The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1899-10-09
AGAIN A FLUKE
Third Race of the Columbia.
Shamrock Series Ends as
the First Two.
Wind Too Light to Permit of
q Finish Within the Time
Allowance.
Columbia Slightly in the Lead
When the Contest Was
Declared Off.

NEW YORK. Oct. 0.-The third race
Of the Columbia-S Shamrock series ended
as the first wo-no race. At the close
Columbia was slightly in the lead.
The Columbia crossed the starting
line at l1:2O and the Shamrock 10 Sec
onds later. The Shamrock was carry
ing her biggest club topsail and her
staysail and jib. When the Columbia
broke out her big ballooner, which filled
in a hearty, wholesome way. she took a
squirt. For a mile the wind. 8 miles an
hour, held true. Then a soft, at leas:
two miles in diameter. The wind was
up and down in the big ballooners for
Is. Then a Smile breeze came up and
of they went. The water between Col
umbia and Shamrock was not more
than three lengths. At 1910 the Sham
rock passed the Columbia
About eight miles from the turn the
Columbia was about 800 yards in the
lead. Each racer was carrying club
topsail, mainsail, spinnaker and balloon
jib. The breeze had dropped to about
six miles an hour and was. as in the
the two previous trials, variable. For
10 minutes the relative positions of the
yachts were practically unchanged.
when, suddenly, the Shamrock stirred
up q little enthusiasm.
The Shamrock Takes the Lead.
She had been holding more to the
windward of the course the Columbia
WIS steering. evidently looking for
wind, and soOn she found it. A fresh
ening breeze from off the Jersey shore
filed the emerald sails and slowly but
surely she pulled out ahead.
BY 1928 the Shamrock had a lead Of
more than an eighth of a mile, but the
race was decidedly lacking in inter-
est. For over an hour neither yacht had
touched a sheet or altered a sail.
At 1910 the Shamrock had increased
her lead to about a fifth of q mile by
standing to windward, thus catching
the breeze first as it came off shore.
At 1858 the Shamrock took in her
spinnaker and gybed over. A few min
utes later she sent her spinnaker to
port. The Columbia followed suit and
both yachts, with spinnaker to port
were speeding for the mark, which was
five miles away, and the Shamrock
about one-ffth Of a mile in the lead.
Shamrock Keeps in the Lead.
The Shamrock was still holding her
own at a distance of three miles from
the outer mark. About 1:l5, the Col
umbia hauled aft her sheets and stood
for the weather of the Shamrock. But
it was to no avail, for the green racer
was hundreds of yards ahead and COM
manded the situation.
At LEO p. m. the wind showed still
more increase and the Shamrock opened
the gap still wider. At 1870 both boats
struck q light streak, each being affect
ed about the same. The Columbia.
however, got the first f~reshening breeze
and pulled up on her rival. At half a
mile from the mark it was anybody's
fight.
The stakeboat was rounded by the
Shamrock ct 1888, the Columbia follow
ing nine seconds later. Immediately
after rounding. Columbia went onto
the port tack first, followed shortly
after by the Shamrock.
At 1:45 the Columbia was in the lead
by about 30 seconds.
The wind slowed down later on and
1t soon became apparent that the yachts
could not finish within the time limit
and at 4:31 the race was officially, de.
clared off.