Cornell did not have money enough to put a crew on the water in 1886 and had to forfeit the Childs Cup to Pennsylvania. Yale had at last accepted a challenge from Pennsylvania with the condition that there should be both University and Freshman races, but in the first year Penn sylvania, having previously rowed almost entirely in fours, was not prepared to send two eights. New London was becoming the centre of rowing, Pennsylvania pairing off with Yale and Columbia with Harvard, but little love was lost in either alliance. The Pennsylvania men had no knowl edge of four-mile rowing in eights, but they were anxious to race. Columbia challenged Penn to row after the Yale contest, but that date could not be accepted, and on the morning of the day before the race with Yale, Pennsylvania sent word to Columbia that they would row during the after noon, and Columbia as promptly said that they were willing. Columbia won by ten lengths, and the next day Pennsylvania went against Yale and were beaten by nearly a minute ; the initiation of the Penn men into four-mile racing was severe and taught them that their stroke was too short for the distance, being better adapted for races in fours.
Columbia followed up the Pennsylvania victory by soundly beating Harvard ; the Cambridge crew led for the first part of the course, pulling the same sort of a stroke that had won for them in the previous year with the pace again set by Penrose ; but where in the year before they had sacrificed their body work for perfect waterman ship, they were this year ragged in time and, of course, ineffective. Before the course had been half rowed, the unevenness and the high stroke had worn out the men, and Columbia passed on and won by ten or twelve lengths. Harvard had rowed well in 1885, but they quite overdid the matter this year, and were choppy and irregular.
Yale had come up a little in their rowing as Harvard went down ; and Harvard also had some hard luck ; they lost their boat only a short time before the race, and were compelled to use a class shell that did not suit them in rigging. And Yale won the race by seven lengths, leading all the way.
Yale was admitted to the Freshman race be tween Harvard and Columbia, but the day was rough, and they filled at the half-mile and went down ; Harvard with the best water won and Columbia finished close up.
Six crews entered for the Intercollegiate Re gatta, now on Lake George again ; but Pennsyl vania and Bowdoin were the only fours that came to the line. Pennsylvania's stroke oar was unable to row, and a substitute had to take his place. Bowdoin won in a hard struggle and made the mile and one-half in 8.16 — the fastest time for
Lake George. Fred Plaisted, the professional, coached the Maine four.
College racing had centred about New Lon don, and Cornell was almost without a race ; they were still rowing in fours, while eights had become the fashion, and the smaller boats were rapidly going out. Their four won at the Passaic Regatta, and they defeated Bowdoin at Lake Quinsiga mond in the last regatta of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, which had no other entries because no one was rowing in the fours ; and later in the season they were denied a race with Penn sylvania for the Childs Cup on account of the sickness of the Pennsylvania stroke oar and the lack of a substitute.
Ellis Ward and Pennsylvania had broken for the time, and their crews were in the charge of Samuel Powel, Jr., a gentleman who had taken great interest in Penn's rowing, and who had donated a cup for class crews. In his own row ing he used the long English stroke with a great heave at the catch and a very slow slide, but the style of the Pennsylvania men was not much changed, and they rowed a fairly fast stroke with a moderate swing, and most of the power went on after the oar was in the water.
The races at New London were unexceptional: Yale kept on rowing in the same way and win ning; they beat Pennsylvania in both Freshman and University races, and won from Harvard with nearly the same ease. Columbia gave Harvard a very hard rub ; they won the Freshman race, and then had an advantage in the University con test when they got into the eel grass ; Harvard gained and Columbia was beaten by two lengths.
Columbia's increasing speed made the race very much more than a practice spin for Harvard, and after winning they declined to row again with the New York men and confined themselves to the Freshman contest. The year 1888 was a dull one in college aquatics ; with the Harvard race off, Columbia did not get out a University eight, and Cornell also was without a race and had to gun about in the club regattas. They met Penn sylvania in the race for the Downing Cup (four oared shells) at Philadelphia and defeated them, but the only college racing was at New London.
Yale had a magnificent eight physically — just the crew that could row the slow, sweeping stroke of Cook's to the best advantage. Cross was stroking and Hartwell and Corbin were in the boat. They attained clean blade work and good time, and were not pressed in any race. They beat Pennsylvania by forty seconds, and then, go ing against Harvard, had a time trial that made a new record of 20.10 for the four miles. Har vard finished about a quarter of a mile back.