The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-14
BOATING ON THE HARLEM.
Saturday Afternoon Among the Oars
men ON the River-The Clubs and Club
Houses-The Boats and the Oarsmen-
Daily Practice or the Crews.

men ON the River-The Clubs and Club
Houses-The Boats and the Oarsmen-
Daily Practice OF the Crews.
Saturday Ia the oarsmans holiday on the Har-
lem. Every fine afternoon the river Is well GOV.
cred with shells-sngle, double and fours-but In
the early evening OF every fine, sunshlny Satur-
day the scenes about the boat houses and on the
river, from the Third avenue bridge to High Bridge
and beyond are most enlivening. There are now
located on the Harlem the houses OF the Athletic,
Gramercy, Atalanta. New York, Nautilus. Nassau,
Harlem, Dauntless and Columbia College boat
cubs. Recently many OF them changed their To-
cation from near the Third avenue bridge, and, by
moving up closer to the railroad bridge. the boat
houses have thus been brought together in line.
With the sole exception Of the New York all the
club houses are now north OF the Old castellated
bathhouse which has many time and Oft been
pronounced positive nuisance by the scullers OF
the Harlem. Three years ago there were only two
lighthouses, where nearly doz at present hne
the rivers edge. Boating was then confined to
those who paid their quarter, hall. or, may be,
the whole dollar, to take row up to High Bridge
for lager or sti lurther on, to the old canal boat
at the Cove for oysters And what Jolly times
were these at the Cove many Harlem boating
man can tell Of The Gramercy was
THE FIRST BOAT HOUSE
Grams tell Of the brackets" they have had at every
stopping place from their old house to Spuyten
Duyvl Creek would bring hearty laugh from
confirmed dyspeptic. The Athletics were the
next, we believe, TO locate, and then the Nassaus
gave up their elegant quarters on the North River
to settle down az the "New settlement" at Har-
lem. Within three or four years at most the Har-
lem has become what II Is. Those who remember
the boat houses AT the loot OF Christopher street
think OF them with feelings OF pleasure, and the
new houses which have taken their place love to
relate anecdotes and incidents Of the days gone ny
when the Gulcks and the Columbus and the Wa
verieys and the Atalanas were In the iulness OF
their strength. These clubs nave nearly all passed
away, the sturdy Old Gulicks being the last lin.
ger the scene, with the exception OF the Atalan-
tas, whose flag flies as proudly as ever from the
nagstan OF their elegant house on The Harlem.
Those who imagined that the English defeat would
be the deathblow to the Atalantas count ed with
out thought. The clue to-day shows quite as
much, II net more, vitality and enterprise than
any boat cab IN the country. The work they have
laid out for the summer indicates action and hard
labor II they desire that victory VIII favor their
colOrS.
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON
"DOc" Withers had his crew out for their evening
time and work together nicely. oil Johnson, who
was stroke OF the Nassaus last year, pulls No. in
the crew that Is to row against the University crew
OF YALE at Lake Saltonsta on the 25th. The Doctor
seems pretty well satisfied With his men, and If
his boat don't win there must be '.somet thing the
matter which no fellow can understand"
THE FOURS
who are to measure blades over the Harlem re-
gatta course on the 22d were all out last evening.
Tue Gramercys crew are doing excellent work,
and the manner In which they work together and
the improvement they have shown during the lew
are going to row more than one heat on'that day
The Athletic boys, with Cone at the stroke oar
the old saw has 1t, went up over the course.
and beyond, for their evening practice. These
boys do their work cleverly; no spashing the
water all about, as II tt was Bill curtis IN y
race, having the lead on an opponent VINO was
closing up the gap No; the boys pull their oars
cleany through the water and make their ship
| travel on at pace which Will in all probability
prove much too hot tor the English stroke OF the
New YORK. who we're also out for an airing. fresl-
his opinion that while crossing a stream was q
bad Time TO swap horses. Indeed, the principle
| 1t might be maintained that just previous TO y
boat race is a bad time TO alter your stroke The
yesterday for Saratoga, were working the English
! stroke, but did not take kindly to 1t. The last
time they were out they thonght they would > Try
feels well pleased with the result tnat the
Oolumbtas Will not try the foreign on Saratoga
Lake. We nope however, that the New York viii
| continue to give the English stroke good honest
lest. There has been so much said about lit
has had so many advocates and so many oppo
nents-that for the sake Of rowing aud the cult
vation OF the best style Of rowing We hope that al
systems will have iair show, and may the best
style be the one generally adopted.
PAIR-oARED ROWING
Las only come into anything Ike general practice
OF last season there were scarcely four pair-oared
shells on the river; now there Is one or two pair.
Hall u dozen pairs yesterday glded over the
waters OF the Harlem, and YET there are only three
! entries for pairs at Harlem regatta. Frank Brown,
not being able to get a tour together out OF the
| Nassau Club Is going to enter for the Ladies' Chal-
lenge Plate, which ne, with OH Johnson, calamity
won Tor his club last year; but this time ne will
| md sterner metal TO work against. Victory VIII
not be 80 easily secured Tor every foot OF water
| is to be retained in the keeping Of the Nassaus.
| NO one knows better than Frank Brown that VIII
bur Bacon will do hirbest on the ed against any
and all competitors Bacon and Frank Ellison were
out yesterday, and the way they made their
| boat travel was a pretty sight to OH oarsman.
Pairoar Is the perfection OF rowing, and where
you find two men equally skilled in rowing and Of
nearly equal weight you have style or rowing IN
winch ootn men have got 70 40 their work hon
esty, faithfully and well, or 10 will make itself evil
dent az once. After the crews and pairs come
the
| SINGLE SHELLS,
] and here's where the Harlem shows her greatest
strength. On no other river In the country can &c
many single scuers be seen together as on the
Harlem River The banks and downtown places
! OF business close early ON saturday ana, as con
! sequence, the boats running to Harlem Bridge are
| well thronged with young men on their way to the
boa I'll house for an afternoons pull. And now, III
! stead of the thin. hollow-faced young exquistes
! one used TO meet pulling away at the end OF
! Havana, and who spoke nothing but nonsense,
and with drawl at that, you meet young, vigor
GUS fellows with healthy looks ana DronZed faces
/ who speak to you like men and not as ninnles
Ihey are healthy and better men in every re
spect from the exercise they take in rowing These
are the people sees N the shells on the Harlem
! Pro essional men, bank clerks, business men, law
! yers, journalists, merchants men OF leisure, a!
well as men OF active pursuits, al with the same
! objects IN vlew-eXercise, the relaxation OF The
! mind and the requirement OF that strength which
| enables them to perform better the part thel
| have to play on the stage OF life. BY the nags OF
the stats OF each OF the boat houses one can know
the name Of each club. AL. Curtis, OF tue Athletic
rarely misses chance TO take his shell OH thu
river and go TO the Dam without rest. Hi
| namesake Bill, Just fresh from the West, pursues
the same practice daily. Sweet William came al
| the way from chicago to win the diamond Scus'
again this year. but since he laid eyes on the
beautiful prize Eonsolatlon Cup0 offered by
| President Meeker, OF the Harlem Regatta Associa
ZION, to be rowed for by all who are beaten for the
! 'Diamond Sculls" he seems to weaken on dia
monds and to get strong cups. Tom Keator, o.
| the Harlem, took his usual last evening, quietly
| aud contentedly, and does his prettlesl
! only when no person is watching him. MOI
even the ladies' who travel TO High Bridge
/ m hn heat 1tvAr tlA off T