The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-07-02
Harvard and Yale Crews at
New London Await Gun.
JAM OvERFLOWS THE CITY.
Record Crowd Out to See Blue and
Crimson 0arsmen Struggle For
Honors In Eight Dared
Contest.

New LONDON, Conn.,, July tn
the freshmen and the four cared races
out of the way, the scene was set to-
day for the final and crowning event
of the Yale-Harvard regatta. the strug-
gle between the varsity eight cared
crews.
The minor events have served their
purpose-the whettiDg of the appetites
of the immense crowds for the big
race. Speaking of crowds, the word
seems hardly adequate to give an idea
of the number of people that fill this
city to overfowing and spill over the
edges. Even last years multitude,
drawn here partly by the races and
partly by the presence Of President
Taft, then the Republican candidate,
is surpassed today. The long after
noon wait for the big race, which is
scheduled for p. m, is filed with
the scenes and sounds incident to the
gathering Of mass Of college human
ity. New London is used to the up
roar and the sights, having had the
college regatta here since 1878, but
even the man who remembers the Har-
ward victory in that year declares that
today's crowd is record breaker
To account for the scenes, imagine
an assemblage of thousands upon
thousands of college alumni and I'M
dergraduates, accompanied by their
women folk. all plentifully bedecked
with crimson or blue, wandering
through the shady streets of this an
cient town in groups and Couples,
swirling in opposite currents at the
street corners. gathering in crowds III
front of the hotels and in the squares
and waving into one anOther's faces
the flags and pennants with which
they express visibly their enthusiastic
rivalrieS.
For the noises, combine in your
minds ear the chattering, laughing,
singing and cheering of the aforesaid
thousands. mingling in pleasing med
ley of noise with the booming of the
little cannon on the yachts lining the
course of the races, the roaring of the
sirens of the same craft and the cease
less honliing and braying of the auto
mobiles drawn hither by the regatta
from every point on the compass.
And don't forget the cries of the
takers, doing rushing business in
pennants, buttons, rattles, horns, whis-
ties and other things that go with boat
races and football games, to say moth
ing of the venders of lemonade and
sandwiches.
Judging from some of the talk that
is going around among persons who
say they are disinterested, there will
be only one crew in tOday's big race
and that crew will be the one from
the university west of here. Not that
| the Harvard crew has no partisans or
that the Crimson hOrdes are forgetting
themselves so far as to concede that
Yale will win. Oh, dear, no! But
there Is so much talk of the wonder
fully fast time made in practice by
the Yale eight and the possible over
training of the Harvard men that one
can sometimes surprise even a Har-
yard rooter with an anxious look on
his face.
To Offset all this confident Yale talk
the Crimson people are Haunting in the
faces of their foes the Harvard vic,
tory of last year, when Griswold OF
Yale collapsed In the third mile and
Hunts collapse Immediately after shat
tered Yale's hopes. Yale's answer tC
this historic argument is that not since
1928 has Harvard won twice In sue
cession and this is a late day for the
upsetting of that long record.
OF course neither Captain Howe OF
Yale nor Captain Cutler of Harvard il
upsetting college tradition by claiming
victory before the race. The coaches
Kennedy of Yale and Wray of Har
ward, are not quite so reticent or mod
est, however, and each has been heard
to assert that his charges are in goot
condition and need only the chance tt
prove their rowing skill.
The start of the big race will be wei
worth seeing. The Harvard crew knOw'
how to get under way quickly, and the
racing starts made by Yale this yeal
have been revelation even to the ole
men on the river.
1t will be a terrific race until ont
crew succumbs to the strain, and theI
the result will have been decided
That is what happened last year
Then, however, Yale was trying to row
a very long stroke as fast as Harvard
rowed short one. This year boil
crews will use a short stroke.