The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-26
THE COLLEGE 0ARSMEN.
A New Record Predicted From the
Races at Poughkeepsie.
OARsMEN IN FINE CONDITION.
The Crews oe Cornell, Columbia, Penn
sylvania and Wisconsin have Devoted
Every Minute of Their Time in Pre-
pairing For tho Effort OfTheir Lives.

sylvania and w isconsin have Devoted
Every Minute of Their Time In Pre-
pairing For tho Effort ofTheir Lives.
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, June 26.-All
indications point to lowering of the
intercollegiate worlds record for four
miles for eight cared shell when the
crews of Columbia. Cornell, Pennsyl-
vania and Wisconsin meet on this
river tomorrow. for never in the his
tory of this now famous course have
the crews seemed to be SO evenly
matched as are those here at present
1t is fitting IL the record is to be
broken that it should be here, for here,
under the shadow of the great Pough-
keepse bridge, Cornell in 1896 es-
tablished a new worlds record of ID
minutes and 20 seconds. The last few
practices of the crews have shown
much similarity in the crews and Their
stroke and the respective speeds than
has ever been noticeable before. and
the boats travel so we'll In practice that
they will undoubtedly be very close
together during most of the four miles.
This afternoon at 4 O'Clock a race
between four cared crews of Penn
sylvania and Cornell will open the
two days racing This is practically
a match race, although the committee
of the Poughkeepsie Highland Regatta
o,ooo;otiop ora hpniuU thof nQYt Vaar
1t will lead to entries. in singles,
doubles and other fours. so as to make
the sport general. This race of four
cared crews will but whet the appe-
tites for the race of the freshmen
eights of Columbia, Cornell and Penn
sylvania which occurs an hour later.
At O'Clock tomorrow afternoon,
or as soon thereafter as the weather
will permit, the race of the varsity
eights of Columbia. Cornell Penn
sylvania and Wisconsin will be rowed.
This is the race that well informed
experts say Is to be one of the closest
and fastest ever rowed by college
crews.
The crews are in the pink Of con-
dition, and have devoted every min
ute Of their time to the work in hand.
There are no suggestions of staleness
or of not enough nerve, and each
coacher today claims that his men
are all in the best of condition. OF
the crews as units the heaviest is the
Columbia varsity, which averages
about 163 pounds, coupled with IN
average height of 5 feet 1l1s inches.
as in comparison with the crew of Wis
consin, which for its average height
of 6 feet and inch has but an aver
age weight of 1862 pounds. The men
have been under the personal direction
of their coaches for many weeks and
their frankness in claiming exemptions
from such training diseases as have
heretofore formed excuses for losing
crews is refreshing.
Charles Courtney, who for years has
trained Cornell for their great series
of victories, Is in charge of the Cor
nell crew this year. DR.. Peet, an old
rowing athletic enthusiast, Is in charge
of Columbia, and has had to change
the mems methods so much that he has
had a very hard task. Ellis Ward Is
the Pennsylvania coach. He has in the
past three years brought his men up
to wonderful standard. In two races
in which Pennsylvania has seemed to
have a good chance for winning she
has swamped on this course. with no
apparently good reason for it except
splashing Of the oars.
The coach of Wisconsin is a mere
boy, G. G. McOonville, who only Il
few years ago stroked varsity crew
which beat Yale. He was a pupil Of
Andrew O'Dea.
The freshmen crews of Pennsylva-
mia, Cornell and Columbia are in
splendid condition, and the two mile
race will be done in fast time. This
is always an exciting race, because its
brevlty gives a chance for display
of dash and spurt rowing not possible
in the long four mile race of the senior
eights. The pair cared race will be
rowed over the two mile course also.
The Poughkeepsie varsity course OF
four miles runs along the west side
of the river in the shadow of the high
hills, and begins ut point three miles
above the Poughkeepsie bridge, fin
ishing a mile below. 1t is as straight
as a tightly drawn line could be, and
the current of the river affects 1t but
little If the race is not rowed at a
time when the up tide makes a swirl
in the shallow waters. The miles are
marked with big round white disks
and the entire race is visible from an
observation train, which runs on the
west side of the river. The two mile
course for the four cared and freshmen
eight is rowed from the two mile point
of the course to tho fiIish.
The four miles stlltch of water
which has come to be known as the
Poughkeepsie course has been the
scene of the most important college
boat races that have ever been rowed
within the past four years, or since
1896, when the course was first brought
to public notice through its selection
for the triangular race between Cor
nell, Columbia and Pennsylvania uni.
versities.
The course holds the worlds record
of four miles, it having been estab-
lished by Cornell in 1896, when the
Ithacans travelled the four miles in 10
minutes and 20 seconds.
The Poughkeepsie course was Sc
lected for the race Of 1895, after the
city council of Philadelphia had re-
fused to pay the expenses OF the crews
for holding 1t there. Three years be-
fore that proposal had been made
by some gentlemen of Poughkeepsie
interested in rowing to have Columbia,
Cornell and Pennsylvania row their
triangular race here, but as Columbia
did not put crew on the water that
year the proposition did not come to a
focus. .-.,......
%The race of 1895 was set for June a.;
but 1t had to be postponed because Of
the swamping of Pennsylvania's shell
by swells from the tug ]. c. Hart,
with Governor Morton on board. This
is the only postponement that has oc-
Cured on this course since its selection
by the colleges.