Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-26
GREAT RACE IS
WON BY HARVARD
YALE DROPS OUT OF CONTEST
AFTER TWO MILES
eRIsWoLD, STROKE FOR BLUE,
FAINTs FROM EXHAUSTION
Destroys All Chances That Sons
of Eli May Have Had
OF Winning
Ey Associated Press.

By Associated Press.
NEW LONDON, Conn.,, June 25.--
Amid deafening din of whistles and
horns and amid the shouts of collie
CLANS the Harvard varsity eight shot
their boat over the finish line tonight,
winning from the crippled and dis
tanced Yale crew in that classic of
American college aquatics. the Har-
vard-Yale varsity boat race.
But instead Of a race Harvard fin
ished the last mile and half alone,
while far behind Yale limped along
with only seven men at the oars, with
Griswold, the stroke-the man who had
been relied upon to set the winning
pace-bent forward, faint from the ter
rife strain of the opening two milea
Up to this unexpected climax 1t had
been a struggle worthy of the best
traditions of the old antagonists; and
with the fitting setting of a marine
spectacle such as seldom has been
equaled along a regatta course for
brilliancy and magnitude.
For the first time, too, the president
OF the United States was taking keen
and active interest as a champion OF
the crimson colors, and although COM
PEELED by circumstances to absent him.
self today the spirit of his enthusiasm
was voiced by the Roosevelt family.
who witnessed the contest from the
deck of the presidential yacht.
Yale was more fortunate in having
her distinguished champion, Secretary
Taft. present in reality-the central
figure of group of collegians aboard
one of the observation trains. who
shouted encouragement to the Yale
crew as they sped over the early
reaches of the course and then col
lapsed into glum dismay as Griswold
was seen to fall over helplessly in the
Yale boat.
Racing Conditions Good
The race was rowed under the most
favorable racing conditions, just as
the sun was setting over the pictur-
esuue Thames, with the water broken
only by ripples, a cloudless sky and q
light northwesterly breeze The pic
ture of the straining racers as they
started on their course was one of
intense interest At either hand the
green hills of the Thames stretched
away, dotted with old fashioned New
England farm houses, the river banks
fringed with solid masses of people
and with crowded observation trains
skirting the banks and keeping abreast
of the flying boats.
The great steel bridge spanning the
Thames marked the start Of the race,
with the finish at Red Top, four miles
massed the main flotilla of pleasure
craft, with myriads of trim, white
hulled steam yachts, auxiliar!es, sloops
and schooners, the very pick of the At
lantic pleasure fleet, their rigging
bright with signal flags from stem to
stern and their sipck and span decks
alive with yachtsmen, university men
and pretty girls In bright summer Co.'S
tune, feathers, fans and gay parasols.
Further up the course, for fully four
miles, stretched long lines or steam
and sailing craft of every conceivabe
description, big ocean going revenue
cutters, torpedo boats, palatial yachts,
autoboats and sharp-beaked Herres-
hoff racers. The Sylph. with the Roose-
yelts aboard, had a point of vantage,
while all about were the racing cracks
of every class in American waters.
Through this maze of craft the racers
threaded their way with a clear open
course 200 feet wide. marked every
half mile with red and blue standards
blue for Yale and crimson for Harvard.
Every eye was riveted on the swaying
bronZed forms in the boats as they
bent to the terrific strain of 26. then
20 and then "a strokes to the minute.
driving their frail crafts through the
water as with knives. Above the shouts
from the onlookers could be heard the
shrill voices of the coxswains, mega
and marking time with "one, two,
three, four"
Yale SpIsshes at Start
Yale had splashed at the start and
Harvard men had been able to take
advantage, pushing their boat slight
ly ahead. There they hung. nip and
tuck Harvard stamina against Yale
pluck, through the roaring avenues OF
nerve-racked, screeching thousands.
Half a mile from the start both crews
were almost side by side, Harvard be-
ing a few feet to the fore. One mile,
Harvard still ahead with Yale holding
on doggedly. Two miles, Yale squirting
and lessening the gap. Two and
half miles. Harvard still In the lead,
with open water between the boats
and Yale fighting on like grim death.
Now came the decisive moment, with
the final stretch almost in sight, and
the breathless throngs stratning to see
IL Harvard could keep up the pace or
would weaken at the close. Steadily,
on they came, when, suddenly, COM
motion was observed in the Yale boat,
as Griswold, the stroke, fell forward on
his oar and ceased to row.
Cass, Yale's coxswain, already had
been dashing water into his pale face.
For nearly minute-it seemed ten
the Yale stroke sat motionless. bent
down as IL lifeless. Then he was seen
to straighten up and bend to his oar
again and great shout went up from
the Yale cohorts as their crew was
seen to pick up the stroke and rally
for another effort. But they were now
six lengths behind, hopelessly beaten
another twenty strokes and Griswold
was seen to collapse again. and then
the whole crew. dishe9rtened at the
fall of their leader, quit their work
and sat detected. at their oars.
Yale HopeIessIy Beaten
Yale was beaten. 1t was no longer
a race and Harvard swung ahead,
alone, still keeping up the racing clip
and crossing the finish line with q
regular "swish-swash' to the very end
AS Harvard sped across the line,
boom. BOOM and "toot. toot" went up
Ia deafening chorus from myriad craft,
while from bank to bank rolled a
nhnrna OF Harvard yells from every