The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-06-20
YALE EIGHT BEATS
HARvAROBYFO
INCH MARGIN
Finest Race on thames in Many
Years
BOATS TAPPED WHOLE WAY
First Victory for the Blue over the
Crimson in Past Seven
Years


narrow margin Of four inches. Yale
won the varsity four.mile crew race
ON the Thames river late yesterday
afternoon, after a struggle which will
stand out in rowing history. Through
a long four-mile lane Of steam yachts
and motorbOats. the 10 crewmen toll
ed at the crimson and blue-tipped
oars, while thousands of spectato S
on shore and observation trains shrek
ed Historically. When the prows OF
the racing shells had cut past the
final line OF flags and the oarsmen
dropped with drawn faces, few OF the
thousands knew which had won.
On board the judges boat at the
finish line could be seen the arbite 3
of the race frantically gesticulating
in conference. while first black flag
and then a crimson one was waved
at the end of long pole. Why a
black flag instead of blue one
should have been displayed has not
yet been explained.
On the white canvas-covered condo
las of the observation train. the clans
Of Yale and Harvard cheered and
yelled by turn. catching hope and in
spiration from the waving flags OF
those aboard the yachts clustered
close about the finish. Slowly the
Harvard colors began to sink as the
judges finally resorted TO the mega.
phone and screamed across the water
that Yale had won its first varsity
race in seven years by foot or less
in q minutes l6 seconds, with Har-
ward crossing the line one-fifth OF a
second later.
Then the Yale legions lost all re.
straint, and the blue flashed forth IN
the hands of thousands. Shore and
water appeared TO be buried under
the mass of futtering color and the
sharp Yale cheers drowned out the
long-drawn-out Harvard "rahs.'. On
the roads parallel with the river the
sirens and buzzers Of the automobiles
added TO the din, for Yale had come
into its own again after a period OF
rowing reverses that tried the hearts
of even the most loyal.
But the crews saw or heard little
of the celebrating for they were bad
ly exhausted. Stroke Appleton Of the
Yale eight lay prone in the shell
where he had dropped just as he
drove the stern of his craft past the
final blue flag post. McLane in the
coxswain's seat scooped handful after
handful of water over him. In the
waist of the boat, Sheldon, No. 4
was doubled over until his head
touched the planking, while Titus
and Sturtevant struggled with almost
powerless arms to revive him with
splashes of water. A few feet away
the Harvard eight hung limp on their
slides. When they finally awoke to
the realization that after seven years
Yale had again won a race, they were
quick to recognize the wonderful
gameness of their successful oppon.
ents, and cheered the victors in a
feeble, but sportsmanlike manner.
Seldom in the history of intercol-
legiate rowing has there been such
an exhibition of bulldog determine
ton and grit ON the part of the 16
oarsmen. Once the starting pistol
had sent them away, they rowed side
by side, with Yale always setting tie
pace, and Harvard responding stroke
for stroke, while one prov slipped
away little in the lead only to Je
partly overhauled by the other. From
the railroad bridge to Bartletts cove
the battle of the oars continued and
never once was there open water
showing between the shells. The
blue held the advantage by from a
quarter to three-quarters of shell
length and at every half-mile flag, ex-
cept those marking the 81 mile stat
ion. Here the crimson crew made its
bid for victory and for a few hundred
yards led by several feet. Appleton
raised the Yale stroke, however, and
soon the Ellis had regained the lead
of inches which they never relinquish
ed until booming cannon told therl
that the race was ended