ; the first match was rowed in May. It was a splendid day for the race, and the river was brimfull, with scarcely a break upon the surface until after the race, when it began to blow great guns. The result was that young Tom won by about 50yds in 23min 35sec. Now I wish just to call attention to this time, and to compare it with that oi many of our modern champions, who have everything in their favour, and when I say everything I refer to sliding seats, improved rowlocks, boats built on more scientific principles, the destruction of Putney Bridge and other encumbrances, and to the narrowing of the river's bed by the building of the Thames Embankment. If these do ; not give the modern scullers a great advantage over the others, then am I a Dutchman. In a conversation which I had with Wallace Ross, Tom White, and " Boris," of the Referee, one afternoon at the Aquarium, Mr Ross said : "If the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge would only use my gear, I could make them 10 or 15 seconds faster over the Putney course. I have followed the modern men in cutters and steamers, and when on the latter have nearly always (bar accidents) been able to hold them ; but Tom Cole, with a start, was a very different matter." I well remember coming down with the Kew boat one afternoon, when Tom was waiting for us t'other side of Putney Bridge. He took a flying start, and led us well all the way down, and he went under Battersea Old Bridge an easy winner, then pulled up and mopped his nob, and laughed at us. We gave him three cheers, and he turned his boat and went up the Surrey side to his quarters. Then almost for the first time that mysterious Mr Barnes comes upon the scene. Then began those dark rumours of a conversation which took place upon Barnes Common, which was overheard by someone who had taken shelter under one of the bushes, who stated "as how he had heard Tom made an arrangement about the next match against that rising young sculler, J. Messenger." Well, it came off as the knowing ones said it would, and the consequence was that Cole never looked up again. He took to boose, took a pub at Hammersmith, then took the knock, and finally that hundred and a-quar-. ter of the Coles was carted to the cellar. The last time I saw him was at Hampton, when he was *driving a van. When at his best he was a model of a man, better built than Hanlan in his prime, and with such a.

devil-may-cate iook ail over his curly blacl. headi Messenger's reign was a short one. r There was working as foremosthand (pronounced "formstand") on one of the boats' ' a young fellow whom old Johnny Coates, of Chelsea, denominated the future "star" of ' the Thames, Harry Kelley, one of the prettiest scullers ever seen' in a boat. Messenger, never a very strong man, had to give place to this rising young waterman. * We ■ shall never forget the handsome figure of ' Harry as he sat in his boat. ; Many a time ; and oft have we stood at Newbold's window, at the corner of Holywell street, and looked at the outstretched arm" of Kelley, and wondered when we should be able to'grow a ; black beard liker his. For two years did '• Kelly reign, when down came, like' the Assyrian of old, Hand-awa'-Bob to take the • Championship of England to the coaly Tyne : in 1859. Time, 25min 25sec. r The next three aspirants to the champion* ' ship gave Chambers very little trouble. Two - oE them, White and Everson, were belowbridge men, and were hardly of the olass of ' Chambers, who was a stayer, and also a man who had pace when it was wanted. The r other man, R. Green, of Australia, was of the hurricane and lightning order, especially '. at the start, his sculls entering and leaving the water at a great rate. . He led for a time, but the tremendous arm-work took so much " out of him that Chambers soon began to see - the stern of Green's boat comißg back to him, and when Bob was once in front Australia's hopes were doomed to disappoint- ' ment. But in the meantime Kelley had not been idle. By constant care, and no less constant practice with the sculls, he had gradually been getting himself into that ' good condition which was necessary for another trial in order, if possible, to bring back the blue riband to the Thames. Accordingly, in 1865 he issued his cartel of defiance, and he and Chambers met on ' August 8. This time Chambers suffered defeat. Then our cousins over the water forwarded to us another sculler of the lightning order, who was to take the shine out of the Old Country. "Stand aside, John Bull," was the cry, " and let Mr Hamill show the road." Hamill met Kelley twice on the - Tyne, and on each occasion the American was doomed to suffer defeat. We heard no more of American rowing for some consider-, able time. Joe Sadler, by profession a sweep, next took on Chambers. His chance was supposed to be a good one, and so it would have been if the match had terminated about Hammersmith. Joe assured me that he thought he had Bob well in hand, and his measurement to a hair. " But," continued Sadler, "just when I was hugging myself, and thinking all was serene, blowed if I didn't see the nose of his boat niggling up alongside of me, and, do what I would, I could not prevent him going by me, and giving me the backwash." Once infront, ( , Bob kept the lead, and once more took the Championship to the Tyne, only to be brought back again the following year by H. Kelley, There were several trials of strength amongst some of our best men of that period, notably Kelley, Chambers, Cooper, and Sadler; but out of all these trials Kelley emerged as decidedly the fastest man. Chambers was going off, as also was Cooper, and Kelley had decidedly seen his best days. In 1868 Kenfortb, one of the most power* ' ful men that ever sat in a boat, easily defeated Kelley. With the subsequent history of this notedsculler everybody isfamiliar. His untimely death in America cast a gloom over the whole of the United Kingdom. I believe him to have been one of the fastest men that ever handled a pair. His loss to us at that most critical time was irreparable, for from his death may be dated the decline of English sdulling. Times had changed since the old days when watermen were wanted on the river. Landsmen now did the work, which formerly watermen only were allowed to do. With the increased number of steamboats, the ferries over the river were not in much requisition. It was no uncommon thing v to see formerly, at the various stairs on the riverside, from 10 to 15 men, all of whom had served their time (seven years), waiting either for a ohance job or for their regular customers. From the date of the races above mentioned English rowing began its decline. Boyd and Bagnall were good ; but not good enough. Trickett was not a wonder when he beat Sadler, nor could he be persuaded to row Higgins. Higgins was a good man; but he began too late in, life, and therefore could not hope for much improvement, oifor a long leas~e. He beat Boyd and Elliott, and was in turn beaten by each of them. Elliott was a strong, hard-arm worker, who by main force sent his boat through the water ; but he had no pretensions to the style of his predecessors. In a year or two Elliott retired from the river and took on bookmaking, with very indifferent results. In 1879 E. Hanlan threw down the gatmtlet and defeated all the best men of the time ; but I for one— and there were many others of the same opinion— did not look upon him as the wonder, he was made out to be, He caught us at a time when, prqbably, we had the worst lot of scullers that a nation like ours could have. Had his lines been cast a few years previous to 1879, and had he met men like Cole, Kelley, Chambers, or $enforth, it is highly probable that he- would not have earned a' winning bracket. Nearly, jf not quite, all Hanlan's victories were won within a mile of the start. In his race with Trickett the matoh was a sprint as far as the Creek, when Trickett was dead settled, and. then began the procession. There were men not wanting who affirmed that the by^play so constantly exhibited by Hanlan was. a necessity for him ; that the boat-baling so constantly practised by him was merely an • artifice by which he recovered himself and gained his second wind, and that had he been rowing Chambers, instead of Trickett or Boyd, he would have, as old Bob used to say, "coombauck" to him. None of our old men ever spurted, or rather sprinted, from the start. It was enough for them if they could see the stern of the leading boat, and to be. content with a feeler or two until Hammersmith Bridge was reached. Then would the cheers resound from the bridge and sides, or the North Country whistle be heard, and « Haud-awa'-Bob " be the cry as the leader was rowed down. Hanlan was champion from 1879. to 1884, when. Btach beat him on the Parranjatta riyer.' From this period Hanlan has neyer been able. to. regain his lost laurels, and it is highly pro* .

bable that he will in future take a back seat in rowing circles. But what of the new men who arise ? Are they exceptionally fast 1 I think not; . We saw Kemp's form when he vras over here. , That certainly was not exceptional form. Beach decidedly showed champion form, but his races were rowed with a good tide under him. In his race with Wallace Ross the tide was about at the foot of the wall at Barnes ; consequently it was running about as fast as it probablywould run, and yet.the time given was 23min ssec. If we hark 'back a little we shall find that Chambers, r,owed, it in 23.15 against a man he could beat easily. Cole's time was 23.35 against an old man; Kelley's, 23.26 ; Kenforth's, 23.15.' * Now in almo3t every instance the' old champions would start nearly at the top of the tide, so that they might reap the benefit on the return journey to London, but latterly the custom has been to row with & good tide under, and this fact alone would give the rower no inconsiderable advantage over the old class.

To sum up my opinions, I would say the present men appear phenomenal simply from the, fact that English, professional scullers have, gone out — never to return ; that the best men of the present day are not faster than the old— if they are as fast ; and with everything in their favour — viz., sliding seats, improved rowing gear, improved boats, removing the start to the Aqueduct, the destruction of old Putney Bridge, the time (general) at which the races have been rowed, and the narrowing of the river's bed by the building of the Thames Embankment. All these advantages the modern men have had' on their side, and therefore I maintain, speaking generally as regards " times," that the champions since 1878 should show a better record ; but unless something very exceptional has turned up, such as an east wind with the tide, there has been scarcely any perceptible difference -which would favour . the idea of the superiority of the recent race of scullers over the older ones.