The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-28

Poughkeepsie, N. Y, June ~
Twenty thousand persons today saw
one of the most exciting four-mile boat
races ever witnessed in the history of
college rowing. Five thousand persons
on the observation train yelled them
selves hoarse in frantic appeals to their
various college crews to do their best,
and with the other fifteen thousand,
they saw the red and blue carried over
the line q winner by a short half
length from the Wisconsin badgers,
who lost it in the last two hundred
yards by bad steering.
Cornell, the victor of former years
pulled after them a good four lengths
in the rear, and Columbia never in the
fight, after the end of' the first mile
trailed in a good three lengths from
the stern of the Cornell boat.
1t was the kind of a race that makes
the blood tingle in the veins and the
| nerves become tense under the excite
ment, and these elements were injected
into it by the crew that came over a
thousand miles to meet former victors
for without the gallant Wisconsins in
the race it would have been a dolefu
procession after the second mile was
entered.
| observation train and amidst the great
crowds upon the banks when the Wis
consin shell swept mile after mile .o1
the course until the last half was
reached, with a clear lead upon all the
crews, is putting it mildly
When those on the train saw the
gallant struggle mile after mile, they
dropped their appeals for their own
crews and yelled in friendly manner for
the boys from the west.
The alleged ragged stroke, the badly
keeled boat, the too long reach were
all forgotten as the fast moving craft
kept its nose to the fore, until it was
seen to turn out towards the shore at
the finish and lose the race to the men
from Pennsylvania by a short half
length.
Well did the Pennsylvania obey the
injunction of Ellis Ward to not lose
their heads. From the first eighth of a
mile they rowed a stern hard chase, at
one time being astern of both Cornell
and Wisconsin, but their endurance
sent them over the line a winner in
good time, and by such small margin
that the glory is greater
For Cornell, the winner Of many bat
ties, it proved to be a race only for
two miles. For those first two miles
she did gallant work, but she was
struggling against evidently better
crews, and it was only by exertions of
phenomenal nature that she managed
to keep the nose of the boat ahead Of
Pennsylvania for a brief time in the
second mile.
OF Columbia it may be said that she
was outclassed from the start, and bar
ring an accident never at any time
stood a chance of winning. She went
to the rear in the first quarter of a
mile, although she made a good start,
and stayed there all through the race.
At o'clock, or a few minutes after,
the Pennsylvania crew arrived at the
start, where the observation train al
ready was, and there was long wait,
which was explained on the ground that
the Columbia launch while towing the
shell up the river had broken down. The
Pennsylvania crew, which was getting
into the boat from the float at the start,
was serenaded by lot of enthusiastic
rooters who had secured a cornet to ac-
company them in the song, Murray for
the red and blue"
At SAB o'clock the referees boat sig
nailed to Cornell and Wisconsin, both
crews being at the Cornell float just
above the start, to come out, because
Columbia had just rowed into sight.
Seven minutes later the four crews were
in line and all had answered the ref
eree's query, Are you ready?" in the
affirmative.
Cornell had the channel course, where
the advantage is said to lie, with Col
umbia directly next to her. and then
came Pennsylvania, with Wisconsin
close inshore. 1t was rather pitiful to
hear the three eastern crews get cheer
after cheer and the western crew not
getting any.
please keep quiet, observation
train" called the referee, and there was
quietness enough so the referee could
be plainly heard saying: Are you all
ready?''
yes" came back the answer from
all the coxswains.
At 6.54:30 the pistol flashed and the
four crews seemed to take the water
FIVE lengths before it was seen that No.
2 of the Wisconsin crew had jumped
his seat and the coxswain threw up his
hands appealingly for a new start,
which he had right to do inside of thirty
seconds.
The referees boat whistled the crews
back. and the fact that Cornells boat
was furthest down the river at the time
raised Cornell hopes.
A second time the crews were lined
up. and at 6.57:5s another start was
one in Columbia's beat raised his hands
as if in trouble, and for a second time
the boats were called back to the start.
1t was 7.05 o'clock when the third
start was given, and this time the crews
got away. The start was a beautiful
one. the four boats noses seeming to
hang together for the first two strokes.
AS they settled down 10 the stroke
taught them by the various coaches,