Eights 1890

BUMPS CHART

STANDINGS Start Finish Pos College Pts Pts College 1 Brasenose 22 22 Brasenose 2 New College 19 19 New College 3 Magdalen 16 16 Magdalen 4 Christ Church 14 14 Christ Church 5 St John's 12 12 St John's 6 Keble 11 11 Balliol 7 Hertford 9 9 Hertford 8 Balliol 8 8 Keble 9 Trinity 7 7 Corpus Christi 10 Queen's 6 6 Trinity 11 Merton 5 5 Queen's 12 Corpus Christi 4 4 Merton 13 Exeter 4 4 Pembroke 14 Pembroke 3 3 Exeter 15 Oriel 3 3 Worcester 16 Wadham 2 2 University 17 Lincoln 2 2 Oriel 18 St Catherine's 2 2 St Catherine's 19 Worcester 2 2 Wadham 20 St Edmund Hall 1 1 Lincoln 21 University 1 1 Jesus 22 Jesus 1 1 St Edmund Hall

STATISTICS College All Crews [ ]=rank Crews Bps Avg University 1[ 1] 5[ 1] 5.00[ 1] Worcester 1[ 1] 4[ 2] 4.00[ 2] Corpus Christi 1[ 1] 3[ 3] 3.00[ 3] Balliol 1[ 1] 2[ 4] 2.00[ 4] Pembroke 1[ 1] 1[ 5] 1.00[ 5] Jesus 1[ 1] 1[ 5] 1.00[ 5] Christ Church 1[ 1] 0[ 7] 0.00[ 7] Brasenose 1[ 1] 0[ 7] 0.00[ 7] Hertford 1[ 1] 0[ 7] 0.00[ 7] St John's 1[ 1] 0[ 7] 0.00[ 7] Magdalen 1[ 1] 0[ 7] 0.00[ 7] New College 1[ 1] 0[ 7] 0.00[ 7] St Catherine's 1[ 1] 0[ 7] 0.00[ 7] Merton 1[ 1] -1[14] -1.00[14] Queen's 1[ 1] -1[14] -1.00[14] Trinity 1[ 1] -1[14] -1.00[14] Exeter 1[ 1] -1[14] -1.00[14] St Edmund Hall 1[ 1] -2[18] -2.00[18] Keble 1[ 1] -2[18] -2.00[18] Oriel 1[ 1] -2[18] -2.00[18] Wadham 1[ 1] -3[21] -3.00[21] Lincoln 1[ 1] -3[21] -3.00[21]

• 6 days: Thu 22 – Wed 28 May 1890
• Top 5 boats rowed over every day, no bumps among top 14 boats after third day, and only one bump on last day.
• Notes from Sherwood
  • Second night: Keble caught a crab and lost an oar
  • Fourth night: Owing to the absence of Tims a mistake was made in the starting guns which led to a dispute.
• From the main text of Sherwood (p.43)

  1890. On the fourth night, during the absence of Tims, for the first time for twenty-one years, the starter's watch went wrong, and the third gun was fired two minutes too soon. In consequence of this a complication arose between Hertford, Keble, and Corpus. The committee, on appeal, came to the illogical decision that the race had been duly started, but that the three boats must race again. This Hertford refused to do, and Keble and Corpus withdrawing their claims, the boats started in the same order the next night. To avoid disputes as to the meaning of the starting rule for the future, and old clause was reinserted, 'that after the third gun the race shall always be held to have begun.'

• The Times Thu 29 May (the only coverage that year)

  These races were brought to a conclusion yesterday evening, after one of the most successful weeks of racing experienced.

  The Second Division, at half-past 4, started in the following order:— Queen's, Merton, Pembroke, Exeter, Worcester, Oriel, University, St Catherine's, Wadham, Lincoln, Jesus, St. Edmund Hall. Queen's again held their own against Merton, and thus left off head of the Second Division. Ther latter also kept well away from Pembroke, but a clinking race was witnessed between Exeter and Worcester. The latter, who have mode four bumps during the series, failed to gain during the first half of the course, and although they came up rapidly at the finish, Exeter held their own to the end and finished with an advantage of two yards. Oriel stood no chance with University, who have the best record of the race with five bumps, and succumbed before reaching the Freewater Stone. St Catherine's finished a length in front of Wadham, the others being some distance apart.

  First Division.— Order of starting: — Brasenose, New, Magdalen, Christ Church, St John's, Balliol, Hertford, Keble, Corpus, Trinity, Queen's. Brasenose, rowing up in fine style, easily maintained the supremacy of the First Division, and were enthusiastically received on returning to the raft, this being the second year they have left off head of the river. New had some difficulty to escape Magdalen, who have improved greatly, and only a length separated them at the finish. Christ Church and St. John's also rowed in some distance apart, and it will be seen that the first five boats in the First Division all finished in the order in which the started at the commencement of the racing. Balliol got within half a length of St. John's, and the same distance divided Hertford and Keble, the boats coming in some lengths apart.

• In other news ... [1890]

  Monarch: Queen Victoria

  Prime Minister: Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (Conservative)

  Tue 22 May

  Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh moves to Auvers-sur-Oise on the edge of Paris, in the care of Dr Paul Gachet, where he will produce around seventy paintings in as many days

  Sat 31 May

  The five-storey skylight Arcade opens in Cleveland, Ohio.

  Sun 1 June

  The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith's tabulating machine to tabulate census returns using punched card input, a landmark in the history of computing hardware. Hollerith's company eventually becomes IBM.

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