As soon as the ice disappeared from the Charles river, all the crews discontinued their work in the gymnasium, and have since practiced daily on the water. They have been subjected to great inconvenience by the repairs at the boathouse, which have progressed with provoking deliberation. As a platform on piles is being build in front of the large boathouse, the five crews have occupied the smaller one, whence but one barge can be carried at a time. It is expected, however, that the floats will be in readiness and all work finished by the end of this week. During the greater part of the recess, all the crews remained in Cambridge, and made the best of the opportunities offered for long rows. Twice a day, in all kinds of weather, in snow, rain and hail, they ventured out upon the river. Barges were used for practice until yesterday, when the shells were brought out. This change was a pleasant one for the oarsmen, as the shells, though not so steady as barges, are more easily handled and rowed.

The University crew is exerting itself to the utmost to repeat the triumphs of last year. Seven of the eight men have rowed in a winning race against Yale and against Columbia. This eight, unsurpassed by any of our previous crews in strength and experience, with an energetic captain and an able and successful coach, may well inspire the friends of Harvard with every hope of success in the coming races. At present the men are rowing in the following order:

POSITION. NAME. WEIGHT.

Bow. E. P. Lathrop, L. S. 175

2. W. J. Borland, '86, 181

3. E. E. Hamlin, '86, 176.

4. J. L. Sawyer, L. S., 170

5. W. W. Mumford, '84, 169

6. S. I. Hudgens, '84, 196

7. J. J. Storrow, '85, 160

Stroke. R. P. Perkins, '84, 194

Mr. E. A. S. Clarke, '84, takes an occasional row with the crew, but will not begin regular training until the first of May. The crew, though giving great promise of success, has not yet reached perfection. The men are not rowing with enough uniformity. Those on the starboard side often fail to draw their oars clear through, and in the middle of the boat there is a break in the time, occasioned by number five, who does not heave back his shoulders with the others. A few more individual "peculiarities" are noticeable. No. 2 shoots his hands out slowly. No. 3 dips too deep at the beginning of the stroke and settles at the finish. No. 8 starts to recover before he shoots out his hands.

As the Class races occur on the tenth of May, the day of the Yale game, the four class crews have just one month left for practice. For the last four years '82 and '83 have taken all the honors in rowing, so that none of the present crews have been victorious in the class races. The seniors are now rowing as follows:

POSITION. NAME. WEIGHT.

Bow. G. R. Agassiz, 145

2. R. A. Penrose, 160

3. H. W. Bliss, 162

4. R. F. Howe, 175

5. G. Kemp, 165

6. W. F. Wesselhoeft, 177

7. S. T. Hutchinson, 170

Stroke. W. P. Bryant, 155

Coxswain, C. B. Davis, 110

Substitutes, W. D. Turner, 160 lbs.; E. L. Conant, 168 lbs.

They have discarded the old Harvard swing and adopted a stroke closely resembling that used by professionals, which consists of a shorter body-swing, a longer slide and a quick recover. The advantage claimed for this stroke is that, with it, more power can be exerted, as legs, back, and arms are used simultaneously. Although Yale abandoned a similar stroke after last year's defeat, the seniors feel confident that for a two-mile race it can be made a success. It must be admitted that they propel their boat through the water at a rate, which would win the race, if kept up for two miles.

All the men handle their oars skillfully without throwing water or jarring the boat. They seem determined to make a great, final effort to score one victory for '84 in the class races before graduating.

The juniors with seven old men in their boat might be expected to row better. They are, perhaps, suffering from over confidence, a fault that has more than once lost a race. There is, however, good mettle in the boat, and great improvement is to be expected. The men are not gentle enough in shooting out their hands, but jar the boat from bow to stern, thereby materially affecting its speed. The following are the names of the men:

POSITION. NAME. WEIGHT.

Bow. J. E. Thayer, 155

2. E. Sutton, 168

3. W. P. Homans, 168

4. B. B. Thayer, 180

5. J. R. Yocom, 176

6. A. Keith, 168

7. C. F. Gilman, 170

Sstroke. O. R. Hosmer, 154

Substitutes, A. J. Bowen, 162 lbs. and W. Baldwin, 156 lbs.; coxswain, J. L. Whiteside, 110 lbs. The bow and No. 4 do not face their blades with the others, No. 2 swings crooked, while 3 and 4 dip too deep on the catch. No. 5 looks out of the boat too often and 6's oar "slivers out" at the finish. 7 and 8 "clip." When these faults have been corrected, the juniors will be in condition to make a hard struggle for first place.

The sophomores are at present rowing in the best form of any of the class crews. Their oars fall well together, and considering the fact that there are four new men in the boat, they have made good progress since they began work on the river. On Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays Colonel Bancroft finds time to coach them; on the other days his place is taken by Mr. Perin, stroke of the '83 crew. The sophomores are seated in the following order:

POSITION. NAME. WEIGHT.

Bow. M. S. Latham, 138

2. A. H. Vogel, 157

3. O. B. Roberts, 161

4. C. R. Brown, 147

5. J. C. Ayer, 158

6. T. H. Cabot, 164.

7. M. G. Houghton, 190.

Stroke. G. B. Harris, 161

No. 1 rushes down to the full reach; number 2 clips; 3 "slivers out" at the end of the stroke,

The freshmen are heavy and strong. If they acquire a moderate amount of skill within the next month, they can hope to make a better record than any freshman crew has done within the last three years. The crew has been unfortunate in losing one of its best men, Mr. Keyes. It is hoped, however, that he will recover from his injuries, received from a fall at the boathouse, in time to row in the Columbia race, if not in the class races. The crew consists of the following men:

POSITION. NAME. WEIGHT.

Bow. R. F. Fiske, 155

2. A. N. Rantoul, 160

3. W. S. Robinson, 168

4. C. F. Ayer. 165

5. W. Endicott, 182

6. A. R. Baum, 183

7. T. P. Burgess, 181

Stroke J. G. Mumford, 151

The substitutes are J. S. Russell, 155 lbs., and W. Alexander. Altogether, the crew lacks uniformity in facing the oars after feathering, and in taking them out of the water; many have their oars too high on the full reach; stroke is not well supported by the men immediately behind him; No. 7 dips too deep at the beginning of the stroke, and No. 6 "clips; " No. 5 rows "short," while 2 catches ahead.

From a comparison of the crews we get the following result: At present '87 is the heaviest crew, '86 the most skillful, '85 the strongest, and '84 rows the fastest for a short distance. The result of the race will show whether a professional, or the "Harvard" stroke is better for an eight-oared crew in a two-mile race.