The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-23


squall Which Made the Water Very
Rough-Referee's Decision to Delay
the Race Until p. m. and Its POST
ponement From That Time Until To-
day-NIany Women Lightly Clad
Drenched by the Raim--The Crews All
in Fine Condition.
New London, June pa more unsat-
isfactory day in the annals of boat
racing on the Thames has never been
recorded than that which the three
university crews and the thousands of
would-be spectators experienced to-
day. Three times the referee attempt
ed to start the race and each time the
weather conditions prevented, until at
last, just before sunset, after the rain
had fallen in torrents all day, Mr..
Meikleham was obliged to put it over
until tomorrow at half-past twelve
o'clock. The early morning gave the
very best promise that the day would
be an almost ideal one on the river and
for an hour everything went along as
the most exacting crews could wish.
The first break came in the news that
a railroad wreck had occurred on the
New York, New Haven and Hartford
road, west of New Haven, which neces-
STATED considerable delay in the arri-
val of the New Workers, who wanted
to see the race from the observation
train.
BY hard work the regatta committee
was able to persuade the three coaches
to put the race over for half an hour
in order that these belated travellers
might get their moneys worth The
weather held favorable until about an
hour before the time set for the start
at $780, when the wind, which all the
morning had been very light from the
north, suddenly shifted to the south
west and blew briskly UP the river,
kicking up quite a sea. Notwithstand-
ing this the Cornell crew put out in
their launch for the starting point, two
miles up the river towing their shell.
Before they arrived at the line the sky
began to look oninous and the distant
roll of thunder came reverberating
down the Thames. The referees boat,
the Vanish, was not near the line at
the appointed time, but the observa-
tion train came putting UP ten minutes
before the hour set for the start. The
squall grew blacker and more threaten
ing and the Cornell launch took the
crew over to the Harvard boathouse,
where all went ashore and for the first
time in the history of racing in this
country two crews were in close rela-
tionship with one another for a. period
of over two hours and that on the day
fixed for the race.
The referees boat ran over to the
Harvard boathouse where there was
hurried consultation with Messrs.
Lehman and Courtney. The result of
the conference was that the referee
put the race over until $3.50. Mr.. Meikle-
ham then went up to the Yale quarters
and told Mr.. Cook of his decision and
the latter came back with the referee
to the Harvard quarters. If the crews
had had shells with two washboards
two feet high they might have rowed
at the second time set for the race, but
nothing short of that could have lived
on the river The storm came down
about 8 o'clock after splitting drops of
rain for fifteen minutes before and
broke with great violence about the
training quarters up the river. The
observation train with forty we'll laden
cars filled mostly with women in the
slimmest frocks stood fifteen or twen-
ty minutes in the drenching rain, the
occupants having no other protection
than thin canvass covering over the
top. AS long as the wind held from the
northwest the woods formed somewhat
of protection, but in a few minutes
the wind shifted to the east. This
was more than they could stand and
the conductor at once ran the train
back to New London, five miles dis
tant, Two-thirds and probably more
of those on the train were completely
soaked before the train at last pulled
into the station and the crowd hurried
for shelter and dry clothing.
Mr.. Cook remained at the Harvard
quarters for fifteen minutes after the
storm broke and then as 1t gave every
indication of continuing the referee put
the race off for the second time, setting
the start at Z o'clock. Mr.. Cook was
taken back, and everyone found the
best quarters possible for the next
four hours. The Cornell crew remain
ed at Red Top with the Harvard oars
men until nearly I o'clock when, as the
rain continued to fall, the referee made
a third postponement until 1890 to-
morrow, when it is hoped the weather
will be more favorable.
The excursion steamers hung round
the finish line until nearly half-past
seven, when they reluctantly swung
round, went down through the draw
bridge and landed their passengers
There is but little prospect that there
will be anywhere near the crowd to-
morrow that there was to-day, al
though many have stayed over. New
London itself probably benefited by the
drenching rain, for every waterproof
article of clothing for either sex was al
a premium within fifteen minutes after
the observation train came down. Not.
withstanding the wetting that the hold
ers of the seats received while up the
river fully two-thirds boarded the trair
again at half-past six and were taken
up to the start, which this time was
set for at the finish line near the bridge
the intention being to have the race
rowed upstream, and as the train re-
mained standing for half an hour the
crowd had another damp time. To