At an early hour this morning no trace had been found of Verner Warren Clapp 1G., of Washington, D. C., missing since yesterday morning. All day the Metropolitan police dragged the Charles River between the Newell and Weld boat houses, working on the theory that Clapp had been drowned. Later developments, however, lead the authorities to believe that he is alive.

Clapp had been accustomed to go swimming with his friend Roger Pierce 1G., but on Wednesday he started from the float alone, swam through the right hand arch of Anderson Bridge and up beyond the Newell boat house. He was last seen in the water by W. C. Ladd '26 near the Brighton side of the river below the boat house. No other sign of Clapp had been found until late yesterday afternoon when it developed that James Milliken, caretaker of the Cambridge boat house, had seen a swimmer in a blue bathing suit climb up on the opposite bank and disappear into the brush.

Later it was discovered that a khaki shirt, a pair of blue trousers, and a pair of high sneakers were missing from Clapp's room. Investigation disclosed the fact that Officer Breene a motorcycle patrolman of the Metropolitan Police Force, had seen a person answering the missing man's description and dressed in khaki shirt, blue trousers, and tennis shoes, on the corner of Western Avenue and Flag Street at 1.45 o'clock yesterday morning. Apparently he was returning from a fire on the Magazine Beach across the river.

Abandon Search of River

The dragging of the river bottom was abandoned at dark and the above developments gave a new aspect to the situation.

A searching party was organized at 10 o'clock last night when it was learned that a figue in khaki shirt and blue trousers had been seen running along the Charles River bank opposite the Mount Auburn Cemetery at 6 o'clock in the afternoon. Several of Clapp's friends and a detail of Metropolitan Police searched the woods and swamps below the Speedway, but no trace had been found at the hour of going to press.

Clapp is a first year student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He graduated from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut last year and was studying philosophy in the University as a holder of the Henry A. Terry Fellowship. He is five feet ten inches in height and weighs 140 pounds. He is believed to be wearing blue serge trousers, khaki shirt, and white tennis shoes. His hair is medium brown and is parted in the middle.