The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-09-12
THE AMERICAN SAILS WON,
ENGLAND'S VALKYRIE WAS VAN
QUISHED BY THE YANKEE
YACHT DEFENDER.
THE VICTORY WON IN vALKYRIE
WEATHER.
The Briton Led the Race for Some Dis
tance-Old Hank Half Handled
the Defender With Master
Hand in Every Way.

Hand in Every Way.
New York, Sept. 7.-Defender won hel
name in truly American fashion today
finishing far ahead of the English chal
lenger Valkyrie III, and giving ever!
evidence of outclassing the Dunraver
boat in almost any kind of weather
There were strange features connected
with the race for the Americas cup, moi
| the least being the general doubt eX
pressed during the first IA miles of the
course as to which boat was i'm the lead
1t was nip and tuck from the first gun
signal until within short distance of the
turning mark and then Defender caught
the breeze. and to the delight of thous
ands simply sailed away from her rival
From that moment she went out, in
creasing her lead to the end and winning
by the surprising margin of 8 minutes
and 40 seconds. =
Such work as this, in what is denomi
mated Valkyrie weather, is calculated tC
satisfy the sharps of this side of the water
to their hearts content and to lend fear
to the minds of those who have hoped fol
q reversal of American form and the win
ming of the cup by the Englishmen.
No event in the history of the sport
ever excited the interest shown in the
race today. Since Vigilant defeated
Valkyrie in 1893 the international con
test has been kept well in mind, and the
enthusiasm displayed today was merely
the outcome of the pent-up feelings OF
the past year or two.
The Associated Press tug, which left
her dock at very early hour, passed
many a strange craft outward bound to
the Hook. Off Bay Ridge there were
gathered most of the crack yachts of the
port. and all along the line boats lay IN
readiness to Join the feet around the old
Scotland lightship.
Dull weather was promised, but that
mattered little. for the fotilla could
scarcely have been larger. 1t was just
as grand, just as imposing and bearing
| Just as many thousands as though the
day had been a veritable yachtsman's
day and the sky had been unclouded over
| head.
A great swinging roll was encountered
| long before the Hook came in view and O
verdict was that if the wind was lacking
|
| it proved. OF the thousands gathered OF
the decks of the steamers there were a
least hundreds who cared very little thai
there was a great international yacht
race on. and the probable winner was OF
still less importance to them. Man!
others were borne up by their enthusiasm
and the rest, to whom sickness came not
had every reason to arouse themselves
to the beauty of the struggle, for
grander fight for position was never seen
and almost to the end of the outward
course it seemed as though the two boats
were one. viewed from directly across
their bows.
In the quiet hours of the morning, wheI
many sailing craft were on the outward
voyage. several of the big steam yachts
of the New York Yacht club came steam
ing in. Others. not so imposing. dartet
hither and thither, and, as the da!
grew, silently followed the cup contend
ers out by the lightship. where it hat
been decided the course should be laid.
At s a. m. both the Defender and Val
kyrie lay peacefully at anchor within a
stones throw of Sandy Hook They had
spent the night there close to each other
and guarded as carefully as children by
their mothers.
At $50 there was little sign of life on
board, but few minutes later all was
astir and hustle. The big mainsails were
hoisted on each, and the visitor was first
under way, in charge of her tender. fol
lowed soon by the American. They
broke out their jibs at the same time,
and even at that hour the cheers of the
watchers were aroused by the good omen
hof the Defenders assuming the lead.
The start was off Seabright, n. j.,
some miles from the lightship. When the
single-stickers drew up to the stake boat
a great feet was in waiting. and the CEN
ter of the picture was two narrow, SEEM
ingly fragile boats, standing high up
above the others. clad in white and deck
ed only with swiftly moving figures, and,
even in that light breeze. skimming over
the waves like beings endowed with life
and beauty. The preparatory gun found
both boats long waiting. for it was con-
siderably after the set time when it was
fired. Far off in the distance the specta-
tors on the beach saw the puff of smoke
and strained their eyes for the start
The two white winged creatures tack
ed about for the word and they seemed
to close with each other, like wrestlers
trying for a hold. Several times they
came together, exactly, and almost as one
boat. but it was finally observed that the
Englishman would undoubtedly cross the
line first.
To the plaudits of those who watched
the seamanship, Captain Frank Half
brought the Defender quickly about with
her rival on the last tack. and the En-
glishman crossed over only four seconds
ahead of Defender. with the latter hav-
ing the wind and, as events subsequently
showed, in much the better position.
The course was fifteen miles to wind
ward and return, and the boats went off
on the starboard tack. At this time the
sky was leaden and the wind was FIVE
knots. The swell increased greatly as
the fleet proceeded outward. for although
the bay was slow the solid phalanx of
moving craft kicked up quite sea by
itself
There had been n haze throughout the
early hours and this was entirely dispel-
ed by the occasional sunbursts. To those
ashore and to many afoat it was a mat
ter of extreme doubt. almost until the
first mark was reached. as to which boat
held the lead. Valkyrie seemed at times
to foot n trifie faster than the other, but
Defender was pointing higher. As the
detailed story of the contest shows, the
British boat led through the early part
of the race and until far out beyond the
fixed points of observation.
The most eligible fixed point of obser-
vation was the Commercial Cable com
pany's steamer, from which an ocean
cable was paid out from shore and which