New-York tribune., 1914-11-23
TO ROW DEADLY"
Mile NO MORE
Stewards Said TO Favor
Three-Mile Course for
PoughkeepSie Race.
PENNSYLVANIA ONLY
OPPONENT OF CHANGE
Vale and Harvard Likely TO Fall
IN Iine-Princeton FavorS
Innovation.

The deadly" fourth mile has been
.owed for the last time IN a Pough-
tcsnsie regatta. This was the unot-
se;si but none the less authoritative
s,norncemeut made yesterday by a
,-sr enjoying the confidence of the
hosr6 of stewards Of the lntercol-
iss;ate Rowing Association. The agita-
,,S, against fcur-mile races, begun in
.Ne ronular m aznes several years
sso has borne fruit in that the last
81 Is to b, lorpod of the Pough-
toensic race next year and the
'.rgrc.s shortened 20 three miles.
me board Of stewards was ready
for the change year ago. and at
,bst time sounded Charles +. Court
new. the veteran Cornell coach, and
Ismes G.. Rice, the director Of rowing
a. Columbia Both Rice and Courtney
we're decidedly In favor Of the scheme,
Courtney the more so because he had
her won over early in the fight, and
vas convinced after watching and
s,udvinr the development of his own
erews for wears that in the short time
available for the training Of the aver
ace American college oarsman Il was
imnoss lC 10 bring him up TO the
standard o. physical efficiency required
bv the folr-mile race. Rice, too, was
convinced that il was impossible TO
train boy 90 row four miles after a
few short months Of preparation.
The stewards, however. when they
put the matter 20 a vote, found them
selves baked by Thomas B. Reath Of
ibe University Of Pennsylvania, who
sct;nc under informal instructions Of
the University of Pennsylvania Ath-
letic Assoc alton, voiced objections 90
The plan As the opinion Of the con-
,tituent members was not unanimou
.he stewards were unwilling to push
The natter for the 1914 race. and that
.o~tcst was rowed as scheduled.
Since last June there have been sew
eral conferences Of the stewards, and
they have decided that now is the tim
70 substitute the th~ee-mile race for
the four-m..e struggle The movement
has received impetus by the public
declaration Cf the Cornell University
faculty. committee on student affairs
that it was iD favor of the three-mile
race proposed. and judge Frank Irvine.
Correl's representative on the board
Of stewards. will be asked 20 commu-
1icate -he views expressed 10 the
board officially.
Columbia las taken no faculty ac-
tiOn. but the rowing club has gone
on record as au0rovinc the three-mile
race Pennsylvania alone still stand IS
sloof. and if the opinion Of Vivian
Nickal.s counts for anything the Red
and Blue viii continue to favor a four
mile race The Pennsylvania vote.
however. viii probably be changed
when the stewards take uD the matter
officially az their next meeting.
Syracuse. the only other rowing col
lece which viii be represented at
Fo-cr secpsie next June. VIII have no
vcice % deciding on the length Of the
the race The Orange has, never been
member Of the association. and row
only on invitation. so that the only
way 'u which il can protest against
the shorten Of the race is to de-
cline the invitation 20 row on the Hud-
son. and shat would immed ately de-
prive it of all its rowing prest ge.
The change In the length Of the race
win undoubtedly have an effect on
the Yale-T arvard race on the Thames.
Yale is openly in favor Of continuing
the four-mile race. but Harvard, II Is
said. favors the three-mle contest on
the grounds set forth by Courtney. 1t
IS more than likely, however. that
The Crimson and the Blue will follow
il the steps of the Intercollegiate A.
sociation in this matter, as they dc
q year ago. when they abolished the
four-oared race and substituted race
iO second elghts.
With the race on the Thames cut
down 90 three miles, speculation arises
as 20 Just when Princeton viii make
a Did 10 be taken into the Yale-Har-
ward affair al New London. DR.. Spaetn
and others in charge Of rowing az
Princeton have been openly opposed
10 f0ur-mile rowing and ln favor OF
three-mile races. While there are no
direct expressions as 10 the possibility
Of Princeton entering into the he4d OF
three-mile races. il is believed that
With three-mile contests on. the
Thames. the Tigers would Immediately
ask 70 be represented.
The Princetonians would be more
than welcome on the Hudson, but
Princeton believes that its true sphere
is with Yale and Harvard, although
since rowing was re-estabhshed al
Nassau. races with Columbia, Penn
sylyania and Cornell have been part
Of the annual schedule. For all that
however. Princeton wants 20 row at
New London, and as soon as Yale and
Harvard drop the distance from four
miles 20 three the Tigers will doubt
less be found backing up 70 the start
mg line with the Crimson and the
Blue.