The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-17
The Stroke Oar
BY WILLARD BLAKEMAN

A number Of young men, mostly col
legians, were sitting In group on the
forward deck of a North river steam
er. They were going up to Pough-
keepsie to boat race Of college crews
on the Hudson. An elderly man sat
near them listening to their talk and
enjoying the exuberance Of youth
which came bubbling out Of them.
Presently he drew his chair near them
and said:
your talk takes me back a good
many years. pulled In the race of
1885, between Harvard and Yale,
race never to be forgotten by me on
account of curious elimination con-
nected with it."
what was that, sirr'
The man hesitated. Presently he
said: 'T'll give 1t to you, but rpder-
stand that don't put any interbreta- |
ton on 1t.
~ was at Harvard the year l have
mentioned. Yale had beaten us for
several years. We had lost several
consecutive races, and this year we
were especially anxious to break up
the run of Ill success and get some en-
enlargement into our supporters by
winning a race. Those who could go
back In college affairs said that there
had been no success since wilkins had
been captain Of the crew and stroke
at the same time. We hadn't the
coaches In those days you boys have
now and were more dependent upon
some single member of the crew.
81 was captain Of that crew Of 1885,
and made it Sp myself. / expected to
give the stroke, but couple Of months
before the regatta was taken Ill and
when the race was about to come Off
had not sufficiently recovered to row
at all. l had a hard time to find a
man to take my place In the crew, and
as for getting one who could give the
stroke and carry the crew to possible
success-it was impossible.
1.-THE evening before the regatta
was sitting in my room at the -
House alone and feeling very blue
when there came a tap at my door.
l said, Come inr and young man en-
tered who was one of the most strik-
ing fellows in appearance / ever saw.
He was very thinly dressed, and the
muscles stood out all over him. The
only thing against him for strength
was that he was very pale.
"'Going to get licked tomorrow he
said.
, ".I suppose so. Who are your
"T'm a Harvard man. | reckon I'll
have TO help you out. Can you use
meg
II asked him a lot of questions about
what class he was In, what course he
| was taking. when he had entered
when he would graduate, and could
| get nothing definite out Of him. he
said that he was an expert oarsmar
} and If would put him on the crew
D and any one after the race attempted
D to prove that he had no right to bt
;. there it would be time enough to b.
{ more explicit. The college needed I
victory, and after victory 1t woult
n pluck up.
n 81 fully agreed with him as to tn,
q necessity Of victory and arrange,
A with him to be at the boathouse a
the boat was about to be put into tn
n water. He was there, all right, ant
!. when in rowing toys his frame was
n sight to behold. I've never seen bette
biceps In my life. When the crew en-
y tered the boat he took the stroke.
y "What a sweep he gave tnat oar o
/, hisl 1t seemed feather in his hands
!, And his stroke was so perfect thai
though there was not a man benin
> him who had ever been in boat wit
him before, there was no difficulty |
), all Of them keeping perfect time wit
!. him.
= 1.-THE boat shot out into the middle o
= the river, where the faces Of the ere,
: were not very plain to those on shor'
: and / was glad Of it, for l had m
, doubts about my strokes right to b
- = there. The boats lined up and made
= start at the first signal TO go.
"There was a noticeable differenc
between the work of the two crew
). Now and again some Yale man woul
n send up the spray, but not a man
:, the Harvard boat struck cupful
= WHLcE Ou Luc ICCONtIs ~ was 4h
the leadership of the stroke.
Ia "Our fellows took the lead from II
10 first and kept it around the stake boz
or and won the race by good hundre
o yards. 1t was the prettiest won RAJ
he ever saw. When got to the boa
h. house the men had carried in the boa
m looked around for my stroke, b.
At didn't see him. One of the crew sa
- he had Just gone up the bank. | Il
Ie. lowed, but he was nowhere to be see
r. at would take a lot Of time to t.
a. you what was said about the intr
he duction at the last moment Of a ne
an and unknown man. There was nut
he adverse criticism, and It fell principt
ly on me. One thing l heard startl'
ID me. Several persons who had know
wilkins when he was In college d
nd clared that my stroke was he. l wo
re dered II he had come back and g
into the crew without letting me
any one know that he was doing VIII
lid he had no right to do learned whe
ad wilkins lived and wrote line to hi
he asking II he would kindly tell I
rot where he was on the day Of the reg
ed Ia. What do you suppose was the
ply7 His father wrose me that he h
been very I'll for some time and di
-ed the evening before the race.
lite ''Now, young gentlemen, don't wi
ION any comments on my story. ha
tri- none to make myself have simI
of given it to you as, according to !
ne. senses, It occurred. may have drea
% ed 1t"