The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-06-29
SONS OF ELI
Carried the Day in the Big
Races on the Thames.
The Columbia Freshmen Finished a
Good Second.
Bu The A@ocLatea Press.

klRnC-oared fourm hifhiSHNoN"J S~.N
race. because Harvard was not SO good In
personnel or system. Eleven times has
Yale defeated Harvard in these events on
che Thames, while Harvard has had only
six victories On this course. With one
exception, Yale has won in these con-
tests with Harvard for nine years past,
Dbe exception being in 1891.
The conditions OF Harvard's crew when
they reached their boathouse. as COM
pared with that of the Yale men. con-
utitutes an emphatic commentary either
! upon the methods of selection Of men or
the methods of training them after they
have been chosen. and possibly both.
Two of the Harvard lads were sup
lported in an exhausted condition into
their boathouse, while all the others, save
thret, were not In as good condition as
any man in the victorious boat. The
solution of the problem is not one of
muscle, but of particular muscle aud par
Bicular methods.
All Ready.
It was six o'clock when thetuG Man
hanset, with every available space on
board crowded by newspaper men, started
mp the river to view the beginning of the
great contest, and to follow the racing
boats until they had passed the finish
1ine. With her went the United States
revenue cutter Dexter and the tug
America.
The boats arrived at the starting point
ot 6:1A. and lay there waiting for the rae
ing shells to put in an appearance.
The sun had sank beneath the level OF
che clouds-and threw a strong line of
blinding light across the river The water
was not quite smooth, but its surface was
unbroken, even by a wind haw.
At 6:zS the Yale boat shot out from its
boathouse, half-mile above the starting
point, and began to cross the stream.
Immediately afterward the Harvard men
picked up their shell and placed it in the
water, but they were slow in getting
anto it. Yale had crossed clean over 10
Gales Ferry, opposite her boathouse. and
then came down with the current. She
reached the starting point only moment
after Harvard, and the two boats were
quickly in place; side by side, ready for
the word.
They're ORi
When 1t came both sets of oars struck
Che water together, and the boats darted
FORWARD. AS had been expected, Harvard
utarted in with a fast stroke. 40 to the
minute, hoping to break Yale's heart in
the first mile.
Yale responded Ramely with 80 strokes,
o and kept right abreast of Harvard. For
a furlong, perhaps. the boats rowed nip
and tuck, then the longer, stronger
stroke OF the sous of old Eli began TO tell,
and Yale drew away from the straining
Harvardites AT the half-mile she was
already five seconds ahead, a full boats
asngth, and her lead steadily grew.
AT the mile Harvard's stroke had
dropped to SO, while Yale still kept on at
the 3S rate, with which she started. There
Neemed to be no doubt that it was Yales
race. Her lead grew steadily; she passed
IGhe mile and half 10 seconds ahead OF
Harvard.
Both crews here began to reduce their
stroke. Yale dropping to 81 and Harvard
10 81 But while Yale's strokes were deep
and strong. and each joined on the pre-
ceding one, 30 as to send the boat
smoothly and steadily through the water.
Harvard's work was ragged. At each
~troke the Harvard boat would jump for
ward with perceptible jerk, which
would be repeated. when the next stroke
came.
After the first half Harvard's men were
never in perfect stroke. They all feathered
well, but their work in the boat was very
bad. Ii they had been perfect oarsm en-,
however, they would still have lost the
race for their steering. From the mile
dag on the Harvard boat zigzagged across
She stream in the most extraordinary
manner.
Coxswsin Days Error.
AS the two boats approached the Q 1-2
mile flag, Yale was 40 seconds in the lead.
The Harvard boat went nearer and
nearer the staff and from the watchers
on the press and judges boat went up
sort of murmur: "Coxswain Day is going
TO HIT" Hit it he did, the starboard oars
catching the flagstaff three feet from
their ends, and knocking it back and
forth In the water.
The sudden shock nearly threw the
Harvard men from their seats, and for a
moment IL looked as il their part in the
race was to end right there Nothing
ohows how game they all were better
than the quick recovery from this unde-
served disaster and the way in which
they closed up what the momentary stop
had lost them. For a moment they
almost seemed TO gain upon Yale. They
were IS seconds behind at the three-mile
: nag, and at the fourth they were only Al
behind.
1t was game and splendid effort, but
&c. dropped to 80, while the heavy way in
which they handled their oars showed
that they were very tired So too, were
the Yale boys, but they showed it less,
being happy in the victory 30 near at
hand
The first three miles Of the race were
made In almost absolute silence, but
when the boats entered the long sea line,
on both sides of which the assembled
yachts and steamers we've waiting. it
seemed like a change into a new world.
Yale Must Have Felt Happy
III First the steamer Chelsea gave a shrek
\ Of her whistle. then a little white yacht
bet OF q cannon nearly as big as herself,
and then psndemonitsH began. As the
( bosts rusned along, the olamor Of APP
plause from human and metallic throats
grew louder and louder.
Al Yale crossed the line. 23m. AIS. from
che start, the assem- bled boats seemingly
achieved the impossible. They nade a
louder noise than any that went before.