The Washington times., 1931-06-17
WINNING NAVY
CREW SET
FAST PACE

every time.
While the experts" foundered
on a rain-pelted Hudson last eve
ming, a deSpised and half-for-
gotten Navy crew came slugging
out of the murk to win the
thirty.fourth annual intercolegi-
ste rowing regatta in the third
fastest time in the long history
of this famous four-mile course.
With close to $4,000 thoroughly
drenched and thoroughly amazed
spectators looking on from OBJ
Servation train, boat and dark
green highland shore, old Dick
Glendon's surprising midshipmen
from the bank of the Severn
took the lead from a pace-setting
Washington crew at the three
mile mark and went on to stand
off a fast-closing Cornell crew
in the final drive.
Cornell Too Late
The Sailors time, 18 minutes
81 is seconds, has been bettered
only by California's world record
in 1928, and one of Pop Court
neyS fabled Cornell crews in 1901,
which isn't bad for a boat which
scarcely had been accorded a
chance in the pre-race dope.
A favOrite and highly-tOuted
Cornell eight, which possibly de-
layed its bid just too long, but
more likely wasn't quite good
enough as the race was rOwed,
finished second behind the gal
liant MiddieS.
Washington, which for almost
three miles had looked the win
ner. held on gamely to save third.
And the Golden Bears, of Cali
fornia, the only other far-Western
representative, drove home behind
the Huskies.
Syracuse, battling rough water
down its outside lane, was fifth,
Penn was sixth, Columbia seventh,
Wisconsin eighth, and M. 1. T.
ninth and last.
On such little things do des-
TIMES hang that if the race had
been postponed "a hours, as it
might we'll have been in face of
the fearful weather conditions.
the winning crew would rot have
been in at all.
The Navy had previously booked
re q
Leviathan leaving New York this
morning. and thus would have
been forced to withdraw had the
committee decided on a not un-
likely postponement.
But the postponement never
came, so the sailors lett here
laughing when they said good-by.
Had Lost Three
They came here two weeks ago
such a dark horse that they were
scarcely visible at all to the naked
eyes of the experts who roam the
banks of the Hudson at this
season Of the year, talking to
themselves and all willing to lend
an ear.
The big boys from Annapolis
had lost three regattas this
spring and won only one, a
friendly match between Old
Man GIendOn and his Pal Bill
Haines, Of Nit, on the home
waters of the Severn.
Time after time, Old Dick had
shaken up his eight, but always
it is remembered now, it was the
same eight. One week the lad in
the bow would be rowing at No.
and the next he would be at
No. S. Captain Howard Shelton,
veteran, started the year at
stroke, but he was up at No. 3
last night when the boys in blue
went whaling down the victory
lane.
In his place a youngster so un-
known that none of the rowing
writer's yet know his first name
was pulling the all-important
stroke oar. AS far as the boys in
the observation car were con-
cerned, he was just Midshipman
R. P. Hunter. But as such, or by
any other name. for that matter,
he did quite well.
Navy won the race by little
more than a length. At the finish
it was a race for second place only
between Cornell and Washington,
and, although the Huskies came
again in the last 200 yards, the
big Red boat won it by three
parts of a length.
Syracuse won the junior varsity
race and Washington the fresh
man event.
ISch1df-Prin1O Bout