Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-08
Doesn't Know Whether Cornell Can
Row Tomorrow.
OTHERS Do NOT SHARE His FEELING
The Boys Appeared Lively Enough
This Morning.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS

HENLEY INVERTEBRATES, July g.
The Henley regatta begins tomorrow.
Cornell. at $3.50 p. m. will meet. the
famous Leander Boat Clubs crew, proba-
bly, the strongest on the river. In view Of
the depressing accounts circulated regard
ing the health of the Cornell crew, a repre-
sentative Of the Associated Press had
chat with Chas. E. Courtney, their coach,
when he arrived at the boat this morning
there.
Courtney looked very glum and said: IT
do not know whether the Cornell crew will
be able to row tomorrow. The fact is We
!, have two sick men among the crew who
ol ght not to row in their present condition.
They are Hager and Fennell. The latter
was In a high fever yesterday evening.
The two men, however, may be all right to-
morrow. as I. afflicted in the same way,
feel right one day and bad the next. But
If our boys were fit should feel very con-
fident that there is not a crew on the river
equal TO them. They have been steadily
improving in practice, and make faster
time at each trial In spite of this 1 am
unwilling to take the responsibility Of al
loving sick men to strain themselves in a
race. If the invalids are not better tomor-
row we shall have to put in substitutes or
else scratch. l have done everything posi-
BILE to keep the men in condition, but they
have been unable to contend with the
climate, and the little worries to which
they have been subjected. If I had the
thing to do again would request permits
sion to bring twenty-five men here, and
keep two crews in training"
Courtney does not share the suspicious
of Mr.. c. S. Francis, the trustee Of Cor
nell University, who accompanied the Cor
nell crew to England, regarding alleged
unfairness in the drawing of lots for the
different heats, which resulted in pitting
Cornell against the Leander crew.
Commenting on the drawing Courtney
remarked: 1T is true that the affair was
managed differently than at home. Here
there is one man who draws the names
from hat and then tears them up, none
Of the others seeing them. But this man
was an old -Leander Boat Club man of the
highest repute, and If he desired to favor
his club he would have given them
bye"
Courtney seems to be over-anXious about
the result. He has been working very
lard, and there is reason to believe Cor
nelrs prospects are much better than he
imagines. Certainly there was no sign of
encouragement among them when the
boys arrived at the boat house at 10
o'clock. 1t is true that some of them
locked pale, but they were all in the best
of spirits, and Fennell and Hager were
as lively as, any of them. The boys
launched their boat shortly after 10
O'clock and rode at half speed down the
course. All other crews were out and it
was admitted all sides that none of
them approached Cornelrs form APP
peared to row as easily. The members of
the Leander crew have an undeniable hang
in each stroke. .
CorneIIs Good Form.
A number of the English coaches were
grouped with Courtney on the river bank
while the crews were practicing. and one
of them said: well, Courtney, your boys
certainly row in the best form. and in bet
ter style than any of the crews on the river.
We give them four out of six points. Their
principal fault, in our mind, is in the short
ness of their stroke, but their blade work
and the use of their hands could not be
better"
Courtney admits that the stroke of the
Cornell boys is not so long as he would like,
ard he says it Is simply because Hall will
not reach as far as he, Courtney, wants.
On arriving at the starting point after
their practice the Cornell boys padded
back to their boat house in the best form
The brothers Thompson of the Argonaut
Rowing Club Of Toronto Canada, who are
entered for the diamond SOULS, and also
for the Stewards cup, with their fellow
c,uhren, the NUM- brothers, did the course
singly, and then the Argonaut four went
over the full course in easy time.
E. A. Thompson of the Argonauts, dis
cussing the drawing of lots at the town
hall here on Saturday last, said: Il do not
has talked.
Amy charge of unfairness in the draw is
absurd"
The Standard says:
THE Cornell crew are trained almost to
the hour. Their training involves more self
denial than the English system. If they
beat the Leander crew faith in the slower
stroke, body swing and other details of
English rowing may be somewhat shaken"
The Sportsman says that it doubts the
capablity of the Cornell crew to defeat the
Leander crew. though they are strongly
fancied by many of their own people, some
of whom do not hesitate to support their
opinions in very substantial manner.
The paper will add that the London Row
ing Club crew will have to do their hardest
to defeat the Canadians, who are a tre-
nendously powerful crew.
lanes Poole and John Case alias Nc