The annual Harvard-Yale boat race was rowed on the Thames June 28. Yale won easily in 21 minutes and 30 seconds; Harvard's time was 22 minutes, 5 seconds. Yale went to the front with a good lead almost in the first twenty strokes which they continued to increase up to the two-mile flag, where Harvard began to close up the gap a bit. Harvard made another attempt to catch the Yale boat at the three-mile flag, and succeeded in gaining a few seconds, which they held to the three-and-a-hald-mile flag. Thereafter Yale continued to pull away steadily, notwithstanding Harvard's desperate spurt toward the finish. An occasional break between four and five in the Harvard boat was about the only fault to be seen in either crew. The winning time was not fast considering the conditions. Both crews rowed in excellent form from start to finish, Yale excelling in blade work and Harvard in body work.
YALE.Wt. Ht. Age
Stroke, Langford '97 S., 163 6 2 19
7, Tredway '96, 173 6 0.5 21
6, Longacre '96 175 6 0 21
5, Dater '95 S., 182 6 2 22
4, Cross '96, 195 6 2.5 21
3, Beard '96, 177 5 8.5 19
2, Holcomb '95, 177 5 9.5 22
Bow, Armstrong '95S. (Capt) 155 5 8.5 22
Cox., Clark '97, 107
Average weight-174.5 pounds.
HARVARD.Stroke, Bullard '97 (Capt.) 159 5 8.5 22
7, Fennessy '96, 186 5 10.5 21
6, Wattriss, L. S., 172 5 11.5 24
5, Jennings '98, 181 5 11 21
4, Shepard '96, 171 5 9 22
3, Chatman '97, 167 5 9.5 22
2, Stillman '96, 162 5 10 23
Bow, Wrightington '97, 164 5 9 21
Cox., Rust, '98, 105
Average weight-168 1/8 pounds.
Official time of the race:
YALE. HARVARD.
Time. St'ke. Time. St'ke.
.5 mile, 2.40.5 38 2.49 40
Mile, 5.04 36 5.20 38
1.5 miles, 7.40 34 8.00 38
2 miles, 10.21 32 10.39 39
2.5 miles, 12.55 32 13.22 34
3 miles, 15.59 32 16.21 36
3.5 miles, 18.58 34 19.20 34
4 miles, 21.30 34 22.05 36
The officials of the race were: Referee, George L. Rives, of New York; judge for Yale, R. J. Cook; timekeeper for Yale, George Adee; judge for Harvard, R. C. Watson '69; timekeeper for Harvard, G. S. Mumford '87.
The following letter relative to the invitation made by Oxford and Cambridge before the close of the college year was sent by Professor Ames to the athletic clubs of the two English universities:
HARVARD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, MASS., U. S. A., June 24, 1895.
Messrs. W. J. Oakley and F. S. Horan, Presidents of the University Athletic
Clubs of Oxford and Cambridge:
Dear Sirs-Your letter of June 10, inviting Harvard University to unite with Yale University in meeting the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in an athletic competition in this country next autumn, has been referred to the Harvard Committee on the Regulation of Athletic Sports. We appreciate highly the courtesy of your invitation, and it is with much regret that we feel obliged to forego the pleasure of the proposed competition.
We could hardly accept your invitation without assuming, in appearance at least, that Harvard and Yale occupy the preeminent position among American universities which is held among English universities by Oxford and Cambridge. As there is no foundation in fact for such a pretension, we think it better for university athletics in this country, as well as for university interests in general, that we should not lend any countenance to it, and that we should, furthermore, avoid all semblance of a spirit of exclusiveness towards our sister universities. Nor, considering the narrower ground of athletic skill, can we forget that, in the latest competition among American universities, Harvard won only the third place.
As a matter of general principle it seems to us that international student competitions would be best arranged either between two groups of universities fairly representing the general body of students in each country, or else between single universities on each side. We regret that you were not free to accept the invitation of the American Intercollegiate Association, and we are especially sorry, if any misconception as to our attitude in regard to that invitation influenced you in declining it. We should be pleased if, even now, you were disposed, with Yale's concurrence, to arrange for a competition on the basis of that invitation.
It we should be fortunate enough in some future year to win on this side of the water the leadership in track athletics, which this year belongs so unquestionably to Yale, we shall hope to have the pleasure of competing with one of you as the winner of the Oxford-Cambridge games.
Very truly yours,
J. B. AMES, Chairman Harvard Committee.
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