New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-19
NEW-LONDON REGATTA.
INTEREST IN THE COLLEGE BOAT RACES
NEARING ITS ZENITH.
Ar. THE CONSISTING CREWS NOW CHARTERED
NEAR THE CoURsE-PREPARATIoNS FUN
HANDLING THE CROWDS EXPECTED
rtreroDy OF THE COURSE.


HISTORY or THE COURSE
ro~ tho ,ex, few days public interest in America
vii ne divided between the naves OF peace a'i'
those Of war. While Admiral Sat"pso" " r,on.o,
loo, ,,,a, AZ Santiago de cuba and Admiral p""'S
| l. bolding his own at Manila the Hes"-""v'
ua,ies Of Cornell Yale and Harvard WI" 10
struggling for supremacy on the pac'" n''"' 80.
New London. The annual varsity poht '',1 W.,
! th. four-mie course I'm eignt-oaTed she"s va, ,
Mace on Wednesday afternoon weather '"' ,,
conditions permitting and the freshman race VIZ
! no rowed on the day following. The varsity race
yin he the great AFFAIR OF the year In college a'"-
| ctlcs. ,..,rs
vow-rondon Is the acknowledged headquarters
| Of college boat-racng In America lo' '"'''
wears this old Connecticut whaling port Oh e'''e'
| d,vs has been acquiring a now and constantly ~
rsi,g fame a. the fayorite place for contests OF
! stu Nv college oarsmcn. Since 1875, with the t"o
! ov.o,,lons 1900 and 1897 races between the crews
! Of two or more Of the leading colleges nave pee'i
! held there each summer Now, aiter sp''''eu
| struggle between the supporters OF inc Ii"'
J River course mt Poughkccpsic ana the l'"''''
| pier courso a, New-London, the latter has won
! hack the coveted prize and Will make strong
| en,rt toward It's permanent retention. Al any
| rae Harvard and Yale seem determined 10 re""'"
| oval TO the Thames. and II any other coHese nav
| desires 20 enter race with them IN me '''"'e
| f. a foregonc conclusion that the th''u parry ''
! 20 20 w-I.ondon
/ In 1876 Harvard and Yale withdrew from the
| intercollegiate races. which up 70 that year hau
| been rowed at Saratoga. crews from hlIl oo"e''
: colleges sometimes being entered. These TWO eo'-
! lcges by reason OF many Victories. came 10 con,
slider themselves the leaders In college rowing ana
os outclassng the other institutions. they there
| for. desired that their future contests on inc
| water should De exclusive. and they selected Ue
| course az Springfield. Mass. where the crews rom
! CAMBRIDGE and Sew-iIavon rowei races IN 1910
Ffr. ffF
/ London begar advertising the advantages OF Inc
! Thames River for a rowing course. The New
| London Board 81 Trade appointed committees 10
| work I'm tho interest Of the Thames and endeavor
10 induce tho college men 10 try the merits or mo
| Thames Thomas NJ Waller. Mayor % Ncw-Lon-
don and since Governor Of Connecticut. went TO
| Snrncncd and attended meeting OF college men
! Interested IN Craftsmanship. Nj Waller mad"
! speech 20 the boys. which aroused great onthu-
siasm for his and II" river. and after several
conferences 20 was finally decided 10 accept the IN
! viiaion Of Ncv- London. and hold the next an
uual aquatic contests there The public IL moro
or Jess familiar with the result ~ this choice.
/ For eighteen years thereafter. until the Yale crew
went 10 England IN 1895 for the Henley regatta.
| the Yale Harvard races were rowcd AT Newton
| don crews from other colleges entering from umc
! t. time Last year Yale. Cornell and Harvard
rowed AT Poughkccpsie Cornell winning. with Yale
second. but Immediately after the race the two
defeated colleges announced their intention TO re-
turn the Thames and upon this condition only
was Cornell admitted to the race this year.
Yale hal won q large majority OF the races at
Ncw-L london In tho nrst race. that of 1875. fInr-
ward beat Yale hy twelve lengths. It upon
| that occasion that Foxy" Bancroft % the IIar-
ward crew. VINO has recently been appointed
briGadcr-gc general by President Mckinley, sent his
famous telegram to Cambridge.
Harvard just arrived. Yale expected any
minute"
In Ia Val ora befo en-
expected and since the present decade began IIar
ward has never arrived first.
In New-London race day" is the grea, day OF
the year Now the town welcomes the college
| crews and the attendant crowds with open arms
but In 1873 tie conservative people OF the place
were greatly perturbed when they learned that the
race was going to be held there They enter
tanned such horror OF boat-race crowds that
many of the citizens took extra precautions lest
their houses should be sacked and themselves held
up by enthusiastic collcgians the night OF
day. when the victory was celebrated and the de-
feat was drowned in drink 1t is stated that sew
eral citizens cleaned up their old Colts rcvovers
and stood guard over their possessions that night
These were exceptions. however. for in recogni-
ton Of the compliment paid New-London by the
| selection OF the Thames course Of the peo-
pie decorated their houses with flags and bunting
and hired the military band from Fort Adams
Newport. to furnish music. The day was balmy
and bright and the city was crowded with visitors
Though the advertised to start . p m
1t delayed until 7. and in the mean time there
was intense excitement all along the course With
each succeeding race the crowds and the excite
mcnt Increased
on the day the of 1880 was rowed a dis
tressing accident occurred. Resulting In the dea
OF President Lincoln OF the Boston and Albany
Railroad and Mrs. Appleton. the wife OF DR. Ap-
plcton. VINO had summer residence at New
London, Mrs. Appleton was sister Of Hammond
Of the Harvard crew she and Mr. Lincoln were
standing on natcar OF the observation train
which moved along the western shore Of the
Thames as the race proceeded BY "A sudden Jerk
, OF the train they were thrown on and killed his
casually cast gloom the night celebration
In 1851 Columbia College sent freshman crew
For number Of years thereafter. Columbia had
Varsity and freshmen crews on the river Harvard
accommodating them with races. The University
of pennsylvania also sent few crews there. Cor
nells first race on the Thames freshman
contest. Columbia and PENNSYLVANIA being her OPP
| ponents. The race was for three miles. and was
/, almost dead heat, Cornell winning
OF late years the Cornell. Columbia and Pennsyl-
| vania lighthouses have fallen into decay. A few
| weeks ago the Columbia boathouse not far from
| that Of Yale. at Gales Ferry. was crushed by "A
| fa,ng tree. and IT is a wreck Cornelrs old
II is the Thames River drawbrldgc. and is now
surrounded by oil tanks and hshermens lll-smelng
| Harrisons Landing. on the New-London side of
the river. a handsome new boathouse with every
| tered at Captain W. F. Clark's farmhouse. In the
| hamlet Coach Courtney OF Cornell did take
| his crews 10 w-London until last Wednesday.
| and consequently has but one week training on
| the course. The Yale and Harvard crews
there ten days ahead Of Cornell.
| tage. in the village OF Gales Ferry. miles
| above New-Iondon and on the opposite side OF
tage called Red Top. the property 81 the Harvard
| Rowing ASSOCIATE ton. half mile below the Yale
quarters. Hundreds Of people visit the boa thouses
villages OF Gales Ferry and Harrison's Landing
are lively Vel places Tor those few days From now