The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-07-01
CORNELL BOYS WON EASILY
THE GREAT INTERCOLLEGIATE
BOAT RACE-YALE SECOND
HARVARD THIRD.
AMERICAN METHODS AND GRIT WON
Harvard Employed Englisn Coach
and MethOds-The Cornell Boys
Finished Fresh-Otlcr Crews
Were Quite Exhausted.

Poughkeepsie, n. Y, June 2j.-Cornel
won; time. 20 minutes 81 seconds. Yal
was second by three lengths and half
time, 20:44. Harvard came in third
five lengths astern; time, 81 minutes
Cornells time by miles: First mile
4:45; second mile, 1890; third mile
1874 80; fourth mile, 2O:34.
1t was Il clear case OF American grit
American methods and American train
Ning as against American grit coupled will
English methods and English training
a crew of American college youths
trained under an American coach, woI
from two other American college crews
in an eight-Oared contest, the other crew,
having studied. the one under an Ameri
can coach, with mixture OF English and
! American methods, and the other dis
carding all American teachings and
methods and importing an English coach
in an endeavor to prove ii superiority fol
Henley methods.
No such contest ever occurred in this
country before. Cornell university has
not been able to meet Yale university
since 1879, and then, as today, she de-
feated The boys of the blue. After long
from Harvard, to again meet Cornell.
The match was arranged, and today the
leading crews of these three leading COL
leges of this college-strewn country start
ed down the four mile stretch together.
Yale finished second, with three and a
half boat lengths severing her from Cor
nell. Harvard, with her newly acquired
English methods. finished third, and she
was over eight and a half lengths behind
Cornell. Her eight were thoroughly ex-
hausted, while the opponents of the
Amnrirnn thpnrv n 6 RI
pulsion of eight-Oared sheels, finished at
Il hot pace, without any distress being
apparent
The tide was slack, the wind favored
no particular crew and absolutely no
favor of any kind was shown by nature
toward the result. The race was rowel
entirely on its merits.
Cornell employed her trained down
muscle, without beef, in a leisurely, con-
fident manner that pulled her at every
stroke toward victory: 1t was a singular
coincidence that the English-trained
crew, Harvard, pursued exactly the same
methods as to the number of strokes per
minute as did the winning crew, and
although they weighed on an average 10
pounds heavier than COrnell's men, that
extra heavy weight told for nothing, and
either from too much "fineness'' in train
ing or lack of ability to pull the stroke
set for them they were practically
dead" after the second mile.
Briefly, the result of todays' race is
that Cornell asserts her superiority in
rowing, method of training and capability
over the two larger universities, and she
still holds the record for intercollegiate
eights of 10 minutes, 30 seconds, which
she made last year.
The race was one of the most brilliant
in the history of aquatics in this country.
The crews started with strokes of 80 for
Cornell and SO for Harvard and Yale.
Harvard gained slight advantage over
the others at the start and the usual
note of jubilation went up from the Har-
ward adherents. 1t was apparent within
the first mile that Cornell was using the
same methods that took them on to vic
tory last year, that of a slow ana telling
stroke that would wear out their oppO
nents. The boats Travelled swiftly, al
though it was easily noticeable that the
tide was at slack and that the condl.
tons did not favor record-breaking.
Yale, with a quick stroke, hung to the
rear until the first quarter of mile,
while Harvard and Cornell fought it out.
Cornell forged to the front before the
end of the first mile was reached. Har-
ward struggled valiantly. but before the
end of the mile and a half was in the
ltuI VI lult. wi NNht Oh WIN
that easy, swinging stroke.
At the two-mile point the Yale crew
were geing away from Harvard, and
the latter seemed unable to prevent it,
although they were rowing away at the
long 81 stroke that had been predicted Il
winning one. After Yale got away from
Harvard she turned her attention to Cor
nell and just beyond the second mile
made a desperate squirt to catch the
youngsters. Never for moment did the
young white-shirted lads from Cornell get
ratified Backward and forward went
the sweeps with a rythmical motion and
powerful swing that was surprising to
watch. The weighty youngsters from
Yale used every pound of leverage, but
they could not get their boat alongside
the swiftly moving craft of the Cornell
boys. The Harvard men were rowing in
II very weak fashion during the next
mile, and it was evident they were
thoroughly used up. At the bridge the
ceoxswain, of the Harvard crew managed
to give the Harvard stroke a little water
in the face and for n moment, under the
reviving influence, the boat swung along
at a goodly pace, but only for moment.
and just as they passed under the bridge
the stroke began to give way.
Before they reached the third mile post
Yale had begun to squirt, and the eight
representatives OF Old ELS muscle and
stamina bent to their work with a Won
derful exhibition of sheer will power, for
their strength was gone. For a period
of perhaps three minutes the dying strug
gle of the giants lasted, and they gained
little on the flying leaders, while poor
old Harvard, with nearly every man eX-
hausted, chung with the tenacity of bull
dogs in the wake in her old-time rival.
But it was a hopeless struggle. Surely
and steadily the flying representatives of
the red and white, never changing their
steady stroke of 81 to the minute drew
away, as if they were enjoying an after
noon spin instead of participating in a
contest that will 60 down in history as the
greatest race ever witnessed in American
waters.
AS they approached the finish line it
was seen the Harvard eight were, nearly
to man. in difficulty, while several of
the Yale men were flying signals of dis
tress. Then the Cornell crew, as if in
mockery with the discontinue of their
rivals, increased their stroke to "a and
shot past the judges boat, every man as
fresh, apparently, as when he started.
Ten seconds later Yale crossed the line
and Immediately stopped rowing, with
Whitney and Campbell in a state of col
lapse. Then came Harvard, sixteen sec
onds behind her, with the entire crew
used up and three of the men utterly