Morning journal and courier., 1893-07-01
YALR,s BIG VICTORY.

uoSiIuCoub oue. All Lne precoolHB 10y
every variety and description of water
craft had been docking to the waters of
the Thames and by quarter of eleven
yesterday morning each side of the four
mile course up the river was lined with
boats, deokedeout in gala day attire. The
scene WAS a most lively one. The spright-
ly little nsphtha launches darting around
among the larger boats, the many sail
boats and small steam tugs, the elegant
steam yachts with their brightly polished
brass rails and lastly the large river and
sound steamers who took their positions
on the course among the smaller river
craft with the stateliness of giants who
At precisely 11:04 Referee Rives heard
the words 'Al ready, SIR" from the
anxious captain, and shouted "go." In
stantly sixteen oar blades fairly cleaved the
water. Yale'a practice in starting told i'm
mediately. Yale shot ahead, but held her
lead only fox an instant, as the Harvard
PROV glided ahead by magnificent squirt.
Yale's slow stroke hardly changed. The
New Haven crew rowed with mechanical
stolidity and the Harvard lead increased.
There was very little splashing in the start,
thanks to the magnificent drilling which
manifested itself in both boats.
Two hundred and fifty yards from the
first mile the crews were pulling side by
side, and volley upon vo1ley of yells from
land and shore drowned the voices of the
coxswains in their expectations to stand
ready and keep up the stroke. Just as
Harvard struck what seemed to be her
winning lead the Fights circled the point
which had hidden the start from the
thousands of spectators on the observa-
ton train.
When the situation was grasped the
Harvard contingent went frantic Grim
son colors were rampant and the sIrug-
CLING oarsmen just below the shore were
reused to their sturdiest efforts by the
laundering yells which reverberated from
the Groton shore in resonant echo.
At the half mile the Harvard boat was
| moving at a terrific, though slightly un-
| steady pace. The lead had been Increased
/ to about ten yards, though Cummings,
No. Z, and johnson, No. 2, were splashipg
badly. Cummings was powerful in stroke
His efforts were perceptibly the most Wig
orous of any member of the boat, but his
body work was uneven and his finish
ragged.
From the half mile to the mile honors
were even. The shells shot past the first
mile stake with Hsrvsrd's lead good by
nearly half length and her stroke strong.
| Yale's pace was the traditional steady
| Cook stroke, easy and graceful, but SEEM
ingiy losing at about every dip.
The wind increased in velocity here, and
the contest resolved itself into colossal
test of endurance. The effect of the breeze
was first noticed on Harvard and the gap
between the two shells widened. One hun
dred and fifty yards from the mile post the
ctr ~Ia co. l.
a desperate finish. Yale WAS gradually
closing in and Hsrvard's stroke faltered.
The race was practically decided in the
one hundred yards. Inch by inch the
boats evened and at the end of the one
hundred yard squirt the Cambridge boat
was In the rear. Desfenipg shouts greeted
Ysle's great brace and the Fights settled
down to the grim question of the final
test.
The II mile post was passed, the Har-
Yards splashing and trying to get their
vic!ously then ever into the fierce head
wind. The Yale lead grew and opposite
the naval station Gallaudet hit up the
stroke to olinch the thing to winning
lead. Harvard here steadied q trife and
as half the race ended both crews were
rowing in the prettiest and most uniform
manner they exhibited during the contest
The rowing was strong, though against
terrific wind. At the two mile post Yale,
stern had reached the Harvard PROV anc
the Harvard sympathizsrs began to realize
that nothing but an accident, collapse IL
the Yale boa, or an unexpected squirt from
Harvard could save the day for the Cam
bridge men.
Over the last half mile the splashing o.
both was bad. The waves ran high anc
offered the crews every indueement to be
/ come ''rattled" and break their stroke into
fatal disorder. Close by the n mile pos
Thomas, the Harvard coxswain, exhibited
some inferior work, and as a result the
crimson swung past the post and in dan
gerous proximity to the eel grass. Cox
swain Olmstead of Yale Rugged every pos
thus far closely, and thereby gained al
least half length for Yale.
l Yale eased up little in her stroke wher
the 24 mile post was passed, while Har
wards exertions became manifestly labored
Yale was touching the water deeper thar
Harvard and splashing much less. Th,
waves were the highest along by the
mile post. They dashed over the shells 81
fiercely that the out-riggers were hit a
nearly every gust.
By the three-mile flag Harvard's shell
completed the detour compelled by the COX
SWANS misjudgment and headed direct TO-
i GuO uulSA LILO U1U6 UOAt WAb UuIS(
lengths in the lead and rowing beautifully
A clear course lay before them. The har
Dor masters work had been we'll.
Cummings WAS doing notably desperat,
work in the Harvard boat. His efforts
were commendable, though manifestlJ
misdirected. The stsrboard oars, how
ever, we're more noticeably ragged. The
boat went ahead by jerks and all hope TO,
crimson victory vanished. In the Yale
boat eight tireless oarsmen were settling
down to an iron finish. Gallsudet wal
awkward, but his strokes caught the
Thames with unerring uniformity. HI
was the nearest approach to weakening In
the Yale boat When the command came
from Captain Ives to make the final brace
Coxswain Olmstead stopped over and
dashed water in Gallaudet's face several
times. 1t had the desired effect and the
great stroke settled into his firmest form.
The stroke went up three points and
sent the shell down the home stretch like
machine. Olmstead's aid to Gsllaudet
not missed in the steady lead grasped in
the wonderful finish. Down the last half
mile Harvard weakened. Her all around
rowing was poor and she crossed the line
nearly four lengths in the rear.
When Yale crossed the line ahead shouts
burst from the throats of all the Yale re-
tainers. Guns were fred on several of the
yachts. The din was simply deploring.
Not man in the Yale boat dropped as the
oars ceased plying. The boat backed to a
barge near the shore, and the light, brswny
fellows who had carried the blue to vic
tory, were soon in the arms of enthusiast
tic college chums.
Cummings and Burgess we're the most
exhausted men in the Harvard boat. They
sank in the bottom of the boat for several
minutes, but revived soon and were able
to help take their shell ashore.
Considering the ferceness of the oon-
test and the roughness of the weather it lie
considered almost phenomenal that not q
member of either boat collapsed complete
ly, even at the finish. The time, 25:013
was, of course, necessarily the slowest
made of late years. It is, however, re-
markable when the elements of the wind
and wave are taken into account.
At a meeting Of the Yale crew immedi-
ately after the race, johnson, the bow oar,
was elected captain for the coming year.
The official time by half-miles is as fol.
lows:
| Yale-Half- mile, 2:52; mile, 5:59a; Il
miles, 900; 2 miles, 1905; 81 miles, 1922
8 miles, 1889; 81 miles, also; 4 miles,
25:014. 10y -.
Harvard-Half, 2:51; 1 mile, 5:57; II
8 miles, 1880; 81 miles, 21:54; miles,
25:15.
The lead of the crews by half-miles fol-