The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-10-17
COLUMBIA.
A WINNER
American Yacht Defeats Sham.
rock in First Test Of Speed.
LED BY A MILE AND A HALF.
British Yacht Crossed the Line Over
Ten Minutes Later.
A SPLENDID CONTEST THROUGHOUT.


A SPLENDID CONTEST THROUGHOUT.
Columbia Got the Best Of the Start, 0utpoint-
ed the Challenger on the Beat to Wind
. ward, and Turned the Outer Mark Nine
Minutes and Forty-n:ne Seconds in the
Lead, Gaining Twenty-Five Seconds More
In the Run Before the wind-Sir Thomas
Upton Lauds the Winning Boat.
New York. Oct 1z.-The cup which
the old schooner America won SO COM
mandingly against all corners over the
course around the Isle of Wight in
1851, and brought back across the seas,
will probably remain here another
year. In a glorious breeze. over
windward and leeward course of 80
miles, the Columbia scored against
Shamrock yesterday in the first race Of
the 1899 series. She bounded across
the finish line fully a mile and half
ahead Of the challenger, defeating her
by 10 minutes and IA seconds actual
time, or 10 minutes and 8 seconds cor
rected time. Columbia covered tho
course In Al. SON.. $685.; Shamrock,
6h., 6m.. los.
Although the preponderence of ex-
pert opinion never wavered In its 10y
atty to the wonderful speed and abil-
ity Of the white flyer, no nautical
sharp expected that the Shamrock
would be SO Overwhelmingly vanquish-
ed as she was in yesterdays royal
struggle. The Yankee boat outgeneral-
in windward work to the outer mark
and gained 20 seconds in the run home
before the wind. There was a good,
strong 10 to IL knot breeze, and 1t held
throughout the race.
Bitter Blow to Britons.
1t is undoubtedly bitter blow, be-
cause the English hopes Of lifting the
cup have never been higher since the
Thistle and Volunteer met in 1887.
Like the Shamrock, she was decisively
defeated In the first hours sailing. The
regatta committee. as a result of the
showing made by the Columbia yester-
day, are convinced that the cup is safe.
Blow high or low. Columbia, it is be-
lieved by her manager, Mr.. Iselin, can
beat Shamrock. Sir Thomas, like the
true sportsman that he is, confessed
after the race that he had been fairly
beaten. He had no apologies to make.
The race was magnificent duel and
made UP for the repeated disappoiat-
ments the sightseers have suffered. IL
was anything but comfortable day
on the water. The prospect was not al
Turing. Still. the mist wreaths were
carried along by a good ten knot
breeze right in from the east, and the
old shellbacks said there was more
wind where that came from. But the
excursionists who went down the bay
were not very hopeful until they got
outside, where the wind was fresher
and whipped some form out of the
waves. Mrs. Iselln was not to be de-
tered by the bad weather, and was
conspicuous figure on the Columbia,
wrapped up like an old salt in vel.
low oilskin.
The Columbia's crew had on their
working suits Of white and wore
watch caps Of black and red. Iselin's
private colors. Several of the crew Of
the Shamrock had on sou'westers.
From the truck of the Shamrocks top
mast floated Liptons flag, green
shamrock in yellow field. The wind
kept freshening all the way out to the
lightship, and the seas split more of
their froth. No large assemblage was
on hand to witness the start, the re-
peated flukes having made the public
very chary about coming out. A few
side wheelers, the regular fleet of ocean
going tugs and score or two Of steam
yachts were all.
Columbia Got the Best Start.
Promptly at 10 O'Clock the committee
boat signaled the course, Is miles dead
into the eye of the wind, to the east
ward, and return. Both yachts set No.
2 club topsails, their shippers evidently
agreeing that 1t would not be wise to
carry their largest sky scrapers in such
a breeze. There was some lively
jockeying behind the line before the
start, and Columbia got the better of
1t. She clearly outmaneuvered her
rival, eventually forcing her over the
line first by half length, but leaving
Columbia in the weather position.
Close hauled on the starboard tack the
yachts lunged seward, heeling to the
u knot breeze.
The first few minutes of the race
were the most interesting. They made
beautiful picture as they raced away
like hounds. Their sails. to the nau-
tical eye, were perfection in fit. They
looked as if they might have been
carved out Of alabaster. so firm and
faultless were the lines. 1t was soon
apparent that the white flyer was forg-
ing ahead. The clear water began to
show between them. The Columbia
not only seemed to outfoot the chal-
lenger, but the experts saw that she
pointed higher. 1t was astonishing
how she sliced her way up into the
wind. Within Is minutes she had a
lead Of five lengths, and from that time
on the race was hers. The patriots
were jubilant and the bands, which be-
race was over.
Inc COluulDld SeeIueu more LenQeT
than the foreigner, showing yards OF
her bronze underbody as she leaned
away with her leerail almost awash.
Steadily she continued to draw ahead
until within half an hour, having I'M
equivocally demonstrated her super
iority in windward work, it became
only question of how far the white
flyer would beat her to the outer
mark. AS the yachts got farther out
the seas grew more turbulent and the
spray spurted higher from their bows.
Many excursionists came to grief, and
the tug boats. plunging through the
head seas, sent the spray aloft to their
pilot houses. and some of them were
Hooded from stem to stern. The work
Of the patrol fleet was perfect, keeping
The yachts as free from interference as
If they had been sailing in the middle
Df the Atlantic.
Columbia Outpointed Shamrock.
The Shamrock footed valiantly, but
neither in speed nor in pointing could
she compare with Columbia. Then the
three shippers on the challenger put
their heads together and tried new |