The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-06-28
QUAKERS IN FIRST.
Wisconsin Makes a Good Show
ing In the Four Mile
Boat Race.

Poughkeepsie, N. Y, June 2S.-Twen-
ty thousand people saw one of the most
exciting four-mile boat races ever wit
messed in the history of college row.
ing Tuesday afternoon. Five thousand
people on the observation train yelled
themselves hoarse in frantic appeals
to their various college crews to do
their best and with the other $4,000
they saw the red and blue carried over
the line a winner by a short half length
from the Wisconsins who lost in the
last 200 yards for bad steering. Cor
nell, the victor of former years, pulled
after full four lengths in the rear, and
Columbia, never in the fight after the
end of the first mile, trained in a good
three lengths from the stern of the Cor
nell boat.
About 6 o'clock the Pennsylvania
crew arrived at the starting point
where the observation train already
was, and there was a long wait, be-
cause the Columbia launch, while tow
ing the shell up the river, had broken
down. 1t was 6:43 when the referees
boat signaled to Cornell and Wiscon-
sin, both crews being at the Cornell
float, just above the starting point to
come out, because Columbia had just
rOWed into sight Precisely seven min
utes later the four crews were in line
and all had answered the referees
query Are you ready?" in the affirma-
tive.
1nlS start was d beautiful one, the
four boats noses seeming to hang to-
gether 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
than any of the others. Wisconsin
rowed 80, Pennsylvania. a. Cornell "a
and Columbia SO. Before the first eighth
of a mile was finished the Wisconsin,
boat had showed it's nose ahead of the
other crews, with Cornell second, Penn
sylvania hanging well on to her and
Columbia third, dropping astern.
When the first half mile was reach
ed so fast was the Wisconsin going that
it had taken its whole length ahead of
the Pennsylvania boat and was half a
length ahead of the Cornell boat on the
extreme east. Columbia was coming
with the nose of her boat just overlap
ping Pennsylvania F'rantically the
Pennsylvania rooters on the train yell
ed at their crew, and the QuakerS
seemed to respond, as in a few minutes
they shot their boat up even with the
Cornell boat. But to catch Wisconsin
was not so easy. On a perfectly even
keel, with the bodies going well back
together and the heads seeming as if
they would swing off the shoulders,
feature that seemed to make the critics
believe that they would go to pieces af-
ter the first mile, the Wisconsin crew
flew on.
When the mile was reached the Wis
consin boat had a lead of clear length
over Pennsylvania while Cornell and
Pennsylvania were see-sawing for sec
ond place. The Wisconsin crew had set
tied down to a stroke of 81 to a minute,
the boat crew never checking between
the strokes, and the blades cutting the
water as keenly as a knife. The slow
recovery and the slow stroke had be-
hind it a wonderful power, and the
Wisconsin boat never checked or stop
ped as it went toward the second mile.
In the meantime Pennsylvania and
Cornell were having as pretty a fight
for second place as ever has been seen