Timers Quiet as Oars Keep Home Waters Churning

While others were rambling around sunnier climes running after, netting, and stroking sundry round objects, a faithful few of Tom Bolles' devotees--probably not more than a hundred--spent their vacation week churning up the Charles in what be-stopwatched observers thought was quite satisfactory fashion.

Nobody is ready to talk about what the watches read when the eight-oared shells finished their one and three-quarter mile stints, but one oarsman breathed yesterday that this spring made last year look like a joke.

Since the theory that crews are built, not born, holds sway on the River, Bolles spent the morning and afternoon workouts, which began on Monday and lasted through Saturday, trying to find the right man for the right slot in his Varsity boat--not seeing how fast the brawniest eight men could propel themselves through the water. As the crew candidates--everybody is still a candidate--grow tougher, the stroke goes up, but from the pre-vacation beat of 24 or 26, the maestro of the slides and stretchers has never pushed things above 30 to the minute.

The first boat of the day before yesterday, which may or may not be the first boat of tomorrow or next week, is distinguished by having three men amidships who have yet to row in competition here. Frank Strong, Bull Curwen, (brother of '42 stroke Bus), and Jud Gale are the newcomers to the Bolles fold and are sitting in slides numbered six, five, and three respectively. Frank Cunningham, erstwhile 150 pound ear, has been stroking the Varsity, while Paul Knaplund, as seven, Bob Stone at four, Stew Clark at two, and Mike Scully at bow fill out the rest of the boat, Knaplund and Scully are veterans of last years first boat. Stone and Clark returned from the wars after having been on the '42 Freshman eight.

Although nothing is ironclad at yet, a somewhat curious situation exists around Newell with Bim Chanler, captain of the crew, pulling number seven oar on the Jayvees.