The New York herald., 1876-03-12


about ten or twelve days The Will probably bci
rowed ia her the first built boat though she VIII do
very well To practice in, does not give entire sasiac-
in consequences Of the way which she cocks her
nose up, and seems TO sink in the waist al the con-
by Sherwood Of Christ Church, who did the principal
part OF the tuition last year, during which TINE the
crew acquired that evenncss OF work That was so
characteristics when they appeared Al futney
CAMBRIDGE
After an appearance aud a.an a disappearance,
Rhodes seems TO have actually taken up his quar-
Iers in the Cambridge crew. He rs doubtless
most valuable acquisition wherever ne rows, OUT We
cannot but wonder thai be is Dot placed stroke. At
any time he would be good stroke, and at this mo-
ment when the want OF "a lively stroke Is one OF lhe
chief Shortcomings OF The crew, i was more than ever
important he should go into his old place. when
he absent on Monday right step was taken
in filing his post at No. with the only other man
in the crew who has lively recovery ana
good catch-viz, Brancker II would have
been far better for the style Of other men u
BrancKer had been filling his place all the time during
Rhodes absence. 1t true that he IS full light Tor so
heavy post work, but so long as the stroke
slow this would not matter, and the style would
have had its effect for good upon the men behind The
men rowed together, but the old faults when we nave
former occasions alluded to still remain to great
extent. The crew seem now 10 have lett on gg-eght
practice and TO have taken permanently light boats.
This may tighten deadness OF the rowing so lar as
grip OF the part of the stroke is concerned but the
suggshn ness OF the recovery fear only too likely
TO remain substantially the same, unless some radical
change shall be made in the constitution of tho
crew. From all that we hear, there is much dssatis-
faction felt in Cambridge among unpreIudced judges OF
rowing to the manner in which the crew made up,
for these Impressions. Time Is rapidly passing and
though there is still time 10 make up the crew prop
eriytO turn out the useless men and 10 practice tho
right ones-thcre will not always be time TO repent
aud those in charge may hereafter awake 10 sense OF
their mistakes when II will be too late 10 mend
The special correspondent of BeiPs Life same date,
Says In other words, the entire eight must
row and swing as one man That such is the case
with the two crews or either OF them, now pracusihg
the Isis and the Cam, is assertion am not yet
prepared 10 make, although at same time, am quite
ready admit that tho oxford already fulfil these
greater
speaking do with the small amount OF practice
they have had And presuming that they Will con
tinue TO improve in the ratio they have pro
crossed during the past month there can be but little
doubt that their arrival at Putncy they VIII, SO TO
speak, almost, If not entirely, ene themselves to De
considered perfect crew IN the true sense OF
the word. Looking at their rowing IN col
ective sense, they show, beyond doubt, that what
ever may be said as regards individuals, as whole
they possess the correct idea and principle OF rowing
Their efforts manly, II not solely devoted to mas
terng the two great principles oi a-naney, catch
at the beginningh and "recovery'-and IN these two
particulars hes the difference between the rowing as
the Isis and that done the Cam at the
momenL To say that Cambridge are rowing en-
tircy wrong principles would be incorrect. Their
ideas right but the difficulty consists IN their APP
parent inability put those ideas into practice. Any
who has watched the practice at Cambridge II only
Tor short time must have been struck by the very
great oxcrtions Mr. James Close has put forth in his
endeavors 10 get 'catc" and hnish, and those on
deavors have by no means gone unrewarded The i'm.
provement regards 'catch" has been very marked
during the last six days; fortnight there
whatever-now 1t IS manifest all through
from perfect In regard to the second essential oxford
are Undoubtedly lar in advance of their opponents.
The Cambridge finish is, as 1t has been all through
their practice, their principal, and am very much
inclined to think their only bete nor. Every man in
the boat his stroke well out without exception;
but then they stop and In the recovery OF thcr hands
they much slower Than has been the case with
Cambridge oarsmen Tor some years. The men, one
and all seem almost totally unable to get their hands
off their chests before moving their bodies forward,
and natural consequences there is a considerable
deafness about the go OF their boat which must at
be apparent TO the unintiatcd. Since they
have taken to the light boat slight Improvement
has been manifest in this respect, which | am
told, very good authority, increases daily. Last
year, il will be remembered, Cambridge, when on tho
Thames, showed plenty OF catch with toleraby
good finish, their weakness consisting in want OF
stamina and tendency on the part o several men IN
the boat to work all through the stroke This year
there is now plenty OF genuine hard work done,
and is being accomplished more and more in the right
place daily and II the men would only get their hands
sharp away the finish there is very little doubt
that they would get large amount OF pace on their
boat and turn out very iair crew. During the week
now drawing u close very easy work has been done
the Cam, owing 10 ono OF the crew being engaged
IN the Senate House with some work of arduous
and trying nature, but in the course OF very lew
days training Will commence, hard work and long
Will be the Of the day. and with moro than i've
weeks before them tue Cambridge may, and l
shall be much surprised IL they do not improve both
and pace most rapidly. The continued presence
oil Rhodes in the boat is now ioregone conclusion;
throughout the past week he has, with the exception
oil day been AZ his post every afternoon but he is
terribly out OF condition, and Will require large
amount OF hard work. spread over many days. aud
perhaps a weeks before he Is really up to form.
The following are the latest weights OF the crew.