New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-15

between the Harvard line and the eastern shore,
having whole bay to itself just below Snake Hill.
First IN the line of flags comes Harvard, with Its
blood-red rag that it has been compelled to wear
since Union College asserted its prior claim to the
magenta ribbon, which Harvard has been wearing
by Unions courtesy, and which had come TO be
part of its history. Then Hamilton, with the green
and white flag that was to have marked lEnitys
course though Hamilton, (which has taken
Tnitys place. will endeavor to establish its identity
with abbreviated trousers of rose pink, as its own
gmdon. Then Yale flies its undaunted blue,
separated by but single line from its historic rival,
fair Harvard with the fatality that seems always to
bring these old time enemies into close quarters.
Then Dartmouth with its bright green and next
Princeton, floating the yellow and black standard OF
the house of Nassau. Then square piece OF Amerl-
can bunting, Wesleyan having abandoned lavender
as being too easily COMPOUNDED with somewhat SINH
lar shades, and having appropriated a slce
of the American flag. Then comes New-forks
favorite. the blue and white of Columbia.
Brown is decked with finereal black, color that
seems to have been selected with malice afoTe-
thought, that they might begin their mourning
early. Bowdon is the pure white and a most
effective color on the water, that swallows up SO
many shades in its own blue. Amherst shows white
and purpe and Cornell carnean and white while
Williams, the outpost on the Western frontier wears
the royal purple.
THE FIRST SIGNS OF PREPARATION.
The hour draws nearer and there signs of prep
aration. Veritahle little mosquitoes of steamboats,,
all bow and with no apparent stern, shoot about
carving judges and reporters. Among them
may be seen the Referees boat low,
black, piratical looking craft, which now and
then steams away from the main group,
and darts about like impatient hornet. 1t is
little longer than a row-bOat, and makes its three
miles in II minutes. The men Oh the deck stand
higher than the smokestack and the streamer at the
STERN short one, has to be taken in to keep 1t out
of the water In the middle of the lake is gathered
a clump of these dmnutye tugs, that look as they
had nothing TO tug with but their teeth; OF row.
boats, Shells and an occasional sail-boat. They
are slow in gathering at the starting line, which Is
fairly deserted except by stray Oarsman or two.
In ali the upper end of the lake there is nothing to
indicate the probability of race except the lines of
flags, flying full from their leaning posts and the
group of spectators gathered in COnel's quarters
which are perched daringly on the side of Snake
Hill, and cling to the very brink of a respectable
precipice below which the water lies dark and deep
and green with reflected foliage
THE SURROUNDINGS OF THE RACE.
Indeed later on when the signal gun, which is said
fires its warning to the crews to get into
line, the whole outlook is deficient in what
Mr. Augustin Daily calls contemporaneous
human interest" There only scattered
signs of human presence. The grand stand,
three miles from Snake Hill and five miles from the
head of the lake. is black now only in spots. Its
skeleton is not yet covered with flesh, and
great gaunt bones show through, white
and bare. The boats on the lake, whether
propelled by steam, sail, or human strength, do not
exceed a score. At the upper end Of the lake the
pleasing succession of low wood and wel-shaven
hill is unbroken by any moving thing, save where a
boat-house pokes its out of the bushes, and
some Disconnected Freshman, left in charge of the
effects of the departed crew, PAGES impatenty up
and down. OF to the west, miles from the
lake. rises the Kayaderosseras Range, blue
in the haze of early dav Back from the eastern
bank there are lines of hills behind which the out
line of the green mountains, pale in the distance.
disappears entirely. But of these approach the
water W itch is bounded from end TO end only with
a gentle elevation rnown close to the surface, or
grown over with trees which half hide pretty white
houses There is no hight the lake itself the
often cited Snake Bi which is only 900 feet high.
The surroundings of the Saratoga Regatta then,
from a brds-eye view, are beautiful, but they are
not spirited. 1t is the unaSsuming and civilized
beauty of nature bnt not the thrill that from
the inspiring presence of great crowd.
TIE SIGNAL GUN BRINGS THE BOATS INTO LINE.
At 1915, as announced beforehand, the signal
gun doomed the word Of command TO the crews to
gather at the starting line The threatening breeze
did not deter bcm and they began to center at the
rendezvous That speck which appeared the
water just now, put forth it's long legs, and grew
from dot to line and from line to AN arrow,
BowdOin, her white caps rvaling those on which
she rode. She was in line az II, and waited for the
more tardy contestants. Union soon made her APP
pearance pulling over from the south side of the
hill. Cornell followed, pulling in good form, and
now the object Of eager attention, since the
victory Of yesterday gave birth to predictions of
another success. Brown took her station by her
pirate flag, and Williams came next. fIar-
ward was the next in order, not pulling
in the best of form. Princeton wac the seventh
boat to reach its place, while Hamilton, Amherst,
Wesleyan and Columbia oil preceded Yale.
When this boat approached-the favOrite of the bet
ters and the sportsmen, and the pride Of 80 many
friends and foes-it impossible to repress cry
Of admiration. This might not be the winning
crew; there might not be here the pluck Of luck
that secures victory; but this was the poetry