The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-30
HarVard's Grew Springs SuT- prise and Shells Tapped
 For Four Miles
NEW COACH WRAY IS TIE
 HERO AMONG CRIMSON MEN
Yale Takes the Great Event By Mar gin of Only Two and Half Seconds In a Bril-.
 liant Contest.

New London, Conn, June 29.-The Yale varsity eight this afternoon wrested vic tory from Harvard in the annual four mile race on the Thames by the length of an oar After rowing for four miles with the shells tapping and the graceful prows sizzling between strokes the Yale boat crossed the finish line three-quarters of a length ahead of the crimson. Yale won by two and one-haf second. The blues time was 22SS12 Harvard was 2236
 Such a race has never before been rowed in the twenty years of rac- ing between these old rivals.
 Confident of Easy Victory.
 The Ellis went to tho starting flags confident of an easy victory, but coach Wray sprung surprise on Yale and tonight his name is on the lips of every lover of rowing as the coming rival of John Kennedy, the professional coach at New London. Wry came to the Thames three weeks ago, an unknown coach. He will go back to Boston as the first pro- fessional who has inspired absolute con
 
 is that Yale sent into the race an eight which she claimed was as good as she had ever produced Haryard's cry to- night is: "We will lick them next year. To this Yale replies with a very serious wagging of the heads of her rowing ad- vsers who see trouble ahead.
 Last years experience of having var sity race postponed kept many away from New London this afternoon, but those who came got their moneys worth. 1t was the first time since 1891 that varsity race has been rowed up stream and this afternoon the sailing craft praeti- cally formed an avenue for four long miles.
 The race was scheduled to be rowed at half past four o'clock and was started less than eleven minutes later. The wind which threatened to kick up the river early in the afternoon had calmed down and was blowing almost across the course. It was hard d 10 row against and as the coaches sized up the sltuatin they saw there was no chance for fast time. Yale Got Better of Start. Yale got the better of the start, and in
  of her shell ahead Just before the first half mile was finished Harvard ran the stroke up and began to cut down Yale's 1 lead At the end of the first half mile Harvard was rowing at 35 strokes, but even at this gait she was unable to get | the lead Yale finished the half in 2;22' Harvard in 2:23. The Ellis were now lead- | ing by almost boats length Harvard kept up her killing pace almost to the mile flag where she dropped her stroke to 32 the same gait that Yale was rowing, Harvard's spurt had it's effect. however, 1 and she finished the first mile of tine race l just two seconds behind Yale. Yale's time { at the mile was 5:l0, Harvard's 5:12 The l New Haven boat passed the mile and half flag in S:01; IIarvard's time was S:e4. The crews now began to strike the ship channel just below the navy yard, and 1 Yale got the benefit of the fastest water. 1 Yale gained on this half mile just three l seconds, or almost boats length. and 1 at the two mile flag off the navy yard had the greatest lead over Harvard which she had at any time during the race. The l time for the two miles was: Yale 10:4l, Harvard 1O:5s Then the Harvard coxwain called for spurt, and his crew responded gamey. At the same moment Yale came very near meeting with an accident. An empty barrel had drifted Into the blues | course and 1t was floating so low in the water that the nose of Yale's shell was within few feet of 1t when Coxwain Berkalow saw 1t and cleverly steered his boat over into Harvards water just far 1 enough so that Yale outriggers passed over the obstruction.
 Cost Vale Two Seconds.
 This loss of headway combined with 1 Haryard's spurt. cost Yale two of her six seconds advantage. Yale's time for two 1 ata1 ba1f iIf-t ft.lfe Yaes time at the three mile flag was i 16;3I Harvards 16:43. The last mile of l the race was fight never to be forgotten l by those fortunate enough to witness it. l Just beyond the three mile flag Meier l Harvard's No. r who had been rowing a terrific race, seemed to have pumped 1 himself out, and it looked as though he could not possibly hold his form the rest of the distance Suddenly Meier seemed to get his second wind. and the crimson stroke went up two points. Tine Harvard i shell began to gain on Yale. Yale fin- ished the three and a half miles in 1884 Harvard in 1899.
 On every stroke the Harvard shell crept 1 up nearer and nearer to the Yale boat. | Suddenly the shells were once more l lapped. The Yale coxwain called for a | spurt. and his crew raised their stroke l to 34, the highest that they had been | taught to row. Still Harvard was game Up went the Harvard stroke to s4 and over the last quarter of mile the prov ] of the Cambridge shell began to gain inch 1 by inch on the stearn of the blues boat The crews were only hundred yards from i the finish. and still it was eithers race. | The crowd became wild with excitement i The Harvard shell continued to creep up l on the Yale boat, and every man of the two crews was pulling out the last ounce of his power when suddenly the flag at the finish dropped, and Yale was winner by three-quarters of a boat length.
 Harvards men danced and hugged each l other as though they had won the race.
 Yale was so dazed by the fright which | Wray's crew had given her that's he
 forgot to cheer for a few minutes When
 the Eli's suddenly realized that they won
 the closest race in Yale-Harvard boating
 history they let go their cheers until the
 hills reverbated.
 Meier Drops in Boat.
 L