The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-07-06
COLUMBIA
IN The LEAD
New Cup Champion Shows
Her Mettle in Race
With Defender.
CONTEST OFF THE HIGHLANDS
Small Fleet of Steam Yachts
Accompany the Big Single
Stickers.
CONTEST OFF THE HIGHLANDS

~ 9 W blowing was light, tnougn
+bara we're indications of its increasing
nsfrength as the day wore on ~ was
70 be New York's first chance 10 see
columbia. built to defend the Americas
clp against Sir Thomas Lipton,s Shalh-
rock in a race and naturally, mueh m
terest was taken in the vent by all ashore
ana aloat. especially as her opponent was
Defender. the victor over Lord DunIayen :
yalkvrfe III in the last series OF contests
fo rthe cup. The match was arranged ~
the New York Yacht Club, when onereu
4 $3.50 cup to be competed for by the two
yachts.
1yhe k by nine o'clock seemed to pc
come more overcast and to the westward
The clouds were darkening. BY half-pase
nine o'clock the weather conditions haa
NOT improved TO any great extent. The
skv was still considerably overcast. the
Wind however. had breezed up to about
ssx miles an hour, still from the south
southwest
Excursion boats began to appear pc
tween . and 10, but they we're not numer-
aus. Quite a number, however, came
Dawn into the Shrewsbury river and aus
charged their loads Of eager yachtsnen
. ANA their fair companions. AT haiI-past
| n;Ae o'clock Sandy Hook lightship cou4a
! he Smore easily seen. showing thaT me
mist was gradually clearing.
Defender. in tow. was sighted coming
down the Narrows, heading through the
main shin channel at $3.50 A. NJ. At that
pur4he wind had fallen away to scarcely
lore, man a thee-knot breeze and there
was considerable fog off shore. Sandy
AookA IJghtship could just be di~scerned,
MA the sky was d~arkening in the south
nd wdst and the rain was threatening.
une Columbia at 10:os came down from
I'D Narrows. she had not hoisted any Of
her sails. At 1915 Defender passed out
siae the Hook, heading for Scotland
Lightship, while Columbia at that time
WIS inside the point of the Hook.
There was a slight swell outside ana
defender won it easily. Cruising off the
Hook were a number of coasters and nsn-
ermen and a couple of pilot boats. one
or two steam yachts accompanied the CO.
l,imbia outside and Defender appeared to
be surrounded by a fleet Of newspaper or
other tugs. Columbia outside at about
1880 A. NJ. began hosting her mainsail.
The stakeboat, Edgar f. Luckenpach'
was following in her wake,
Defender was hen well on her way to-
wards Scotland Lightship, with Columbia
about three miles astern. Defender hoist
cd her mainsail as she passed Scotland
Lightship and apparently had consider
able difficulty in getting it up. Hell tug
stopped Just off the Lightship and ten
minutes later Columbia, with mainsaii
fully set. came up in tow and went BY.
Both yachts, it could then be seen, had
big jibs up in stops.
At this time about thre miles astern was
the New York Yacht Club boat Cephus
with many members and friends On board.
At abou til A. NJ, Commodore Morgan's
Corsair passed outside the Hook Both
hoats nassed Scotland Lightship at about
IL A. M. on their way to the starting
pojnt. Sandy Hook Lightship, three miles
further out.
The crew of Defender had then sent
'aloft a big club top sail and oClumbia's
club topsail was also going up. The wnld
had breezed up to about five miles and
the light rain had stopped, but the sky
was TIL overcast.
Both boats were completely surround
ed BY a fleet of tugs and small steam
yacnts. Among the yachts more or less
clearly made out were the Susquehanrla,
Electra. Sultana. Aileen. Oneida,
Hiawatha, osceola. Revere, Bergana and
Tide. The United States despatch boat
Dolphin could also be SEEM
shortly after Ills the Corsair hoisted
the signal ordering the start to be made
from SANDY Hook Lightship. At this time
1t was raining heavily and the two COM
f.afno ranid1E 10Sf
sight of. II was almost impossible to
see Sandy Hook L~ightship.
The rain stopped at about n:so and
Though the sky was not clear it looked
better to the westward. Defender could
be seen at the starting point, off Sandy
Hook Lightship at 1875, and Columbia
was also made u a little later. There
was very ltfle wind off shore and It
looked as there ~wouid be some delay In
starting the race.
Both boats at 1913 wee some distance
of from the starting point, Columbia over
q mile away. The wind near the lightshiE
had fattened out almost completely, anc
the two yachts scarcely had steerage way
and rolled in the long, low swells- In
side ne bay, between this point and the
Narrows, there was a fiat calm, and with
a cloudy sky there semed little prospect
Of winu from any quarter.
It was still very difficult to see either
of the two boats owing to the thick mist.
A large square rigger which had been off
shore all morning passed within a mile Of
the yachts In tow Of a tug but other
thar the foat of tug boats and steam
yachts there was scarcely any other craft
within ave or ten miles Of the two big