The Yale Crew.

The talk at present about training the Yale crew of 1887 in these zero days when skating and tobogganing are about the only sports that hold sway, seems rather absurd. Heretofore the candidates for the crew have practised during the latter part of the winter on hydraulic machines in which they went through the motions very well and derived many valuable points. But it was found "too stagey" and not in all respects like real water, and to obviate this difficulty there hasbeen constructed a tank which is to be filled with real Lake Saltonstall or rather Lake Whitney water of just about the same consistency and specific gravity as that of the River Thames. The tank is 60 feet long by 35 feet in width and there will be about three feet of water when the crew are engaged in practice. It will be ready this week.

The members of the crew began their hard task of nearly six months' vigilant training on Saturday afternoon. They were taken in charge by Captain John Rogers, who is one of the most enthusiastic of oarsmen. First he set them swinging Indian clubs, and after they had tossed them about for half an hour and had become tolerably well warmed up they were started on a six mile run around Prospect Hill. The candidates were stroked by Captain Stewart, of the junior crew, and were as follows:- Cross, of '88, No. 7; Stevenson, '88, No. 6; Woodruff, '89, No. 5; Middlebrook, '87, No. 4; Hurd, '88, No. 3; Gill, '89, No. 2, and Wilcox, '89, No. 1.

Other candidates who are looking and hoping for positions on the crew are Farrington, '88; Wells, '89, and James, '90. Carter of '88, Sheffield, the celebrated football player, will probably be one of the trainers when he returns to college. The most promising men in addition to those above mentioned are Hardenburg, of '88; Burt of '87; and Buchanan, Corbin and Wells, of '89. Stewart, of the class of '88, who stroked the practice crew, stands a pretty fair chance of receiving a place on the crew.

The stroke will be the regular "Bob Cook" stroke, and Percy Bolton, the celebrated single sculler of Sheffield Scientific School of the class of '86, will begin to coach them on March 1. In the meantime Captain Rogers, assisted by ex-Captain Cowles, will train the crew. They have as yet no training table, and no restrictions have so far been placed on their diet and beverages. It has always been felt that considerable valuable time has been lost each spring in changing from the action of hydraulic machines to the light swift shells that are used on the harbor, so that the practice in the tank is anxiously looked forward to. Of course all that the candidates can do in the way of speed is to churn up the water while the shell remains stationary. - New York Herald.