The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-08-12
"Shells" and " Crabs."

The dispatches about the University
regatta contained one or two words which
proved stumbling blocks to the uninitiat-
ed. The man not happy enough to live
by great sheet of water usually thinks
that race is rOwed in large and heavy
boat. He is unable TO imagine " shell ,
big enough to hold six men. And though
"shells" and crabs" especially soft
shells, sound well together. the idea OF
racing crew stopping from time to time
to "catch" the crabs of Saratoga Lake
seems strange. Then there is the ques-
ton of steering. The fullest details about
the crews have been telegraphed, but
there has been not word about cox
SWANS. Where were they? These ques-
tions should be answered. A "sbell" in
regatta parlance, is boat about 90 feet
long, 20 inches wide, and in the center
or 8 inches deep. 1t is built of cedar
or paper, and weighs about $50 pounds.
The paper boats came into fashion in
1868, but soon were rejected on account of
their weakness. Moreover, their main adj
vantage was their superior lightness, and
the improvements in the manufacture OF
cedar boats have now reduced their weight
to the new standard. The fact that Cor
nell has won three races, and practiced
two months in paper shell, shows, how
ever, that the newer style of craft has also
been greatly improved. The "shell" at
its center, is a low canoe, in which six men
sit. A single light board runs along the
bottom. Their feet rest on this. The
sides of the shell would be broken by the
the touch of the foot. The section occu-
pied by the crew is perhaps dozen feet
long. The 10 feet of boat at each end of
it taper gradually to a razor-like edge.
Their depth, at the ends, is
only 2 or 3 inches. This is
" shell'-a long needle, broadened at the
center just enough for a mn to squeeze
between the two edges. The boat. with
the crew in ii, lies a couple of inches
above the surface of the water. The out
riggers, on which the oars rest, are of
course somewhat higher. A chapter on
cOxswains would be like the famous chap
ter on the snakes of Erin: There are
no snakes in Ireland" There are no cox
swains. The bow-oar steers, and 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-oar rest. He
has to do his full share of the rowing and
keep sharp lookout over his shoulder
besides. in order to sway the boat in the
right direction by pressing on one or the
other end of this foot-board. This Is del
icate and difficult work, but it saves the
necessity of carrying lbs pounds of cox
swain. As for the mysterious "crabs,''
the reader can catch them anywhere. All
he needs TO do is to take a boat, try to
make quick strokes, and put his oar either
so deep in the water that he can't get il
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 a 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 i
why's and wherefores of the VARSITY
race. Chicago Tribune.