The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-26
RECORD CROWD WATCHES
'--" DEFEAT OF CRIMSON

The greatest crowd that ever came
| to this quiet old harbor town, by rail
and water, saw Harvard go down to
| defeat
| 1t seemed as if no amount of bad
| weather and threatening skies could
keep people away from New London.
The sky was dull and leaden with the
wind cold enough for overcoats. and
the oarsmen at their quarters warm
ed themselves before great log fires, in
preparation for the struggles of the
day.
blowing fresh and clear, and except
for the chill of the air. the conditions
were ideal for boat racing. Over the
last three miles of the varsity course
200 of the finest yachts that float in
American waters were swinging at an
Choir, gay with colors Of Yale and Har-
ward.
Referee William Meikelham, the old
Columbia Oarsman, at 1880, told the
crews to get ready. In three minutes
time the varsity four Dared race was
begun, and by half past / the big var
sity race was under way. The three
events for which Yale and Harvard had
trained for six months had been dis
posed of in a trifle more than two
hours without a break or a single in
cident to mar any one of the races.
The story Of the varsity race will
live long in the annals OF college boat
ing. Harvard led Yale almost to the
mile and half flag. Over the first
mile it looked like Harvards race. For
the past ten days the coaches of both
crews have said that the race would be
finished within the first two miles,
Last night John Kennedy told his
crew that they must strike a thirty-two
stroke and hold it right through the
race, no difference what happened. 1t
takes good headwork and lots of nerve
to row a lower stroke than the other
crew when the other crew is leading
But this is just about what Yale did
this afternoon.
strokes to the minute, Yale at thirty
two.n Harvard had decidedly the best
of. the. start, and by the end of the
first half mile was leading Yale by half
a boata1ength.
y e8apt. McGrew put the stroke up to
th1rty-six. Harvard reached the first
flag in 2:S0 IA, Yale in 2:31 3.5. Har-
wards 1coxswain got out under his
course for short distance and had a
narrow escape from hitting the first
,half-mile flag.
Over the second half mile Harvard
held her lead over Yale. Stroke
Bogue dropped the blues stroke to
'thlrty-tWo. Harvard seemed to think
that she had grip on Yale, and Capt.
McGrew eased his stroke down to thir-
ty-two. Harvard's time for the first
mile, sos Us; Yale, 5:07 As.
It was remarkable coincidence that
Harvard over this half mile held her
lead without varying it by even frac-
ton of second
The third half mile, however, showed
tnat Harvard could not hold Yale with
out rowing stroke. Harvard's effort
over the first mile had begun to tell
on the nerves of the crimson's eight
Little by little Yale's boat began to
creep up on Harvard's. Just before
the mile and half flag the shells were
even, and by the time the flag was
reached Yale had wrested the lead
away from her old rival The blue
reached the flag in seven minutes and
forty seconds, leading Harvard by two
seconds, or more than half boat
length. Harvard raised her stroke TO
thlrty-th three, but still Yale went ahead
without raising hers above thirty-two
me long observation trains had been
rafting. and roaring with cheers for
ale and Harvard. Now it certainly
seemed as though these two MOVING
grand stands burst into one great
shout for Yale