DELEGATES from Amherst, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Trinity, Union, Wesleyan, Williams, and Yale met at Springfield, on Wednesday, April 7, Mr. Roberts of Trinity being in the chair. Hamilton did not send representatives, but delegates from Bowdoin were admitted, so that thirteen colleges were represented. The meeting was very harmonious, and a great deal of work was done. The racing rules were revised, and some changes made in the order and language, together with the following more important alterations:-
RULE V. Each boat shall keep its own water during the race, and any boat departing from its own water shall be disqualified.
RULE VI. A boat's own water is its buoyed course parallel with those of the other competing boats, from the station assigned to it at starting to the finish, and the Umpire shall be sole judge of a boat's deviation from its own water and proper course through the race.
RULE XVIII. If in conformity with rules XI., sec. B. or XIII., a second race is ordered by the Umpire, it shall not be called on the same day as the first race. Referee was changed throughout to Umpire.
With these exceptions, the rules are substantially those published in Vol. IV. No. 9 of the Magenta. The constitution also was amended as follows: the name of the association is now a, not the, Rowing Association of American Colleges. A new amendment is that no college club or clubs other than those now members, and those which have been members of the Association shall be hereafter admitted as members, and any college which shall fail to be represented in three consecutive regattas of the Association shall be debarred from future membership. Section 2 of the amendments of April 2, 1873, now reads: "Any college not represented in either the University or Freshman race of the regatta, immediately preceding the annual convention of this Association shall not be considered a member of this Association, and shall not have a vote in any succeeding convention, until it shall have gained; its full membership by such representation in the regatta directly preceding such convention." That no college that is not represented in either the University or Freshman race shall be represented in any other race of the regatta, was proposed as an amendment to be voted on at the next meeting, December 1, 1875.
A discussion arose about training and coaching crews, and Mr. Clark made a very able speech explaining that Faulkner, a professional oarsman who was supposed to have some connection with our crews, is merely one of Mr. Blakey's workmen, and has the care of the club boathouse.
The Regatta Committee reported a long list of promises for the fulfilment of which the Saratoga Rowing Association had given bonds, which would seem to embrace everything that could be desired. The finish is to be off Ramsdell's Point, so that the start will be on the west side of Snake Hill, in order that more people can see the race and that there shall be no danger of beaching on Ramsdell's Point. The positions of the crews are, numbering from the west shore: 1, Williams; 2, Cornell; 3, Amherst; 4, Bowdoin; 5, Brown; 6, Columbia; 7, Wesleyan; 8, Princeton; 9, Dartmouth; 10, Yale; 11, Trinity; 12, Harvard; 13, Union; 14, Hamilton. This order will be kept for the Freshman and single-scull races also. The races will take place at II o'clock in the morning. I omitted to mention that only graduates or undergraduates will be allowed to train crews.
The convention then went into secret session, which, I suppose, should not be published, further than that Harvard attempted, unsuccessfully, to obtain the adoption of coxswains. Our delegates also failed in getting Mr. Alexander Agassiz chosen Umpire. They thought that the selection of a graduate of a college and a gentleman in as high a position as Mr. Agassiz is would give a higher tone to the race; nevertheless they do not by any means doubt the ability of Mr. Watson, of Wilkes' Spirit of the Times, who was elected.
Men are said to be in training for the single-scull race at Bowdoin, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Williams, and Yale, and there may be other entries. Freshman crews will come from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, and probably from Amherst and Dartmouth. There is, therefore, every indication that the regatta of 1875 will be well managed, and that it will be of the greatest interest. Let us do everything we can to further the success of our crews, by making up immediately the rest of the money needed for their expenses.
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