Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-22
CORNELL CREW
TRAILS SYRACUSE
Ithacan 0arsmen Are Hard
Pressed by Washington and
Wisconsin for Second.
COLUMBIA, PACEMAKER,
FIFTH, PENNSY LAST
Sixty Thousand See Hard Finish in
Four-Mile Feature-Cornell
Wins Preliminaries.

POUG1kEEPSIE, N Y, June 21.-The
national character and caliber of college
rowing in the United States were demon
strated here late this afternoon in the
four-mile feature race of the annual in
tercollegiate regatta.
After winning the two preliminary
events of the program, Cornell usually
conceded to be the leading university OF
the country in rowing, was forced to
lower her colors to Syracuse and just
escaped the added ignominy of being de-
feated by two western crews, the Uni
versity of Wisconsin and Washington
In a driving and spectacular finish such
as has not been seen on the Hudson river
course the Orange varsity oarsmen rowed
across the line a scant length ahead of
Cornell, while pressing the exhausted
Ithaca eight came Washington less than a
length behind and Wisconsin, s bow tapping
the stern of the Seattle entrants for ma
tional varsity rowing honors. Columbia, the
pacemakers for the first two miles. were
fifth, cooked to a turn. to use coach
expression, while far in the rear Penn
sylvania trailed in the wash of the five
preceding crews.
Syracuse a Big Surprise.
1t was a race and finish that drove the
| 60, 600 spectators on observation trains,
yachts and river banks almost frNatic
with excitement and enthusiasm and the
usual organized cheering and singing lost
| all unison and became a mere series OF
! shrieks and yaps under the strain Of
| the pressure of college loyalty.
The victory of the Syracuse crew was
a big surprise but the wonderful show
| inO of no mid ayo6 ia nifrhf
| was the feature and topic of conversa-
| tion among the veteran oarsmen after the
| regatta. The official times of the varsity
| race is perhaps the best indication of the
| closeness Of the long struggle down the
four-mile course and the courage and
stamina with which five of the six COM
peting eights fought until the very fin
| ish.
| Syracuse finished in 10 minutes % 3-5
seconds; Cornell, 10 minutes 81 seconds;
Washington two seconds later and Wis
consin three seconds behind Washington.
Columbia crossed the line 10 minutes
3S is seconds after the start and Penn
sylvania trailed In last in 20 minutes
IL 1-5 seconds. The time Of the winning
crew was the fastest since 1909. and but
IS 2-5 seconds behind the record for the
course made by Cornell in 1901. when
Courtney's star crew sped over the four
miles in IS minutes 50 1-5 seconds.
Ideal Weather Prevails.
throughout the entire afternoon. The sky
was just enough overcast to temper the
summer rays of the sun and the broad
| stretches of the Hudson were minus even
| the rippdes that usually are seen on the
river at this point. The predicted close
| ness of the races and the presence of the
championship crew of the Pacific coast
all helped to attract a gathering of row.
| ing enthusiasts that probably broke all
|
| The long observation train was crowded
| until late corners hung like flies on the
| ends and sides, and the entire west bank
of the river was lined and ma ssed with
| hundreds of parties who had journeyed
| from both the cities and surrounding
country to watch the struggle of the col
| lege sweep swingers.
In the river the outer side of the course
for more than mile near the finish was
lined with large and small yachts, motor
boats and canoes All in all il was a
great day for Poughkeepsie the regatta
and the oarsmen. Many famous and
thrilling regattas have helped to make
rowing history here in the past, but ii is
doubtful whether more successful re-
gatta was ever held during the many
years that the Intercollegiate Rowing As
sociation has held forth in annual crew
races on the Hudson.
Thousands on Train Cheer.
The sun was beginning to sink be-
hind the palisades when the Cornell
crew padded up to the starting line
of the four-mile race near Krum Ell
bow with two victories to the credit
of the university to cheer the oars
men into a clean sweep. Keeping
company with the eight came the long
observation train trundling along with
thousands of cheering collegians, grad
uates and enthusiasts. One after an
other the six crews came slowly up
river and took their places at the
stake boats Aligned across the mir
rorlike surface of the river they
formed beautiful spectacle the
stewards boat. Gretchen, drifted down
to the mark The usual preliminaries
were quickly passed and at SIP the
final to coXswainS was given one by
one each answered Ready" and two
minutes later the pistol flashed and
forty-eight oars plunged below the sur
face of the water and the race was on.
The ultimate winners Of the con-
test, Syracuse. We're first to catch the
water, and the splash of the sweeps
was plainly heard on shore the
oarsmen threw their weight and
muscle into the first stroke. The Salt
city crew jumped into the lead with
thirty ty-eight-to-the-minut stroke with
the other eight sicine the water ON
both sides of them. There was little
advantage during the first 200 yards.
and then Columbia showed Its DOW
trifie to the fore Syracuse was sec
ond ana Cornell third, with Wiscon-
sin, Washington and Pennsylvania
following.
Columbia Leading at Mile.
Al the first mile all the crews had
settled down TO the long grind in steady
style. with Columbia showing the way
half a length ahead of Cornell which
led Syracuse by three-quarters- of a
shell The two western eigIt- were
within easy striking distant, but
PENNSYLVANIA was already falling back.
Washington and Columbia We're rowing
thirty-two, with the other crews from
two to four strokes higher.
At the halfway marx Columbia was
still in the lead, but had jumped hsr
stroke three points to hold the place.
Both Syracuse and Cornell We're travel
ing through the water in splendid style
and had cut down the New Workers ad-
vantage until all three shells We're
Tapped. The positions of the other three
eights were unchanged except that
Pennsylvania was clearly out of the
race Thus the struggle continued until
the black railroad bridge hove in sight
and the oarsmen prepared for the final
squirt that was to bring victory or de-
feat.
Passing under the trestle which mark
ed the three-mile point, Stroke Thurston
of the Syracuse crew lifted the stroke
tn forty to the minute and Ste8aily ploV.