New-York tribune., 1897-06-26
Colgate's
Cashmere Bouquet
Toilet Soap.
COMMENTS OF AN EXPERT
A CRITICAL REVIEW OF MEN AMI
METHODS At POUGHKEEPs1E.


est exhibition of rowing ever seen In this country
The older oarsmen stood about before the train ran
up to the starting point and said they should talk
OF this race for many years TO come, and an hour
later race had been rowed that dil not leave any
thing more remarkable on record from technical
point OF view than has been seen many times at
New -Icndon and elsewhere in tho United States
This Is all so far as the race Itself goes. Cornell
hardly pushed from the first half-me flag
10 the fnsh except at the threeand-one- half mile
when Yale made q beautiful spurt. closed up nearly
! two lengths Of CornelVs lead and then lost half
one a moment later from the first real spurt OF the
! day made by Cornell
/ There is no use denying anything that has been
said before. is there any good TO be gained bv
any who made statements regarding the ela ssh
Hcation OF the different II he tries 10 explain
what he said. Cornell proved surprise again this
! year, and TO those who supposed she had
! good chance OF winning, the fact that she won so
handily absolutely unexpected. The Cornell
| boat carried the direction OF the race from the
first haf-mie flag and was not pushed dangerously
! at any time It Is evident that the crew II badly
pushed could have done better time than 2o;3i
Tor the four miles, for the rowed down
the river good mile after the finish to get out OF
| the way OF the boats every man seeming to be in
| frst-cass form and pulling a good, smart stroke
on their fifth mile. No crew, not even n winning
one could have done that If 1t had put in It's best
| licks all through the preceding four miles.
| Yale. the other hand, not only did her best.
| but made most sportsmanlike and courageous DID
for the at s very close-that is on the three
| and-one half mile flag mark. The men at the end or
the pretty well tagged out, and they could
not have stood its pace for another half mile They
| rowed in other words the best race that was in
them and after all is said, they did not press Cor
nell after the first mile except in the sandy squirt
| at the end of the struggle There is the text for
| rowing sermon alone on that point.
| Harvard pulled race from start TO finish that
ol,;i., Thn llD1
themselves literally standstill for the stroke
collapsed and fell into the bottom of the boat be
fore the shell had crossed the finish line ana the
| bow oars had do the rowing that carried her
| over. There no sign OF quitting anywhere III
| uarvard's rowing There was no let-up during any
part of the race. There was no exhibition OF care
! less or slovenly work. for the stroke was pulled
well through and the Workmanship for the lust
| three miles good as Cornelis or faies. But
| the Harvard boat did not go ahead. and the
strength put into the did not give 1t It's re-
oulred amount of speed
WHAT OF LEHMANN'S STROKE?
Then comes the question that is going to puzzle us
all for many day TO come, What OF the Ehehsh
stroke? Was the race lost because Of Lehmann's
stroke tho Oxford stroke? Or was II lost because
the Harvard men were not capable Of pulling the
stroke for four miles? or, finally was 1t because
the swing and power of the stroke are not suited TO
our kind Of training and to our waters? NO one
al all events the most American of the three strokes
won the dav or rather the crew rowing that stroke
won the race Many men would like TO have had
an oxford crew on the Hudson yesterday to make
fourth in the race to show what that famous boat
could do. Certainly more definite estimate OF the
English stroke could have been made. But. as 1t iF
the argument Is sure to go on for many Gay! MI
Iebmacn though he himself would unqucs.ion-
ably be the last TO make excuses certainly had
a difficult problem put before him. He came
over here and was. of course presented with az
feront conditions from those which control English
rowing The practice on different waters; the
time OF practice differed from that in England, and
all the little climatic influences which cannot put
his finger on were work putting obstacles in his
way He trained the Harvard crew for four-mie
race on the Hudson at Poughkeepsie as he would
have trained them for similar race on the Thames
At Henley lie trained American boys for this race
| unGer an American az he would have trained
English hoys in the British climate Is there any
thing In this to explain the collapse OF the Harvard
| crew for collapse it was pure ana simple? No one
| man gave out but Nos. and and stroke-Wright-
| ington Sprague and Boardman-fell between the
| seats Just as the boat reached the line. and the
others were close upon the condition. that
| they could no: get from among the big steamers
until their launch came and took them aboard That
| shows no lack OF manfu,ness. and puts the blame
on either the mems physical strength or the way IN
! which they rowcd.
And after going over the In detail II will re
| well to consider the strokes with some minuteness
| to see If any explanation can be reached.
THE FIRST MILE.
IN the first place 10 the race itself. That is
| soon told Harvard took the water with marvel
| lous sviftne=s and get away a good quarter Of
| length before Yale. who was followed by Cornell
! This poetion was held for perhaps a quarter OF
mile though Cornell was coming up fast after the
first fifteen strokes and Yale coming up slowly
\. the end Of the fifteenth stroke that is 10 say,
| Immediately after the short strokes were finished
| and the men had settled down 10 their rowing
| Harvard was rowing "a to the minute Yale Sc to
! the minute and Cornell 35 In a little less than
Quarter Of a mile Cornell had gained the lead and
yoIn was fast overtakinC Harvard. The Harvard
shell pulled up between strokes as If there was
| loss momentum though this Is Of course a rea
| tive statement. as there was no such check be-
! tween strokes as has been seen in Harvard's boat
during the last few years At all events. Harvard
e,,nped back steadily until at the half-mile Cornell
| Icd and Yale was close upon Harvard. At the
| hanrn Harvard rowed S3 Yale 80 and Cornell 80
| They were all struggling for the lead and doing
| ohout as fast strokes they did all through the
roco still the interesting thing to rowing men
was the fact that while Harvard and Cornell were
| ro,vinp prscisely the same number Of strokes TO
| the minute and while Cornell was not pulling the
strokes through far. she was, nevertheiesa ioIs
ing slowly hut surely ahead. In other words Judg-
ing from the backs the Cornell stroke seemed to be
shorter and yet the shell went faster thah lar-
| wards on the same number Of actual strokes
| Tho noticeable feature however. was that while
the Cornell boa; slipped steadily on. the Harvard
boat checked between strokes.
A. the first mile Harvard pulling S3strokes still
Yale stn kept at 35 and Cornell had gone up to a.
Now from the fact that Cornell was In the lead al
this point Il IL evident that they were trying to
60. IN 10 6-stroke for the four miles expecting TO
| be pushed shortly by Yale or Harvard, or both
There is no other reason for their putting on the
1 Quicker stroke AZ this point. except the practical
certainty that a spurt At the mile. which is usual
thirg was coming. and they must anticipate H.
This goes to show that the Ithacans boat was good
| for better work than IT doing then.
| CORNELL LETS Up.
| Meantime they we're drawing away from Harvard
and Yale and Yale was covering Harvard and pass
| Tho mile and hnlf point the