Rowin’ is a great sport this Summer both sides of the Atlantic, and although Cornell didn’t set the river on fire in the old country, yet the boys showed a deal of pluck, which may bring ‘em better luck next time.
And talkin’ of boatin’ reminds me that years and years ago I saw in Barnum’s old Museum, corner Broadway and Ann street, a fine big four-oared boat, which had once been white, with gilt stripe and green gunwale, which used to attract a good deal of attention, just as it had attracted a good deal of attention in Scudder’s Museum, before Barnum’s time.
This boat was the old “Knickerbocker,” a famous racin’ boat in its day, which had won many a victory in New York Harbor. It had once been, in its time, the pet and pride of New York city, and although it was now only old timber, still the boys hadn’t forgotten the days when it was somethin’ else.
The Knickerbocker won in a race that years ago made as big a stir as the college boat races in 1881. It was the first match boat race between Long Island and New York city. Among the Long Islanders were the Brothers Chambers, the boat builders, and other crack rowers. The Long Island boat was modestly called “The Invincible,” and had been built on purpose for racin’ by the Brothers Chambers. As for the Knickerbocker, she had been built by an “opposition builder,” whom the Chambers Brothers were “down on”–a man called John (the) Baptist, a good name for a boat builder. Well, the opposition between the builders of these two boats was even greater than between their crews, and so the race itself was lively. But although the Invincible did well, the Knickerbocker did better and the Invincible wasn’t invincible after all. The course in this race was from Harsimus, New Jersey, to the flagstaff at the Battery. There was a heavy gale blowin’ at the time, but neither side would consent to a postponement of the race, and the Knickerbocker bein’ the best sea boat, won, although the winners were drenched. The race tickled the New York boys wonderfully, and the Long Islanders, who had been doin’ some tall blowin’ before, subsided after the contest very quickly.
Years after that there took place another match race between New York and Staten Island. This made quite as much stir as the match race with Long Island, and the Staten Islanders indulged in some very tall crowin’. The course in this race was from Robbin’s Reef light to Castle Garden, and after a very severe contest the New York boat, the Whitehall, came in two lengths ahead of the Staten Island boat, the Richmond.
The Whitehall raced against England, crewed by a team of young men that became regular lions. They were the two brothers Cainmeyer, Richard Robbins, Charles Beatty and John Palmerton, coxswain. They were dressed in white Guernsey frock, blue handkerchiefs and blue pants. The gig’s crew were dressed in English man-of-war costume, and were a fine-lookin’ set of fellows. The Whitehall boat was called the American Star, and had been built by the Brothers Chambers. The London gig was called the Certain Death, a most terrific title. Captain Harris, of the Hussar, acted as coxswain for his own boat, and superintended all the details of the race. The signal for startin’ was to be a gun from the Hussar.
Right at the signal the American Star took the lead, and from the time she took it she kept it. Old England has won enough of victories on the water, as well as on the land, to be able to afford to own up when she gets licked, and this time she was licked, and even Captain Harris owned up that Certain Death was no match for the American Star. The course rowed over was from the frigate, which was anchored off Bedloe’s Island, up the Hudson, to a stake boat moored off the point at Hoboken, near the Sibyl’s Cave, and then back to the Battery flagstaff.
When the American Star passed the flagstaff at the Bttery, the Certain Death hadn’t quite reached Pier No. 1. How the boys and girls cheered the Whitehallers. They carried ‘em out of their boat and the girls kissed ‘em and the men came near makin’ them drunk with wine as well as joy.
But both crews kept sober enough to put in an appearance that night on the stage of the old Park Theatre in their boatin’ rig. They received a perfect ovation. The crowd cheered the New Yorkers and the Englishmen alike, and after the theatre the hitehallers gave a supper to the Certain Death crowd, and tried as hard to conquer ‘em in hospitality as they had in rowin’.
This victory of the New York oarsmen gave a big start to New York, and after a while amateur rowin’ clubs were organized and met with great success; and after a while, too, these clubs were all formed into “The Castle Garden Amateur Boat Club Association,” which had a high old time every year at its regatta around Bedloe’s Island and back. The boat houses of the various clubs used to be around Castle Garden, and were very nicely fixed up, and used to be popular resorts for the men about town at that time. Imagine a man about town spendin’ his spare time around Castle Garden now.
The crack “Castle Garden boat clubs” were the Wave, the Gull and the Gazelle. The Wave came first, and the two brothers Rollens, who were members, were considered the two best amateur oarsmen of the day. The Wave “boat” was always the pet boat of the fleet, but it changed its name every year, because the Wave Club had the habit, the bad habit, I take it, of sellin’ their boat every season and gettin’ a new one built by Crollus, the crack boat builder of his day.
All Crollus’s boats were fast, and at one time there were eight Wave Club boats all winnin’ victories all over the United States. The Gull boat was a beautiful blue barge and ranked next to the Wave. The Gull was the first New York boat that ever was rowed all the way from New York to Philadelphia.
Years and years ago the two Champion rowists around New York where Stephen Roberts and Sidney Dorton. The first regular “shell” ever built in this country was made at New York, or rather Williamsburg, and was called the Experiment, and a mighty successful experiment she was.
Of course there was an “opposition” to the Castle Garden fleet, and this “opposition” was called “The Independent Boat Club Association.” This club preferred to be “independent” of the strict rules and regulations of the Castle Garden fleet, and had an independently good time, doin’ pretty much as they pleased. But they were “independent” of the skill and the success which attended the Castle Garden fleet, and never made much prestige or glory for ‘emselves. Fun and glory don’t generally get along together. If you make up your mind for the one you must give up the other. They are like two women–you can’t well have ‘em both. The best regatta ever given by the “Independents” came off at the old Brookhall Mansion, foot of Forty-second street, New York. Some of the young men who took part in it are old men, one of them is a great-grandfather now, but they remember the exciting time they had at that regatta yet. The old Newburgh regattas were high old affairs, at which the Castle Garden Fleet and the Independents both took part.
But the Castle Garden fleet and the Independents “played out” in the course of time, and then their places were taken by new people with new names for their clubs, who built new boat houses for ‘emselves further up-town, round Christopher street dock. About the time I struck New York a set of youngsters bought the old eight-oared club boat the Gazelle, of the Castle Garden fleet, and with it moved from a place they had at the foot of Thirteenth street to the foot of Christopher street. These youngsters formed ‘emselves into the Atalanta Boat Club, and deserve mention as bein’ the starters of the present organization of New York boat clubs. At the time the Atalantas began all the down-town boat clubs were “wiped out,” and there were only four clubs in existence, none of ‘em amountin’ to much, and called the Conover, the Wonatalla, the Duane and the George Washington. They hadn’t any enthusiasm, or regattas, and soon gave up the ghost, leavin’ the Atalantas all alone.
After the Atalantas came the Waverleys, who considered ‘emselves swells of the swells. They were very fond of the ladies, and were called “the pets of the petticoats.” They didn’t care much for “racin’”–that was “low”–but they were great on pleasure rowin’–that was very “toney.” The Waverleys could not only “feather their oars,” but “taffy the girls,” and had ever so many moonlight excursions and masquerades at “Kohler’s.” They had an eight-oared ladies’ club boat, which they took with them to Lake Mahopac on a ten days’ picnic. The Waverley’s made friends with the Russian navy officers when they were on a visit to New York, and had no end of high old times with ‘em. Altogether, as a “society” club, the Waverleys were a big success, though as a boat club proper they were a dead failure.
The Gulick Club was just the opposite of the Waverley’s. The Gulicks were all members of the Volunteer Fire Department, and traveled more on their muscle than on their manners. Most of the boys belonged to Gulick Hose Company No. 11. They used to give very popular balls at the old Apollo Rooms. The Gulicks beat the Atalantas several times, and despised the Waverleys, who returned the dislike. The Gulicks called the Waverleys “cads,” and the Waverleys called the Gulicks “roughs.” But the Gulicks were brave if they were “rough,” and did some good fighting durin’ the war. Then when “the cruel war was over” they refixed their clubhouse in Christopher street, took in new men, and became a leadin’ club.
One of the handsomest girls in old New York, a Miss Bodine, was courted by a member of the Gulick boat club and a member of the Waverley. The Waverley man had for a lark gone to one of the balls at the Apollo Rooms, given by the Gulick Club, and had there met and been introduced to Miss Bodine. She was only the daughter of a tradesman, and the Waverley man was very “swell,” but beauty laughs at pride, and the swell became pretty soon just as anxious to please the tradesmen’s daughter as the Gulick man who had been originally courtin’ her.
The boat clubs in those days were not as big as they are to-day, and the members of each were more sociable with each other and knew more about each other’s affairs. So the fact that a Gulick man and a Waverley man were both courtin’ the same girl soon got to be known to the members of each club, and was soon made a sort of family or club matter, and each club determined that its man should win.
This made it a very good thing for a while for pretty Miss Bodine, who was now courted by about forty men, representin’ two. She was invited to all sorts of picnics and excursions and rowin’ parties of the clubs, and was the queen of the entertainments. Like a true woman Miss B. coquetted with each club. Now the Waverleys would be ahead in her smiles, and then the Gulicks, so that victory was made provokin’ly uncertain.
And what made it all the more provokin’ was that pretty Miss B. finding out that the two clubs had sore feelings toward each other, threatened to cut ‘em both if they didn’t be friendly, or at least appear to be. So the two clubs had to swallow the sugar-coated pill, and the Waverleys had to hob-nob with the “roughs” and the Gulicks had to grin at the “cads.”
And then to wind up the calamity after all this dose, pretty Miss B. got tired of bein’ pestered by the courtin’ and attentions they offered her, and one day quietly walked off to church and got married to a young fellow who didn’t belong to any boat club, and she sent both the Gulicks and the Waverleys invitations to the weddin’ reception.
