DECISIVE ROWING VICTORY

The University crew defeated Cornell on Saturday over the one and seven-eighths mile course in the basin by 37 seconds, which under the prevailing Weather conditions represents a full 10 lengths. The decisive nature of this victory is to be accounted for by saying that the University crew proved better and the Cornell crew worse than expectations. Although the crews' chances were estimated as equal, and the high wind was even considered to give the advantage to the superior watermanship of Cornell, the University boat took the lead at the very start and crossed the finishing line without ever being pressed.

The race was started shortly after 2 O'clock, under the most adverse weather conditions. After a wait of some minutes in a cold drizzle of rain, the crews were obliged to contend against a head-wind, amid seas which threatened to swamp them at any moment. The oars-manship exhibited under these circumstances was creditable to both crews.

Harvard, though placed a little back of the starting line, took the lead in the first few strokes, rowing at the rate of 38 to the minute as against Cornell's 36. Shortly after the quarter-mile flag was reached, Harvard led by a clear length, with both crews rowing 34 strokes to the minute. At the bridge the University crew had increased its lead to two lengths of open water, and Cornell had dropped its stroke to 30. At this point the visiting crew made a desperate effort to make good its loss, but in vain, as the University crew continued to draw away. By the time the finishing line was reached, the crew was 10 lengths to the good, and finished with a lively spurt, 17 full strokes ahead of Cornell. The Harvard time was 10 minutes, 47 seconds; Cornell's time was 11 minutes, 24 seconds.

The Cornell crew lacked the dash and rhythm so necessary in a race over a short course; they appeared unable to maintain a high rate of stroke and hardly exceeded 30 to the minute after the first of the race. The University crew, on the other hand, maintained a rate of 34 to the minute practically throughout the entire two miles, and finished at nearly 37. This had an important bearing on the result, as did also the fact that the crew rowed much better together than Cornell, who had rowed in the same order only four times previous to the race. The Cornell men appeared to row more as individuals than as a crew, and there were obvious discrepancies between the lighter men in bow and stern and the heavy-weights in the waist of the boat. The two points in which the visiting crew were supposed to have the advantage, watermanship and weight, were thus more than counterbalanced.

F.S.Bangs, of Columbia, acted as referce; R.L.Bacon '07 and S.L.Vanderveer of Cornell, as timers; and J.E.Thayer, Jr., '10, W.'faft of Yale, and Shurfman of Cornell, as judges at the finish.

University crew-stroke, Sargent; 7, Richardson; 6, E.Bacon; 5, Waide; 4, Lunt; 3, Severance; 2, Fish; bow, Faulkner; cox., Blagden.

Cornell-Stroke, Cox; 7, Stevens; 6, Backus; 5, Brinton; 4, Dods; 3, Clark; 2, Bayer; bow, Williams; cox., Clark