Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-06-26
STROKE OAR FAILS
Collapse of GrisWoId of Yale
Crew Gives Harvard an
Easy Victory
IN ANNUAL RACE on THAMES
Struggle, Witnessed by Thousands
Was Even for Two and One-Half
Miles of the Course.

Cheered by the great crowd of fren-
zied students and with steam whistles
splitting the air, the Harvard varsity
eight darted across the finish line here
last night victor in the great annual
aquatic race, leaving the crippled Yale
crew far away in the rear. For the
last mile and half the Harvard boat
dashed on alone. Yale striving
against mighty handicap with only
seven men at the oars, for Griswold.
the stroke, had sunk forward in the
stern, exhausted from the terrific
strain of the first two miles.
Before this catastrophe the battle
was worthy of the name, both power
full crews bending to their task with
a trojan will.
Many Follow the boats.
Through a 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.
Every eye was riveted on the sway
ing bronze forms in the boats as they
bent to the terrific strain of 26, then
80 and then 81 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
| TIE coXswains, megaphones to mouth,
stimulating their men and marking
| time with "one, two three four" Yale
had splashed at the start and the Har-
ward men had been quick to take this
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 mile from the start both
crews were almost side by side, Har-
ward being 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 a 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 strainins
to see if Harvard could keep up the
lpace or would weaken at the close
lSteadily on they came, when suddenly
commotion was observed in the Yale
boat as Griswold, the stroke, fell for
ward on his oar and ceased to row
Cass, Yale's coxswain, had already
been dashing water into his pale face
For nearly minute-it seemed II
l-the Yale stroke sat motionless, ben
down as if lifeless. Then he wa
seen to straighten up and bend to hi
oar again, and a great shout went III
from the Yale cohorts as their crev
was seen to pick up the stroke an,
rally for another effort. But the,
were now six length behind, hopeless
ly beaten.
Another 20 strokes and Griswol,
was seen to collapse again, and thel
the whole crew, disheartened at tn
fall of their leader, quit their wor
and sat detected at their oars. Yal
was beaten. 1t was no longer rae
and Harvard swung ahead alone, stil
} keeping up the racing clip and eros.
: ing the finishing line with regula
'swish, swash,'' to the very end /
the slow time of 24:10.
Finish Half Mile behind.
Griswold was helped from the Yal
boat, and, tagging far behind the Ha
E ward men, the seven remaining Yal
! men at last made their appearance
= at the finish, half mile behind Ha
!. ward, receiving generous ovation fc
Q their pluck under such disheartenin
conditions.