The match races were conducted under elabo rate articles of agreement just as prize fights are at the present day, and the least variation in boat from that prescribed meant the forfeit of the race. Fast boats made reputations for many, otherwise mediocre, scullers and crews.
The racing was brisk in fours, and the Biglin Leary crew, now rowing in the Samuel Colyer, were challenged by the Floyd T. F. Fields of Poughkeepsie, rowed by the old Stranger men — William Stevens, Homer Wooden, William Burger, and Ezekiel Beneway — for the cham pionship and $6000. The race was at Pough keepsie, over five miles with a turn, and the Biglins won rather easily ; their championship did not last for long, though, because Josh Ward had organ ized the famous four from his brothers, Gil, Charles, and Hank, and beat the Biglins on a five-mile course at Sing Sing in 33.05 —very fast time.
While Hamill was in England a new sculler was coming into prominence ; David Walter Brown had been trained by Josh Ward some years before at Newburg, but he had never shown much endurance and had always dropped out at the end of a mile or so. As Walter Brown he became well known in Portland, Maine, winning many races and beating Ward at the Worcester Regatta in 1866; he was then matched for three miles against Ward in Portland Harbor, and again beat him on a very rough day ; the men came together a few days later in the Springfield Regatta, and this time Ward won. When Hamill returned, he found Brown an aspirant for the championship and gave him a race at Pitts burg for $2000, which Brown won. Another match was at once made for Newburg in September, 1867, three months after the first race, and it produced a most extraordinary contest.
Four thousand dollars was up as a purse for the five-mile race, and when the boats started, it is estimated that some fifty thousand persons were gathered on the banks ; the men were both popular and evenly matched, and the betting was larger than on any previous race in this country. Each sculler had a six-oared barge behind him. In Hamill's was John Biglin, and Charley Moore steered for Brown ; Biglin and Moore flourished each a pistol, and every moment one or the other was threatening to shoot as the opposing barge happened to come too near the rival sculler. Amid such a volley of curses the two rowed on. Brown was a very fast starter, and he at once took a couple of hundred yards' lead and attempted to give Hamill a wash, but Hamill, though slow at the start, came up, passed Brown, and reached the stake-boat four lengths ahead. At that time only
one stake-boat was provided for a race, and the boat that first reached it had the right of way, and the other man must go around him. Hamill attempted to make a close turn, and the strong ebb-tide took him hard on the boat and he could not get loose. Brown was close behind him, and seeing the pre dicament, headed directly for Hamill, broke his boat and put Hamill, who could not swim, into the water to be picked up by the pilot. Then Brown went on down and claimed the race ; Stephen Roberts, the veteran oarsman, was referee; Brown's people claimed that no foul had occurred, and, of course, Hamill's backers asserted their rights. Ellis Ward had been at the turning boat, and he testified while the crowd surged about the officials ; to increase the excitement, the dock, on which the crowd stood, fell in, and about half of them went into the water. When all had been calmed, the referee gave the race to Hamill on the foul. Hamill later had a new challenger in Coulter of Pittsburg, and beat him at Philadel phia, while, in the same year (1869), Brown beat Coulter.
The other professional interests concentrated in the fours, in which class the Ward Brothers were supreme ; the sweeps of St. John's were famous for their speed, and James Lee, the former cham pion, arranged a match between the Ward four and a crew from St. John's on a five-mile course at Springfield for P000 and the championship. The race took place on September i i, 1867, and brought the whole rowing public together. The Wards rowed a long, sweeping stroke, while the St. John's men had a shorter stroke that often went up to fifty ; Hank Ward started his crew off fast, and they led all the way, winning by two minutes. In July of the following year, the Harvard six, containing Alden P. Loring, who stroked their crew in England the same year, and R. C. Watson, were beaten by the Ward six, made up of the four with the addition of Ellis Ward and J. T. Raymond, and they asked to meet the Wards again in the Worcester Regatta in a three-mile race for $3oo; the race was close and exciting, but the Wards won in the record time of 17.44 with Harvard thirteen seconds back.