Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-01
NEW Arr or 40 WING.
For Athletic Young Mea.
INV York Times

exuresS sur Prise IL they we're told tina, th,ra 4,
In their own country style of rowing which
might De imported into England ard The
United States with great advantage To che
health and amusement OF rowing men AM n
1t were added that the style Is not only ex.
' 're &c complicated and difficult. but one
lion or all the muscles and faculties such "a
none OF our modes OF rowing Offer the Italian
Would De still more astOnished. Yet. after all,
dItefeIt modes or propelliIg boats are the out.
come OF The necessities Of certain people placed
Ia given circumstances so that IL Vol know
or a population OF water men In an Old country
VINO have TO contend with a Number OF diff.
dulles not f0uGd IL other places you MAJ
De prt,tI sure that there Will be- seen q pecI-
mar sty'e CT rowing, more artful and inter
eSunS sEan elsewhere. Given. for ex an
PIE, town whose streets are canals, most
OF them extremely narrow, often turning ab-
IuDt and sometimes crowded with boats
sup Ose OF one man Can be asIo we'd to
me management CT each boat He will
e. dies cvDt ions Will occur. He cannot row
Two Oa = for IL harrow waters even one oar In
al tar-i0Ck Nould be 100 much It Will not do
o uisnlp The oars and trust To the head Say OF
Iht boat, because i'll so doing the oaramiu has
no coDIroi over his craft. He will have TO row
a. q steer a, the same time. looking out every
Il om ht 10 STE Who Is coming down The narrow
passage or around an abrupt corner. He can
hCi sit Gown. because, II he be In the stern. hls
passengers or freight will hide the view, wniie
n he be In the bow, he does not overlook
the position or the stern. The only
thing feasible Is to stand up In thase'n
ana gu'ce aud propel the bat with one
dig oar, so fixed that Ia halt second
1t can be adjusted 10 the Oar-IocS, in
another half second slipped out fn der TO be
US On this side or on that TO poe the boat
along by thTusLing against bulldings, other
boats, or he bottom OF the canal. If the bottom
De within reach. He must be- SO steady on his
!ses that the chance Shock OF another craft Will
not upset him from his Insecure stand; so good
III judging with hts eye that he knows lust
where his narrow boat can pass. under what
circumstances he can Stlll row, under what ne
must uce some other means of propulsion. He
Ii ust be On the alert for the PROV. the sides the
stern, know TO an eighth OF an inch Just how
much force In given turn OF the wrist Is neCeS.
say to place t..e different parts OF his boa5 10
d;nefeDt pOslll0ns and, when passing the
bridges, see that his Oar never touches. He
must listen for the shout OF another rover
aIouLd the corner. and sometimes detect the
presence OF the corner merely by the sound Of
hts car ccho1ng against the high dwellings
There is 1ot a muscle of his body which Is not
brought into play particularly the muscles Of
OF the lex. the sinews OF heels and toes all
those muscles, ia fac. which our style of row.
iiC ntglects and leaves weak.
WHAT makes the Venetian stroke 80 di III nit,
ara, 10 The keen OarSnan, greedy OF novelty in
his heating giving mania, SO interesting. Is the
facf thai there IL practically no oar-!oCk ON the
Tree, or rest. against which the long oar is
leaned. The fUrcGa Is in itself work of art
selected with Infinite pains from natural
''knee' Of hard word, Whitfield down into the
most Knowing angles, polished here. ScoOped
our there, and inserted firmly into a slot On the
right hand OF the narrow poop-dUck. Ii Is
strOngesi iii the line OF greatest strain. There
% no unnecessary material In It. and yet IL Is
moi a nere Ugly block OF wood. Tine long oar is
Il ade al OF piece, save fer Str1O on Tile upper
sheer o. the blade; this is joined On and must
always o. upward when the blade strikes water
Ine Oar lock near the top OF the knee is
simply hollow, from which the oar OF the
\ hV nc : O hN. \ t%
ton. Like an oriental language, this Intricate
ala most oriental mode of rowing is most diff
cult In It's alphabet; 1t appears a hopeless task
al me outset. After learning To keep the Oar
Ia the notch OF the fOrcola for S few strokes,
the position OF the feet must be taken into con-
s1derat1on. The fOrcOia Is On the right, on the
starboard {or seerboard> OF the craft: therefore,
one stands over on the left, and the conSe.
quence Is that the b0at-a very light one II
over to port. the left foot is
paced forward, with the toe turning to the
the sloping poop, sometimes considerably to
the lett OF the line of the other 10 {. AS
the foat Is nearly fiat bottomed, the heeling
over consequent On the weight OF the rover
forms Kind or keel for the craft. Now az the
lines OF the boat narrow toward the bow this
keel Is not perfectly straight, and, therefore
CounteIacts 10 some extent the natural ten
dency or q boat rowed only on one side to turn
lts prov always away from the Oar.
The stroke itself Is more nearly akin to the
ind1an canoe stroke with single paddle than
any hing else. The oar describes a peculiar
tw Isl In the water just at the emu OF tbs STROKE
AZ cltngs t. the surface for great part Of the
recover" BY standing well back of the forcola
ana ieaLing forward. alloWir9 also for the false
b at just mentioned, and giving the upward
tv isl AT the erd OF the stroke the result of
ali these complicated movements Is to send
The boat foFw ard smoothly save for q gentle
IL II does Dot proceed straight for ward, as
a beat prop elled by two oars would but has
really al almost imperceptiOle siding move
ment. = gondolier combines all the motions
so skiilfuily and naturally that the rowing
looks very easy: but 1t is enough to take the
car In hand, without even mounting the mar
row, rocking pOOp-deck, TO convince q novice
that the safest place for him is the cushioned
seat When second rover enters the DOat
he takes position we'll forward on the other side
bringing the boat on an even keel. Then tn,
o" Ing Ia less complicated, for there Is no need
Prov as when but one oar Is used The forward
nan Is merely worker; the poop oar does the
steering. On the other hand. the head Condo
Tier takes the first oar, not only because 1t is
easier work. but because he helps the passen-
ger In and out, goes errands on shore, and calls
The monotonOus STA premi, STA STALL by which
an unseen craft Is warned OF the approach Of
the gCndOla.
All these details are familiar to those who,
being In Venice, have followed Lord Byron'S
example and taken lessons In Venetian row.
ing But their number Is necessarily very
limited 1t is unfortunate. for the mode OF
upright rowing practlced there would be a
Elost desirable addition to our present outdoor
sports. 1t expands the chest, and, like fencing,
exercises evenly oil the muscles OF the frame.
Il Is most graceful accomplishment, requir-
ing some strength, but much more tact and
address. Ii has been proved that TO attempt
to Introduce the gondola on our waters is as
useless as futile; thirty years ago a gondola was
imported Into New York. But with the
sandoio the case is different. The flat-oot.
toned ''sharpies' In the bays of Long Island
Sound are very near In their general shape TO
sandOlO; they can be rowed with forcola and
long oar. in the Venetian fashion. May for
eigI residents OF Venice since Byron,s time
have come under the spell Of this fascinating
sport, and the las, summer witnessed an event
never before seen-the competition OF
young English signOr In public regatta on
L ken home with him SanGOlo and gondolierS
70 row II, and appeared at Henley regatta as
the apostle Of Venetian rowing In England.
or log TO the standing position, the sandOIo Is
not I'LL calculated for ladies; they can exercise
their grace without too much demand on their
strength. and obtain more even and contln,l-
Gus exercise than that afforded by lawn tennis
The forward oar OF the sandolo is that which
Is tspet Tally adapted to ladies', for, when tired
pel ard steer the boat while his partner rests
But The maiu attraction OF the Venetian stroke
IL It's practice OF the muscles unused BY our
style OF rowing. It's habitual use gives firm.
ness TO the gait, an erect and graceful carriage,
broad chest and fine pose to the head. It
may be called highly civilized version OF the
paddl ng OF the savage, or a graceful and gen.
item anly method OF sculiIg, like, but yet un.
Ike. the sculling from the stern OF q boat With
IL is not a little odd that the city which pro.
ducfd a SfnyulaF flower of Qrchitaaturo a nd