A rival to the Castle Garden Clubs had arisen in New York, the Independent Boat Club Association ; they had many beautiful boats, such as the Disowned and Triton, but their object was pleasure rather than racing, though the latter does not preclude the former, and they did not have many fast crews.
The four races between Stephen Roberts and Sidney Dorlan of New York aroused much in ington of Poughkeepsie, the Bachelor of Fishkill Landing, the Robert Bache of Brooklyn, and the Gondola, Sylph, and Erie of New York. The Erie had the best start, but the Washington shot out on the way home and won with the other boats all lapping with the exception of the Bachelor, which, as a possible victor, was cut off by a steamer.
The Washington challenged any boat in New York for a five-mile race for $5oo; the Disowned was the first to accept, and won easily. Then the Spark challenged the Disowned for a similar race, and the former victor was beaten. The Washington barge rowed the Victoria, Edwin Forrest, and Daniel D. Tompkins, the three last of New York, on the Harlem ; the Poughkeep sie crew won by two hundred yards, making four and one-half miles in 27.15. A few weeks later, at Poughkeepsie, the Tompkinses beat out the Washington for a prize of a boat.
In the years 1838 and 1839 two boat clubs were formed which still exist to-day and are thus the oldest in this country, the Narragansett Boat Club of Providence, Rhode Island, and the De troit Boat Club of Detroit, Michigan. The Nar ragansett Club has the distinction of being the first of the present-day clubs ; they organized on March 6, 1838, with George G. Nightingale president. The leaders in the formation were William A. Greene, Henry Lippitt, Rufus Wat erman, Sullivan Dorr, Jr., William C. Allen, Charles Arnold, Horace A. Manchester, and Tris tram Burgess, Jr. They owned a barge Narra gansett, which made frequent trips, and in their old log is recorded under the date of July 19: " The Narragansett arrived this morning about half-past six o'clock from Newport, having per formed the voyage of thirty miles in three hours and fifty minutes. She was detained some time in consequence of a very thick fog, which they met off Nayatt Point. The crew looked fresh
and hearty after their morning's row, and thought they should not be afraid to engage to perform the distance in three hours, in a favorable time." The Detroit Boat Club came into being nearly a year later, through the efforts of E. A. Brush, James A. Armstrong, John Chester, J. H. Farns worth, A. T. McReynolds, Alfred Brush, Alpheus S. Williams, and S. H. Sibley. They brought a four-oared clinker from New York, and in the next year bought a Crolius boat and got it around through the Erie Canal. With these craft a two mile race was pulled from Hog Island (now Belle Island) to the boat-house on May 24, 1842 the first race in Western waters. The fire of 1848 destroyed the house and all but one boat ; the club was later reorganized.
There are no records of the 1839 regatta at Newburgh, and in 1840 the regatta was omitted, but in 184i the races brought together the lead ing crews of the time ; there was the Washington of Poughkeepsie, the Anne of Peekskill, New Jer sey of Jersey City, Galatea of Newburgh, Du/chess of Hyde Park, and the Spark and Eagle of New York. The distance was two miles and repeat ; the Dutchess won, with the Spark second ; and according to the rule these two boats raced again, and again the Hyde Park gig won. It was the custom in these regattas for the first and second crews in the first race to row again for the first two prizes, the third and fourth crews for the next two prizes, and so on. The second race was al ways rowed a short time after the first, allowing a brief breathing spell. The 1842 regatta at New burgh was the finest that had up to that time taken place in America, and the prizes, all of money, were of a considerable amount. The New Jersey won the sixes with Galatea second, Dutchess third, and Eagle fourth. The Hookemsnivey of Jersey City, a celebrated double scull, was beaten in the double race by the Crolius of New York, and the George Washington of New York won the fours. It is remarkable that in nearly all of these crews are to be found two or more members of the same family ; on the Hudson, rowing seems to be a family affair.