Los Angeles herald., 1905-06-30
SONS OF ELI LEAD BY OARS
LENGTH AT FINISH
FINAL Squirt is DECISIVE
Harvard Men Make Game Attempt In
Final Mile, and Shells Lap as
the Finish Line ls
Crossed
BY Associated Press.

! NEW LONDON, Conn.,, June 29.-
The Yale varsity crew this afternoon
wrested victory from Harvard in the
annual four mile race by the length of
an oar. After rowing for four miles
with the shells tapping and the grace
full prows zigzagging between strokes
the Yale boat crossed the finish line
three quarters of a length ahead of the
crimson Yale won by 2h seconds. The
time was 22:331a, and Harvards was
2236.
The Ellis went to the start with yells
of victory, but Coach Wray sprung a
surprise on Yale and tonight his name
is on the lips of every lover of rowing.
The sailing craft practically formed
an avenue for four miles. The race was
scheduled to be rowed at half-past 4
o'clock and was started less than eleven
minutes later. The wind was threaten
ing to kick up the river in the after
noon but calmed down and was blow
ing almost across, the course and just
quartering on the bows of the shells.
1t was a hard wind to row against, but
they saw there was no chance for fast
time. The tide was running up stream
strong but the crews had the disad-
vantage of the wind. AS two eights
rowed to their stake boat the old spirit
of Harvard awoke the rafting cheer
of old Yale. The observation training
ship pulled to position and about the
starting of the flags just above the
blage. An almost cloudless sky, as
perfect a day as could be wished for
the two big eights trained to the top
notch of condition, all combined to
form picture which thrilled the thou
sands of spectators and inspired the
crews.
At 4:40 o'clock Harvard was at her
starting flag and three minutes later
Yale's shell was in position. Within
five minutes Referee Mikelian had
given his instructions to crews; there
was a flash of a pistol and the strong
arms and broad backs swung back in
the shells. The race had begun. Yale
got the best of the start and in the
first half was in the lead. Just be-
fore the last half of the mile was fin
ished Harvard ran her stroke up and
began to cut down Yale's lead. Yale
finished the half in 2:22; Harvard in
2:23.
The Ellis were now leading by almost |
a length. Harvard dropped her stroke |
to 80 and Yale again got back the Sec
ond which Harvard had gained and
the New Haven boat passed the mile
and half flag in SOL, Harvard's time
SO4. The crews now began to strike
the channel below the navy yard and |
Yale got the benefit of the fast water
The time for the two miles was: Yale
10:47; Harvard, 1858.
Then the Harvard coxswain called
for a spurt. At the same moment
Yale came very near meeting with an
accident. An empty barrel had drifted
into the course and it was floating so
lew in the water that the nose of the
Yale shell was within a few feet of it
when Coxswain Berkalow saw it and
cleverly steered his boat clear of the
distractions. The loss of headway
however, combined with Harvards
squirt, cost the Yales two of the six
seconds advantage. Yale's time at
the three-mile flag was 1851; Har-
wards, 1916.
The last mile of the race was a fight
witnessed it. Just beyond the three
mile flag, Meir, Harvard's number Z,
who had been rowing a terrific race,
seemed to have pumped himself out.
He was suffering torture and it looked
as though he could not possibly hold
his oar the rest of the distance. Har-
wards stroke dropped back to thirty
one, but it stayed there for only
short space of time. Suddenly Meir
seemed to get his second wind and the
crimson stroke went up two points.
The Harvard boat crept up nearer and
nearer to the Yale boat.
Suddenly the shells were once more
Tapped. The Yale coxswain called for
a squirt and his crew raised the stroke
to thirty-four, the highest that they
had been taught to row. Still Harvard
was gaining. Up went the Harvard
stroke to thirty-four and over the last
quarter of a mile the prov of the Cam
bridge shell began to gain inch by
inch on the boat of the blues. The
crews were only hundred yards from
the finish. The crowd became wild
with excitement. The Harvard shell
continued to creep up on the Yale boat
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