The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-09

Poughkeepsie. y. Y. July 1.-The second
varsity race upon the four mile course.
contestants. eight Dared crews from Cor
nell. Columbia and Pennsylvania. took
place today. The expectations were Il
breaking OF records and a close and ex-
citing contest. The result was a fizzle
and a procession. Cornell won. Columbia
second. about eleven lengths and a half
TO the rear. Pennsylvania ~foundered just
after passing the two mile mark. The
official time was: Cornell - minutes.
Il 45 seconds; Columbia, q minutes. - -
seconds. The time by miles for Cornell
was: First mile 5:0i %. second mile 1851.
third mile 15:+s. fourth mile 20:47.
All of the expectations OF lovers Of
American sports today of establishing
new records. whereby Pennsylvania and
Columbia would be entitled 10 demand ad-
mission into what promises to be an inter
collegiate rowing combination Of three
colleges, Yale, Harvard and Cornell. have
been rudely shattered. The contest on
' the Hudson this afternoon, which had
been heralded as promising a close and
exciting finish. and which each college
coach declared would be a record breaking
contest, turned out TO be the merest sort
of a procession and an apology for a race.
1t Is true that the water conditions were
| not favorable 10 last time, but II Is also
true that once having started, the
chances were equal for each crew. The
| highest crew on the river and the enc
less likely TO be able to stand the swells
caused by the wind blowing against the
tide. came out of the contest an easy
winner, and only slightly behind the
record of Yale last week. The heaviest
crew in the race today. Pennsylvania,
| found its boat washed full of water be-
fore the second mile was reached and
after passing that point was compelled to
l nfira rnp tho nr.n y ra~s
heaviest crew. Columbia, bravely heralded
as a rough water crew, was so fearful of
results from the same cause that it lost
many lengths steering in shore.
| In some respects the contest was pitt
full. Cornell. the winner of the two previ-
Gus contests. the victors over Yale and
Harvard, had been led to believe that
Pennsylvania and Columbia would put up
a harder fight than her contestants in the
other races. On the contrary, the Cor
nell crew rOwed over the course in the
easiest kind of a fashion. only hitting up
the stroke in the last three quarters of
a mile in an evident endeavor to make
| fair time. Columbia struggled on in the
rear, losing length by length. while row.
ing a much quicker stroke than Cornell,
and finally after crossing the line her
crew found themselves almost incapable
of any further work.
AS if to exhibit her proves and her
wonderfully husbanded strength. the Cor
nell coxswain turned his boat around and
rOwed up a mile and a quarter above the
finish to salute the defeated Pennsyl-
vania crew and then returned to the
There was really no race to describe, at
least not after the second mile. During
the first ~three-Quarters of a mile the con-
test was rather pretty, Pennsylvania took
the water first with a quick, jerky stroke,
Columbia following and Cornell hanging
to the rear.
At the quarter of a mile Pennsylvania
had a lead of cne-half q length over
Columbia and Columbia one-half a length
over Cornell, Pennsylvania was. however.
la-II No = -, to-, ~ 1;t
ting the water every time on his feather.
At the half mile Pennsylvania was rowing
a "a and Columbia a 33, while Cornell.
with her 80 stroke was decreasing the
lead. At the three-quarters of a mile
Pennsylvania had three-quarters of a
length still over Cornell, who had pulled
on beyond Columbia for about a length.
1t was here that the trouble seemed to
begin in the Pennsylvania boat. Just
prior to the starting of the race, the
steamer Tremper of the Albany and New
burgh line. came down the river as the
boats were lined up, and although warned
by the referee and the police boats. would
not stop. The sWells that she made We're
blown back by the south wind. and the
local referee. Harris Reynolds, started
the crews while the sWells were running,
though Coach Ward. of Pennsylvania.
protested against starting. When Cor
nell's boat on the outside hit them they
were long Swells and the sharp beat cut
them in two. converting them into a
choppy sea, SO that when they hit Penn
Sylvania'S shell they sWamped over the
side. 1t was here that Cornelrs clever
rowing was in evidence, for while the
beautiful form of that crew kept the
oars from touching the SWellS during the
feather. the Pennsylvania oars hit them
with so much force as to throw part of
them into the boat.
BY the time the crews had reached the
mile and a quarter the Pennsylvania boat
was numbering along; filled almost to
bravely pulling, although falling far be-
hind Columbia. who in rowing in shore
to avoid the swells had lost considerable
distance to Cornell.
From a mile and a half down. the al
most ludicrous procession began. Cor
nells boat went along against the head
crew pulled along violently, losing nearly
a length in every quarter mile. Pennsyl-
vania splashed and fused along. slowly
going to the rear until the two mile and
a quarter point was reached when Coach
Ward came around in the Ben Franklin
and took the crew aboard From that
time on, the race practically lost its in
terest to the thousands of people along the
shore. Cornell's r~hythmical 80 swing car
ried the boat along at an excellent pace,
although the shell had taken in some
water, while Columbia's rowing at SO. but
with indomitable pluck, struggled along
to catch her with a precision that was
from the Columbia boat until at the
bridge there was at least ten boat lengths
between them. 1t was here that the Co
lumbia crew made a desperate effort to
II spun 'oN ~. oii' w
out evidently increasing the stroke put a
little more back and leg work in and
carried her boat another length and a
half ahead of the white and blue, cross
ing the line an easy winner.
To the pitiable fiZzle of the afternoon.
there was one bright side and hat was
the true American sportsman spirit dis
played by Cornell. On the referees boat.
just after Pennsylvania was swamped.
Professor Wheeler, of Cornell turned to
Mr.. James Bond, of Pennsylvania and
! said: Mr. Bond. on behalf of Cornell
university | desire to say that Cornells
eight will row Pennsylvania eight to-
morrow if you will accept the Offer
MIR. Bond replied that it was a very
courteous thing to do. but that. on behalf
of Pennsylvania. he would have to decline
to accept the offer, and that it would be
unsportsmanlike for Pennsylvania TO al
low the Cornell crew 10 race for the third
time within eight days.
Restored Manhood,