The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-06-27
SONS OF OLD ELI
 WIN GREAT RACE Defeat the Crack Crew from Harvard by Four Lengths FRESHMEN ROW A DRAW In Four-oared Race Harvard Wins With Ease-Twenty-five Thous-
 and People Witnessed the
 Three Contests.
FRESHMEN ROW A DRAW

New London, Conn. June 26.-Rowing within ten seconds Of record time, the Yale varsity crew this afternoon lowered the colors of the fastest eight that Har- yard has yet produced. Yale won by four boat lengths. Yale's time was 2O:2O; liar wards 20:29. In the four-oared race the colors of Harvard were borne to the front. The Cambridge four won by two and a half lengths.
 In the freshmen race, Yales crew led over the last m le until within few feet of the finish. where the Harvard crew, by a magnificent srurt, jumped their shell up even with the blue. The judges were compelled to decide the race a draw.
 Twenty-Five thousand persons saw the Ellis row to victory in the big varsity race. President Roosevelt saw the finish of all three races from aboard the Dol phin.
 Rough water necessitated the postpone ment of the varsity T. ce from until 6 o'clock. The varsity four-oaI ed race was rowed a few minutes before o'clock. The wind a. this time was rlowins a gale, and Referee William A. Meikleham decided to postpone the freshman race, and also to postpone the varsity race.
 Crews Get Ready.
 Just before o'clock the referee notified the crews to get ready. At 6:0e the pistol was fired. Harvard got the best of the start and In ten strokes had the nose of her shell quater of length ahead of the blues boat. The crimson eight had the best water over the first quater of a mile. Harvard started at 3s strokes to the minute, Yale 32 By the end of the first half mile Harvard had dropped her stroke to 34, while Yale still held hers at g. At the half mile flag the boats were almost even. The watches on the referee boat recorded Yales time for this half mile at 2:29h; Harvard at 2:29%. Yale had cut down Harvards lead while rowing from to 1 less strokes to the minute. Over the next half the race was a desperate struggle. Yale reached the first mile flag in 5.04. two seconds behind Harvard. The Ellis were two-thrds of length ahead. Yale dropped her stroke to 31 per minute and Harvard had let down to 32. From the end of the first mile to the mile and a half flag the boats scarce ly claimed positions. Harvard raised her stroke one point and so did Yale. The blue shell passed the mile and a half in 7;37, Harvard in 7:39.
 Yale Gains Half Second.
 Over this distance Yale had gained but half a second harvard dropped her stroke back to thirty-two and now the two strokes swung in exact unison. But all the while the Yale shell kept creeping a little bit ahead. At the two mile flag Yale was leading Harvard by four second Yale's time was 10:11; Harvard's 1015 Yale picked up another second between the two mile ana the two and a half flags. Yales time for the two and a half miles was 12:12; Harvard 12:17.
 Over the next half mile the blues crew picked up one more second. At the three mile nag Yale led by two good lengths her time being 1y:1O and Harvard's l5:16 Yale did her work with more ease than Harvard.
 At the three and a half mile flag Yale was nine full seconds ahead of Harvard Yale's time was 17:4O; Harvard's 1749
 It was now a spurt for the last half mile of the race. The Harvard coxswain made bad mess of his steering over this last half mile of the race; Harvard was pucky, despite the fact that she was far behind. It was only question of how many lengths Yale would have at the finish Suddenly the flag dropped for Yale. The Blues time was 20:20, just ten seconds slower than the record made by the famous Yale crew of 1888.
 Harvard's time was 20:33, which gave to Yale the victory by four good boat lengths. Just as the finish flag fell and