The Indianapolis journal., 1893-07-01
VARSITY RACE WONBY YALE
The Blues Third Great Victory This
Week Over the Wearers Ofthe Crimson.
Harvard Led at the Start, but at the End OF
the Four Mile Course Yale Was Full
Four Lengths Aheed-Time. 25:01l2.


blue waved triumphant at noon to-day in
her third and greatest victory of the week
the annual varsity boat raca over the his
toric four-mile course on the Thames. Har-
ward had the lead. bnt the pace was too
fast. The crimson boat shivered, shud-
dered and finally collapsed after resignIng
the lead when the race was quarter over.
The blue oars on the other hand grew
steadier with every stroke and, at the
close, were sending the boat along at one
of the stron gest. most uniform and speed
lest rates ever traversed by Yale shell.
The contest was q terrible test of endur-
ance, especially If the light-weight occu-
pants of the shell is taken into
account A strong head wind which
came up about lO:40 o'clock blew stiff
breeze squarely against the backs OF the
crews and kept the time nearly five min-
utes slower than the records made by the
crews of last year. Every instant during
the race the breeze increased. and by the
time half the course had been traversed the
Thames had been stirred into quite FORM
idable white CAPS and miniature gale was
blowing up the river valley, but Yale sand.
endurance and training won the day. Bob
Harvard's sprightlier and more effective
stroke on the first mile. 1t was q case of
survival of the ttest. This was evident
from the time Yale's stroke began to tell at
the end of the second mile until the bows
shot across the line at the END of the fourth
mile O winner by four lengths In the time
of % minutes llh secoBds
Thousands of people witnessed the con-
test. and every one of them wore the coiors
| n
inanimate. was decorated. Yale girls wore
blue waists and carried blue parasols.
while many of the fair adherents of Har-
ward were clothed in CRIMSON. The OBJ
servation train of forty cars with its
raised seats. was mass of blue and red.
Boats horses and carriages were also
decorated with the cOiOrs of the universl-
ties.
DETAILS OF THE RACE.
At 11:O4 A. NJ. referee Reeves heard the
"sIl ready, sir' from the anxious captains
and shouted "go" from his station at the
PROV OF the referees boat. Then sixteen
oar blades. swung by the regular crews
not substitute being in either boat-fairly
clawed the water in their anxiety to get
away. Here the Yale practice in starting
told and the blue shot ahead Only for an
| instant however was the Ies esd N ain tanned.
The blue oars seemed almost still as the
w
| crimson PROV alided ahead by a beautiful
| squirt. Yale's slow stroke hardly changed.
| Two hundred and fifty yards from the
first mile the crews were pulling
side ~ side and volley upon
| volley of yells from land and shore drowned
| the voices of the coxswains in their exhOr-
tations to stand steady. and to keep up the
stroke. just as Harvard struck what
| seemed to be her winning lead the eights
| circled the point which had hidden the
| start from the thousands of spectators on
| the observation tram. When the situation
| was grasped the Harvard contingent be-
came frantic. Crimson colors were ram
pant, and the struggling oarsmen just be-
| low the shore were reused to their sturdiest
| efforts by the laundering yells which re-
| verberated from the GrotOn shore In reso-
pant echo At the alf lie the Harvard boat
| was moving at q terrific. though slightly
unsteady. pace. The lead he'd been iii
creased to about ten yards. From the half
mile To the mile donors were even. The
shells shot past the first mile stake with
| Harvard leading by nearly half length
| and her stroke strong. Isle's pace was the
! traditional steady Cook stroke easy and
| graceful but seemingly losing at about
| every dip. The wind increased in velocity
| and the contest resolved itself into q colos-
sal test of endurance. The rugged breeze
began to tell on the Harvard boat, and the
| gap berweenstho prOws lessened.
A hundred and fifty yards from the milo
| post the struggle for supremacy las fought
| out to a desperate hnisb. 1ale moved
along. closing gradually. and Harvards
| stroke faltered. The race was settled In
| the next one hundred yards Inch by inch
| the boats evened, and ut the end of the one
hundred yards squirt the orimson-tipped
greeted Yale's great effort. and the eights
settled down to the grim question or the
final test. As the one-and- "a alf-mile post
| was passed the Harvard's splashing In
| creased. Just beyond this point the Tale
| onrsmen seemed to get their second wind
| and to push their boat more vioiously than
| over into the fierce head wind. Opposite
| the naval station Gallaudet hit up the
| stroke to clinch the thing to O winning
lead.
RETARDED BY WIND AND WAVE.
| At the two-mlle post Yale's stern had
| reached Hsrvard's PROV. and the Harvard
| sympathiZers began to realize that nothing
but an accident. q collapse in the ale boat
or an unexpected spurt from Harvard
| could save tine day for the Cambridge gen.
tlemen. Over the next half mile the
| splsshing of both was bad. The waves
ran high and offered the crews every In
ducement to ecome ratified and break
their stroke into fatal disorder. The waves
were at their highest along by the three
mile post They dashed against the shells
so fercely that the Outr!Rgers Of both were
hit. Al the three-mils tag the line OF
steamers and other craft closed behind the
boats. and every eye saw that the day was
| clearly 16iee. 1be Dlue boat was three
| lengths In the lead and moving autifuly.
The eight tireless oarsmon had SAT down TO
an iron finish. Gallaudet was pale but de-
termined. When the command came from
Captain Ives to make the final brace. coxs-
vain Olmstead stepped over and dashed
water In Gallsudet's face several times. It
had the desired eftecr. and the great stroke
settled into it's irmest form. The stroke
went up three points aud sent the shell
down the homo stretch like a machine.
CoxswaiD Olmstesd's aid TO Gallaudet coat
tho Yale boat fe yards. but Ii was not
missed in the steady lead.
Down the last half mile Harvard weak
ened. Her all-rouDd rowing was poor.
and she crossed the line four lengths in
the rear. When the winner crossed the
| line the din Was deafening. Every whistle
IN town. on the river and In the hsrbor.
the railroads and the factories, added 20
the pandemon ium. and the mighty cheers
| OF victory from the thousands of ex-
ultant Yalensians were drowned com-
completely. Not man in the Yale boat
/ dropped as the osrs ceased plying. Van
| Huyck slapped Rogers on the back, and
shouted: Il only wish l was freshman
| again." The,host backed TO the barge near
| thu shore. and within five minutes the
| eight bIawny Yale fellows were in the
arms OF wildly enthusiastic college chums.
| Captain Ives's arm was nearly shaken of.
H. ckA