Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-07-03
WON BY PENNSCREW
BIG BOAT RACE DECIDED BY MAR
ROW MARGIN.
WISCONSIN MEN AsURoRIsE
Third Place Goes to Cornell and the
Fourth to Columbia Steering at
the Finish is Responsible for West
erners Defeat-Delay in the Start
in is Caused by Slight Mishaps.

University of Pennsylvania .........1
University of Wisconsin .............2
Cornell university. .................3
Columbia university a
Time-2O:O4.
Pennsylvania won by a scant half
length, Wisconsin being three lengths
ahead of Cornell and the latter lead
ing Columbia by four lengths.
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, June 28.-Twen-
| ty thousand people Tuesday saw one of
the most exciting four-mile races ever
witnessed in the history of college
racing. Five thousand people on the
observation train yelled themselves
hoarse in frantic applause to their var
ious college crews to do their best and
with the other $4,000 they saw the red
and blue carried over the line a win
ner by short half length from Wis
cOnsin, which lost in the last 200 yards
| by bad steering. Cornell, the victor in
former years, pulled after, full four
lengths in the rear, and Columbia,
never in the fight after the end of the
first mile, trailed a good three lengths
from the stern of the Cornell boat.
| 1t was the kind of a race that makes
the blood Jingle, and was made so by
the crew that came over 1000 miles to
meet the former victors, for without
the gallant badgers in the race, it
would have been doleful procession
after the second mile was entered. To
say that there was surprise on the OBJ
servation train and amid the great
crowds upon the banks when the Wis
consin shell swept mile after mile of
the course until the last half was
reached, with a clear lead over all the
crews, is putting it mildly. When the
people on the bank, unable to place the
stranger crew, looked toward the OBJ
servation train inquiringly and were
told that it was Wisconsin, they were
almost dumb with amazement and
when those on the train saw the gal
| liant struggle mile after mile they drop
| ped their applause for their own crews
and yelled in friendly manner for the
boys from the west. The alleged rag
ged stroke, the badly keeled boat, the
too long reach, all we're forgotten as
| the fast moving shell kept it's sharp
nose to the fore, and then the people
saw the leaders turn out towards
the shore at the finish and lose the
race to the men from Pennsylvania by
a short half length.
At the 2 and 81 mile point Cornell
began to drop back while Pennsyl-
vania spurted ahead little and finally
| Tapped the Wisconsin she'll In the
last quarter of the second mile Wis
consin had length on Pennsylvania
and one and half on Cornell.
Passing the three mile and a quarter
point, Pennsylvania hit a stroke of %
and there began one of the most excit-
ing contests ever seen in boat racing
Slowly the bowman of the Pennsyl-
vania boat lined up with the coxswain
in the Wisconsin boat, but just as he
had come on line with him the Wis
consin crew responded with a squirt
and again drove the boat away. It
was at this point that Wisconsin was
seen to swerve badly toward the west
ern shore and to the surprise of
| everybody maintained this course, al
though it took the westerners inside of
a number of small pleasure yachts and
| fully 500 yards out of the course at
the finish. The Wisconsin boat, I'M
able to turn back into it's lane, had
| found dead water in the lane which it
sought near shore and the nose of
Pennsylvania shell came out inch by
inch until it crossed the line a scant
half length ahead of the badgers boat.
COrnell's boat was fully three lengths
in the rear of Wisconsin's, while Co
lumbia finished almost four lengths
behind Cornell. The official time was
20:04. None of the crews were in bad
condition at the finish.
Immediately after crossing the line,
the badgers formed a group about
Capt. Sutherland and shook his hand,
and then they fairly Rugged each
other. Their enthusiasm was un-
bounded, although they were very
much disappointed at not finishing
first. The eight were unanimous, how
ever, in relieving their coxswain from
all blame for steering them out of
their course. The little steersman him
self, J. G. Dillon, felt very much de-
pressed about the matter though he
made a good defense for his action.
Gust as we were passing under the
big bridge" he said, 81 noticed a large
berry crate floating right ahead of us,
hard on our port bow and in a few
seconds we would have struck it, and
in order to avoid disastrous collision,
| veered sharply toward the shore,
going SO far out of our course that
realized that if I we're to attempt to
get back again the movement would
probably cost us the half length that
we were then in the lead of Pennsyl-
vania, and looking down among the
small boats inside of the course, and
| seeing what I thought a chance to
pass among them and reach the finish
line, I resolved to keep the shell as she
was then headed and take the chances.
| Of course the Vancouver cost us the