The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-05
"FOxY' BAECROFTS PUSH.
TEE LANYARD NAN WHoM PRRsI-
DENT AIKINJEY HOEORRn

OANA NFAANDN4 @AVS SANAON
ne wns n 90 GensrnIn All ThrouGh His Conega
Csurss and n Hard FIGHTER as WeIl-Yale
Found II Ont Arer ne Learned 60 new ana
After ne Regain to Teach Others new - new.
BOSTON, June A-Harvard has been honored
bignally by President Mckinley in his ssle0p
tion for Brieadier.G General of Foxy" Ban
croft, the bostknown rowing coach the uni-
verslty on tho Charles ever had. Tho seleo-
tion hasn't surprised Harvard in the LEASH
Foxy" was born o fighter. He began lighting
twenty-five years ago in a preparatory sOhOOl1
ho fought his way through college, and he might
truly be called the lighting Mayor OF Cambridge
Foxy" Bancroft was the captain and,strok0
Of the crew that gave Yale the severest looking
sheSever got. Tho crow as q whole never 600
much credit for the race. but that was because
Of the unprecedented personal characteristics
of the young man who is now Brig. .Gan. Ban.
croft. Tho General Is still young. At present
he Is dow at Camp Devereaux, on the north
shore Of the State, in command of the oosst-do,
fence forces. Within q few miles Of his tent 10
O battery composed almost entirely Of Harvard
men-Battery A. the "society squadron" from
this city. Down at Fort Warren 10 another
squadron made mp with w'exoeptions Of col
lego men. They are all delighted TO follow
"Foxy"-as they have .beon taught by their 81.
der brothers irreverently to call him. Ana
they will follow him to the sixth floor Of the
MORO at Havana" II the gloriouR-opportunity
should come.
Gen. Bancroft matriculated at Harvard In
1874. He was then Light. but wSll formed and
strong. He took to water like q drake ana
got an oar In the freshman crew. The crews In
those days were all Blx-oared. No coxswatA
sat In the stern. Aside from tho strokinE II was
all go.as-you.p please work. The next year the
varsity crew was hard up for q stroke, The
Athletic Committee went to tho young Sopho-
moro and asked him II he thought he could
pull stroke. He didn't answer that he thougho
he could; he said no know ho could. He was
q green countryman. No other younsster would
have dared make such o bold statement.
"old Man. Loring was coach for tho HaES
ward crew then, and he kept the poor follows
December was as pleasant to him as May sun.
better than the boyish stroke, who was tough.
ening every day. The crew went up to SPRING.
was q hard lesson for young Bancroft. DsfoaS
tasted very sour. He saw a few thingS that
no captain. and tho men tnS'p pulled tho toS SsSw nS aS
from old Man LGTlng: His systom was to9
throwing chips into tho river to sec which way
the current was sliding; Tho boys lost cond:
when they were in the boat the men did as they
pleased. In the race that took place at Sara.
IORh Luhb. buIuo hummer ouuCTOIL 3 CTOW JOls
lied one another over the whole course. and only
the Intermittent cheers Of Harvard" "Har.
t tory.' II Ta iheS f hsd b ssss f haif % %s ssr nie%T,n as y e:
stEoke they could have beaten Cornell easily.
Young Bancroft was reelected captain. The
back to Cambridge promptly. cleaned out the
boathouse and spont tho whole summer trying
least thing, about the art. Thus ho evolved q
stroke; and that fall, after much ooaxing, Id
drew out two eights. Close, the famous Eng.
fish amateur. came over about that time and
the Harvard captain STUDIED style, He asked
Close Go Si tod him mo @1E' good SHS G beot and tiG Food S Ss'
Bancroft Illuminated. He didn't care to drinl
himself and he didn't see any reason why tht
substituted milk for tho beer and ale. He told
the crew ,bluntly that milk was good enough fol
last race rowed at Springfield. Yale got her FRS
lengths behind at the finish. "B OBJ Cook cool ' s"i
on tho Yale raft that night and wondered how
Of what was going to. happen the next year.
9os %s1s at T TSsrJ I %SlS :p5 j. T Sso { 5S5 s. SSS
stroke against Foxy Bancroft and his milk
reared crew. And lo!, when the race was owe
Yale had twelve lengths to row to bring her NJ
. 70 s eofld ss0r history i gat that %tf' 'Bo S5'H c d@G' il TSsH s%of
he would disown Old Eli. That Was the Yea
that young bancroft was gradut ted. He ha,
Bancroft himself had no intention OF rowinI
another race. That fall he entered the Law
! school and started to grind" Life began :
fill up with serious purpoBcs-mostly. Black
stone and those legal follows. But when tn
spring came and the old men in the boat pine
r for. their milk and water leader las the!
called HIM ,he'gave up his books and went dow
to the river. NO ono else could teach the creV
hit ,stroke; and he knew 1t himself.
1t was in that year, 1879, that the unfortu
mates that couldn't get to New London receives
this memorable telegram:
Harvard just over the limo; Yale expects
any minute"
I 1t was one of the worst beatings any colleR
crew ever took. Yale was just a third Of
. mile behind when the whistles at tho line "a
L luted Bancroft and his seven brother heroes
Bancroft took part in coaching when he ooul
: after that year, and in 49, and 'S3 the Crimson
under his eye, won two notable victories. Bu
0 he found the work OF coach too engrossing an
1 he retired, never again to interest himself at
. lively in the aquatic success OF his college.
Foxy Bancroft, as IA Mayor, made Can
8 bridge the s~trictest no license city In tho Unio
\ another triumph for the milk habit. LRa
( year he was chosen Brigadier-General of one {
{ the Massachusetts, brigades. He 10 now Pres
. dent of the Boston Street Railway CompAni
: He has q smile that is cherubio, but he 10
0 fighter from the word March"
D Aunthar Change in thu HAVANA Craw.