Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-26
ON EVE OF THE
BIG ROWING BATTLE
Poughkeepsie Filled With Ad-
herentS of the Different
College Crews.
Special Dispatch TO The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
POUGHKEEPSIE, n. Y. June 26.-On
the eve Of the great annual regatta. when
the crews. OF i've different colleges will
meet on the Hudson. this town Is wrought
up to a fever of excitement which had
its inception among the cohorts muster
ed under the pennants of the contending
colleges. The excitement is not confined
to the visitors now, for every one OF the
1900 Poughkeepsians has become par
tisan Of some one Of the crews. either be-
cause of sentiment or because of faith
in its ability to carry the day. Every
train brings a host of new arrivals to the
town. They make up a big aggregation
of college youths and their friends and
rowing experts. Peg top trousers and
loud hat bands are everywhere to be
seen. and in such quantities that, to the
stranger who happens to be passing
through the town, the place has an ap-
pearance Of the home of one OF the
large universities at the height OF a
great celebration.
The two hotels. the Nelson and Morgan
House are filled to their capacity and
rooms all over the city are at premium
Spectators who have managed to get
hold of tickets for the observation trains
are reaping enormous profits In their sale
fixing the price at from two to three
times the face value of 81. The observa-
ton train is on the siding of the West
Shore road, just below Highland.
large number of those who witnessed
the New London regatta came over here
this morning. Coach Connibear and +. G.
Beck. captain of the Washington state
crew. and Dean Witter, captain Of the
California University eight. who have
for the past week and who witnessed the
Yale-Harvard contest, returned last night.
II the passerby were to inquire into the
conversation of the knots of men gathered
on street corners and in the Hobbies of the
hotels he would find the one general topic
to be odds" However great the opposi-
ton of reform administration to gambling.
1t Is evident that nothing can allay the
betting fever that has the regatta town
in its grasp. OF handbooks and individual
wagers there will. of course. be plenty.
but 1t seems almost certain that the
open selling of pools will be prohibited.
Pools or no pools. no one so inclined finds
the least trouble in getting his money up,
provided he has fair proposition.
Bookmakers Busy.
The advance guard of the professional
fraternity Of chance arrived yesterday
when the college men began to take up
quarters in the town and filled their hand
books with bets of all sorts and varieties
Their plan of campaign took in the quar-
terS or the nVe crews.
At these they found much business for
the montonous period of waiting between
the cessation of hard work and the time
when their boats will be called to the
starting line. Many Of them confidently
backed their own crews or took chances
on their rivals as they had sized them in
the daily practice on the course.
The fluctuations in the stock Of the
fourteen varsity and freshman boats and
tours are so sudden, however, that not
until tonight will the odds be definitely
settled for straight, place and show. Yes
terday's books made Syracuse the favor
tie at 8 to 5: Columbia. 3 to l.; PennsyI-
vania, to 1: Wisconsin, to 1. and Cor
nell, 10 to l. 1t Is thought that Columbia
orally admitted that, II for no other rea
son than the inflow of Cornell money at
the attractive odds quoted the Ithacan
stock will rise rapidly.
A good deal of interest Is being shown
in the race for the gentlemen's fours.
which is to take place at O'Clock this
afternoon. and several small wagers have
been made on the result. This race. which
involves all the sport of the real regatta,
but little Of its seriousness. Is thoroughly
enjoyed, especially by the subs who take
part in it, as 1t gives them the satisfac-
ton Of a race after the long months of
hard training.
Cornell. Columbia. Pennsylvania and
Wisconsin have each entered a crew.
Accident Hurts Syracuse.
The accident to the Syracuse shell yes
terday noon has, in the opinion Of. both
rowing experts and the casual observer,
lessened the chances of the Orange in the
big race. This is Of Importance, as they
and Columbia up to that time were both
making strong bids for favorite in the
betting. Many believe that building a new
bow on the shell, no matter how success
fully done. will affect the alignment
enough to impair its progress through the
water. Moreover. granting that the new
bow is in itself perfect piece of work.
manship, 1t is more than likely that the
body of the frail craft was strained and
weakened by the force of the impact with
the rowboat.
John Hoyle, the Cornell boat builder,
worked on the shell of the rival crew I'M
til late last night and will have it ready to
turn over to its owners SO that they can
get out on the river this afternoon for
final spin. Coach Ten Eyck did not beat
the varsity in the freshman shell, as 1t
would involve change in rigging and In
getting accustomed to the new boat the
men would be harmed rather than bene-
flied. So the work of the varsity con-
sisted in a long walk both last evening
and this morning.
Columbia is considered as strong as
ever. and shows no signs of losing
ground in popular favor. The men are
all reported in tip-top condition. and as
there has been no fault found with their
form, there seems to be no cause for
worry to the partisans of the Blue and
White
Pennsylvania is still played for show
and there are no signs that her position
will change. either one way or the other.
Seemingly on the strength of the re-
mark Of Coach Ellis Ward that it is
the best crew he has had in five years.
and on the apparent Drawn of the city
combination. there Is plenty of Penn
sylvania money about the town. 1t
was somewhat of a surprise that the
men with the handbooks should rate Wis
consin above Cornell, as the faith in
Courtney Ia too strong to allow the
Ithacians to be looked upon as trailers in
the big race. No one seems to have a
line on the Badgers. however. and it may
be. that they will spring a surprise and
prove better than they are now rated
The admitted weakness of the Cornell
boat, however. is an ever present argu-
ment for RELOCATING them to the rear
Orange the Favorite Four.
Syracuse holds her own. and from
present indications the orange will be
placed heavily as the favorite for this
raca. 1t is known that the quartet made
a remarkable time trial, and the way they
&c. behind the water at the catch and
pull through the stroke is productive of
confidence. Cornell and Pennsylvania are
contendng for the place in the betting.
and. although in the Early part Of the