The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-28
PENNSYLVANIA WINS
Against the Crews Of Wisconsin,
-. Cornell and Columbia.
WISCONSIN AVERY CLOSE SECOND

| WlSUUN6lN a VEh1 ULU66 06UUNl
The Splendid Oarsmen From the Yves
Led From the Start, and Had TIN
Race Well in Hand, When Their Cox
swain's Bad Steering Defeated Them
Poughkeepsie. NY, June 28.-Twen
ty thousand people yesterday saw on
Of the most exciting four mile boa
races ever witnessed in the history o
college rowing. Five thousand people
on the observation train yelled them
selves hoarse in frantic appeals to thu
various college crews to do their best
and with the other $4,000 they saw tht
Pennsylvania crew come over the line
by a short half length from the Wis.
consins, who 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 In good three
lengths from the stern of the Cornell
boat
1t was the kind of race that makes
the blood tingle, and was made SO by
the crew that came over thousand
miles to meet former victors, for with
out the gallant Wisconsins in the race
1t would have been doleful process
sion after the second mile was scored.
To say that there was surprise on the
observation train and amid the great
crowds upon the banks when the Wis
consn shell swept mile after mile OF
the course until the last half was
reached, with clear lead over all the
crews. is putting 1t mildly. When the
people on the bank. unable to place the
stranger crew, looked toward the OBJ
servation train inquiringly and were
told that 1t was Wisconsin they were
almost dumb with amazement, and
when those on the train saw the gal
liant struggle, mile after mile, they
dropped their appeals for their own
crews and yelled in friendly manner
for the boys from the west.
The Badgers Surprise.
The alleged ragged stroke, the badly
keeled boat, the too long reach, all
were forgotten as the fast moving craft
kept its sharp nose to the fore, and
then the people saw the leaders turn
out toward the shore at the finish and
lose the race to the men from Penn
sylvania by short half length. Well
did the Pennsylvanians obey the in
junction of Ellis Ward to not lose their
heads. From the first eighth Of mile
they rowed stern, hard chase, at one
time being astern of both Cornell and
Wisconsin, but their pluck and endur-
ance sent them over the line first In
good time and by such a small mar
gin that the glory is greater.
For Cornell, the winner Of many
battles, the contest proved to be race
only in two miles. For those first two
miles she did gallant work, but she
was struggling against evidently better
crews, and 1t was only by exertions
Of phenomenal nature that she man
aged to keep the nose Of the boat
ahead of Pennsylvania for brief time
in the second mile. OF Columbia it
may be said that she was outclassed
from the start, and, barring an acci-
dent, there was never a time when she
stood chance of winning the race.
She went to the rear in the first quar-
= ter of mile. although she made good
start, and stayed all through the race.
When the crews were called out to
prepare for the start it was rather piti-
full to hear the three eastern crews get
cheer after cheer and the western crew
not any. The race was started at 7:05,
after the crews had been twice called
back. On the third attempt the crews
got away without accident. This start
was beautiful one, the four boats
noses seeming to hang together for
the first two strokes. AS they settled
in the stroke taught them by the vari'
GUS coaches Wisconsin seemed to be
rowing the least number of strokes
per minute of any Of the crews. but
her boat was going faster than any of
the others. Wisconsin rowed 80, Penn
sylvania "a, Cornell "a and Columbia
33. Before the first eighth mile was
finished the Wisconsin boat hadshoved
its nose ahead of the other crews. with
Cornell second, Pennsylvania hanging
well on to her, and Columbia third,
dropping astern.
The Fight For Second Place.
When the first half mile was reached
so fast was the Wisconsin boat going
that it had taken It's whole length
ahead of the 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. Fran
tically the Pennsylvania rooters on the
train yelled at their crew, and in a
Go In hau chnt thair hoat
even with the Cornell boat. But to
catch Wisconsin was not so easy. When
the mile was reached the Wisconsin
boat had lead of clear length over
Pennsylvania, while Cornell and Penn
sylvania were see-sawing. The Wis
consin crew had settled down to
stroke of 80 to the minute, the boat
never checking between the strokes
and the blades cutting the water as
keenly as knife. Look at those
westerners go" shouted those on the
observation train. and Wisconsin
stock went up for little while. The
slow recovery and the slow stroke had
behind 1t wonderful power. and the
Wisconsin boat never checked or stop
ped as it went toward the second mile
mark.
In the meantime Pennsylvania and
Cornell were having as pretty a fight
for second place as he's ever been seen
on the course. Time and time again
the Cornell crew put little more back
in the stroke and sent the nose OF
their boat even with that of the Quak-
ers. But 1t was quite apparent that
there was little chance of their holding
It there. Wards men were rowing in
magnificent form, while Cornell was
not yet rowing with the usual Cornell
reserve force. Their work was being
done spasmodically. and they seeming
ly made a desperate effort to get to
the front and stay there long enough
to dishearten their opponents. CO.
lumbia was rowing on behind couple
of lengths.
wisconsin Easily Keeps the Lead.
When the Wisconsin crew had reach
ed the mile and a quarter point they
o.ced off q triAa In THAR Of rOkp row.