PRINCETON SHOWS UNEXPECTED STRENGTH AND DEFEATS OLYMPIC CHAMPION CREW

Princeton, N. J., May 7.--A full quarter length in the lead, with every man in time, blade-work clean, and stroke hard and powerful, the Orange and Black oarsmen, stroked by Leh, crossed the finish line ahead of the Navy and challenged its right to the title of world's champion this afternoon. About three lengths in the rear came the Harvard oarsmen, fighting hard but unavailingly against two such crews as the Navy and Princeton. For the power and speed of the Princeton crew has been grossly underestimated and it was against the nominal world champions and an eight which conquered them, that the Crimson men were fighting. It was harly a disgrace to be third in competition with two such crews.

1924 Showing Encouraging

In the work of its yearling eight Harvard can find solace, for not only did the Freshmen contribute the only victory for the Crimson, but they did it in a way which stamped them as potentially one of the best first year eight the Crimson has had in some years. Crossing the finish line in 10-20 1-5, they bettered the time of the second Harvard eight by six seconds.

Crew B was the weakest entry Harvard had. Princeton was racing its crew A, stroked by the captain against the Crimson, and the race belonged to the Tigers all the way.

Start Well

Starting off near the dam, at the lower end of Lake Carnegie, the three first crews got off to good starts at a very high stroke. For a few seconds the Crimson seemed to have the lead, but the crews were all bunched. After a hundred yards the stroke lowered the beat with the Navy as low as 28 or 30 and using its tremendously long follow-through, while Princeton and Harvard held the beat higher at 32 or 34. As the shells cut through the water against the strong current and the slight head wind everyone was expecting to see the midshipmen settle into a stroke whose power would drive them into the lead, while Princeton and Harvard fought it out for second place. But the spurt did not come and Annapolis' far-heralded eight hold close to the Crimson and the Orange and Black. With a stroke a few beats higher than Harvard, the Princeton eight began to pull away. Eight powerful men, stroked by Leh, who was good enough to displace Captain Cresswell were rowing a shorter, laster, and less tiring strike than Annapolis and when the half-mile mark came the Orange and Black shell flashed across a few feet ahead of the Midshipmen. Perhaps one-fourth of a length behind were the Crimson oarsumen, rowing a slightly slower stroke than Princeton. It was anybody's race.

Drop Half-Length

The next half-mile stretch saw Princeton's eight working life one man, hold all of the lead and gain a few feet more, while the Crimson dropped almost a whole length. The Navy and Princeton were beginning to speed up their stroke fighting for the lead and the Harvard eight could not stand the pace set by the world's champions and their betters. Brown was working the men behind him to every bit of their ability and Terry was not allowing the men on his side of the boat to fall behind, but the race was too hard and every stroke sent the Tigers and Midshipmen a few inches further ahead. At the one-mile mark, the while Princeton flag went down a fraction of a second ahead of the blue and several moments before the Crimson. Now came Navy's long awaited spurt and her supporters gave evidence of the fact that they had confidence in its outcome. Up, up went the stroke to 36, while the Navy oarsmen kept up their long stroke and almost touched the shell with their backs as tirey lengthened out. But Leh would not let the Annapolis men get ahead and for every foot they gained made them struggle at their highest stroke. At that, the Navy's gain was no enough to put her up to the Tigers until Leh made his one mistake of the day and caught a crab. He recovered beautifully and the boat hardly showed the effect but the Navy and Princeton were even. The flags went down together at the quarter mark. But even before its spurt the Navy had shown signs of weakening; from the mile on, the bow man was of little use and the whole eight were fighting for air. Their crew was a boat of giants but not even giants could stand the strain of that stroke which dragged them up from the bottom of the boat. The Crimson showed a length of open water between the bow and the leaders by now and Brown's plucky attempts to spurt went almost unnoticed. The Harvard eight was fighting in a hopeless race. With only a quarter of a mile Leh called for more power and speed, and inch by inch began to draw away from the Navy boat, exhausted by its spurt. The rest of the race was Princeton's, and she crossed the line a fourth of a length in the lead with a good claim in the championship of the world. Fighting gamely but uselessly against such opposition the Crimson crossed the finished line about six or seven seconds behind Princeton, and with almost two lengths of open water showing. The Harvard crew had done well, had shown oarsmanship, and power, and fight, but in vain; they were meeting their superiors. The time for the race was 9.48 1-2.

1924 Has Powerful Crew

That the Freshmen have a powerful crew, with an able general in Amory, and eight men who work together wonderfully well was amply demonstrated, it indeed it needed demonstration. The Princeton 1924 boat rowed a good race and the fact that three lengths of open water showed between the Crimson and the Orange and Black showed that the yearlings were good. The boats started at about 40 and soon dropped, Harvard in 32 and Princeton to about 34. At the half-mile mark the Harvard yearlings had aboved ahead by a full length and Amory was settling into a clean, easy stroke. Behind him his men were all doing well, especially Hamilton at 6, whose work together with Amory's won high commendation from the coaches. A tendency to take the stroke away from Amory and hurry it slightly was the only marring feature. At the mile mark there was a length of open water between the boats. Now Princeton made a game but useless attempt to gain back some of the distance but without avail, for Amory gradually raised the stroke, the men behind him got the beat better and the Crimson crossed the finish line in 10.20 1-2, faster time than that made by the second Harvard boat.

It is no use denying that Crew B looked weak in the race. It was some 20 seconds and about eight lengths behind Princeton. But the difference came from the fact that the Tigers were veterans and were nominally Princeton's first crew while the Harvard eight was made up of lighter and less experienced men. Starting off quite well, the Princeton men kept up a higher stroke longer and by this means forget into a lead of more than a length at the half-mile mark. From then on the race was all Princeton's. The mile came and the white flag fell with the Crimson crew four or five lengths in the rear. Even under such conditions Duncan was game and put up the stroke, and for a half mile Princeton gained little more. But their attempt had been too much for them and in the final quarter. Crew B dropped some more. Final time 10.02. Harvard 25 seconds and 8 lengths in rear