The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-09-12

| iy eight miles out at sea. Obviously the
yachts might, from this vantage ground,
be more accurately observed than from
| shore stations
| From the latter, the yachts having
started, the range of shore vision was OBJ
| hquely across the course. From the ca
bic boat observation in the early part of
the race was directly across the course,
While the shore observers were astern.
The British boat led out into the fog and
ram toward the turning mark, nearing
which Defender passed her antagonist
and turned ahead. On the return home
the identities soon became lost, owing
to the thickness, until they were close to
the finish.
A few minutes before the turn was
reached the boats seemed to come well
together and within a moment it was
observed that they had squared for the
mark. defender forged ahead. Previ-
GUS to this their relative positions had
been hXed by the angle merely from
which the boats were observed, or when
observed directly across their bows.
merely by the bobbing of the waves
There was no mistake now, however, ms
to the leader. The Defenders canvas
was bulging out and she was sailing
away, from her rival amid the cheers of
her thousands of staunch admirers and
supporters. She came straight to the
mark and would have rounded it per-
fectly had not big excursion steamer
shut out the wind for minute. The
| double line of steam vessels were there
in waiting to send the boats off on their
homeWard course, and as a rule the
steamers kept we'll off the courses, sew
eral, however, careless of the conse-
quences pushed their way to the front
with the result that Defender lost a
trit1e OF the advantage which she had
gained toward the end of the first mark.
Fortunately for the credit of American
sportsmanship, it was the home boat that
was interfered with.
The manner in which Defender out
| footed Valkyrie made even old yachts
men stare, for it was a remarkable per-
formance for one boat, after sailing al
most even with another for many miles,
| to come out at the end with lead of
| almost half mile, gained in the last two.
She was almost three minutes and a
half ahead at the turning stake.
On the run home they both put out
balloon jibs, but Valkyrie's did not seem
to fit so well as that ON Defender. The
| wind, which had increased during the
| early part of the afternoon to about
eight miles an hour, died away consider
ably, and it was in this forlorn hope that
Valkyrie's men put their hope. Val
kyrie had ALREADY given evidence lbf
speed in light weather several times dur
ing the race, and it was believed by some
that she would gather herself together
for final burst of sped. But, although
for a moment it looked as though she
| really did gain trifle, her chances were
| lost soon afterward when it was clearly
evident that Defender was steadily in
creasing the distance between them.
And so they finished in the lightest
breeze of the day, with Valkyrie stand
ing uD straight, more than a mile in
the distance, and the new champion well
coined by the booming of hundred guns
and the shrieking of hundred whistles
and the cheers of thousands.
The greatest fleet ever gathered to-
gether in the lower bay witnessed the
race to-day. Every steam yacht amid sail
ing vessel Of known quality was there.
There were few accidents in this great
t1otilla, but in the run home the May
flower went ashore off Sandy Hook point.
Late tonight tug was by her side, wait
ing to get her off.
Besides the yachts, all the excursion
boats, some of the Sound steamers and
| every available tug and float in the port
had joined the fleet. Many of the big
boats were crowded to the rail and all
were dressed in their holiday attire,
which signified great event and great
rejoicing.
1t jis estimated by the syndicate
owners of Defender, Col Oliver Iselin,
%. d. Morgan and w. X. Vanderbilt,
that their expenses at the present series
of the Americas cup will amount to not
less than S240.000.
Hardly less than this amount will be
expended by Lord Dunraven in the same
good cause and it is impossible to esti-
mate what it cost the $4,000 people who
utilized the steamers in viewing the con-
test today.