The Worcester spy., 1899-06-30
LEADS BY SIX LENGTHS.
Varsity Race Won In Close To Record
Time---Oarsmen of Eli Put Up Game
Contest--Coach Storrow's Proteges
Exhibit Matchless Form.

r sent the two crews off in the big race
of the day.
The water was as calm as an inland
lake. The crews rowed in tagged lines,
the blue occupying the eastern course,
the crimson the western. Yale caught
the water first, but Harvard was a
close second and the two eights start
ed on their long journey practically on
even terms. The New Haven boys hit
up a stroke of 81 to the minute, with
the young men from Cambridge pulling
beautifully at &c.
The shells had not travelled half a
mile when by the merest chance they
presented a beautiful spectacle Har-
ward was still rowing at 36 and Yale
had dropped her clip to the same
figures, and with perfect rhythm,
at unison. The IS brown backs came
forward and backward together. The
reach, the catch, the heave and the re-
covery were simultaneous in both
shells, and, as the two craft sped on
with noses and rudders exactly even,
they looked as if they might have been
mechanically connected and propelled
by identical machinery.
Just before the first half-mile was
reached Yale seemed to put more power
into her stroke and gave the first in
timation of advantage. Harvard ap-
parently paid no attention to this un-
important change in positions, and
rowed steadily on. Accordingly, at the
half-mile flag, the nose of the blue
shell was a trifle in the van, giving
| Yale perhaps a lead of an eight Of a
| length. The first flag, however, had
hardly been passed. when Harvard
| spurted, Yale dropped her stroke one
| point and the Harvard boat came UP
on even terms.
| Reaching down for the mile flag, the
| Yale coxsWain swerVed slightly from
| his true course. and directly after the
mile flag had been passed Harvard took
the lead, which she was not to SIR
render throughout the race. Yale
whose men had up to this, point bceA
rowing beautifully, INDUCED in a little
freaky Workmanship, and Harvard
! stole away. During the next half mile
! the crimson tipped oars were sweeping
gracefully through the water at rate
and a style which fairly lifted tho
shell from the water, and in this short
stretch Harvard increased her lead to
a full length.
The Yale steerer saw the Harvards
pulling steadily away, and he frantic
| ally called on his men to hit 1t up.
They responded nobly and increased
the rate two points, rowing 36 to tie
minute. Harvard, meanwhile, had
watching Yale a few strokes, Captain
Higginson decided that a Harvard 81
was as telling as a Yale 36, and he
wisely refused to respond to Yale'S
squirt.
AT this point the Harvard men did
the prettiest rowing Of the day, ana
among those on board the official boats
it was the unanimous opinion that no
finer piece of work had ever been seen
Yale's speeder stroke, the Ellis found
it impossible to overcome tho Harvard
lead.
On the contrary, during this very
Yale squirt. the Harvard shell actually
gained another half length. and pro-
ceeded to make It two full lengths in
an amazingly short period Yale tenn
porarily surrendered and dropped from
az 10 32 strokes to the minute, while
Harvard lowered her stroke 70 30: AZ
the two-mile flag the Cambridge Best
was fairly flying through the water.
her oArsmen, apparently, growing
stronger.
Yale was rowing well and improved
in the next half-mile, but Tor every
notch of finer work that Yale cut out
Harvard gouged out two, and at the
21h-mile flag it was Harvard's advant-
age by three clean lengths. Yale, with
her traditional sand and pluck, put in
some gruelling work and undertook TO
fight braVely the fate which now
seemed certain. The race had gone too
far. however. and Harvard having in
mind the thrashings which she had
suffered at Yale's hands in former
years, proceeded to make walk-away
of it, and at the threemile flag found
the race partaking Of all the elements
of a procession.
Harvard had stolen two more
lengths from the Yale boat and was
gliding gracefully along, with are
five boat lengths to the rear. Down
the long lane Of decorated yachts gath
cred at and about the finish, the Har-
ward eight swung jauntily' steadily
pulling away from Yale.
Reaching for the finish flag the tide
caught Harvards shell and swerVed
III woefully. The little coxswain had
his head about him, however, and
with great skill worked his boat back
into her lire and SHOT down toward
the Judges boat. Here was witnessed
mvriads of small boats lowering about
the course. The elaborate and we'll
planned scheme Of the regatta commit
tee WAS rendered futile by virtue of
bull-headed disregard Of police orders
and clumsy manipulation Of police
boats 1t cost Harvard a fraction Of
a length. perhaps but Yale. struggling
along gamely, had a similar experi-
ence and the disadvantages were even.
Harvard crossed the finish line in a
whirlwind. rowing beautifully. 6A
lengths to the good. Yale finished in
fairly good shape. but her men were
Somewhat depressed, Of course. Har-
ward had won her grand race in 20
minutes and 62lA seconds. while Yale