Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-22
HARVARD IMPROVING RAPIDLY,
But Yale is Still the Fnvorite for the
Big Race.


Big Race.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
NEW LONDON, Conn, June p, 1895.
This week nature has favored the oars
men decidedly. For the last three days
the crews have been able to use the course
at least once a day, and they have had no
trouble In finding plenty of good water in
sheltered coves. Since examinations are
over the work has been increased, and
from now on they will devote all their
mental as well as bodily, energy to row.
ing The trips of the launches to New Lon
don have been given up during the after
noon.
Harvard went over the regular course
again this morning. The conditions were
about as good as it is possible to get
the Thames: tide running out strong and
scarcely any wind. The boat did not run
very evenly at first, and there was some
splashng, but soon the men settled down
and did very good work. The stroke was
between 80 and "a. When the men crossed
the finish they did not seem exhausted.
The time made was little under % min
utes almost a minute better than they did
1t in last night. Considering the conditions
it was not fast But when Yale or Har
ward crew goes over the course in daylight
you cannot place much reliance on the
time. They know we'll that watches are
recording the speed, and it seems to be
their delight to attempt to deceive the pub
lie and each other. Now, today Harvard
could have clipped over a minute off the
time made if Mr.. Watson had only said
the word. Their work has shown great i'm
provement, especially In the workmanship,
and they have demonstrated beyond a
doubt that they can keep up that long back
stroke for four miles.
With the Freshmen.
Mr.. D. F. Jones. 49, has been assisting Mr.
Kidder in handling the freshmen. The bad
L.
remedied, and the lap has been heightened
by more carefully running their slides. This
morning they went over the two-mile
course in ten minutes twenty-six seconds.
under the same conditions as the varsity
did their four-mile stretch. This Is exceed
ingly fast time, and pretty surely indicates
that they will win the triangular race.
Their rivals the Yale youngsters, have
made very poor showing. Bob Cook and
Percy Bolton have left the varsity to do
their own coaching, and have given the
freshmen their undivided attention. 1t is
an unheard of thing to have Bob Cook
spend anything more than an occasional
half hour with freshman crews. Yet for
two days he has spent most of the morning
and the entire afternoon giving them pair
oar work. This, of course, has had its eff
feet on their work, but it hardly seems
that the brace has come in time. They
hung on the catch badly at first, and to
remedy this the stroke has been raised to
nearly forty per minute. They have cone
this without shortening their slides any,
and now the shell Is running well, and the
catch is much quicker. 1t would be impos-
sible, however, to keep up this stroke for
two miles and rowing otherwise in accord
ance with the Bob Cook style. They have
not done any work on time as yet, but the
chances are that tomorrow they will.
The crews on a whole are rapidly round
ing into that finished form which is char
acteristic of the great race. 1t must be
conceded that Harvard is improving the
more rapidly, but Yale had fewer points
to correct, and they haven't gone back
ward any. Harvard followers are begin
ming to gain confidence in their crew, and
1t now looks as if there would be a large
representation to cheer their men on the
2Sth.