The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-01
REALLY AFRAID OF HARVARD.
BRITISH EXPERT SAYS AMERI-
CANS CAN WIN RIGHT NOW.
Time Row Over Course Scheduled for
Yesterday Called on Because Of the
Heat -CrimsOn OGrsmcn Training On
while Cambridge SHOWS LAssitude.
spsctaI cahls p.spateA b M suN.


PuTNEY, Aug. SLIT had been intended
that the Harvard crew should row over the
whole Putney 10 Mortlake course at top speed
to-day, but Capt. Filley decided this morning
that the terrific heat made the big EFFORT I'M
possible. Light work was the order OF the
day. Prof y. Z. Munroe was among the
spectators.
The Pail MaH GaaeHs's university corre-
spondent mas sent the following TO his paper:
The layers Of the long odds n fortnight
ago are having some uncomfortable mo-
ments now. Putney suits the Harvard men
better than Bourne End. They have i'm
proved greatly since coming here. What
Ia more, they are training on in remarkable
fashion. Coach Wray has proved himself
a past master in the art Of training. Those
who followed the Harvard crow In their latest
full course row on Monday were much i'm
pressed by their work.
They did not always swing together.
several OF the men did not swing straight,
the blades did not always take the water
together, nor did the leg drive appear to be
hard enough to English eyes. But. despite
all these apparent faults. the boat moved
100 feet between strokes. and most OF the
spectators were convinced that q the men
so wished they could have done even better
than the 10 minutes 20 seconds time that
they made. Tests are OF course useless
on a tldewsy. Nobody now places much
Teil1nCe upon Inen. IGJ Oy comparison
the full course row Of the Cambridge crew
on Tuesday was somewhat disappointing.
That the Americans were twenty-one SEQ
onds faster mattered very little. Vastly
different conditions prevailed In the two rows
for one thing. For another. some Of the
Cantabs appeared uncomfortable and others
seemed lazy. They did not row up to their
best form and none Of the men appeared to
make the best use OF their weight.
THAT Ia IN aay. thew failed 70 combine thu
work Of their legs and back. so as to lift the
weight onto the oar at the beginning OF the
stroke. II would be ungracious to CRITICS
too freely upon a first piece Of evidence. yet II
Is Instructive that the betteng In the clubs is
now evens instead Of Q to = on Cambridge. as
IL was.
Some experts attributed the comparatively
poor form OF the Cantabs to the boat. with the
result that Messrs. Sims are nov building a
new one. To other minds. however. this Is
a sure sign OF discomfort and, TO speak quite
frankly. even some OF the CAntabs' warmest
supporters now begin TO think the race Will be
Iii il idle 10 think. as some do, that the Eng
lish style of rowing h. still superior TO any
other. The country had a rude awakening on
that score az Henley last month. although the
Belgians were fortunate enough to NEE! only
mediocre English crews. As one distin-
time. the BeIgians would have made the best
OF our Fights go for all they are worth. and the
Harvard crew, now in evidence. mas certainly
brought its " style OF owing almost TO per-
The situation may be briefly desoribed
thus: On september : the tMo eiEht,osred
physical fitness. speed. stamina and hull
dog grit. Both. more or less. rev a sculling
tactics from the first. Both, moreover. show
form that is practically above ,reproach. ac-
cOrding 70 their respective styles: which are
aRine. The Americans. l think. are capable
Of rowing a faster stroke at racing speed.
mH%oSre y rapid the stroke the less interval there
IL between strokes during which The
boat can travel. An eight-oared boat shoots
Hence forty extra strokes in twenty minutes
rowing should be worth some six lengths.
unless rowed too fast to be Kept iEns w,,u
and more vertical drop Of the blades into
ali sorts Of conditions very closely. one can
not but see that the work Of the Cantabs
produces more lift on the boat and more
today however. / believe the Americans
would win. They are getting litter every
hour. whereas the Cantaos appear slightly
The excit ement over the race 10 increasing
hourly. Every ship brings over more Ameri-
EnGlishmen awakened every where 70 a sense
OF their responsibility. We are told that the
race Is not an ln de .,tSsI s,ds o n; N I dHsaD rs
The American papers are devotinR columns
to the matter, and both nations look upon the
issue al distinctly international. One fea-
trTe is sat i~sfactory--t will be an Anglo
Sa von victory either way,
The Harvard crew while afoat this morn
ing had two sprints with a strong scratch
crew from the London Rowing club. The
first. which was OF two minutes duration.
started from a skif noored under Putney
Bridge. London was the quicker away and
showed the pace for a minute but Harvard
rowed them down before the end of the second
minute. In a further spin OF one minute
the Harvard crew took ~thTee-duaVters Of a
len 9Th out of the London crew. Capt, Filley
thinks the Harvard crew has an even chance. I
The Cam r Ee crew Rprtnted with a scratch
crew Of Ave professionals and three amateur
The mixed crew got away hrst and led Cam
bridge for the first minute. Cambridge was
uneven at the start, but picked M and at the
end Of a row OF two minute was three-Quarters
~ a Ian ~ "a in front