The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-25
CORNELL'S VICTORY.
Her Freshmen Outrowed Harvard,
Pennsylvania and Columbia.
Crimsons Protest Because OF Misun-
derstandisg of Starting Signal

have been looking forward for months.
The shells finished thus: Cornell, first;
Harvard second. by length Penn
slyvania third. by three-quarters OF n
length: Columbia fourth. by full 10
lengths. The official time was l0:1S,
1922. l0:26l3 and 1851 respectively.
Probably 10000 people witnessed the
finish ~ the race. counting those seated
on the observation train, the crowds
along the shores and the people aboard
the yachts.
Referee Rives had declared that he
would start the Freshmen race, as well
as the Varsity race on Friday, promptly
at the tlme announced. at $3.50 u. m,
even II there were not more than two
crews ready to start al that time. Each
coach. therefore, had his crew promptly
In position just as the referees watch
indicated the hour OF $50. The Cor
nells, whose boathouse is IL miles from
where the two-mile course commenced,
were taken TO the starting on their
launch. with their shell I'm tow. about
$40. The three other crews rowed from
their lighthouses. Cornell arrived first,
followed Immediately by Pennsylvania,
next came Harvard, and last Columbia.
There was very little enthusiasm In
the crowd OF 500 people on the observa-
tion train as the several crews passed
In front Of IL in drawing up to the stake
boat. There was some cheering by
crowd OF crimson-capped fellows when
the Harvard aggregation came along,
and the coxswain. McAvey, of the Penn
sylvanias managed To get up a yell or
two for the Quaker youngsters. The
familiar Cornell II yell. yes. Cornell"
was not heard once. and the Columbia
"hooters" were noticeably silent.
There was levelng of field glasses
at the Columbia boat when she appeared.
Everybody was anxious TO see II Chao.
who was suffering from a touch of inter-
mittent fever. was one of the crew. Sure
enough, there he sat at No. 4. His ply
sician had given him orders not TO enter
the boat, but the plucky little Spaniard
insisted upon handling an oar. Consid-
erable criticism is heafd because Coach
Sturgiss allowed Chao to row. There
can be no doubt that the crew was vital
ly weakened by his presence In the boat.
The Harvard freshmen took their
place at No. /, nearest the west shore.
with very deliberate air Of confidence.
They caused the delay In the race, how
ever. by dragging their stakeboat 10
feet below the line. This may have been
done TO give more time, for they did
not remove their sweaters -untl-leHs
after the other crews were ready for the
word. The referee spent two minutes in
getting them back on the line.
The start was made at 5:39:22. The
delay and trouble In lining Harvard UP
evidently ratified Rives. for he gave the
crews a very poor start He first asked
them IL they were ready, all of the cox
swains raised their hands except little
Plum in the Harvard boat. Rives either
did not see him or thought he ought to
be ready. for without further warning
he shouted GO" Rives had arranged
TO fire a pistol as the starting signal, and
his verbal sign created confusion TO a
certain extent. Cornell, Columbia and
Pennsylvania, however, got the water
promptly. Three seconds later Rives
fired his pistol, and the Harvards got off.
The referees error had no effect upon
the ultimate result OF the race but IL
was enough TO give Harvard a chance
for protest after Cornell had been de-
clared the winner. Though Harvard
got off lateethey caught the water, which
was choppy, owing 10 q combination OF
powerful stroke, and at once took Sec
ond place. tapping their boat for a quar-
ter OF its length on the Cornell shell.
The Pennsylvanians were just n trifle
slow In getting their oars into the water,
and were almost 9s tardy as Harvard
in the start.
At the beginning all Of the crews rowed
a nearly uniform stroke of 36 to the min
-
length, Harvard coming next, a length
ahead OF Pennsylvania, and Columbia
two lengths In the rear OF the Quakers.
Making for the first mile Of the course,
which was marked by the big bridge,
Cornell gained a little on the field and
passed under the structure ~ lengths
ahead OF the Crimsons, who were Ia
lengths I'm advance of Pennsylvania,
the latter I'm turn leading the New York.
ers by four lengths.
At this point there was a race be-
tween Harvard and the Quakers for
second place. At the first mile Cornell
and Pennsylvania had dropped their
stroke TO "a, while Harvard and Colum-
bia still rowed 90. the latters stroke
being entirely devoid of snap or power.
on the first half OF the second mile,
Cornell widened the gap between her
shell and Harvard's 10 two lengths;
again Tapped the Cam
bridge boat by quarter OF a length,
while Columbia had fallen back TO six
lengths. At the Ia mile. all of the crews
were pulling "a strokes a minute. except
whose men were sticking their
oars into the. water at the rate OF 3S a
minute.
Coming down the last half. Harvard
made one OF Mumford's pet spurts.
which closed them up on Cornell by
length. They were unable, however.
TO shake the Quakers. who made a squirt
at the same time. and the crew crossed
the finish line i'm the following order:
Cornell one length ahead OF Harvard.
which was n scant length I'm the lead OF
Pennsylvania, with Columbia 10 lengths
behind the bunch.
Cornell crossed the line at 5.49:40. IL
was a game ana piuckily fought contest,
COrnelrs victory being due solely 10 hard
work on home waters before they came
TO poughkcepsie.
As soon az v'te crews had crossed the
line the Harvard launch steamed mp and