New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-29
TIE HARVARD STROKE.
FAULKNER TAUGHT IT ON THE SLY.

Ho0DwINKING THE FACULTY-HOw CAPTAIN HULL
WAS DECEIVED.
(FRoM An OCCASIONAL CORR EsPoNDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
CAMBRIDGE, June 27.-Strange as it may
seem it was surprise to majority OF the stu
dents OF Harvard TO learn through the press that not
only George Faulkner coaching their crew at New
London but that he had been coaching the all the
spring at Cambridge Probably not over fifty OF the
1000 students the university had the slightest idea of
what their had been doing When they went to the
boat house they the eight start out apparently
clumsy set OF Oarsmen, hardly superior 10 freshmen
after 1t has been OIL the water month. Butt
as the got out Of sight either new cox
swain taken board or the launch owned by the
boat club received passenger Under the coach
ing of this person the took different appear
ance They then taught the stroke which brought
them victory the Thames. In a word the crew and
all those connected with their management have played
bluff game with the college faculty. the students, out
siders and even their own intimate friends
After the decaptatOn last November of Colonel Ban
croft the regular coach for the crew got
along with assistance to speak of for the rest OF the
the water and IN the gymnasium law school
man. c. p Curtis. stroke OF the $50 varsity did all
the coaching When they got the river again. how
ever about the last OF March found that the crew
we're in poor condition. The old Harvard stroke was
not suited TO light men. and the OF whom
had only had one years experience In boating.
for all 1t was worth. So stroke devised, for
which Faulkner ought have the credit since storrow
consulted him and followed his advice implicitly But
the Harvard faculty had positively forbidden the hiring
Of professional coach any OF the athletic under
the penalty OF expulsion all sorts OF ngcnutles were
practsed by which the coaching might he DONE a new
stroke learned and nobody know anything about it.
The details OF the ways and means OF executing this
have been kept that scarcely anybody outside
the knows about It, One way was for Faulkner to
come down and out In the launch early In the day,
when the boathouse deserted, and wait up the
river for the crew TO come out OF course Captain
storrow aud the officers of the boat club deny any
such thing and 1t would be next to impossible for any
outsider to prove that at any specific time Fauknere'er
watched the crew
known member OF the Athletic Committee TO whom the
students attribute all the reforms which have been at
years has been wnked by the rowing is shown
BY the following Faulkner induced number of
Carey OBrien and others-to form a
scratch eight and go out s oHee the tMa
doing all that they could on the river In
front of the boahonse when Dr sargent made his APP
ward Jerseys and looked like Harvard class crew AT
distance. After gazing at them for some time the
worthy Assistant Professor Of hygiene and physical
training asked class crew'man standing nearby what
satisfied tho doctor aud he walked away, while the by
ISLANDERS had good laugh at his expense.
Perhaps the best trick In regard to the stroke was
play ed on Louis X. Hull captain OF the 81 Yale crew
In company with another Yale man lie came up 10 Cam
bridge about month ago and asked storrow 70 give
them an exhibition spin. This StOrrow promised TO do
on the following DAY. In tho meantime he taught his
men about threequarters of hour how to row the
by Yale with such disastrous results two years
ago In the exhibition spin they rowed that stroke
In that would have made Mike Davis's soul rejoice.
Hull then back and told NewiIaven reporter that
Harvard crew were rowing the old abandoned Yale
stroke. This statement got INTO PRINT and went all over
the country before IL was corrected
It Ia said that this trick OF Sorrows has been the
Of Iiulls wrath against the employment OF pro-
fessiona coach The truth Is that the Yale crew were
sold all the spring. They expected from all the re-
ports stnt out from Cambridge and from the
stories OF their who had seen
the men row. TO nave easy victory. When they found
ont their mistake they angry at the deceit played
on them. They had not doGc such hard work they
should ana Captain Bob Cook, in trying to get them
into condition In week, Overw0rked them
storrow Was foxy" with the reporters who attempted
to write up the They say that he always misrep-
resented the crew and its stroke for the worse.