Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-09
By Associated Press.

race today, Stalllng OH by STEADY
powerful stroke all Harvard's desper
ate spurts. The light blues had thu
advantage of the choice of stations
which gave them at least a length tt
the good in consequence of the wind
sheltered water on the Surrey side oi
the river.
They got away ahead at the start
and were able to maintain their lead
and even increase 1t as soon as they
reached the wind roughened water al
Chiswck. 1t was pretty race through
out.
There was a moment of intense ex-
pectanoy as the two crews backed theil
craft to the stake boats and ther
leaned far forward, awaiting the sig
nal The pistol shot broke the spell
and both crews got away from the
mark boat cleanly, amid a deafenina
roar from the multitude.
The start was perfect, both crew:
taking the water at the same instant
Neither splashed, but with soft, steady
precision the Cambridge men drove the
bow Of their boat half length ahead
within the first two boat lengths. A:
the English boat shot ahead a wild
yell went up from the patriot" l17aFses
Sets Tremendous Pace
Cambridge went at tremendous
pace, AZ strokes to the minute at the
start gradually reducing this rate
while the Harvard men hardly rowed
above 35. The light blues gained stroke
by stroke until by the time Craver
steps were reached daylight showed be-
tween the shells. Then the crowds
went mad and it was 100 to 1 that Cam.
bridge would be the winner.
Little more than a length separated
loa &c OF Ctonc f1IIt
reaching the mile post the bow of the
river on the Surrey side gave the Cam
bridge crew a small advantage. The
head wind sent the tide rolling down
this reach, making a broken sea oi
which the Americans got the full ben
eft, while the Eng1ishmen were pro-
tected by the river bank on the Surrey
side.
1'y the time the boats reached the
Crab Tree, about a, mile and hall
from the start, Stuart, the Cambridge
stroke, had taken his boat over two
lengths to the front. Harvard'S s stroke
Filley at this point called on his men
for a GREAT effort and they Responded
gamely. The quickened stroke soon
tolu. the daylight between the boats
was seen to be visibly lessened and
when the Cambridge shell shot by
Hammersrnith bridge. the Englishmel
were barely a length and a quarter
ahead.
Pushing on past the Lead Mills
where both boats were doing thirty
seven strokes. Cambridge ma intained
her lead and the crew appeared to be
coming we'll within themselves AS the
boats turned the bend and entered
rougher water Harvard again spurted
and the magnificent effort sent the
American boat up on its opponent foot
by foot.
At Chadwick the English stroke,
shook up his crew and be- an to pull
away from Harvard. At the three
mile post Cambridge was over two
lengths in front and on reaching the
Devonshire Meadows the Englishmen
were two and half lengths ahead and
the race was practically over. Har-
ward, however, was game to the end
and spurted again. gaining a length.
But It was too late to retrieve the for
tunes of the day and Cambridge passed
the winning post easy victors of gal
liant race by two lengths. Time, 19
minutes 16 seconds.
Today's boat race between Harvard
and Cambridge universities, which was
won by the Englishmen by two
lengths, was probably the most sur
prising ever rowed on the Thames. not
so much because of the result, but the
way in which it was owed.
Britons Get Away First
Cambridge, as had been feared by
Harvard and hoped for En- nglishmen
got away the better, securing lead
which they increased by three lenL -hs
before Hammersnnith bridge. Both
crews as they went under the bridge
were growing stea Oily at twenty-eigh'
strokes to the minute, apparently ex-
ertng themselves.
! Suddenly Harvard commen ced to use
more power and although Cambridge
already had the race won and had the
advanta ge of water conditions, the lat
ter was compelled to increase theil
stroke to thirty-tnree and finished E
| tired out crew Donaldson was ready
to collapse. The remainder of the crew
padded the boat to the landing stage
The Harvard men, on the other hand
were apparently quite fresh and tool
their boat across the river at brisl
rate.
On Even Terms
The fact that Harvard must neces
sarily cross the Atlantic and row owe
course with which they are not famil
lar was regarded as a strong point ii
IIdNOT Oh lIle GllS lASil NlVNs APNN at iih
same time 1t was taken into considera
ton that Cambridge had raced the tol
of her form in March last, and tha
many of the oarsmen had been out o
training since that time,
The personnel of the crews agreet
upon for today's test shows few
changes from the winning organization
which manned the Cambridge and Ok
ford shells in their victories over thei
formid BILE home rivals
The Harvard crew sailed from New
York July 26 and went at once T.
Bourne End England, where they re
NAMED until ten days ago. 1t wa
deemed advisable that the crew shoul
go to Putney for the last days Of tn
practice In order that they might be
come familiar with the tortuous cours
over which the race was rowed Tn
water between Putney and Mortlake
different from any the American oars
men have ever encountered, for at NeY
London and at Poughkeepsie tn
American courses are straightaway 10
the full four miles.
II was necessary, especially tha
Blagdon. the Harvard coxswain, VIII
weighs only 105 pounds, should have a
opportunity to study the tide and cur
rents around the sharp turns In tn
Thames, for ignorance Of these at tn
time of the race might mean loss {
several lengths.
The change OF climate had an effec