AFTER defeating Yale two years ago and Pennsylvania last year on Lake Carnegie, the Princeton Rowing Association distinguished its third year in intercollegiate racing by winning from both Harvard and Pennsylvania on the Charles River at Cambridge on Monday. Last year Princeton all but defeated Harvard on her own course, and this year's race cuts out the "all but" and adds the third of the old rowing colleges to the list of victims of the newcomers in intercollegiate aquatics. For this noteworthy achievement Dr. Spaeth, Princeton's able coach and Director of Rowing, and Captain Rauch and his sturdy crew, deserve and are receiving the very enthusiastic congratulations of our undergraduates and alumni. Whatever may be the outcome of this Saturday's race with Annapolis and Columbia on Lake Carnegie, the defeat of such a rowing leader as Harvard makes the Princeton rowing season of 1913 a glorious success.
All the more credit is due Dr. Spaeth and the Princeton crew because one of the best oarsmen in college was unable to row at Cambridge. Briggs at No. 5, who was also in last year’s varsity boat, was taken out by Dr. Spaeth ten days ago, because of a sore hand. His loss made a big gap in the waist of the boat, where his weight and watermanship were most valuable. However, with Chester moved to No. 5 and Bunzel substituted at bow, Captain Ranch's crew rowed a plenty good enough race.
Princeton beat Harvard by one length and Pennsylvania by four lengths. The winner's time was 10 minutes, 18 seconds; Harvard's, 10 minutes, 22 seconds, and Pennsylvania's, 10 minutes, 32 seconds.
The triangular race at Cambridge was scheduled for last Saturday, but a high wind made the conditions on the Charles River basin impossible for rowing that day. The race was therefore postponed till Monday, when the conditions proved perfect for a fair trial of the merits of the three crews. At 4.20 p. m., when the race started, the course of 1 7-8 miles was perfectly smooth for the first mile, but from the bridge to the finish; there was a slight head wind which made that part of the course slow. This accounts for the fact that the time was not as good as last year, when the wind favored the crews. The Princeton crew got a bad start, but they kept their nerve and, rowing according to Dr. Spaeth's instructions, they soon passed Pennsylvania and then overhauled Harvard, finishing strong a full length to the good.
Dr. Spaeth, who followed the race closely in the referee's boat, describes Princeton's victory for The Weekly as follows:
"Princeton's poor start was due to the fact that the boat could not be headed straight down the course, on account of a pier that intervened, and also the fact that our crew did not seem to hear the referee at all at the start, and therefore did not get off until both Pennsylvania and Harvard had rowed a stroke. After the first ten strokes Harvard was leading Pennsylvania by ten feet and Pennsylvania was leading Princeton by the same distance. Pennsylvania’s high stroke for the first quarter of a mile brought her well up with Harvard and increased slightly the lead over Princeton. After a quarter of a mile the Princeton crew settled down to a steady swing of between 34 and 35 and it was evident that the smooth work and the perfect way in which the shell was set up was beginning to tell. Inch by inch the Princeton crew began to reduce the lead, but Harvard still seemed to have the race well in hand, until near to the Harvard bridge. Here Princeton began to draw up more rapidly on Harvard, and a terrific fight for first place began as they approached the arches of the Harvard bridge. Pennsylvania had dropped a length behind by this time. Princeton and Harvard entered under the arches of the bridge with Harvard still ahead, but when they emerged on the other side Princeton had gained a quarter of a length. In the next quarter-mile Princeton increased this lead to three quarters of a length, and here, about a half mile from the finish, Harvard made her last desperate struggle. She had succeeded in going the first three or four strokes and was rapidly closing up the gap before Princeton was aware of what was happening. But as soon as Putnam, our plucky stroke, realized what Harvard was up to, the Princeton crew responded, beginning their spurt on Harvard's 'fourth' and immediately holding the Crimson boat. When Harvard's extra speed at the spurt was spent Princeton still had plenty of spurt left and it seemed that at this point Harvard realized that the race was not to be hers. No. 5 and Stroke and Bow in the Harvard boat began to show signs of distress. The Princeton crew, now running into a stretch of smooth water, rowed in beautiful form and, picking up the stroke to 37 for the last 200 yards, crossed the line a good length ahead of Harvard. The Princeton men gave a cheer for Harvard at the finish and then landed their shell at the Union Boat Club.Another much appreciated courtesy extended to the Princeton party was the use of a launch in which to follow the race. Among those in this boat were Mr. Rauch, the Princeton captain's father; Dr. Joseph E Raycroft, John Fitzpatrick, Norman Armour '09, the newly appointed member of the Graduate Advisory Committee on Rowing; F. R. Cross '12 of last year's varsity eight; T. C. Briggs ‘14 of this and last year’s crew, who would have been at No. 5 but for an infected hand which put him out of the boat ten days ago; and several Princeton men who are studying at Harvard."The Princeton crew averaged nine pounds lighter per man than the Harvard crew. The water conditions were ideal. The winner's time was ten minutes and eighteen seconds. Last year the Princeton crew rowed the same course in nine minutes and thirty-six seconds with a following wind, but I consider this crew at least as fast as last year's crew, and was told by the Harvard experts that their crew was at least ten seconds faster than their last year's crew.
"One of the delightful features of our visit to Harvard was the courteous and generous hospitality shown to the Princeton party. They put at our disposal rooms in Holworthy, one of the historic and much sought for dormitories fronting on the Yard, they entertained us at the Varsity Club, where the Harvard athletic teams, the crew included, take their meals, and they made us feel in every way possible that we were welcome guests in Cambridge. To Captain Abeles and to Mr. Nielson the manager, and to the gentlemen who were willing to vacate their rooms in order to make us comfortable, I should like, on behalf of Princeton and the crew, to extend our cordial thanks, and to express the hope that we may be given an opportunity to show here in Princeton our appreciation of Harvard's hospitality.
"I want to pay a high tribute to Captain Rudolph Ranch and the Princeton spirit shown by his crew. There is no kind of race that makes as severe a demand on grit as the stern chase, and no amount of coaching can put into men the grit which this crew showed. While I am sorry that they got such a poor start, I am personally prouder of them for having got off last and come in first, rowing down Pennsylvania and Harvard, than if they had had the encouragement of the lead from the start.
"I wish also to express my appreciation of the loyalty and efficiency of John Fitzpatrick, our boat-rigger, to whom I left most of the details of the rigging of the shell."
The Princeton Alumni Association of New England gave its annual dinner on Friday night, at which Dr. Spaeth, Dr. Raycroft, and Coxswain Congleton were speakers.
The crews were boated as follows:
Princeton-Bunzel, bow; Pyne, 2; Curtis, 3; Bashinsky, 4; Chester, 5; North, 6; Captain Rauch, 7; Putnam, stroke; Congleton, coxswain.
Harvard-Reynolds, bow; Trumbull, 2; MacVicar, 3; Harwood, 4: Mills, 5; Goodale, 6; Morgan, 7; Pirnie, stroke; Captain Abeles, coxswain.
Pennsylvania-Shoemaker, bow; Butler, 2; Blatz, 3; Crane, 4; Garvin, 5; Merrick, 6; Madeira, 7; Alexander, stroke; Preston, coxswain.
Distance-1 7-8 miles; time-Princeton, 10 minutes, 18 seconds; Harvard, 10 minutes, 2 seconds; Pennsylvania, 10 minutes, 32 seconds. Referee, Dr. Hugh Cabot of Harvard.
[Back to Page 7: 1913 Season...]
Related Articles: [Butler Papers] [PAW: 04/30/1913] [PAW: 05/14/1913] [PAW: 05/28/1913]
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