New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-01
ONLY ONE RACE RONED.
YALE FRESHMEN WIN.
varsity and Four-Oar Meet To-day
Delay After Delay.
InY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE !

tRY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUNE.l
NewLondon, June 30-At the close of one of
the most trying days ever experienced by any
regatta crowd the referee few minutes after
I o'clock .o-night declared the varsity and
four-oared races off for the day. It then
nearly dark, with heavy, lowering sky. The
tracks on both sides of the drawbrdge were
crowded with trains that had been held up by
the observation train for an hour and half
the river full of steam and sail craft Of
every description. aryiousy awaiting a decision
Of some kind. at the end of long day OF rain
and rough water, and ii was anything but
spirited crowd that rolled back into the station
again wet, tired and disappointed The fact
that good management would have prevented
most of the days dscomforts did not dotract
from the general unpleasantness
The only agreea BILE feature of a iisa greeable
day was the freshman race. which resulted in
the narrowest Of victories for the Yale young
after redhot, bruising struggle that
lasted every inch OF the way from the crack
of the referees pistol to the fall cf the finish
flag.
Wher the referee finally called everything off
for the day he announced tha. the varsity race
would be rowed tomorrow morning at 1890
O'Clock. the course lying upstream from the rail-
road bridge 10 a point opposite the start Of the
downstream four-mile course.
DAY DAwNs- DTsCoURAGiNGLY
The day dawned in n way anything but en-
couraginz. The sky was heavily overcast rain
fell in drizqlcs Intervals and a fairly brisk
breeze blew up from the southeast that prom
sed anything but good rowing conditions. The
enthusiasts. however were not 10 bc daunted
and from an early hour they poured into towr
from east, west and north by train by steamer
and by yachts until at 10 o'clock the town
was full OF them. and New Yondor had put on a
holiday atmosphere IT has long beer accustomed
the day OF the
Some of the trains were late and the hour
set for the racing was so early that thousands
did not arrive in time to take the observation
trains for the freshman and four-oar races. and
thus missed the only dash of real sport with
which an otherwise exceedingly tedious day was
spiced.
Everything went wrong that could possibly
manage it, and there were many criticisms for
Charles f. Schweppe Of Harvard. chairman of
the regatta committee who was doing the work
performed in past years efficiently and TO
judge from results. not doing it very we'll The
general verdict was that the work was bungled
To begin with tho freshman race was very late
in starting The observation trains also
late in arriving at the bridge, but they had 4
long and tresone wait when they did get there.
and even the view of the brilliantly decorated
fleet Of steam yachts and boats that lay on each
side of the racing course palled after a time
MUCH DELAY AT THE START
The race was scheduled for 80 O'Clock but
1t was fifteen minutes after that hour before
anything that looked like racing appeared
Meantime it began TO rain. August Belmonts
fast Scout. which was in use as the referees
boat appeared 1045 o'clock under the bridge.
with Referee Meikleham upon her forward deck,
megaphone in hand The Scout ran about here
and there for awhile with apparent object
In view and II was nearly II O'clock. or half an
hour after the hour when the racers should
have been off whom the Yale launch. the Elihu
Yale came Ieisurely down the river with the
New-Haven freshmen aboard and their launch
in
The John Harvard followed few minutes
later and the freshmen were ten Fzlinutes or so
in getting into their boats.
Just as the two crews were lining up for the
start, Yale TO the west and Harvard TO the
east Harvard's starting boat broke adrift from
her mornings That caused another long delay
The two launches. with Bob Cook, the Yale
coach. and Julian Curtiss aboard the Elihu Yale
and Frederic D. Colson, the coach imported from
Cornell, conspicuous on the John Harvard sidled
up to the Scout and assisted in the pow-wow
that followed
Apparently the referee undecided what
TO do, but he finally made up his mind to start
the crews without replacing the starting boat
that had gone adrift. He made several attempts
TO get the two shells lined up properly but with
out good success and finally Harvards shell was
backed up half length or so astern of the
Yale shell and allowed to drift even with Yale
the referees pistol catching them. far as
could be seen practically terms.
WATER ROUGH FOR FRESHMEN.
When the two crews caught the water at
II 53 nearly an hour late it was raining great
guns" and they started off with anything but
smooth water, the breeze having risen percep-
tibly during the long delay.
II was nip and tuck from the crack Of the
pistol There was never any open water be-
tween the two crews, and at no time was it
possible for any not exactly opposite the
two shells to tell with which the advantage Law
Both crews started off with 36 stroke and
the Crimson tipped got speed at
first than the Blue ones so that within the first
hundred yards Harvard had a lead of a |
fraction of boats length. Yales shell seemed
Continued on ninth page.