The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-28
PENNSYLvANIA'S HARD PULL.
WON FROM WISCONSIN by HALF A
boats LENGTH.

Finish-Thousnnds of People ON
the River Banks.
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, June 2-Twenty
thousand people to-day saw one of ths
most exciting four-mlle boat races ever
Witnessed in the history of college racing.
Five thousand peop.e on the observation
train yelled themselves hoarse in frantic
appeals TO the various college crews to do
their best and with the other 1900 they
saw the red and blue carried over the line a
winner by u short half-length from Wis
consin, vino lost in the last 200 yards by
bad steering.
Cornell the victor of former years, pull
ed after, full four lengths in the rear and
Columbia, never in the fight at the end OF
the first mile, tralled in good three
lengths from the stern of the Cornell
boat.
II was the kind OF a race that makes the
blood Jingle, and was made so by the
crew that came over a thousand miles
to meet former vlctors, for without the
sallant Wlsconsins in the race, It would
have been a doleful procession after the
second mile was entered.
observation train and amid the great
crowds upon the banks when the Wiscon-
sin she'll swept mile after mile of tho
course until The last half was reached,
with a clear lead over all the crews. il
putting Il mildly. When the people on ths
bank, unable to place the stranger crew,
looked toward the observation train In
quiringly ana were told that II was Wis
consin, they were almost dumb with
amazement, and when those on the train
saw the gallant struggle, mile and mile,
they dropped their appeals for their own
crews and yelled in friendly manner for
the boys from the West.
Made the victory Great One.
The alleged ragged stroke, the badly
keeled boat. tho TOO long reach. all We're
forgotten as the fast moving craft kept
moving its sharp nose to the fore front,
and then they saw the leaders turn out to-
wards the shore at the finish and lose the
race TO the men from Pennsylvania by
short half length.
Wen did the Pennsylvania obey the in
junction OF Ellis Ward not 70 lose their
heads. From the first eighth of a mile
they rowed astern, hard chase, al ono
time being astern Of both Cornell and
Wisconsin, but their pluck and endurance
sent them over the line first In good time,
and by such small margin that the glory
Is greater
For Cornell, the winner OF many battles.
the contest proved to be a race only In two
miles. For those first two miles she did
gallant work, but she was struggling
against evidently better crews. and Il was
only by exertions of a phenomenal nature
that she managed to keep the nose of the
boat ahead of the Pennsylvania for a brief
time IN the second mile.
OF Columbia Il may be said that she was
outclassed from the start, and, barring
an accident, there was never a time when
she stood a chance Of winning the race.
She went to the rear In the first quarters
OF q mile although she made a good
start, and stayed there all through the
race.
Wisconsin Took the Lead.
Two false starts were made and the
referee called the crews back IL was
7:05 o'clock when the third start was givs
en-, and this time the crews got away
without accident. This start was a beau-
tiful one, the four boats noses seeming
to heng together for the first two strokes.
As they settled in the stroke taught them
by the various coaches, Wisconsin seemed
to be rowing the least number of strokes
per minute Of any Of the crews, but her
boat was going faster tnan any OF the
others
Before the first eighth of mile was fin
ished the Wisconsin boat had showed its
nose ahead OF the other crews, with Cor
nell second Pennsylvania hanging well ON
10 ntFs anu 1OthiAbio ACAAeAt AASbRAhs
astern.
When the first half-mile was reached so
fast was the Wisconsin boat going that 10
had taken its whole length ahead of tho
Pennsylvania boat and was half length
ahead OF the Cornell boat, ON the extreme
east Columbia was rowing with the nose
OF her boat just overlapping Pennsylvania.
Frantically the Pennsylvania rooters on
the train yelled at their crew and the
broad, brown backs Of the Quakers seem-
ed to. respond. as In few minutes they
shot their boat up even with the Cornell
boat. But 10 catch Wisconsin was not So
easy When the mile was reached the
Wisconsin boat had a lead OF clear
length over the Pennsylvania, and Corr
nell and Pennsylvania were see-sawinG
for second place. The Wisconsin crew
had settled down to a stroke of thirty-two
10 a minute, the boat never checking be-
tween the strokes, and the blades cutting
the water as keenly as a knife.
Cheers for Westerners.
Look at those Westerners gog' shouted
/ those on the observation train, and WIS
consln stock went UP for a little while.
| When the Wisconsin crew had reached
| the mile and quarter point they eased or
| trtfe In their stroke, rowing Tor TWO
or three minutes al 81. Al the same time
| Cornell picked up their stroke ana showed
| their boats nose slightly ahead OF Penn
sylvania and overlapping the stern OF the
| Wisconsin shell
cornell! Yen" came from thousands of
throats on the observation train, and the
| hope arose that the Cornell crew was
going TO the front IN their usual style.
But with apparent ease the Wisconsin
stroke went back to It's regular 32, and
the boat shot ahead again a good half
| length.
AT this point Il was one of the most
beautiful races imaginable, the four crews
rowing with great regularity ana all or
| them with a clean. neat stroke. AS they
| passed the tWo-mlle mark there was n
quarter Of a length Of clear water between
the nose of the Pennsylvania shell and tho
stern OF the Wisconsin shell, and, then,
for the first time, those upon the train
began to appreciate that Wisconsin was
not q one-mile crew, and that having pull
ed through the first two hard miles ae
such a splendid pace, they were liable to
| make trouble at The finish.
Cornell was even with Pennsylvania at
the mark and the two crews stayed on