New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-01
4 CLOSE FRESHMAN RACE.
FINE ROWING EXHIBITION ON THE
RIVER AT POUGHKEEPsIE

CORNELL THE WINNER. WITH COLUMBIA SEC.
oND AND PENNSYLVANIA THIaD-THE Of
FIcIAL TIME 9:?Is-BoATs LAPPING
Ar THE FINISH.
Poughkeepsie, N Y, June 3O.-The freshman
race the two-rniie course here this after.
noon between three American crews rowing
with purely American methods a remark
able exhibition of skill and muscle. The fresh
men Of Cornell, Columbia ard Pennsylvania
rowed with their heads as well as their bodies,
and showed science that was surprising. IT was
anybody's race until the instant the ha3
dropped and the fact that but two seconds di.
vided the first and last crews. and that the boats
Tapped over each other nearly half. Is evidence
Of the character Of the struggle. That such o
struggle watched by only a sma!l-sized
crowd is a misfortune for those who missed
seeing it. The time is not record breaking. for
Yale made the same distance In 9:lo1a last
Wednesday. but both Columbia. finishing Sec
| ond, and Pennsylvania. finishing third. made
| better time than did Harvard and Cornell finish.
| ing in the same places last week.
a notable feature OF the race was the won.
| derful squirt made by the Columbia youngsters
| in the last half-mile when they closed up gap
| between themselves and Cornell so fast that had
| there been another eighth of mile to row they
| WOuld nave been at lTst pldcc. ~ sSSoi" iS"s~
ure was the remarkable rowing Of the Pennsyi.
vania crew, which had been said by rs trainer
to be in bad shape. This crew is much inferior
| to the Pennsylvania University crew. and the
critics are wondering whether Ellis Ward has
rot got something up his sleeve" for Fridays
race.
CONDITION or TIE WATER.
During the pain Of the early morning the water
was in perfect condition for rowing. but as soon
as the rain ceased and the Sun came out tho
| wind came up and there was choppy SURFACE
the wind being against the tide. At II o'clock the
wind suddenly changed from the south to tho
southwest At o'clock Il regular gale was
| blowing from the west At this time Mr.. Num-
ford who had been expected to act as referee
| had not arrived and DR.. Walter Pect was
chosen in his place.
| Bv 3 O'Clock the wind had stiffened. ana was
| whisking down stream at moderate cup. inc
| tide turned half an hour later and with this
change a much less choppy surface 70 the
water. Tie general weather conditions contn'
ued perfect the breeze afford.ng some reliet from
| the heat There were no boats in sight beyond
craft ordinarily plying on the river. except the
police boats and the yacht Clara. carrying Ref
cree Peet Four O'Clock saw continued strong
| breeze, but the tide wes row starting down ana
the wind was losing its SKIP 10 an appreciaple
extent.
Half an hour before the scheduled time for
starting the race 5:3O, the brisk northeriy breeze
had freshened and again the water was rather
rougher than she'll rowers liked There was
even a possibility Of postponement at that
time, and 1t hardly seemed possible TO start the
race anywhere near 5:30, even II not officially
postponed.
KEPT sly MINUTES IN SUSPENSE.
At 6 o'clock the men lined up for n start, but
the referees boat was clumsy and for six MIN
utes kept the men waiting under what is usu.
ally considered a frightful strain Finally at
Gcn3 the pistol started them. Pennsylvania
caught the water first with a swift stroke that
showed the nose 6f her boat clearly ahead or the/
others. Cornell and Columbia started trife
more easily and Cornell fell slightly 70 the rear
Of the New-Yorkers. All started at thirty-sx
stroke but Cornell. true TO the Courtney train
ing dropped down to thirty-three. While Co
Iumb!a kept It up at thirty-fve. and Penrsyl-
vania was hitting away at thlriy-ihree
Al the eighth of a mile Pennsylvania was lead.
ing the Columbia boat by an eighth Ot lehgtn'
While Cornell was quarter OF length oehiho
Columbia Cornell rowing easily wnle the
other two were lighting It out for first place But
the Cornell stroke had effect. and at the quarter
mile Cornell had drawn up even with CosuIn'ia,
while Pe Pennsylyanll still had her quarter-lensth
lead Down to the half this continued when
Cornell drew up on Pennsylvania and away rom
| Columbia Pennsylvania hit the water NIc4ous'y'
opa their boat seemed t. ily In the effort 10 hold
tha, lead. but slowly and surely the CoFHeh ooat
went on inch by inch showing out beyond the
| Pennsylvanias Columbia, too. was coming
along. and the Pennsylvania lead OF a quarter
l., Z No " rlia q n
bare eighth. Then the Quakers did their pretti.
est and down to the end OF the first mile there
was terrific race So it continued for another
half-nNc First the nose Of the Pennsylvania
hoot would begin To draw away from the Colum.
b,a and then Columbia would draw up on Penn.
syvania.
COIUMBIAs. STROKE CAUGHT 4 CRAB.
Entering the last half. Cornell had a lead Of
quarter OF a length ever Pennsylvania, ana
Columbia was an eighth Of 4 length behind PENN
sylvania Columbia's stroke oar caught crap
| n, this tuncture ard lost about four strokes put
quickly fell IN. Whether this had any disastrous
effect upon the boat or not was NOT apPafehs
! from the train. but just following il the So'u'h'
hin bovs hit up the stroke from the thrty-five
| they had been rowing uniformly during the race
to thirty-slx Cornell had made the lead three'
/ quarters or L Iensth an" "'S sum e~'''9 ~
| that squirt started and when IL was fairiy uhoer
way had length advantage.
Then the boat OF Columbia seemed iairiy 70
| lift itself out OF the water pennsylvania re-
| sponded with thirty-tiye stroke, Dut the long
| shell of the New-Yorkers shot along and went
by the PENNSYLVANIA boat and after the cornell
shell like a thing Of life on 1t went, the DOW
| lappng the rudGer post Of the Cornell boat ana
creening I'D toward the stroke oar Fran.
t,calIy did the little sixteen-year-oid cox.
swain call to the crew. and we'll cid they
respond; but just the nose OF the boas
lined even with the stroke oar Of the Corneu
crew. the two bouts crossed the line. and Corner
...i....o. IL. .hraa-nnarfers Of a length.