Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-07-21
NO. H..
"Shells and Crabs.'

The dispatches about the university re-.
gatta contained one or two words Which
proved stumbling blocks to the uninitiated
The man not happy enough to live by a
great sheet of water usually thinks that q
race is rowed in a large and heavy boat. He
is unable to imagine a "shell" big enough
to hold six men. And though ''shells'' and
"crabs," especially soft-shells, sound well
together, the idea ofa racing crew stop
ping from time to time to "catch the crabsn
OF Saratoga Lake seems strange. Then
there is the question of steering The fullest
details about the crews have been tele-
graphed, but there has been not word
about coxswans. Where were they
These questions should be answered.. A
shell in regatta parlance, is boat
about 50 feet long, 20 inches wide, and
in the centre or . inches deep. 1t is
built OF cedar or paper, and weighs about
loo pounds. The paper boats came into
fashion in 1868, but were soon rejected on
account of their weakness. Moreover,
their main advantage was their superior
lightness, and the improvements in the
manufacture OF cedar boats have now re-
duced their weight to the new standard.
The fact that Cornell has won three races,
and practiced two months in paper shell,
shows, however, that the newer style of
craft has also been greatly improved. The
SHELL" at its centre, is q low canoe, in
which six men sit. A single board runs
alongthe bottom. Their feet rest ON this.
The sides of the shell would be broken by
the touch of foot. The section occupied
by the crew is pei haps dozen feet long.
The 10 feet of boat at each end Of it taper
gradually to raZor-like edge. Their
depth, at the ends, is only 2 or inches.
This Is ''shcll, "a long needle, broad
ened at the centre just enough for q man
to squeeze between the two edges. The
boat, with the crew in it, lies u couple of
inches above the surface OF the water
The outriggers, on which the oars rest are
of course somewhat higher. A chapter
on coxswains would be like the famous
chapter on the snakes of Erin: There
are no snakes in Ireland" There are no
coxswans. The bow-oar steers. aud does
so with his feet. Two wires run from the
cross-piece of the rudder along the side
OF the boat and end in narrow board,
upon which the feet of the bow-O rest
he has to do his full share of the rowing
and keep sharp lookout over his shoulder
besides. in order 10 sway the boat In the
right direction by pressing on one or the
other end of this foot-board This is deli
cate and difficult work, but its saves the
necessity of carrying 125 pounds of cox
swain. As for the mysterious crabs. the
reader can catch them anywhere. All he
needs to do is to take boat, try to make
quick strokes, and put his oar either SO
deep into the water that he can't get it out.
or not deep enough to have the blade
meet with any especial resistance. In
either case. he will suddenly discover the
handle where his stomach ought to be,
and will probably fall over backwards
with very faint and sick sensation.
Catching crabs on the water affects the di-
gestive organs much like eating them on
the land.
Armed with these facts, the veriest land:
lubber can comprehend the why's and
wherefOres of the VARSITY race
Chicago Tribune.