TO-DAY'S BIG RACE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1895, 1 November 1913, Page 5

TO-DAY'S BIG RACE.

IBx MißcrarJ "Mercury" has to thank several correspondents for. pointing out that the big race for the Australian championship takes' place to-day, and not last Saturday ■ as was inadvertently indicated! in this column, last'week. The latest reports of the men's training operations to hand by the week's mails add but little to what has already been Sublished as. to form and condition, ach appears to be soulling at his best, and to do as fit as hands can make him, so further comment under this head is unnecessary. How the Men are Boated, Some interesting details, however, appear in the "Sydney Morning Herald" regarding the boating of the two soullers. At this juncture theso are well worthy of reprinting, and they read as follow:— Paddon's boat, whioh was built by Towns Brothers, has to carry a man weighing about 1921b., 6ft. 3Jin. in height, with a chest measurement of 44in., and built in proportion. Arnst's boat, which was built by Peter Kemp, has to carry a man of 1891b. weight, 6ft. in height, 45in. round the chest, and of massive frame. Following are the boats' measurements:— Ext. Ext. Dep. Den. Wgt. lt'h. beam. for. aft ft. in. iri. m. in.- lb. Arnst 26 2 12J H 8} 26 Paddon 26 6 12 4 4 29 J

The depth about amidships is 6in. in both boats, but whereaß Arnst has his "work" about 2jin. away; Paddon's is BJin. away. The former has about 4ft. 9m. spread between swivels, and Paddon's slightly more. At first glance the boats appear very similar, but, although 4in. shorter, Arnst's has more beam at the rowing space, and the forward end is an inch deeper than the after end. Paddon, who has long legs, cannot got ttownas near to his feet a.s Arnst does, and, because of his long arms, he has to put his swivels a little further away. Tho spread is made to counteract overreaching, for to reach too far merely leads to pinning down tho bow of tho boat, as tho blades enter the water too far forward. Tho reason for having moro depth at, the forward end of a boat is to keep her head up while tho rower has tho weight of,his body, and because tho power of tho finish of his striko severely tests the buoyancy of that end. It is not generally known that to row thrco miles m a boat ten times as heavy as theso would not distress Arnst nor Paddon nearly so much as to put up good time in theso light soulling ma'cbines: indeed, cither man could row himself to tho absolute limit of endurance in a three-minutes' contest. The pace kills, and'it is for this reason that, whilo tho muscles may contract easily and strongly, tho heart will fail to draw the load, and clear tho lungs orblood.