New-York tribune., 1906-06-24
TRIUMPH FOR CORNELL.
WINS BIG VARSITY RACE.
Pennsylvania Beats Syracuse fo'
Second Place IN Last Stroke.
fBv Telezraph 10 The Tribune !


once again here to-day in the big intercollegiate
regatta, when the Ithaca varsity crew the
eight-oared by two lengths, or sec
onds from the University of Pennsylvania.
with the Syracuse shell only the width OF a
sweep behind the Quakers. Cornell also capt
ured the varsity four-oared race easily by
margin of five lengths from Syracuse while
the Syracuse freshmen beat the Cornell young
sters length in the freshman eight-oared race
With the exception of the University of Penn
sylvania's second in the varsity eight-oared
race, all the honors Of the regatta went TO Cor
nell and Syracuse
Oddly enough the winners did not figure in
the two most spectacular finishes of the day.
These were fought out between Pennsylvania
and Syracuse for second and third places in the
eight-oared varsity race and between Cornell
and Wisconsin for second and third honors IN
the freshman race. SO nearly on even terms
were these crews at the finish that the specta-
tors had TO await the placing Of the Judges be-
fore the results We're known.
The official figures showed that Pennsylvania
beat Syracuse one and twO-ffth seconds in the
big varsity race, while Cornell beat Wisconsin
only three-fifths of a second in the freshman
race To those directly at the line both finishes
looked like dead heats.
Though the three races which made UP the pro-
gramme were well contested and furnished good
sport, the regatta was hardly a success from the
standpoint of the spectators. Nine out of every
ten who saw the races received a wetting to the
skin This true of all those who essayed to
watch the eight-oared varsity race from the
observation train the west side of the Hudson
River. 1t began to rain just as the freshman
race, the second on the programme, was finished.
Despite this the observation train pulled UP the
river a little before p. n. with It's fosty Sat
cars loaded to overhowing with gayly dressed
women and straw-hatted men.
| Nearly every one was holding an umbrella or
a parasol and the effect was that of a solid
phalanx of enormous mushrooms. 1t was rain
ing only by fits and starts when the train went
UP the river but soon the raindrops grew larger
great big, wet oninous looking globules of
moisture-and just the train came a halt
at the starting line the storm broke in all its fury
upon the poor unfortunates perched beneath the
umbrellas and parasols on the long line of fiat
cars. II was one of those crack-a-jack thunder
storms for which this part of the Hudson River
Valley is famous. Then for half hour the
lightning flashed wickedly and continuously the
thundercaps doomed and died away in the
mountains and reverberated over the rivers
ruffled surface; and regardless Of the havoc 1t
playing. the rain came down in bucketfuls,
What the torrent did to the occupants of those
( forty hatcars it is a shame to record. Suffice
.
white parasol turned lovely pink and rained a
stream of crushed strawberry lemonade down
: Mr.. Syracuse's neck, while the latters orange
! colored flag tapped pretty yellow stains all
over Miss Columbias blue and white princess
frock. In truth, it a woebegone and be-
draggled looking bunch of fair femininity and
brave masculinity which survived that cruel
and heartIess downpour.
Even Dame Nature grieved at the wreck
Jupiter Pluvius had wrought, and, when every
one on that i'll fated observation train looked
like drowned rat, and felt much worse, there
! appeared in the east a most gorgeously brill
liant double rainbow, a harbinger of better
! things Fewer and smaller the pesky raindrops
and brighter and more varicoored the rainbow.
/ II spanned the whole eastern sky in one i'm
/ rense and vivid semcircle. enfolding the lOftv
suspension bridge and buryng its two horns
/ deep in the rivers troubled waters. In trice
the sun burst through the clouds. the rain
! ceased altogether. and, the wind dropping 10
a zephyr, the surface Of the river became as
placid and unrufled as a millpond. The storm
had cooled the atmosphere Ia degrees (as well
as the ardor of most OF the spectators. and
where moment before it had looked impos
sible to row the big race at ALL conditions
We're ideal.
The stewards lost no time, fearing another
quick change in the weather but promptly sent
TO the starting mark the six varsity eights
which were TO fight it out over the heartbreak-
ing four-mie course. Thus after day of alter
nate sunshine and rain, with the latter pre-
dominating. the big race pulled off with
wind and tide and weather all in favor Of the
forty-eight strapping oarsmen who sat + 'He
six slender shells and threw into the rapid
strokes Of the slender sweeps every ounce Of
brawn and muscle which months of self-priva-
ton and arduous training had perfected.
The course was lined with yachts bedecled
/ from stem 10 stern in their finest dressing Of
/ flags Everywhere there We're color and life.
/ where a few minutes before everything had been
hidden in the grayness of the storm.
The first race Of the afternoon was for var
sity four-oared shells, at TWO miles. This race
was won last year by Syracuse, with Cornell
second The tables were exactly turned to-
day, for CorneIs four jumped away IN the
lead and had gained the advantage OF a length
in the first dozen strokes Of the oars. From
that time it simply question as to the
distance the Ithacans would win by They
finally crossed the line with FIVE lengths TO
spare Syracuse was as easily second, three
lengths before Columbia. which in turn was four
lengths in front of Pennsylvania This race
Continued tenth page.
PAINS FIREWORKS FOR THE 4TH.