New-York tribune., 1874-07-02

CQI.IIMHIA AT SARATOGA.

| " 49, COLUMBIA AT SARATOGA.
A PLEASANT PrACE--THE CREW IMPROVED SINCE
LAST YEAR-ADoPTroS OF ENGLISH IDEAs-THE
STROKE IN pErAn-YALE AND COLUMBIA ON
THE LAKE-REGATTA NOTES.
fyRoN THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF rue TRIBUsE.I
SARATOGA LAKE, June e9.-Up at the far end,
where residents can usually devote themselves 10
business unmolested by the tide of Summer travel
| stands one of the nine lighthouses which dot tho
sbore of Lake Saratoga on bluff Is feet above the
| water. The clearing each side Of it, hundred
yards wide runs back three times that distance up
| the high hill IL terminates there in snug red
| farm house bosomed high in tufted trees win
dense woods running to the crest OF the hill behnd
Il and closing around it at both ends This Is tine
quarters of Columbia and here the boys hard at
| work preparing for the race.
| The New-York crew fortunate this year in hay-
ing three of their old men--and the best three at
that-still 10 the boat Mr. Rees is again the stroke
and Messrs Cornell and Rapallo respectively No.
| 5 and No. 4, as they were last year. The new men
have been carefully selected after various changes
and the crew finally decided upon as given below
The old men have had the advantage since last year
of training and exercise, to say nothing OF years
growth in size and firmness, which ls considerable
at 90 years of age and the Ones If not all that
could be desired are as good at least those whose
| places they take
BETTER CHANCE THAN LAST YEAR.
| The crew have had an advantage also over most
| of the smaller colleges in the instruction
| of a really skillful graduate oarsman, Mr.
| G. l.. Rives a graduate of Columbia, and after
| ward of Cambridge, England. where he was
distinguished sculler: and member of the Univer-
| sity crew has been coaching them ON the Harlem,
and they have acquired under his tuteage the lead
ing principles of the English stroke and training,
fbav ha
sonals are certainly better and safer for young col
lege men than the hgh-pressure system pursued by
the Columblas last year. 1t is safe. therefore. to
saw that Columbia enters this year with much bet
ter crew than last year. and with much more relative
| advantage than she then had. After about seven
weeks of practice and instruction on the Harlem,
the crew now pushes Harvard and Yale very closely
in point OF style and precision in pulling. and OF
these respects several OF the green
crews The Columbias came to Saratoga about TWO
weeks ago with the idea of getting ahead OF all the
Others and intent upon having plenty OF practice
over the course but the weather has been so wet and
windy that they have only been able to go out on
three days
Their race-boat too, which they lashed upon the
ton of the train at NewYork found on arrival to
be bopelessy injured-smashed all to pieces. They
borrowed practice boat at from the Saratoga
Club and telegraphed to Fearop, the builder. that
| unless shell could be made Of the exact weight
model and dimensions of the shattered one before
certain day, they must row in paper-boat from
Troy. He Immediately set all his men at work
night and day, and as beautiful new she'll as ever
| swan Is now in the Columblas house.
| NEIGHBORs ACROSS THE LAKE.
From the vine-covered piazza of the Trinity quar-
ters 80 feet from the lakes edge, Columbias house
can be seen just across. Two miles and bit they
call it, but it is a good three miles l pulled over
Saturday in perfect calm, two hours after noon,
/ and got an excellent view of the All feeling
of opposition to this location vanishes soon as the
| lake is seen. The scenery is charming and the
| neighborhood of Saratoga great advantage, but
| the one thing which has brought the regatta fere
| and will probably keep it here, is the course which
is simply perfection. 1t is broad stretch OF three
miles diagonally across a lake more than two miles
| wide at any point beginning and ending III pays
which afford from their shores an excellent
| viow Of start and finish. Not an island
breaks the surface, which shone yesterday like
sea Of molten glass. and it might be truly added
was about as hot. Everything was still about the
house as we pulled up. Columbia 1874" in mon
strous letters cut in big tree, showed who lived
there and few basins pail of water towels, and
camp chairs lying about indicated that the inhab
tants had been there not long since. Some OF the
gay young Princeton Freshmen from the house
across next to Trntys quarters soon padded up In
canoes on voyages of discovery; and bath, basking
under the trees, and boating chat were regarded as
preferable to climbing the hill after the crew.
At last, about $3.50 p. m. down they came in spen-
did TRIM Soon stripped, they brought out the new
boat amid general admiration "Now," said Capt
Rees, quick through the water and shoot your
| arms forward first. Readyw And away they went
| THE FIRST CREW on THE LAKE
Sitting on the hill by the boat-house we could see
boat plainly on any part of the lake. and watched
| the Columbias for two miles as they pulled
dagonally up the course, the Princeton boys count
ing the 81 strokes to the minute with ease at dis
| tance of two miles, by the flashes. The Colum-
| ha men nnM sit as follows: