Among the Exeter men was one Moresby, who was a relative of a naval
captain of that name, and through his advice Exeter ordered an eight-oar
of Little, of Plymouth. She was finished in time to be put on in 1824,
and became famous as the 'Exeter white boat.' Stephen Davis was sent
with a carriage constructed for the purpose, to meet the boat at
Portsmouth, whither she was brought by sea. As this boat was built of
deal, a raft was provided to receive her--the first use of a raft for
this purpose at Oxford. The oars sent with the boat were such as are
used at sea, and made of ash. They were discarded in favour of ordinary
oars, such as those already in use for fresh-water rowing. She was found
to be too high out of the water, so Isaac King cut her down one streak.
The boat, as depicted in Turner's water-colour drawing of her, was taken
when she was afloat and unmanned; her crew were painted in her
afterwards; consequently she rides too high out of the water. The boats
on the river in 1824 were, at the beginning of the season, Christ Church
1, B.N.C. 2, Exeter 3. Exeter bumped B.N.C. under the willows on the
first night; the next night of racing Christ Church took off, and Exeter
became head by the other's default. The races were renewed another day,
and B.N.C. bumped Christ Church. This was the _last_ year in which the
boats started out for Iffley Lock. The racing has hitherto been
conducted on this principle; the start between the boats were just so
much as the dexterity of the stroke could obtain. He, the stroke, stood
on the bow thwart, and ran down the row of thwarts; pushing the boat
along with his shoulder against the lock gates, he reached his own
thwart, by which time the impetus had shot the boat clear of the lock,
he dropped on to his own seat, and began to row. The oarsmen had their
oars 'tossed' meantime. The boat next in order then followed the same
process, and so on. The boats lay in _echelon_ while waiting for the
start. Bulteel, who was stroke of B.N.C. in the disputed race of 1822
(above mentioned), and who afterwards was elected Fellow of Exeter in
1823, was especially skilful at this. The Exeter crew of 1824 were:
Wareing, Dick, Parr, Dowglass, J. C. Clutterbuck, Cole, R. Pocklington
(father of D. Pocklington, stroke of Oxford in 1864), Bulteel (stroke),
S. Pocklington (cox.) The Rev. J. C. Clutterbuck, now rector of Long
Wittenham, near Abingdon, is well known as a conservator of the Thames,
to whom the Universities and rowing men are much indebted for the
clauses in the Conservancy Acts which give that body powers to clear the
river for boat racing. The names of the other two crews of 1824 have not
come fully to posterity, but among B.N.C. are Meredith, North and Karle
(stroke); and in the Christ Church crew were Hussey, Baring and Smyth
(stroke).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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