Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-27
Local Champions and
Olympic Entries Neuer
Ro,ced in Race Until
! .June I9
nv EDWIN J. POLLOCK


VT WAS one Of those prematurely
warm days in last March. Four
,oung chaps sat around the boathouse
of The Pennsylvania Barge Club along
The Schuylkill. The river, calm and
smooth, looked inviting. Some one
s,gsested swimming. Too cold. An
U." 1ss unanimous. Lets CO."
They jumped into a four Dared gig
and put out from the slip. The air
WAS warm enough to put the tingle OF
snring In their bodies and cold enough
sp' mt The. snap Of speed in their
st-otes They went well together de-
sn,to tbe fact that It was the first time
tbey ever sat in the same boat.
After the pull at the oars they had
.hat tired physical feeling that's re-
trosbine tn" Mt times. They agreed to try
l. again together, and SO they often
n.ore seen splashing around In the gig.
So one paid any particular attention
o. them. They were allowed to drift
tor themselves, a makeshift crew.
Metoric Advance
That was four. short months ago.
Neyt month that makcshift crew COM
nctes for America against the best in
The world
One Of the members of the four never
nulled an oar in his life until he joined
The club last March. The other three
have done some rowing, but they are
far from experienced and polished
oarsmen. They just jumped from the
novice to the top Of America, where
they're resting now.
That's the story of the Pennsylva-
mia Barge four -oared crew which won
the national senior championship and
Olmypic trial at Worcester Saturday,
and by so doing put the rowing fra
ternity to talking az It never has talked.
In that race the Penn Barge noyices
beat the veteran oarsmen from the Cen :
fury Boat Club and from the Duluth
. four cared shells. 1t was the most
surprising reversal of dope in the his
tory of the game. 1t was to rowing
what defeat to Bill Tildcn BY
Miles Valentine. the fourteen year old
youngster from the Germantown Cricket
Club, would be to tennis.
Not until he was admitted to mem :
bership last March did Kent Myers,
who pulled strong oar for the Perm
blades at bow. ever sit in gig. not
to mention a shell. and the other three
members of the quartet, Carl Kloss and
the Federschmidt brothers, Erich and
Franz. never rowed in races until this
reason. Sam Hunter, the coxswair
has the only experience in the shell.
First Race June 10
The crew entered its first race in the
Schuylkill Navy regatta on June 10
They surprised by winning the four
cared gig race. On July 5 they copped
the intermediate gig event in the Peo-
pies classic. Then on July IL. twelve
days before they rowed in the Olympic
trials. they jumped into a shell for the
first time.
After the Penn oars flashed in front
Of the field in the international race
they said. "An accident. Only @
fash in the pan. They won't have a
chance in the Olympic trial.
In the senior event on Saturday they
were trailing the Century four Mt the
three quarter mile mark.
You're wabbling like wash
woman" the Century coxswain shouted
through his megaphone to the Penn
lads. Come on, there, Pennsylvania
Act like a regular crew! Make believe
you know something Try to get us =
Sam Hunter paid no heed for a mo
ment at the challenge. Then he gavt
his leashed lions the rope. He calle,
for a spurt and these novices Responded
like seasoned and iron veterans. The,
caught Century and never saw them
again, winning by four lengths of open
water.
NJ. . ~,