Crimson Oarsmen Sink Navy With Withering Final Sprint

Strong finishes were the controlling factors in two crucial races last Saturday, when the Varsity and the light-weight eight took their races with brilliant final sprints. A Crimson sweep was marred by two defeats in the full day of racing on the Charles by the Jayvees and the Freshman 150's.

The American Henley which had been running all morning was climaxed in the afternoon by the most spectacular contest of the day, as the trailing Crimson 150's put on a breath-taking superman spurt to pass the Yale lightweights for a full length within the last quarter mile. This gave them the Wright Cup.

Second Crimson Win

For the second time the Harvard shell has triumphed over the Elis. The 150's were badly jumped at the start by both the Cornell and Yale boats, with the Red leading the pack of seven shells which stuck together well throughout the Henley distance. It was soon apparent, however, that the Crimson and Blue duel would dominate the race.

Earlier in the morning, the third Varsity boat, stroked by Barr Comstock, earned a leg on the Stewards Cup by leaving the Union Boat Club nearly three lengths in the wake. And with an ample length of open water, the second 150 boat easily led the Pennsylvania crew in a four boat race.

Chace-Like Finish

Flourishing an extravagantly powerful Chace-like finish, the Crimson varsity flashed across the finish line nearly two lengths ahead of the Midshipmen in the final race of the afternoon. The last stretch of the mile and three-quarters course provided an almost mirror-like surface for the final struggle in a prow-and-prow duel between the oarsmen from the Severn and from Cambridge which Harvard won in 9:18-2.

With the Adams Cup waiting for them at the end of the race, the Crimson oarsmen ploughed three-quarters of a length ahead of the Navy in the racing start only to be slightly nosed by Pennsylvania who never again threatened the Harvard boat.

Bill Rowe found it hard to settle the stroke below 33 for the first mile as Navy pulled alongside. It was finally lowered, but never could it build up more power than the Middies boat which measured off the same time. Finally the finish neared: Bill Rowe raised the stroke to a powerful 36 hole seemed to leave the Navy standing stil.

Over a much choppier course, in a race preceding, the Jayvees failed to click when they met their first defeat of the year three-quarters of a length behind Navy, as Penn and Columbia followed in that order. It was a sluggish Crimson boat that crossed the finish line with a late sprint which never neared the high beat of the week before.

The Freshmen had crashed through with a walk-away race just before them, which netted the Yardlings a three-length win without a sprint, while the Navy plebes, a Columbia, and an illstarred Penn boat followed in that order.

Between the puddles: the shift of stroke and two men on the Navy crew, found the Middles rowing an entirely different race, a week start and finish, but a strong middle race . . . Ptomaine poisoning ravaged the Penn crew this week leaving them a meagre 12 hours of practice. They still rowed a strong finish race and almost nabbed Navy . . . The Penn Freshman had a tragic finish: ahead of the Plebes, a crab threw them out of joint near the finish