The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-25
YALE OARSMEN IN
 FINE CONDITION Establish Time of 2 min., 8 Sec. in Half-mile
 Burst. RFCORDMAYBEBROKEN Noted Guests Arriving for Races-Veteran Oarsmen Return to Broadview.
RFCORDMAYB BEBROKRN
(From Special Staff correspondent.)

tFrom Special Staff Correspondent
 Iale Headquarters, Gales Ferry, Nonn., June 24-As an example of what
 may be expected from the oarsmen
 John Kennedy has prepared to defend
 the honors of old Eli on the Thames
 thursday afternoon those on board
 the Yale launch Monday night were
 treated to an exhibition of oarsmanship
 which especially with the somewhat
 4umpy water, was superb And not
 only was the rowing form displayed by
 the varsity eight of the highest grade,
 but the crew established record for
 the half-mile brush, the distance being
 covered in exactly 2 minutes and 8
 seconds.
 Conditions were favorable for the es-
 taolishment of record, not only so
 Tar as regards the tide and wind, but
 also as regards the oarsmen, who, like
 hounds ready to be slipped from leash,
 are eager to demonstrate their powers.
 With similar conditions Thursday, and
 two unusually fine and speedy crews. there Is prospect that the time record over the four mile course will be low- cred.
 No more appropriate time for the lowering of record could be planned. The regatta of 1907 will be attended by more persons of national note than ever were present before. Assistant Secretary of State Robert Bacon will be present, he is to-day at Red Top on ms chartered steam yacht Embla, and 1t IS not at all improbable that Presi- dent Roosevelt may arrange to be pres- ent Thursday, his yacht Sylph leaving the Thames last Sunday for oyster Bay,
 Honors will be easy if Secretary Taft should come along to see his nephew row in the Yale shell.
 The hard work of training and pre- Iminary practice is all over tonight in the Yale and Harvard rowing camps and, with but two days remaining be- Tore the regatta, the standing of the various crews will be little changed bv the light practice which will be given in the interval.
 The coaches will devote their ener- gies tomorrow almost exclusively to the practice of racing starts and after tomorrow evening, or at, latest We'd nesday morning, the crews will rest in anticipation of Thursdays struggle.
 Practice to-day was light all the way round, no attempt at the four-mile course being made either by blue or crimson. The few days immediately preceding the race invariably witness the arrival at the rival camps of old oarsmen and friends of the crews. and a general relaxation-not of training. but of the strenuous trying-out process which determines the composition of the crews-takes place. This year Is no exception and the advance guard of old Ellis veteran oarsmen were much in evidence at Broadview this evening.
 Among the former defenders of the aquatic honors of Yale seen in quar- ters was Walter Cross, who was cap- tain of the 1904 eight and who still looks fit to do the trick again. "Dick" Whittier, who as captain of the var stty eight of 1905 pulled a masterly oar at No. 6 and brought his crew home a winner, was also one of the arrivals to- day MT Whittier still knows how to | handle the big twelve-foot oar and has lost none of the science lmparted few | years ago by John Kennedy, Frank, | manly and free, MT. Whittier was an ideal captain and had the happy fac ulty of imparting his personal magnet ism to his crew.
 K D. Weeks, who pulled bow oar in | the varsity eight in 1906, is another ar- rival at Broadview. Mr Weeks looks | as though he had kept in pretty good training since last years race and handled an oar during the evening in his old time form.
 Graduate oarsmen are keeping m in- terest in rowing matters around Yale quarters. Monday scratch four made things lively for the varsity four, fixing the boys 6 surprise and beating them over half mile spurt, rowed upstream in the forenoon. The boys claim the race was rowed on it's merits, too. The scratch four was composed of Cooley, stroke; Peyton, No. 8; Blair. No. 2; Babcock bow, and Barkalow, conswain.
 Monday night an eight oar crew of veterans filled the, rough weather shell and went out for an hour to show the youngsters how to row. Spectators were not slow to say that the material in this gentlemen's eight could, with a little training, make crack-a-jack crew. Seymour of the 1906 squad pull ed stroke Weeks, bow oar of 1906 shell. pulled No. [; Dick Whittier was at his old place as captain and No. 6, Peyton No 5, Cooley No. 1, Babcock No. 8, Blair No 2, Curtis bow, and Cass cox swain.
 This gentlemen's eight will probably make up the crew which will oppose a like crews from Harvard "wednesday when the veterans eight ear and treatments four oar races will be pulled off. It is expected that these two events will be held about o'clock Wednesday evening and that they will be rowed upstream.
 Most of the details for regatta day were settled Monday afternoon at a of the members of the com mittee held at Harvard quarters. pre- sided over by w. L. Mirkleham. Start judge for Yale will be General w. Skid dy and for Harvard J. F. Perkins. The timer for Yale will be George St. John Sheffield and for Harvard Robert F. Herrick. The neutral judge, new of- l flee, will be William Manice of Colum- oia. The finish judge for Yale will be t Hugh Auehincloss and for Harvard f Dan Downs, The toss for choice of course will 2