The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-11-13
HARvARD's ENGLISH COACH.

Robert c. Lehman Arrived on the Ma
jestic Yesterday-Thinks the Defeat
of Cornell and Yale at Henley Proves
His System to be the better.
New York, Nov. 12,-Robert C. Leh-
mann, who is to coach the Harvard
university crew, arrived this morning
from England on the steamship Majes-
tic, Francis Peabody, jr, of Boston,
and Captain Goodrich of the Harvard
crew met him at the White Star line
docks.
Mr. Peabody was in Trinity college,
Cambridge, with Mr.. Lehman and it
was there that he acquired the skill as
an oarsman and director of aquatic
sports which he afterward showed at
Harvard. They rowed together for
several years, and won the pair-oared
shell race in the Tewksbury regatta in
1878 Mr. Lehman will go on to Cam
bridge tomorrow and after meeting the
candidates for the crew will pay a visit
to Mr.. Peabody in Boston.
The New York Evening Sun says:
In speaking of the change he propos-
ed to make in the system of training
and rowing, Mr.. Lehman said:
II propose to teach rowing at Har-
ward from the English point of view.
will endeavor to teach the crews all
know and substitute the English sys-
tenn for the American. I believe the
defeat of Cornell and Yale at Henley
demonstrated that the English system
was the better one. The Yale men
We're as fine looking a crew as I ever
saw.
Their physical proportions and de-
velopment were the admiration of all
who saw them. They were easily the
superiors of the Englishmen in those
respects. Their defeat is not to be as
cribed to any defect of strength endur-
ance or training
'Mr. Cook had thoroughly instructed
his men in his ideas of rowing and
their execution was splendid The
trouble lay in the system, and the con-
struction and arrangement of their
boats. They did all their work with
their arms and failed to utilize the
muscles of their body properly. They
held the Englishmen well for about
half the distance, but after that the
| long sweeping body stroke of the lat
ter began to tell and Yale dropped out
of it.
''Mr. Cook saw when he reached Eng
land that some changes would be nee
essary in the arrangement of his shells,
and he did make one or two changes,
but it was too late. One of the al
terations he made was in adopting the
English oar. He made one or two trials
with it, but found that his crew were
so accustomed to their old oars that
they couldn't get used to the new ones
and abandoned the idea, for the Henley
races at least.
Il understand, though, that he is us
ing the English oar now, and has found
that since his men have become accus-
toned to it they are getting along much
better than they did with the old ones.
''The English oar is rather larger
than the American one. The blade is
about six and half inches wide and
square at the end. 1t is generally made
| of cedar. / will use it at Harvard.
Mr. Cook said that he also intended
| to substitute the English for the AM
erican shell. The English shell is
/ buffer at the ends than the American
/ boat, but it has advantages which off
i set any superiority the other might
/ have in this respect. 1t is better suited
to the gunwaIe seat arrangement, and
! to the development Of the full power of
| the long body stroke.
Il will place the seats at the gun
wales instead of over the keelson as
] the Americans do. 7 find that the men
/ get more room by this arrangement.
] It is better calculated to develop all
! their propelling power. That regularity
and unity of movement which has made
/ the American shell in action an object
/ of admiration cannot be obtained by
this system, but the boat goes through
| the water faster"