New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-18
Land Locked Waterway
To Be Located in Pei
ham Bay Park.
EXPENSE TO CITY
WILL BE SMALL
University Rowing Club Project
Has Been Reyived-Would
Rival Leander.

6dently believed by those who are
furthering the plans that actual con-
structiOn work will be started IN a
few months and that the project vii!
be carried through to speedy com
pletion.
The New York Rowing Association
in conjunction with the city officials,
las been pushing the scheme Tor the
last six months, with the result tha'
plans have been drawn and speclhca-
tions outlined. All that remains is TO
obtain the consent of the Board oil
Estimate and the appropriation OF less
than 100000. which, II Is DeIleNeu'
will be sufficient to carry the project
far enough along to make II nearly
ideal for canoeing, rowing and long as
lance swimming sports.
Coincident with authoritative state
ments that the Pelham Bay course VIII
be ready in a short time, there has also
come to light the projected formation
of a rowing club, whose membership Is
10 pc restricted 10 university grad
yates, and whose purpose viii be 10
boat an all-collece crew each year tnat
will rank with the Leander Club OF
England.
Xii that has retarded the organiza-
ton of this club in the last two years
has been the lack Of suitable course
With the completion Of the Pelham pay
course in sight the orlginators OF inc
plan for a university club are gong
ahead with their plans and expect to
have their organization complete early
in the fall.
The projected water course is IN the
extreme northeast corner OF Pelham
Bay Park and takes in the st1etch OF
water beginning at Travers Island anG
running south between Hunters Island
and the mainland TO Rodman,S NecS.
There is ample room for mile and
half straight away
Perfect Water Assured.
In order to insure perfect water at
all times the engineers contemplate the
novel plan Of completely locking the
water in bv means of causewayS, eN-
tending from Rodman's Neck TO nun
ter's Island and from Hunters island
TO the mainland. just south VI Iravers
Island. -,
SWINGING locks, and II is part OF the
nlan of the engineers TO flood the
course at high water twice a month
and to keep it at all times at hlgh
water level. ,,,ol
course will make necessary the re-
moyal of the wooden bridge between
Hunters Island and the mainland.
This bridge has been condemned oy
the park authorities in The Bronx anc
$50 900 has been APPROPRIATED LOT the
construction of a new one. by using
tbie Doonev-and the scheme has the
o1nrovol If the city officials-to build
the causeway at the northern ehu OF
Hunters Island the cost Of the entire
nroiect will be greatly reduced. In all
about | 500 feet of causeway VIII De
necessary at the north END OF the
island and 1900 at the south end.
Even in it's present condition at hlgh
water the course offers lew oOStruc-
tons and practically no shallow water,
so that q minimum amount OF dredglng
will have to be done. Inc couIse
500 feet wide at its narrowest point,
and the shore on both sides IS hlgh ana
rock. affording a natural grandstand
from end 20 end.
II is not the intention of the city
authorities to restrict the course eX-
clusivelv to rowing, although the row
ing clubs of the city have been the m ~
active in having the plan advanced
Sites for rowing and canoe CLUBS Will
be granted by the city at the southern
end of the course, where a small creek
will be dredged out TO afford a water
way to and from the course.
one of the features Of the course -
that a boulevard is to encircle 1t com
pletely. In the event of regattas beng
Held on the couI the boulevard Will
afford a means of following the races
from start to finish.
Rowing Clubs Interested
When completed the course will be
the only one within the metropolitan.
district where rowing may be enjoyed
|. i'm safety and without interference
M from currents and river traffic, as IS
III the case on the Harlem and the Hud-
Y son. II will be possible, too, the row.
ing men assert, 10 hold regattas OF III
tiona! importance on the course. NV
York has not had the national regatta
since 1900, because of lack of facilities.
What the project would mean tJr
rowing in New York can only be Coz
iectured. Already the ATLANTA, Frlep1-
ship and Lone Star clubs have agreed
TO build at Pelham Bay as soon as the
course is ready. Although the course
will not be as accessible as the Haf-
lem. il is not more than ilfty minutes
from the Battery by way of the subway
10 West Farms, and thence on the Har-
lem River Railroad to City Island sta
ton. The proposed site of the boat,
house is not more than three minutes
walk from that station
ING men viii be organized, It is said, as
soon as work is begun on the Pelham
Bay course The plan for such CLUB
was proposed by a group of Columbia.
Harvard and Yale rowing men last
sumner, and the project was dropped
temporarily after several discussions,
because no course was available TO-
practice The broachng Of the Pelham
Bay plan has revived the scheme, how
ever.
Letters have been addressed already
TO Arson Phelps Stokes, secretary of
Yale University; DR.. J. Duncan Spaeth,
Of Princeton, Thomas Reath, Of the
University Of Pennsylvania, former
steward OF the intercollegiate Rowing
Association; Public Service Commls-
sioner Frank Irvine, former dean Of the
Cornell University Law School and an
intercollegiate steward; William A.
Shanklin, president Of Wesleyan Uni
versity, and officers or old rowing men
of all other colleges, inviting them to
submit ideas and the names of former
oarsmen from their universities VINO
are in New York. il is estimated that
more than three hundred former college
oarsmen live in the metropolitan dis
trict.
1t is planned to interest these men
first Of all and 20 have them form the
nucleus Of the club, afterward recruit
inc the membership from university
men in general. There viii be a cOmbl-
nation Of rowing for pleasure and IN
competition. Primarily all men using
-. -, ,,.iI no ron sidcrpd Measure