Harvard's heavyweight varsity pounded to a four-length win over Princeton and M.I.T. to retain the Compton Cup Saturday. The triumph was complete, with no Crimson crew passing under the flag after a rival.

The Princeton and Harvard first freshman boats staged a dramatic and gruelling battle to provide spectators on Lake Carnegie with the afternoon's most exciting race. Neither crew was able to establish more than a two-seat lead for the first half of the course.

Dead-even after the start, both crews settled at 37 strokes per minute. The lead kept shifting from the Crimson to Princeton and back again while M.I.T. never figured in the race.

With 1000 meters left, the Harvard coxswain called a power 20, which moved the boat out ahead by half a length. At this point, the bow man in Princeton's shell caught a crab, which immediately threw the entire boat down to port. In the panic to get the boat moving again, the number five man jumped his slide.

By this time, Harvard had taken the two-length lead which it held to the finish line. Princeton was only three seconds back of Pennsylvania last weekend. Harvard's similar lead over the Tigers before the crab means that next week's confrontation with Penn at Annapolis should be close.

Though the Crimson varsity's margin of four lengths over Princeton was more than convincing, the race caused mild concern among certain Harvard oarsmen.

Harvard was not able to move away until after 500 meters. At that point, all they had managed was a slim deck-length margin. Captain Curt Canning expressed disappointment at the inconclusive start. He noted that Harvard would have to do a good deal better before next week's Adams Cup race against Pennsylvania.

Harvard's time of 6:13.3 did not set a course record. There was a stiff head wind quartering off the port bow.

The situation was the opposite in the junior varsity race. Harvard got off to an exceptionally good start. The final margin was 10 seconds, or two and a half lengths.

The third varsity boat triumphed over the Amherst varsity by a half length. Amherst moved strongly on the Crimson in the last 500 meters.

Lightweights

Harvard's undefeated lightweight crew captured the Haines Memorial Trophy for the eleventh straight year Saturday afternoon on the Charles, leaving Dartmouth and Navy in its wake by 22 seconds.

Shortly after the lightweights had polished off their rivals, they hopped into a launch to get a look at the Cornell crew. The Crimson saw the Big Red outdistance Columbia and M.I.T. for their 26th triumph in 27 races. Harvard meets Cornell in two weeks in the Eastern Sprints at Worcester. Last year Cornell took the Sprints, while Harvard finished fourth.

The Crimson skimmed over the 2000-meter course in 6:41.0, while Dartmouth caught Navy in the last 500 yards to register a 7:02.8 clocking. Navy finished in 7:04.6.

Half an hour later Cornell covered the same course in 6:46.1, but had to contend with a stronger head wind. Coach Bo Andersen said that he was impressed by the way the Big Red had come on strong, particularly in the last half mile.

Harvard jumped out at the start stroking at 41. They gained a length lead after 30 yards and settle down to a 35 beat pace for the rest of the race. They continued to widen their lead over the course, finishing five and a half lengths ahead of Dartmouth.

Next week the lights will get another chance to measure themselves against Cornell, when they race Princeton and Yale at Princeton. Last week Cornell edged out the Tigers by one second.