The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-27
Defeated the Fastest Crew that Ever
Rowed for Harvard i'm 2O;2O, Ten
Seconds of the Record.
RACE A DEAD HEAT
But THE FOUR-OARED EVENT WAS
TAKEN BY HARVARD MEN.
President Roosevelt and Family
Among the $4,000 Spectators Who
Witnessed the Contests.

NEW LONDON, June 26-Rowing with
in ten seconds of record time, the Yale
varsity crew this afternoon lowered the
colors of the fastest eight that Harvard
has yet produced. Yale won by four boat
lengths Yale's time was 1920, Harvard's
20:3S In the four-oared race the colors
of Harvard were borne to the front. The
Cambridge four won by 21a lengths. In
the freshman race Yales crew led over the
last mile until within a few feet of the
finish, where the Harvard crew. by a mag
niicent squirt, jumped their shell up even
with the blue. The judges were compelled
10 decied the race draw.
Twenty-Five thousand people saw the
Ellis row to victory in the big varsity race.
But while the crowd was great, it was the
presence of President Roosevelt that made
the crowd unique in the history of Yale and
Harvard races. The President saw the
finish of all three races from aboard the
Dolphin, which was anchored just above
the finish line. He declined the invitation
of the regatta committee TO go aboard Mr..
Cornelius Vanderbilt's launch, the Mirage,
preferring he said, TO remain aboard the
Dolphin, where he could be with his fam
ily. The eyes of $4,000 people meanwhile
searched yacht after yacht in the hope of
a glimpse of the President.
After a stormy night and a morning
which seemed TO mean postponement of the
races until Friday the afternoon finally
became a cloudless day of almost perfect
weather for shell racing. The wind blew
ouartering on the Course from the north
west, but with the exception of the varsity
four-oar race, the crews could not have had
much better water. Rough water necessi-
tated the postponement of the varsity
races from 4 until o'clock. The varsity
four-oared race was rowed few minutes
before o'clock The wind at this time
was blowing a gale, and Referee William
A Meikleham decided to postpone the
freshman race and also to postpone the
varsity race. Just before 6 o'clock the
referee notified the crews to get ready
The long observation trains on either bank
of the river were lying near the starting
flag. filed from end to end. Mighty cheers
resounded as the Harvard eight rowed over
TO the start five minutes before o'clock
START OF THE VARSITY RACE.
Yale was a trife slow in leaving her boat
house. but by 6:O7 both crews were at their
stake boats. At 600 the pistol was fired and
the two big shells leapeQ away from their
stake boats. Harvard got the best Of the
start and in ten strokes had the nose Of her
shell a quarter of a length ahead OF the
blues boat. The crimson's eight had the
best water over the first quarter mile and
her men made all out of it that they pos
sibIe could Harvard started at sc strokes
to the minute. Yale at S2. By the end of the
first half mile Harvard had dropped her
stroke TO "a. while Yale still held hers at
90. AT the half-mile flag the boats were al
most even. The watchers on the referee 5
boat recorded Yales time for this half mile
AT 2:2gIa. Harvard at 2:29}.. Yale had cut
down Harvard's lead while rowing from
two 10 four less strokes 10 the minute. Over
The next half mile the race was a desperate,
struggle between the two powerful crews
Male reached the first mile flag in 5:Oi two
seconds before Harvard. The Ellis were two
thirds OF a length ahead. Yale had dropped
her stroke 10 81 per minute and Harvard
had let down 10 G
From the end OF the first mile TO the mile
and a half flag the boats scarcely Changed
positions. Harvard raised her stroke one
point and so did Yale. The blue shell fn-
ished the mile and a half in 81, Harvard
In 7.2sA, Over this distance Yale had