The Hawaiian gazette., 1896-07-21
Nearly Two Lengths Behind the
ErgIishman at Finish.
POOR MATERIAL IN YALE BOAT.
Englishmen Say Defeat Is Due TO Bad
Oars-Cook Had no Faith-C Cordial
Treatment of Americans How
They Could HIVE Won the Race.

HENLEY, England. July THE
Yale crew was overmatched and fairly
and squarely beaten to-day at Henley
Leander crossed the line a length and a
half in advance OF the American boat
and there is no reason why it should
not be admitted that the victors should
have made it TWO lengths, perhaps three
il they had chosen 10 do so. The most
satisfactory feature OF the result is that
the Yale men frankly admit that their
opponents on the whole are better oars
men and won on their merits. Not d
man in the Yale boat would dream OF
suggesting that the Englishmen jock
eyed or tried 10 trick them in any way,
and the Britishers may rest assured
that no post-mortem pamphlet contain
ing base insinuauons will be issued
when the Yale crew goes back TO Amer
lea
More than this, il should be said with
equal emphasis that the treatment OF
the visiting oarsmen from beginning 10
end has been most cordial and hospit-
able
There are certain interesting things
10 be said about the reasons of Yale's
easy defeat in the first heat of the great
race Il was due mainly to two things:
Lack Of sufficient time for the men to
adapt themselves TO local conditions,
and failure to adopt the best measures
for competing under these conditions.
II is probably true that the Yale men
were not up TO the average university
standard OF recent years, and that the
preparations for a short race are very
different from those necessary for a
four-mile race. 1t should also be said
that unwarranted interference by one
or more persons who came over with
the American oarsmen seriously handi-
capped them in their training. An i'm
portant factor in the result was the
oars used. Whatever may be true OF
the new London course, il is fact that
the Yale oar blades were too broad for
the crews best work in the dead,
CLASSY water Of the Thames. It is the
unanimous opinion OF the English
coaches that Yale was defeated by Lee
ander's narrower oar blades. The
Americans pulled to their boathouse
after the race and Trevor Jones said to
q representative OF the Sun:
7 can row tell you what 1 was not
willing 10 say yesterday. In my opin-
ion Yale's defeat was due to her oar
blades being too wide for this heavy
water-in fact, for any water. Your
crew led TO Fawley court. half of the
course. and if you had had proper oars
they would have led TO the finish All
Of our coaches agree with ne in regard
to your oars I expected Yale would
defeat Leander. Your crew rowed a
gallant race, one of the finest ever seen
on English waters. With narrower oar
blades and. perhaps, little more body
swing. giving. more time for breathing
on recovery. Yale would be all right.
cannot speak too we'll of the way Yale
pulled out the last ounce Of power"
Trevor Jones opinion is Endorsed by
all the coaches, even by Cook. 1t was
on this point chiefly that the interior
ence by outsiders arose, and certain
members of the crew positively refused
to row with the new oars. The result
was Yale was obliged TO row the first
half at a killing pace in order to keep
up with Leander, whose stroke was
point lower than the visitors. Yale led
at the halfway post by twenty feet,
then Leander spurred and went ahead.
The Yale crew tonight elected F. H.
Bailey, '97, who rowed No. 5, captain
for next year.