Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-24
Columbia's Victory the Most Decisive
in Cup Contests,
SHAMROCK BEATEN At ALL POINTS
Rumors of Big Bank Deal in New
York.
OCEAN RATES MAY RISE
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

With the coming and the passing of the
Shamrock comes the end of the tenth chap
ter in the history of international races for
the possession of the Americas cup. Of all
the victories won by American yachts in
the defense of this -honored trophy
none was more decisive than the series just
concluded. Racing yachtsmen, who last
summer saw the contests between the Co
lumbia and Defender off Newport and else
where now declare that 1t would have been
safe to have trusted the cup to the De-
fender-in other words, they believe that
the latter yacht would have proved a better
boat than Shamrock in any or all of the
races Viewed from a critical standpoint
the final race of October % left no room for
doubt as to the ability of the Columbia to
defeat the Shamrock on all points of sail
ing. There plenty of wind to test the
merits of the yachts. 1t was strong and
fairly steady from start to finish. The
Shamrock had the best of the start by SIX
ty-one seconds. Some say that the Sham
rock proved quite as fast as her rival in the
run dead before the wind, but it must be re-
membered that five times during that run
the Columbia lost the use of her spinnaker
by its being lifted over the head stays. 1t
is fair to estimate that she lost twenty sec
onds each time this occurred That means
100 seconds in all. Add this to the lis
which she gained, and we should have 2:.S
seconds as the total gain on the run before
it. OF course, this is only to illust ate
what might have been had the spinna ger
remained in place as did the ShamroCk's.
1t was in the windWard work, however,
that the Herreshoff model made the best
showing, and that is always regarded as
the crucial test of any yacht. A convincing
proof that in this case at least it was the
model that did the work, is the fact that
while the ShamrockS We're admitted to be
the larger and better setting sails of the
two, they We're unable to drive her hull
through the water fast enough, nor would
she point high enough to even hold her
own with the Herreshoff boat. So it was
really as much a battle of Fife against
HerreshOff as Of Upton against Iselin.
Mistakes may have been made on both
sides in the handling of the yachts but it
would be Unkind and unnecessary at this
time to find fault with what was undoubt-
eddy the best judgment of each skipper at
the time. Few men can properly criticise
in such a case unless he is on board the
yacht that Is making the alleged mistake
Big Bank Deal On
Wall street asserts that big bank deal
involving the National Bank Of Commerce
and the National Union Bank and two
other leading financial Institutions is being
contaminated. The officials of the houses
in question refuse to discuss the matter
and some Of them deny that the report is
true, but presidents of other clearing house
banks say that a combination is being
formed. j. Pierpont Morgan and the Mu-
tual Life Insurance Company are said to
be engineering the scheme. The insurance
company controls the National Union, and
Mr.. Morgan has powerful interest in the
Bank of Commerce The idea of the scheme
is to surpass N scope the National CITY
Bank and form the largest bank in Amer
lea. The Bank of Commerce, because of
an unusually valuable charter, which gives
1t privileges other institutions do not have
will be the basis of the combination.
War May Cause Higher Ocean Rates
Indirectly, the outbreak in the Transvaal
may affect the price of steamship fares to
the Paris exposition. Under the terms of
agreement made by the various English
lines with the British government. Eng
land has right to use any of the English
liners for transportation for war purposes
Already that country has drawn upon the
Boston ships of the Cunard line and taken
in addition some of the boats of the Allan
State line. Though the absence of these
ships alone would not greatly affect the
passenger-carrying resources of the com
panleS, yet if the large liners plying from
New York to Liverpool such as the Males
tic, Teutonic. Campania, Lucania Oceanic
and many others, were required through
next season, it can be seen that to the re-
naming vessels would fall a trade that
would overwhelm them
Gustav Schwab says: There is no Doubt
that If the large English ships are taken
1t will cause a rise in rates. There will he
a rush OF sightseers to Paris in 1900 and it
is expected soon to arrange a schedule Of
rates which will. it is believed be A LITTLE
higher than the present one The addi-
uonal traffic itself would warrant an in
crease OF rates, but 1t is probable it would
not be much
The rates on the large boats" saws Emil
Boas. are lower this year than for MANY
years past My opinion is that the old
rates Will be restored by next summer. but
90 not anticipate great rise"
hehry f. Gillig, who is we'll known on
poth sldes or the Atlantic as the former
manager of the American Exchange in FIJI
rope, announces that he is coming to New
York to assist in organizing a corps of
volunteer rough riders for service in South
Africa against the Beers and the soldiers
of the Orange Free State Mr.. Gillie IS
now in London and makes his headouar-
tiers at the National Liberal Club He was
an active British sympathizer before the
present war, although an American bv
birth and of German ancestry. He was
porn in Buffalo, in this state, but made his
nome IN London for many years as man.
ager OF the American Exchange. He in
slsts, In letters written to friends In this
city, that there is nothing in international
law to prevent the raising of a CORPS In
America for service in South Africa pro-
wang they are armed, equipped and uni
formed outside the jurisdiction of the
United States. He takes this position for
the reason, as he says. that the South At
rican republic is not sovereign interna-
tional state. A novel question is thus pre-
scented, which our federal courts may be
called upon to adjudicate. Mr.. Gillig says
he has received letters from many who
served with Roosevelt's rough riders dur
Ing the Cuban war and who desire to serve
In South Africa as a distinctive corps He
is coming to New York soon, under the
conviction as he says, that 1000 veterans
can at once be enrolled and that many
thousands could be secured in America If
they were necessary.
Who is behind GiIlig in this scheme and
who will pay the bills If an enlisting agency
is to be established here is not known but
it is said that Mr. Gilig is not investing
any money Of his own In the enterprise
He makes the argument that if it was just
and proper in 1851 for the United States to
make war on the slave states for the pres
ervation of the Union, it Is equally Just
now for England to make war on the
Beers Ito preserve the integrity of the
British empire
Pays His Fine.
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