Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-28
WHAT IT COSTS
TO MAINTAIN ROWING

An interesting letter relating to rowing at
Cornell, written by a Cornell graduate, has
appeared in the Princeton Alumni News. 1t
was prepared with the view of aiding those
students at Princeton who hope to inaugu-
rate university rowing on Carnegie lake.
The letter follows:
The annual expense of maintaining the
Cornell crews is about $4,000. There is
practically no income, as there Is from
gate receipts in other branches of sport.
The principal items of expense are coach
ing training table. equipment and trans
portation- The salary of the coach, of
course. is an item which would vary in diff
ferent universities. Probably $1,000 would
be a minimum estimate. The expense of
the navy training table at Cornell runs
pretty close to $3.50 year. and there is
usually charged for board for members of
the crew about $500. leaving a net expense
of $500 for training table
Under the head of equipment are in
coaching launches. The Cornell Athletic
Association maintain steam launch and a
gasoline launch for the use of the coach
The annual expense of maintaining these is
considerable when you count repairs to en-
gines, wages of engineer and insurance on
boats and launch house. The Cornell
navys shells are built by John Hoyle who
has been for some time past employed by
the athletic association under a salary
Two or three new shells are required every
year and the income derived from the sale
of old shells does not meet this expense.
Cost of Poughkeepsie Trip.
"The cost of the Poughkeepsie trip to
the management each year is about So 900,
and when, as has been the case for two
years past. the crew is also sent to Cam
bridge. this item of expense becomes cor
respondingly larger.
AS to the possibility and adyisabjlity of
developing a crew on Lake Carnegie, l ven
ture TO express the opinion that YOU will
inevitably nave q crew there before very
many years. The best method l think
would be to start by arousing interest in
interclass races or by the formation of boat
clubs, as has been done at Harvard and as
was done on Cayuga lake before Cornell
| had any varsity crew
Some Princeton men, / understand are
fearful that the development of rowing on
Lake Carnegie may weaken the base ball
| squad. l do not think that there is any
ground for such fear At Cornell there is
| no large varsity rowing squad. From fifty
| to one hundred freshmen turn out about
| January l to try for the freshman crew but
! by early spring, when the base ball prac-
! tice begins, the squad has been Weeded out
! so that there are not more than about fif-
| teen candidates left The varsity oarsmen
! are almost invariably men who have rowed
| in their freshman boat, so that the annual
I call for crew candidates does not draw to
any noticeable extent on the men who
| might he available for other spring sports.
| As rule. too many men make good oars
men who are not fitted by temperament or
| physique for the track or the diamond.
Little Rowing for the Sport.
There is very little rowing at Cornell
purely for the sake of the sport. This is
partly due to the climate and partly perhaps
to the distance of the lake from the uni
| versity. Being forty miles long. the lake
is often very rough. Hardly anybody goes
! on 1t for pleasure between the middle of
/ October and the middle of May. Candidates
for the crew have to go mile from the
| campus TO the boat house and then row
| another mile down stream known as the
| Inlet to get to the lake. On rough days
| their practice is confined to the Inlet This
swamp, and there is nothing attractive
| about 1t. Nobody is ever seen on the Inlet
unless he is fishing for suckers or is on his
! way to from the lake.
Near the university is artificial body
| of water, perhaps half a mile long, known
as Beebe lake. This is suitable Tor skating
in the winter, but the only persons who
| row there are the co-eds. I understand
that the surroundings of Lake Carnegie are
| naturally attractive, can easily be made
| so; and probably within a few years NOR,
men at Princeton will be taking to the
water In rowboats than is the case at Cor
| nell.
Four-Mile Rowing.
1T may be thought that the lack of a
| four-mile straightaway course makes you,
lake unsuitable for the training Of varsity
crew. 1t would undoubtedly be a dsad
| vantage. Before they go to Poughkeepsie
| In June the Cornell crews get in considera
| bic long distance practice on the lake
| usually rowing out five six miles and
back. Most OF their preliminary practice
| however, and their instruction In the stroke
, are acquired the Inlet and on thai
| stream you cannot keep a straight course
| q rta Of will Nh
| Cayuga inlet is an ideal place for develop
ing expert coxswains. l should think tina
| II Princeton crew were thoroughly in.
| structed on Lake Carnegie three weeks o,
| rowing on the Hudson would teach then
| what TO expect in fourmile race"