New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1915-06-29

massive strength and stamina began
! to count. Under the muscie-raking
punishment Of that killing stroke
| there was punch in that California
stroke which sent the shell ahead.
Hardly perceptible at first, the power
| full kicks behind that pull began to
shove Stanford's shell steadily up with
the other crews, until they were
punched so close that an advantage
was not noticeable from the observa-
ton train.
Less than a quarter of mile from
the finish Stanford, rowing with stout
hearted enthusiasm, showed their nose
in front of Cornell. Syracuse now
dropped back an eighth of a length.
Could this be true? Stanford, the rank
outsider, the dark horse that no one
figured anywhere, in front of Cornell?
Could it be possible, with that ragged,
crude, hamm ering stroke, that the
western invaders were going to knock
all theories Of strokes and rowing
technique into cooked hat?
Whore Stanford Led.
Yes, it was true. See for yourself,
There they are-ou6 there in the
river. The nose of Stanford's shell is
a bit in front Not much, to be sure.
but for more than 200 yards Stanford
held this advantage. Cornell and
Syracuse We're fighting to the last
ditch, and it looked as if this bitter
duel would kill off both of these
crews and send the Californians
home winner This thought hit the
crowd, too, and in the pandemonium
which reigned the deep-seated enthus-
iasm of the populace for the under
dog burst into a fame, and the con-
certed cheers of Cornell, Syracuse,
Columbia, and Pennsylvania were lost
in the outburst of the laymen's en-
thusiasm for the gritty lads who had
come such a long way to seek row.
ing honors.
Come on, Stanford, stick to it
>juss a little longer" howled the mob.
You can do it, Was there ever such
a kick in a shell as that which threat
ened to overshadow the best that the
best had to offer? Here was strug
gle WHICH sent a tingling feeling
creeping up and down your back.
Wow. Screamed the crowd, AS
they implored Stanford to put on
bit more power.
Then few hundred yards FROM
the finish, class began to tell. That
perfect-moving Cornell boat, which
through all this violent storm of en-
thlsiasm had NOS wavered or hest
tated, began to crawl into the lead
Stanford had used up every bit of
rowing knowledge she knew. Every
ounce of that great surplus OF
! strength was packed behind the oars
| in that one grand, hair-raising sprint
| to the finish. BY this time you could
4 not tell who anybody was cheering
/ for It was just a splitting tumble
of sound from thousands of threats
made hoarse by overexertion.
A grander sight than this last 100
yards of the Varsity race never was
seen. There was Cornell out there re-
| spending to the teaching of the past
! six months of Courtney instruction
slipping fishlike through the water
with beautiful precision. STEADY
/ boys" shouted tiny James, the Cor
\ nell coxswain This mere slip of 9
lsd weighing only 81 pounds. his face
lit with the joy and bubbling ovei
with enthusiasm, barked into the face
of Collyer, the stroke oar, that they
i were leading. Steady" he shouted
4 and steady they were. The Cornell
boat streaked further out in front.
Now they had hall, length on the
| stubborn Californians. Back and for
|
Every pull was strengthened by the
feeling which was in each of the oCr-
nell boys minds that they were shoot
ing that shell along in vindication
| Of Cornelrs Craftsmanship. True to
their trust they were rowing for Cor
/ nell Every pull was another blow
| struck at the invaders from afar. Yes.
| and they thought, too, of the old
! man who must by this time be peer
| ing out of the dirty-stained windows
/ of the boathouse. They could hear
/ him say ri his quiet patriachal
/ manner that he was proud of them
These things and more were going
| through their minds in that 1as1
! eart-breaking jump to the finish
/ And what finish it was The power
| full drive lifted the Cornell shell over
| the line in front. Fighting right ZIP
! to end, Stanford's choppy, violent
! stroke brought the Westerners home
| to an honorable second, a length and
| half in front of Syracuse. Columbia
! padded home five lengths in the rear
| in fouroh place. four Pennsylvania
| finished listlessly, four lengths be-
| hind the boys from Monningside.
The condition of Cornell, Stan
| ford, and Syracuse was something
marvellous. After that long, back
| breaking trip they sat up in their
| shells like a lot of soldiers. Not
| man went down. There's high tri-
| butte to faithful training and clean
| living. Now they can make up for
| all the little luxuries which they have
been deprived of for six months.
Stanford is just as happy as Cor
| nell Coach Guerea of the Cal1for-
mans said after the race that he be-
, lieved that If he had one of the
lanes out closer TO Cornell his boys
might have put over victory in that
! last squirt. lie said that his charges
were delighted and would go back