Year: 1874

versity boat racing did men prepare so thoroughly
ior the work they had to perform.


YALE AND HARVARD,


the two great rivals OF years gone by recalled the
memories OF the past to stimulate the men OF ia
to DO their level best for the honor OF the colOrs
they wore and out OF pure love for the
university they hailed from. And together
with this anxiety was the feeling so
perceptibe last evening that outsider might
step IN and win the honor for which the wearers
OF the dark blue and Magenta had so zealously
faithfully and vigorously trained. Yale in the past
had won, so had Harvard, and the recollections OF
these victories helped TO nerve The strong arms OF
the representatives from these two of the older
schools of learning. But how would It be when
the sun had reached its zenith Would either Of
the two rival crews have another score 10 add to
their many aquatic honors OF the past9 That, in
deed, was the question which many OF the oars
men asked themselves as they looked out over the
waters OF this beautiful lake from their quarters at
the old Schuyler Mansion, or from their retreat
under the Cedar Bluffs. Harvard to-day might
beat Yale and yet be denied victory, for there
were


OTHERS TO CONTEND FOR THE HONOR
which to the victor would be awarded. Wesleyan
was determined, and the six good and true men
who sat in her boat and sported their colors
OF delicate lavender were In the struggle.
There. too, was Columbia, bearing ner
bright blue and white hailing from the great
city which ever and always feels proud Of
her sons, as resolute as the best of them. Will
lams. Cornell, Dartmouth, Trinity and Prince
ton were in no respects behind their more
perienced competitors in the determination to do
the best. And, by the way, what surprise the
boys OF Princeton created IN the Freshmen race OF
Wednesday, when with crew lighter than either
OF its opponents they gallantly snatched victory
from the hands OF Yale when it almost within
the grasp of the latter. This triumph. the manner
Of Its being secured as much the act itself,
was not without its effect on the men who wore
the orange colors to-day as they rowed to the
stakebOat and took their places in line. They
came up resolved to do their best, as did all the
others, but then they had, in case OF defeat, the
recollection OF having won one honor at least by
their Freshmen crew, beating after a hard
struggle, the crew OF old Yale. This was some
thing TO cheer them up, to brighten their spirits,
and TO fall back upon in case fortune, fckle at
oest, deserted them In the hour Of trial, 1t can
readily be imagined what


BUSY, ANXIOUS MORNING


1t was In all Of the quarters OF the crews. From
each OF the houses where the men were quartered
the colOrs by which they have already been distin-
guished noated in the breeze. At points along the
eastern shore, from beneath the shadows OF Snake
HUI down to the cedar bluffs Columbia Dart
mouth and Yale waited anxiously during the long
hours OF the morning, and skirtng the
western shore down almost to the bridge
Trinity. Princeton, Cornell. harvard, Wes-
eyan and Williams watched the day grow
old and see the hour approach which was to
announce a defeat and proclaim glorious victory.
In hno hnuco Iypr fhn
closest scrutiny and utmost vigilance were exer-
cised over all appertaining to the race boats and
their belongings. oars were examined and SUBJ
mitted to tests; outrlggers were seen to with
careful attention to see that nothing was loose or
weak: the wires leading to the rudders were gone
over with a carefulness which betokened the im-
portance OF the work, and the Shells from stem
to stern, every plank was scanned with eyes in
which the anxiety Of the duty was evidenced.
How necessary


ALL THESE PRECAUTIONS


every rowing man can tell. The best crew that
ever sat in boat might be defeated by negecting
the observances mentioned. A broken oar a loose
outrigger weak rudder wire, which upon the
first strain would give way, any or all OF these
might occur; and to boat or boats crew ex-
perencng them what chance would there be in
these days when seconds, not minutes, decide the





occurring which makes the hours and minutes
previous to the start hours and minutes
OF anxiety, doubts and fears. Now
shortcomings were recoected, weaknesses
dreaded and crudities mentally specu-
lated upon. This does not pervade one
crew but all-each one is Influenced more or less
for what boats crew ever pulled q perfect stroke
or could guard against all or every circumstance
which might lessen its chances of victory. The
only thing which remained was to hope for the
best And this appeared to be the case-for
whether 1t was Cook OF Yale, Dana Of Harvard.
Eustis OF Wesleyan, or Rees of Columbia, the work
cut out by these stroke oarsmen, or any of the
others for that matter. to-day was faithfully fol.
lowed out and as vigorously rowed by the men
behind them. 1t was sight which few will forget
to see these


F1PTY-FOUR YOUNG ATHLETES


as they sat in their boats waiting for the start.
Bare 10 the waist, every man OF them and bronzed.
they presented scene not readily forgotten The
green and the orange side by side, about to strive
in generous rivalry for honor's sake. The same
coors under which many a bloody fight occurred
in a land across the sea, and through which many
bitter hate, which generations have not
obterated, have been engendered, were side by
side worn by earnest youths in honorable rivalry
Harvard and Yale, old rivals, wearing the lime
honored colors under which Tor years they have
fought


TiiR BATTLE OF THE OARS,


were also there. Yes the blue aud the red were
to-day as in the years which have dropped into
the lap Of Time, side by side in the struggle ior
victory. Close up TO the blue was a crew which,
before the race began, was among the favortes.
the Weseyans had, indeed grown into favor 80
that among the three first boats one heard men,
toned on all sides as we steamed down to the
start, Wesleyan was conspicuous. The sturdy
Methodists, composed Of men from Maine, New
York and Pennsylvania had impressed their friends
and others. too, that when the race was rowed