Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-06-27
THE BOAT RACES.
YaleWon Varsity from Harvard
by Four Lengths,
Harvard Took the Four cared Varsity
by About Three Lengths.
Freshman Race Grand One-De
clared Dead Heat.

New London, Conn.,, June 26.-Rowine
within 10 seconds of record time, thu
Yale Varsity crew, this afternoon
that Harvard has yet produced. Yale
won by four boat lengths. Yale's time
was 1920; Harvard's, 20.33.
In the four-oared race the colors OF
Harvard were borne to the front. The
Cambridge four won by 21a lengths
Time: Harvard, 11.19lh; Yale, 11.251a.
| In the freshman race, Yale's crew
led over the last mile until within a
few feet of the finish where the Har-
ward crew by a magnificent squirt
jumped their shell up even with the
blue. The judges were compelled to
decide that the race was drew.
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 Theo-
dore Roosevelt which made the crowd
unique in the history of Yale and Har-
ward races. The President saw the
| finish Of all three races from aboard the
Dolphin which was anchored just above
the finish line.
After a stormy night and a morning
which seemed to mean postponement of
the races until Friday, the afternoon
developed into a cloudless day of al
most perfect weather for shell racing.
The wind blew quartering on the
course from the northwest, but with
the exception of the Varsity four-oar
race the crews could not have had
much better water. More yachts than
ever before in the quarter of a century
of Yale and Harvard races on the
broad Thames We're anchored along the
last mile and a half Of the course. The
closeness of the Varsity race brought
out the greatest crowd of Yale and
Harvard graduates and undergraduates
that has ever come to New London,
while the presence of the President act
ed as magnet to the people for many
miles around the Thames.
Rough water necessitated the post
ponement of the Varsity race from 4
until o'clock. The Varsity fOur-Oared
race was rowed q few minutes before 8
o'clock. The wind at this time was
blowing a gale and Referee VIM. A.
Meikleham decided to postpone the
freshman and Varsity races.
A quarter before o'clock. the referee
steamed over the course in August Bel
mOnt's launch, the Scout, and notified
the crews to get ready. The long OBJ
servatiOn trains on either bank OF the
river were by this time lying alongside
of the starting flags. Mighty cheers re-
sounded among the green hills of
Montville and Gales Ferry as the Har-
ward eight rowed over to the start, five
minutes before o'clock. BY 6.07 both
crews were at their stake boats.
At 500. Referee Meikelham's pistol
flashed and the two big shells leaped
away from the stake boats. Harvard
got the best of the start and in 10
strokes lad the nose OF her shell
quarter Of !; length ahead of the blues
boat. The Crimson eight had the best
water over the first quarter mile and
her men made all out of it that they
possibly could.
Harvard started at Sc strokes to the
minute, Yale at 80. BY the end of the
first half mile Harvard had dropped
her stroke to 81 while Yale still held
hers at 80. At the half-mie flag the
boats We're about even. The watches
on the referees boat recorded Yale's
time for this half mile at 2.291a, Har-
ward at 2.29A Yale lad cut down
Harvard's lead while rowing from two
to four less strokes to the minute.
over the next half mile the race was q
desperate struggle. The boats zig
Jagged for a minute and a half, and
then the Blue shell began to creep
ahead. Yale reached the first mile
flag in 5.04, two seconds before Har-
ward. The Ellis We're two-thlrds OF
length ahead. Yale had dropped her
stroke to 81 per minute and Harvard
had let hers down to 30. 1t had been
a terrible fight but Yale had finally
gotten the lead.
From the end Of The first mile to the
liz mile flag the boats scarcely
changed positions. Han ward raised her
stroke one point and so did Yale. The
Rlue shell finished the mile and half
in 7.O7, Harvard in 1891. over this
distance Yale mad gained but half a
second. on toward the two-mle flag
the powerful Fights swung with me-
chanical precision at the pace of
giants. Harvard dropped her stroke
back to 80 and now the two strokes
swung in exact unison. But all the
while Yale shell kept creeping little
bit ahead. At the Emile flag which is
half way point in the race. Yale was
leading Harvard by four seconds.
Yalc's time was 1O.11. Harvard's 10.15.
Whistles and sirens at the navy yard
shrieked out a welcome to the oarsmen
as they swung down over the next half
mile. The revenue cutter Gresham in the
excitement of the moment lifted her an
Choir and started to follow the crews, de
spite the entreaties of the referee and
regatta committee to keep back. Yale
eased up bit on her stroke and dropped
it down to ST. Harvard seeing Yale re-
lax, jumped hers up to "a. But despite
this squirt Yale picked up another second
between the 2-miIe and the 2A-mile flag
Yale-s time for the 21z miles was 13.12;
Harvard's, 12.17.
Over the next half mile the Blues crew
picked up another second in the struggle
for the supremacy. At the Smile Yale.
led by two good lengths, her time being
Is. 10 and Harvard's 1516. Then Yale rails
ed her stroke up to 81 and Harvard kept
hers at 81. Yale did her work with more
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