Sport: California, Washington, Navy

Sprawled on the steep east bank of the Hudson River, 70 miles above Manhattan Poughkeepsie is more accustomed to the genteel antics of Vassar College girls than to the annual turbulence of a college rowing race. Since it started in 1895, the Poughkeepsie Regatta has become the biggest, the most important of the year. The succession of races has been interrupted only twice: first during the War, again last year when few of the participating colleges felt they could afford to send boats Last week, the river was again filled with big shiny yachts; excursion craft, canoe; and launches got in each other's way, capsized, annoyed police boats. By the time the observation train started down the river in the early evening, a crowd ol 75,000 was watching from the banks, the boats, the balustrades and girders of two big bridges.

Those in launches or on the train saw Cornell and Washington away first: watched California's scarecrow stroke Dick Burnley, make his first challenge at the mile; noticed the way Navy at the halfway mark held on behind California and Washington. At the railroad bridge, 1 mile from the finish, California began to challenge in earnest; Washington's stroke Ed Argersinger, sent his beat up and began to watch California whittle down his half length lead by inches.

To the crowd on the yachts at the finish the whole regatta was packed into the last few seconds of the race. Amid an appalling uproar of sirens, whistles, horns and cheers, California's crew swept across the line first, sat straight up in their slides while Washington pulled in almost a length behind, leading Navy by a quarter-length.