Hanlan went on his first trip to England in 1879 and won the English title, but returned in the fall for a match with Courtney at Chautauqua Lake on the same terms as the last race, — five miles with a turn, for $5000. Because of the former close race this contest drew a great crowd, but on the night before the race some one sawed Courtney's boats, and the referee gave the race to Hanlan on a row over ; Hanlan's people charged that Courtney had himself cut, the shells, and Courtney replied with proposals that Han lan's backers had made to him to divide the purse, while the public in general were disgusted with both men. It was planned to have another trial on the Potomac at Washington in the next year, and both men actually did come to the start ing boats, but Courtney said that he was ill, and he stopped at the two-mile mark when Hanlan was far ahead. These fiascos caused the death of professional rowing in this country, and from that time forward the people could not be in duced to believe in the fairness of any race for money; that belief was strengthened by the smaller men throughout the country, who lost and won races as it seemed the more profitable.
George W. Lee, the amateur champion who had rowed at Henley in 1878, had turned profes sional and achieved a victory over Wallace Ross, but Ross in 188o sculled away from the fastest men of the country at Providence ; Riley finished second and Ten Eyck third ; Hanlan did not get a place nor did Jacob Gaudaur, a Canadian then coming into prominence.
Hanlan was so fast that for a time he was barred from many of the American professional races ; George W. Lee ranked well, but three new men were coming forward,—Jacob Gaudaur, John Teemer, and G. H. Hosmer, the first from Canada and the other two Americans ; Teemer from western Pennsylvania, the home of Eph. Morris, and Hosmer from Massachusetts. First Hosmer beat the others, then Teemer showed better than Gaudaur, and also rowed down Wal lace Ross. Hanlan was in Australia, where he
was beaten by Beach in 1885, and on his return Teemer also defeated the champion decisively, Hanlan capsizing when tired out. Double-scull racing was growing, and Courtney formed a double with Conley that beat Gaudaur and Hosmer, but then went down before Hanlan and Lee.
The year 1886 found nearly all the best men competing for the International Sculling Sweep stakes on the Thames in England ; Beach, the world champion, beat Lee in a trial and then defeated Teemer in the final ; later Beach out rowed Gaudaur and Ross. Hanlan was still to be considered as a champion, and in 1887 he was beaten by Gaudaur and then defeated him, only to be beaten by Teemer, who also won from Gaudaur and regained the championship. Han lan was losing his speed through bad living, and in Australia in 1887 and i888 met several defeats, two more from Beach and one from Peter Kemp ; it was in the latter year that Searle won the cham pionship of the world. Teemer lost the Ameri can championship in i888 to William O'Connor at Washington in a hard race, and O'Connor afterward beat Gaudaur, but was beaten for the championship of the world by James Stansbury at Sydney, New South Wales.
O'Connor, Hanlan, Hosmer, and Gaudaur are the names that close the professional rowing of America ; Gaudaur steadily improved. At Aus tin, Texas, he won from the fastest men in the world, — Stansbury, the champion of the world, Teemer, Hanlan, and Peterson, and steadily re tained his speed until he finally obtained the world's championship from Stansbury over the Putney-Mortlake course in 1896. Professional rowing had passed away because of the conduct of a few dishonest men, and, with the elimination of the professional contests of the Boston City Regatta in 1896, rowing for money practically ceased with the exception of a few minor matches from time to time. The most of the rowing was in Canada, and the American professionals turned to coaching.