New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-06-27
THE YALE-HARVARD RACE.
nRovsy NEw-LONpOy WAKING UP.

AND IFS sPLESDID RACE-COURsE-PROhlshso F
LARGER CROWD THAN LAST YEAH-hANf
YACHTS PREsENr-THE CHANCES IN FAVOR OF
HARVARD.
| lFROM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBUSEl
| NEw-LoNDON, Conn., June 26.-Ihanks 10 tbe
Harvard Yale boat which rs really lts annual
and only excitement this drowsy old city is begin
ming TO bestir itself and TO throw off the lefhargy
which seems 10 overcome it during the greater part
Of the year. Long ago when American whalers
were the first and American seamen the best IN the
world, New-London was the second whaling port in
the country; it was q lively busting place. with
docks swarming with ships aud sailors, ana store
houses filed TO their roofs with barrel on barrel OF
oil. Its merchants and ship-owners, too, were
among the richest in the country, and 1t IS on the
| wealth accumulated By them that the place
now su5sists. Even as late 1850 there
were not fewer than eighty ships en-
gagged IN the whaling business, with q
large number of smaller craft. such as schooners
and the ike. that sailed from New London; but
now times have altogether changed. During the
late war what with rebel cruisers that destroyed
the vessels and those that bought by the Gov
eminent for blockading purposes, to be sunk IN
Southern harbors aud roa,.ways, the whaling fleet
was wholly broken up, and there remains only
a paltTy dozen OF vessels, all schoOners, with
the exception Of two parks, to represent what was
once the second whaling port Of the world. Inc
| town, with the decadence Of the business which
gave it its Importance. has settled down into qnlet
| humdrum sort of New-Englaud village with no
interest TO take the place OF that which IL mas
lost and enlivened only by occasional boat race
the visit Of some wandering yacht-cIub squadron.
Still il is If not lively. solid little place, where
real estate suffers no Depreciation, and where what
money Ii has Is invested in the safest sort of secur-
| tiles.
| Bat New-London has one invaluable possession,
| and that is its river and harbOr. The harbor Is
| deep roomy and easy of access, and the uyer fur
nishes Of the best for boat racing IN the
world The course is four miles long, perfectly
! straight and such thing as rough water on 1t Is
almost wholly unknown. No matter how hard 1t
! may be blowing outside, the water of the river IS
rarely broken by more than a ripple. The low hills
that surround it just high enough to break the
force of the wind, not high as to give rise 20
| treacherous squalls. It seems strange that the
! course was never used for boat racing before last
year. for it possesses every necessary quality except
! width Unfortunately 1t Is narrow, so that it
! would never do for such number OF boats As com
! pete in the intercollegiate regattas at Saratoga,
! but so far race between Two crews
| alone IS concerned II ~ nearly perfect.
! Moreover, the citizens Of the town, who are
! naturally anA Gus 10 make the regatta permanent
attraction. have done everything n their power 20
make it successful. Excellent boats have been pro
vded for the Press, the judges and members OF the
universities and the police regulations concerning
tine course are most admirable IL Will be nearly inn
possible for such occurrence TO take place az ana
last year, when a number OF men from one OF the
! universities ran private launch IN such way AZ
not only TO come IN collision with ana nearly slnk
the Press boat, but to give rise To some suspicious,
doubtless unt0nnqed, IN the mlhIs OF lle PeoptG
here of intended foul play single instance VIII
show how much power the Authorizes nave 10 Keep
the course clear If they only choose 70 exercise IT,
There is q rather stringent Connecticut law regard
| trr he uIfhn ID
carry and when last year an lil-natured captain re-
fused to anchor bis boat crowded with excursion
lsts outside the course, the HarbOr Master threat
eped To make him tie his boat mp 70 the pier wnIle
the number OF his passengers was counted. hls
boat was probably oyercro Wded. AT any rate, the
captain anchored his boat without tTthtI 'lle'Cl2n,
! They don't make much fuss here about clearing the
course but they do 1t eHectually.
Visitors to the regatta pouring In,
and there is every indication that the crowd this
year will be as large if not larger, than that Of
last year. The famous Pequot House, the
| Croker House and other smaller hostlerles
! are beginning to fill up rapidly early AZ
| it is, and the cots and mattresses sprnkled
about the halls show what crowd IS expected.
The looks very lovely Just lt this season, with
its wealth OF noble eIns ana OJuef me shaAt utes
and the scenery the river is beautiful. The race
| is likely 10 be very much more closely contested
than that OF last year. and those VINO come 70 see u
! will find much 10 give them pleasure. Inc course
has been carefully lard out and Tagged. and the Re
gatta Committee has done everything thai could De
done To make the affair complete success
The contest between the oars men of our two prln-
cpal colleges is become affair Of not merely local
but Of almost National Importance. There are IN
the harbor now yachts belonging to several clubs.
! both from New-YOrk and Boston, whose owners
have come on TO see tO-mOTrow's race. Among those
| which have already arrived are the following
| Sch0oners-Psyche, Dauntess, intrepid w tnlorer,
| Dreadnaught Commodore OsbOrne's b0atl and
Comet of the New-YOrk Yacht Club; Magic, keeecca,
| Breeze Meta, Azllea and Sea Witch, Eastern lacht
| Club; Petrel and Vision, Atlantic Yacht Club ana
/ Haze, Of Newport. There are great many sOops
| here Also the best known of which are tle Psyche
aud Alert, of the New-foEk Yacht CUP tne inter
| prise, AddIe VOORHEES,, tlFt, hadcap Alce anu
| Anna, of the Eastern Yacht ClqDj ana
the Undne. of Warwick, the WinsfoLle'
| and Orion, Of the Atlantic, and some others.
There are also a number Of other yachts lying fur
| ther down the harbor near the Pequot House All
| of these will tomorrow anchor along the course
near the finish aud will add greatly To the beauty
| of the spectacle. There u every prODaOlHty JhaJ
the presence of the yachts will be one or the pleas
ATTEST features of the regstas IN the future 1nere
il other place IN the GOulJry sulCdOte lor Doat
racing that has harbOr like this one, where There
is an easy approach, roomy harbor and capital
! anchorage. and yaeht-Owners have been QUICK 20
| perceive this and to take advantage OF 1t.
| While the interest in tO-mouOw's race Is very
strong there is but little betting on it, and IN hat
betting there H. Harvard is decidedly the fayorite.
| The rowing of the Yale is not By any means
perfect / saw them at their practice yesterday
/ afternoon, and it must be confessed that their
work was very Disappointing 4nolI PuihHs
! is ragged, they hang badly at the begin
ming of their stroke, they do nor catch water TO-
Jether and In their catch they miss the nTst Six or
seven inches Of the stroke the most important por-
| tion of it, while some of them splash badiy. har-
ward on the other hand, has much cleaner stroke,
is ouicLer in catching water ana there seems 10 De
| more life in the boat. Harvard has, however, tine
advantage Of having this year large NUMBER Oh her
| Iast wears crew and practice and expert
! snce are important factors In rowing. ~
| seems now as though, barring accidents, Harvard
/ l. ~ ovfV ha r4a4 a la ~