Norwich bulletin., 1915-06-29

triangular battle of blades unequaIled in regatta history, Cornell won the var sity four mile race here late this af- ternoon, defeating Leland Stanford by eight feet. Trailing the Californians came Syracuse. exhausted by the struggle, but still gliding over the line two lengths ahead of Columbia, which crew wrested fourth place from Penn sylvania in the last mile of the premier feature contest of the intercollegiate regatta.
 CorneIPs victory gave the Ithaca university and Coach Courtney an edge on the crews of the other four colleges entered. for the Red and White junior second crews, while the freshman race had been captured by the Syracuse first year oarsmen-
 Spectators on Edge.
 With their appetites whetted by the close races in the preliminary events, the thousands of regatta spectators were fairly on edge when the varsity crews left the stakeboats shortly after $ o'clock for the long row down the Hudson which was to decide the championship of the association. There was not minutes delay in the begin ming of the thrills, for from the moment that the California oarsmen jumped into the lead until they slid across the finish but a few feet back of Cornell, the race was continuous panorama of battling sweep sWingers and shifting shells.
 Stanford Upset All Predictions.
 Tn the long drawn out struggle down the course all forecasts and expert pre- dictions went astray. Crews selected to figure in the fore widowed in the wake of eig1lts not considered to have e, chance for first place. The Stanford combination, almost 4,000 miles from home with a. few, if any supporters, and only a few days training on the Hudson, furnished the greatest upset of all. Passed up in the preliminary predictions, these giant oarsmen from | the Pacific coast showed that although l their rowing form might not be quite so finished as their eastern rivals, their hearts, muscles and endurance | equaIled anything possessed by the crews that measured sweeps with them l today.
 CaIifornians Always a Factor. From the moment that Stroke Mau- Ter drove his blade into the water, | Stanford was a factor in the struggle, and at the finish thousands were | shrieking and cheering the far western crew on, while the prov of the cardinal 1 shell was slipping, a few seconds too | late. past the Cornell crew. Syracuse, l beaten but not disgraced by the terrific | pace of the last mile, was easily passed 1 by the Stanford shell, but Coach l Courtney's oarsmen were made Of 1 sterner stuff and, although faltering at the finish, had just enough strength | to hold their headway until the judges 1 boat had been passed. What the re- l suit would have been had Stanford 1 started it's last spurt a trifle sooner only @ prophet could tell.
 Syracuse Half a Length Ahead.
 From the flash of the pistol, the race resolved itself into a struggle between Cornell, Stanford and Syra- l cuse. The Californians caught the water first and drove into the lead 1 rowing 36 to the minute. Syracuse hit up a 40 pace and held second over Cornell rowing 36, while Pennsylvania and Columbia stroked off at 32. Syr- acuse forged into the lead just before the half mile buoy with Stanford showing the way to Cornell by a quarter of a length. At the mile 1 Syracuse led by half a length over Cornell, with Stanford third, a length Iahead of Pennsylvania and Columbia l last. Syracuse was rowing 93; Stan ford 29; Cornell 32; Pennsylvania 29 l and Columbia 24.
 Cornell in the Lead.
 There was little change in positions or stroke at the mile and a, half, but at the two miles flag Cornell was rowing an easy 28 and showing the
 
 Stanford, close in-shore, was spac- ing along easily in third place, less than a length behind the Ten Eyck shell. At this point both Pennsylvania with it's English stroke and Columbia rowing very deliberately were virt- ually out of the race.
 Stanford Started Spurt.
 Entering on the second half of the course Stanford charged the leaders | ,of 750I, Io1 o Io77c n r, following crew.
 CornefPs cOXSWain, James, saw the westerners coming and called for 2 faster stroke. Collyer hit it up to 3C and Syracuse also increased a notct so that while Stanford's speed i'm proved she could gain little on hel rivals. Passing under the railroad bridge marking the three mile point Cornell was first by three quarters of length over Syracuse, which 1T turn was a shell length ahead of Stan. ford, with Pennsylvania and Columbia fighting valiantly between themselves to keep out of last place.
 Syracuse Made It's Bid.
 Out from under the shadows of tht bridge Syracuse made it's bid for vic. tory Little by little the Orange sheI crept up on the Ithaca crew but Stan, ford was not to be shaken off anC rowing stroke for stroke with the up, 1 SlctlS CLS"SS swept 0OWu Iu6 1aSL of the course Half a mile from tn, finish CornelPss lead had been cut tC half a length by Syracuse, but tn, Californians were coming faster thal either of their rivals and lay but but ; quarter length behind the Salt Cit, eight's bow.
 Stanford's Power Counts.
 At this point all three crews wer, swinging back and forth at a. pac, ranging from 32 to 33 strokes to tn minute but Stanford with it's extra. ordinary strength was getting tn greater speed out of it's stroke, al though the shell did not run s smoothly as CornelTs. The straiI was too terrific for Ten Eyck's pu pills and the Orange craft drifted bacl and left the cardinal to fight it on with Cornell. Stanford, with Syra, cuse eliminated, set out to overtak Courtney's crew now leading by les than a length.
 CrawIed Up Inch by Inch.
 The Ithaca and Californian oarsme, threw fine form to the winds and tn last stretches Of che course saw tw sets of eight sweep-swingers halini desperately on their blades while tn
 sliding seats shot back and forth a the rate Of 33 to the ninl7+a Tncl