The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-24
THE RACES ON THE THAMES
DETAILS OF THE 'YARSITY AND
FRESHMAN CONTESTS.

The Defeat of Yale's First Crew by Corr
nell Partly Wiped Out by Splendid
Victory by the Freshmen i'm One of the
Finest Races Ever Rowed on the
Thames Course-Harvard Freshmen
Second and Cornell Third-YaIe and
Harvard Crews Elect Captains.
New London, June 23.-The great in
ter-collegiate aquatic contest, which
for months has been looked forward
to by thousands of college youths and
their friends and for which this historic
old whaling town made such prepara-
tions, took place to-day and the results
again place Cornell on the pedestal of
fame as the champion university crew
of America, and to the freshmen of
Yale belongs the honor of success in
the irregular race with the youngsters
of Harvard and Cornell. In the Vars
sity contest the prophets named the
winner in advance. In the freshmen
race, however, they found at the end
of the battle that their "sure thing"
had gone wrong and that, contrary to
almost universal expectation the Itha-
can novitiates were relegated to third
place, while the first year men from Old
Yale outdid their Varsity colleagues
and took as pretty a victory as was
ever won.
The university race, which was rowed
down stream at 1890 this afternoon
was procession of the first class; the
freshmen contest was a battle royal
from the crack of the pistol to the
booming of the gun at the finish line.
The first race was uninteresting, except
to Comedians, after the first quarter
of mile had been rowed. The slight
lead which Yale secured at the start
was taken away by Cornell at this
point and Courtneys men We're not
again headed.
The eight of Harvard We're never In
the race and labored over the course
to the finish a poor third, eleven boat
lengths behind the champion New
Workers and seven to the stern of her
historic rivals of Yale. Prettier form
and workmanship has never been seen
in America than that presented by
Captain Colson and his Cornell crew
throughout the four miles Of the race.
Scarcely a. splash was to be seen from
thered and white tipped oars which swept
through the water at the muscular in
stance of the Cayuga experts. Their
spurts were timely, conservative and
uniformly successful. 1t was the con-
vtction of every fair-minded person
who witnessed the race that Cornell
might easily have won by greater
| margin. The work of Yale, the sec
ond crew, is capable of characterization
as first class when not subjected to the
deadly parallel with Cornell.
The Yale eight a splendid contingent,
rowed in good form throughout the race
but spurts We're unavailing against the
| responses Forthcoming from their
clever New York rivals. The Cam
bridge men pulled a long, clear stroke,
but it lacked propelling power and far
ther and farther behind Jagged the
crimson shell until hope of victory van
ished and it became with the despond-
ent sympathizers merely question of
I now HluCH. ne SOiuGll IHell hlLSltcu
| in superb style, and after the race
rowed majestically up the river two
| miles to their quarters. The Yale oars
men showed some signs of fatigue, but
| Captain Whitney was the only man of
| the crew who appeared to approach
| the point Of collapse. The plucky cap
| tain had rowed himself out, but recov-
cred quickly. Harvard finished sur
prisingly strong. She afforded the
| rather unusual spectacle Of a crew
| looking into the jaws of overwhelming
defeat and still pulling freshly and vig-
| orously across the last line of the con-
test. To Fred Colson, the Cornell cox
| swain, must be given the palm for
] clever steering. Yales rudderman
stuck to his course admirably and made
no mistakes. The Harvard helmsman,
| however, swerved badly at the lower
turn and lost probably a full length as
| a result of it.
| The twenty-four men We're all in good
| physical condition, with .Cornells eight
| this respect. The strokes rowed seem
ed to establish beyond a reasonable
contention that to Courtney goes the
| palm. Bob Cooks ideas certainly seen
superior to those taught by Mr.. Leh-
man, Harvard's English coach, ant
it is tonight predicted that next veal
will witness adaptations by both Yale
and Harvard of strokes more nearly
approaching the purely American evo.
luton of CornelPs instructor. The time
| of the winning crew was 23:4S, the
slowest time made in a university race
for some years. but this is attributable
| to a strong wind and that Cornell was
| not forced. Yale crossed the line four.
| teen seconds behind the champions
while the trailing Harvard eight rest
ed on their oars thirty-three second:
later.
If the university race was tame as {
contest, the freshman race, which
was started at SOB, was thrilling to the
| last degree. Every yard of the course
was fought viciously, and the result
| was in doubt until Yale rushed acros:
the line the winner in the official time
of 11:222-5. One hundred yards from
the finish it was Yale, Cornell, Harvard
and every one looked for a finish il
| that order. Yale spurted and main
tanned her vantage, but Cornell wa!
| not equal to the strain and at the las
moment Harvard in a desperate effor
! shot ahead of the Cornell youngsters
and crossed half a length behind Yale
with the nose of the Ithacan shell lap