Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-24
YALE FRESHMEN VICTORIOUS
AMERICAS HOTTEST INTERCOLLE-
GIATE ROWING RACE.
Harvard Finishes Second, TIVE
Lengths Behind, While Cornell
Trails Closely A Record
Smashing Event.

Poughkeepsie, n. Y, Tune 23.-Three
crews of freshmen on the Hudson this
evening smashed to smithereens all pre-
vious records for freshmen on a two-mile
course and put up one Of the hottest inter
collegiate races ever witnessed in this
country.
A crew of sturdy men of Yale rowed the
course in 9 minutes and 1915 seconds, a
trihe lighter crew of Harvard freshmen
fought them every inch Of the way and
finished a trile over two lengths behind
them, and the Cornell freshmen. whose
| college record is that none of its fresh
men crews has ever been beaten before,
finished a length behind Harvard in s:291s.
The best previous record for two miles
was 9:41, made by the Columbia freshmen
crew of 1894 at New London. in 1891.
While the conditions here are better for
fasS time than they are upon the Thames,
and while, therefore, some allowance
should be made for the much better exhi-
bltion to-day. the days race was a very
remarkable one. all three of the crews hav-
ing lowered the record, the last crew in
the merchandising so by III seconds.
All three of the crews used every pound OF
| power in their boats at every stage OF the
two miles and each crew at SONS period
of the race was In the lea6.
The victory of to-day is looked upon by
the crowds here tonight as being in some
measure Indicative of the result of Fri
days big varsity race. 1t is not contended
that the order of finish will be the same,
for Mr.. lehman. OF Harvard, has all along
said that his freshmen had been badly neg
leCted and could not be looked upon as a
representative freshmen crew. On the
contrary. the Yale crew of youngsters had
been said to be more sure Of winning than
their varsity, while Mr.. Courtney's Cor
nell crews have had equal attention paid
to them. The chances, therefore, as picked
out tonight are that the order OF Fridays
finish is likely to be Harvard, Yale, Cor
nell.
The start. which was originally scheduled
for $50, was postponed because of water
conditions until Z o'clock. Then the crews
were gotten in line; at 7:f0 the pistol sound
ed. Harvard got the best CLIP on me
front, closely followed by the Cornen
crew, with Yale almost a quarter OF a
length to the rear.
to the minute and Yale at a sweeping
stroke of "a. At the eighth mile Yale, ind
her stroke TO SO and began to draw up,
while Harvard and Cornell dropped down
to "a each. At the quarter Yale was still
behind. but seemed to be rowing easily.
while Harvard and Cornell were working
hard, Cornell drawing up upon the Harvard
lead. Yale was easing up her stroke, and
within the next half mile brought 1t down
to 80 and 81, but even then she seemed to
gain, and there was a perceptible dash to
the boat that seemed lacking in the others.
At the thr~ee-quarter mark 1t became APP
parent that the heavyweights IN, the Yale
boat were going to prove troublesome to
the lighter youngsters in the Harvard boat
and the still lighter ones in the Cornell
she'll. Just crossing the mile line Yale had
picked her boat up even with that of Har-
ward and was showing its nose forward a
few inches with each stroke. Cornell was
laboring a length behind. Harvard rowing
a rapid IS stroke to Cornelrs IS and Yale's
steady 80. From that point on to the fin
ening to IS several lengths from the finish
in an endeavor to make the breach be-
tween her old enemy, Harvard, and herself
a trife wider. And. although Harvard
picked her stroke up to IS after passing the
mile and held it there until the finish. It
lacked power, and the boat dropped gradu-
ally behind. crossing the line over tive
lengths behin the Yale boat.
When Yale passed both the Harvard and
Cornell crews, just beyond the mile mark,
Cornell, who had pulled their boat on to
even terms, and. perhaps. as seen from the
observation train, slightly in advance of
Harvard, made a desperate effort to keep