New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-04
THE CONSTANTS HARD TASK
HE is AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN WIN
MING A BOAT RACE
he MUST KEEP HIS HEAD, ORDER "SPCRTS"
AND DO OTHER THINGS BESIDES STEERING
THE COXSwAINS IN THE POUCH
KEEPS1E RACE.

Every che has been discussing the work OF the
individuals in the big shells during the last few
weeks of the Poughkeepsie races The Cornell
} men have been praised in detail. Boardman, of
, the Harvard crew. has been commiserated. The
Columbia and Pennsylvania crews have had their
share of talk and description and Yale men have
been syrnpathized with. But what Of the ten
coxswains who steered the ten boats in these
four races? They certainly have something to do,
or their hundred pounds more or less, would not
be carried down the course They do not have to
be heavy because they not required to put in
much physical strength but they have TO possess
rerve of the most vivid kind There they sit
watching crews leaving them behind ard they
must not call for squirt Yet, because i; is too
early in the race. There they sit, too aid see
the look OF collapse coming TIE faces Of one
and another Of their crew. and they must still
Keep up good heart and cheer tie fellc vs. 20 do
better than their best. When his boat is in the
lead the coxswain cannot turn to see whether
any Of the others gaining, for he must keep
to the straightcst and, therefore. the shortest
course AID hold the boat even keel. And
yet the little coxswain who has many time won
a race, seldom is heard FROM either in the news
papo:5 or out Of them.
In fact there is certain comparison between
coxswains and war correspondents Of news-
papers that will hold in many phases. There is
little glory in being war correspond mt.
Those Who read war reports sent IN from the
front seldom realize the danger a good CORE
spondont has gone through to bring out this au-
thontic information from the midst OF the heht.
In like manner few persons realize how vital is
the character of the coXswain's work in an eight
cared she'll
THE FIELD CAPTAIN OF THE RACE
Look at the matter for a moment from an oars
mans point of view In the first place from the
time the men leave the float the coXswain is field
captain, so to speak. That is he gives the direct
commands He gives the time to the stroke. He
calls for spurts and says how long they shall he !
OF course. the captain wherever he may sit in the
boat may call out commands at any moment |
during practice but these commands so to the |
men through the coXswain the orders of an |
admiral go through some other officer to the crew
of a warship. Often. indeed. when the captain
sits at stroke No. he gives his general orders
to the coxswan in tone of voice not heard
throughout the boat. If he is doing his share OF
the work in pulling the boat ahead he has no
! wind for issuing commands. In a race he says
| little or nothing the coxswsin has sole charge
for those four important miles
1t rests with the coxswain, then, to keep track
so TO speak, of the shell while the eight row It
forward one of his most important duties is, OF
has ever been in a shell knows what it is to have
tho boat turned the least bit by the rudder in
either direction. If this is done, not suddenly,
but even slowly she says to one side instantly
and none of the blades on that side come out or
the water we'll Sometimes it means four big
GRABS" caught Sometimes it means catching
the feather under the water, which delays the
boats speed. Of course but, more important than
that throws the of the other side Of the boat
too high out of the water, and they catch the
air instead Of the water on the iull reach Inc
\ air offering no resistance. these four men fall
Dack and lose the stroke, and IN one instant win
3.he oars dragging to pot and swinging through
he air TO starboard the rhythm OF the stroke Is
~one for 2 perceptble portion of minute In
fact if requires several strokes for all the eight
J to get back into the swing. And this in a race is
a disastrous affair.
The importance Of such a slip in steering is not
IN the least overestims ted here There can really
he nothing more disastrous than a bad helms
man. except, perhaps bad oarsman' ana the
worst thing he can 90 is 20 steer a bad course.
While, then, the coXswain must be as Iighl as
noesitle so that the eight may have as little TO
row down the course as possible, II Is far more
,,ortant that TIE coxswain should have clear
head and good, manly nerve than That ne should
weigh less than a hundred pounds. Colson. for :
evarrlc who has cOXsWained Cornells crews ,
for three wears with remarkable skill, is not an
esnecallv light man. foi he weighed JOG pounds ,
on the dav of the race, but he has proved his
nerve In more cases than one. He coXsWalncd Z
the crew which Cornell sent to England three ,
wears ago He coxswained Cornell 10 victory last I
year. and now lie has just done the same thing