The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-26
Stirring Struggle Is Marred By Collapse of One of the
 Yale Men
RACE WAS SPLENDID
 UNTIL ROVER GAVE OUT
Secretary Taft Is Witness of the Con. test But He Is for the Losinq Side. Roosevelt's Family See Race
 From the Mayflower.

New London, Conn.,, June 25.-Amid a deafening din of steam whistles and horns, and the frenzied shouts of colleg- ians, the Harvard varsity eight shot their boat over the finish line tonight, winning from the crippled and distanced Yale crew, that classic of American col lege aquatics, the HarvardYale boat race. But instead of a race, Harvard finished the last mile and half alone. while far behind ale limped along with but seven men at the oars, with Gris- wold, the stroke-the man who had been relied upon to set the winning pace-bent forward limp and faint from the terrific strain of the opening two miles. Up to this unexpected climax it had been stirring struggle, worthy of the best tra- ditions of the old antagonists, and with the fitting setting of marine spectacle such as had seldom been equalled along a regatta course for brilliancy and mag nitude. For the first time, too the Pres ident of the United States was taking keen and active interest as a champion of the crimson colors, and although com pelled 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 a group of collegians aboard one of the observation trains who shouted enthusiastic encour- agement to the Yale crew as they sped over the early reaches of the course. and then lapsed into glum dlsmay as Gris- wold was seen to fall over helpless in the Yale boat The race was rowed un- der the most favorable racing conditions, just as the sun was setting over the picturesque Thames. with the water broken only by ripples, a cloudless sky and light northwesterly breeze.
 Splendid Picture.
 The picture 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 frineed with solid masses of people and with crowded observation trains skirting the banks and keeping abreast of the flying boats. The
 great steel draw-bridge spanning the i Thames marked the start of the race with
 the finish at Red Top, four miles up- stream. Just above the bridge were massed the main fiotilla of pleasure craft, with myriads of trim, white hulled steam yachts, auxiliaries, sloops and schooners, the very pick of the Atlantic pleasure fleet, their rigging bright with signal flags , from stem to stern, their spick and span decks alive with yachtsmen, university men and pretty girls in bright summer costumes, feathers, fans and gay para sols. Further up the course for full four miles, stretched long lines of steam and sailing craft of every conceivable de- . scription-big ocean-going revenue cutters, ! torpedo boats, palatial yachts auto-boats and sharp peaked Herrenhoff racers The Sylph, the Roosevelts aboard, had point of vantage while all about were the rac- ing cracks of every class in American waters.
 Racers Moving.
 Through this maze of craft the rowers l threaded their way with a clear open i course 200 feet wide, marked every half
 mile with red and blue standards. Every 1 eye was riveted on the bronze swaying. l forms in the shells as they bent to the 1 terrific strain of 26, then 3O then 30 | strokes to the minute, driving their frail 1 crafts through the water as with knives | Above the shouts from the onlookers l could be heard the shrill voices of the | coxswains, megaphones to mouth stimu- l lating their men and marking time with ''one! two! three! four.' Yale had 1 splashed at the start and the Harvard
 men had been quick to take this advan :
 tage, pushing their boat slightly ahead
 There they hung, nip and tuck, Harvard S
 stamina against Yales pluck, through the
 roaring avenues of nerve-racked, screech- ! ing thousands. Half mile from the start 1 the crews were almost side by side, Har- 1 yard being a few feet to the fore; one
 mile, Harvard still ahead, with Yale hold l ing on doggedly; two miles, Yale squirting
 and lessening the gap; 21s miles, Harvard l still in the lead, with open water between
 the boats and Yale fighting on like grim | death.
 Decisive Moment.
 1 Now came the decisive moment with
 the final stretch almost in sight and the
 breathess throngs straining to see if Har- ward could keep up the pace or would weaken at the close. Steadily on the V
 came, when suddenly commotion was ob l served in the Yale boat, as Griswold the
 stroke, fell forward on his oar and ceased i 10 row Cass, Yale's coxswain, had al- 1 leduy DeeI udSnlnR water Into ms pale l tace For nearly minute the Yale stroke ! sat motonless, bent down as if lifeless l Then he was seen to straighten up and bend to his oar agaln, and great shout i went up from the Yale cohorts as their
 crew was seen to pick up the stroke and ] rally for another effort.
 1 But they were now six lengths behind, 1 hopelessly beaten Another 20 strokes and ] Griswod was seen to collapse again, and {, then the whole crew, dsheartened at the l fall of their leader, quit their work an,i l sat dejected at their oars. Yale was ! beaten! It was no longer ace and liar 1 ward swung ahead alone, still keeping up l the racing clip, and crossing the finishing ] line with regular 'swish-swash" to the l very end. As Harvard swept across the 1 line bloom! boom!" and "toot. toot!'' went up in deafening chorus from the
 myriads of craft, while from bank to bank | rolled chorus of Harvard yells and | from every truck and mainmast broke out
 the triumphant crimson. In the forewa- : l ter stood out the big Presidential yacht with the Roosevelt children on the bridge. applauding Justify. Far away could be | seen Secretary Taft's car, the big secre- | tary standing bareheaded, gazing back to . ward the crippled Yale boat, while "Rah.
 rah! rah. Harvard,'' came from the groups of college men as the secretary sped by Griswold had been helped from | the Yale boat, and tagging far behind ths l Harvard men the seven remaining Yale men at last made their appearance at the
 tinish-a half mile behind Harvard-re-