Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-06-25
ADVANCE DOPE ON THE
HARVARD AND YALE BOAT
RACES TODAY ON THAMES

Cornell and Princeton in rs mile
race On Carnegie Lake, winning by
few feet from Cornell in 9m. % 2-5s
with Princeton third.
Harvard's first race was at Annap-
obs on April "a when the Crimson
eight defeated the Middies rather cas-
lily in a race Of l 5ss miles. winning
in sm. SIS. One week after Yale had
won from Cornell and Princeton at
Princeton, the Harvard crew raced
Cornell on Cayuga Lake and defeated
the Cornell varsity crew by length
at the end of a two-mile row which
the Cambridge combination covered in
ION. Al 2-5s. The showing made by
Harvard in this race led to the gen
eral opinion among rowing experts
that the Crimson crew was a trifie
better than the Yale eight that defeat
ed Cornell seven days previously.
There has been little change in the
coaching system or personnel since
last year. Guy Nickolls. the English
oarsman, devoted last autumn and
this spring to instructing the Yale
held SWAY at Cambridge and Red Top
this season as for a number of years
mast. Nichols has followed the Eng
llsh system of selecting oarsmen early
end not changing the combination un-
less absolutely necessary. The Blue
crew is virtually the same comblna-
ton today, that rowed against Penn
sylvania in a snow storm on April B.
Harvard has shifted her sweep
swlnsers more frequently but the var
sity eight as selected by Coach Wray
for tomorrow's race contains no llth-
hour choices. The Crimson will have
slight advantage in veteran material
with race experience for in addition
10 the men who rowed in the long race
last year Wray had the splendid sec
ond eight of 1914 from which to recruit
This crew, which won from Yale easily
last June and then went to England
and captured the Grand Challenge Cup
al Henley. has furnished several ex-
per9enced oars for the 1915 varsity in
Guiding the stroke.
Unless weather conditions interfere
the regatta program will be run off
in a manner similar to last year. The
varsity annie race will be rowed up
stream, starting from the railroad
bridge and finishing in Bartlett's Cove,
close TO the west bank of the Thames.
The two preliminary regatta events
will lie roWed in the forenoon and only
tie lower reaches Of the course will
be used. The second or substitute
.
mile course from the Navy Yard to
the railroad bridge starting at lola
A. NJ The freshmen Fights will race
over the same stretch of water 80
minutes later.
The history Of the Yale-Harvard
crew regrattas dates back to 1852 when
the first OF the intervarsity races was
held on Lake Winnipiseogee at Center
flarbor. n H. This contest was really
an interclass affair in which Harvard
SO class crew defeated the Yale eight
in two mile row in harges, the time
being approximately 10 minutes. Three
years later On the Connecticut river
at Springfield a Harvard eight cared
and four cared barces raced against
two Yale six-oared boats the Crimson
barees finishing one, two in the emile
race In 1859 two shells and two barc
es represented, informally, the two un-
iyersities al Worcester. Mass. in a s.
mile race Again the Cambridge oars
men won both classes but the next
day Yale reversed the result OF the
shell race in the Citizens Regatta"
The following summer crews raced
over the same course. Harvard win
ming. The Civil War put a stop to the
sport until 1864 when the series was
renewed and continued until 1870 over
tho Lake Quinsigamond emile course
at Worcester.
In 1871 Harvard. aided by Brown,
Amherst and Bowdoin, organized the
Rowing Association of American Col
leees" and a Smile straightaway race
WAS rowed at Springfield. Yale did
not compete that year but entered in
1872 and the entries grew in number
until in 1875 there were 10 crews at the
starting line; an American record
which still stands after 40 years of
college rowing. Beginning in 1876 Yale
and Harvard inaugurated their 4-mile
dual regattas rowing at Springfield.
TWO years later the course was shift
ed to the Thames at New London,
where the regattas have been held an
nually, with one or two exceptions ever
since forming one of the biggest in
tercollegiate sport events Of the year.
During the period 1852 to 1914 Harvard
and Yale have met in As dual regattas
Of which each has won "A so that to-
days race should break the tie, giving
one or the other college the lead again.
The Yale crew of 1888 holds the
Thames River course record having