The evening world., 1908-01-18
Coach Rice Has Novel Idea
of Making Columbia
Oarsnen.
DRY GROUND PRACTICE.
The Crew Candidates Catch
"Crabs" and Feather Their
Oars on Floor.

YF you have never seen n rowing crew
in disjointed shell pulling a stroke
l OF 81 on dry ground we've got some
thing on you. They are doing it every
day UP al Columbia. and. moreo, er.
they have a mirror with them BY whcN
the "stroke" can see the bow" and
the entire crew can ascertain II their
hair Is parted in the middle.
1t was a beautiful dav and the water
was as smooth as glass, without rip
pie. In fact. it was so smooth tha'
dozens O. spectators were standing
around on It watching the varsity pros
poets pull for their lives.
When the war correspondents got in
Coach Rice was telling some fellow -
quit hitting his knees with his fore
arms. do it Ike this" he would say,
and then the former Harvard star
would step in the boat and pull 80
oar until his body was stretched ~!
the way back. While in this position
he would push the oar forward so that
when his knees came up they "ou'4
not collide with the hands
Now try 1t again. aaI tie boy - 10
had been standing outside would get
back on the job.
Hold on. there" suddenly yelled the
coach to the stroke. Your oar IS drag
ging in the water. Feather II. feAtAer
it,
Catch "crabs" Right on the Floor.
Tn. press couldn't see exactly whe
the water was causing 50 mLci tr"u"'e
but a little coxswa!;i. standing away ont
on the deep" sad 1t was 50 plain 10
him ne could alnios; hear the splash,
was getting rapid enough to sound Ike
Christian Science.
"Didn't know they did that IN boats,
Thought they used nets" was the re-
porter's half query OF surprise
'Oh, yes" explained the coSswa.n.
I'VE catch lots OF crabs while doing
early training. You see. the fellows are
a little raw yet and they don't feather
we'll" 1t looked that way, FOR one fel-
low. from his costume. appeared 10 be
moulting.
Then in disgust at the sreenaess OF
his auestIoner he exp.ained mat tile
rowing crab was myth. When :.
fellows oar drops into the water at the
wrong time and balls up the rhythm
OF the stroke that is called "cat~".I.5 >
Q crab"
This Grabbing matter being thus dis
posed OF. he had Is get on our Knees
and look into the glass which faced al
the oarsmea. At frs, glance 1t locked
as if tney were going to have col
us.on. Tie boat In the mirror was
coming right down on the real ono ana
the stroke was ABOUT to butt ni'ilset
In the head
Like Being a Looking Glass Fighter.
The idea Of the mirror" explained
Mr.. is.Ce, ''is 10 snow eACL udISiIlah
what the others are Going. re can a!sV
see his own work p.Ain.y. ma can zen
when they are al A4tt!nG W an even
stroke. 1t d!sgrnses WITH the srEy. IS
OF a cons VAIN, aS ne Mouluh Ht.
much 10y out OF sitting there ana YAK
Ing without move OF ne 'r2at, c,,,vo
Outside OF Captain FhAG Won Sal|I'
whose physical bnild Would make ,I'.I JeI,
fries cock up mis- c>e, none of the Hafs-
mst Water nfa Sh, eEeT II was T'f s4d they woud
derstand all about that by, the time
While this all appeared very scIentinc
and very strong theoretically. the idea
OF ball club training IN LeccotGn
showed aside. BIN Dahlen wouil Look
we'll in Morris chair gatheraE up
ground sizzlers. But this is about row
ing.
The indoor Shell.
The so-calleu indoor Shtl Is divided
into eignt LITTLE boxes aoout the size OF
q livery stable feed box. These are
fitted with sliding seats and Il brace Tor
the feet. The end OF the oar which Is
supposed to go in the water is fastene!
to rolling chain with spring in II,
The pull is very similar to that in the
water. The handle of the oar Is round,
Of course, for about two feet. Then It
becomes perfectly square and on one
side Is pasted Il white piece. OF care
board. This excited some curiosity
That Is to teach the men how the
oars should oe feathered," explained the
coach. You see. when the cardboard
is horizontal, or parallel with the floor
the oar Is out of the water, or fclthCrcd
When the cardboard is perpendicular
that is, at right angles with the floor
; the oar Is In the water ani the oarsman
Is pulling directly against it
They also have a little alarm clock
hanging on tine wall by which they can
time the strokes. The stroke can hit It
up at "a &c, 80 or anything he peases
and the others follow by Watching him
the coXswain would have to count
CoxsWain Out Of a Job.
The only unfortunate feature to this
indoor system of rowing is that the poor
little candidates for coNswain are out
of joD. All they can do Is to stand
around and try out their voices. There
Is no place for them to sit and face the
crew unless they mount the mirror, and
that would interfere with the vision OF
the oarsmen who are watching them