The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-21
PRETTY SCENE AT THE FINISH
| STARS AND STRIPES HOIsrED ON THE
YACHTS AND OTHER VESSELS.
Even Flung to the Twenty-Five-knot
Breeze by the Defeated Challenges
speech by Sir Thomas.

NEW YORK. Oct. 2o.-Through wild and
hcary seas. in q breeze that approached the
dignity OF a gale, the gallant sloop Colum-
bia to-day vanquished the British challenger
Shamrock by six minutes and eighteen sec
onds actual time and six minutes and thirty
four seconds corrected time. thus completing
the series for the Americas cup with
magnificent rough weather duel and glori-
Gus Yankee victory.
For the eleventh time the attempt of .
foreigner TO wrest from America the yacht
ing supremacy of the world has failed. The
trophy won by the old schooner America
forty-eight years ago is still ours. monu-
ment to the superiority Of American sea-
manship and American naval architecture
ard a standing challenge 10 tho yachtsmen
of all nations. Unbeaten America again
tastes the glory of victory. The intrinsic
value of the reward which hundreds of thou
sands of dollars were expended to secure il
small--simply an antiquated piece Of silver
ware which Queen Victoria offered to the
best sailing ship i'm the world in the early
days of her reign, but around IL cluster the
precious memories of unbroken American
triumph and the honor of mastery In the
noblest of sports.
To Sir Thomas Upton, whose name is now
added to the list of defeated asplrants for
the honor Of carrying the cup back across
the Atlantic, failure was a crushing blow.
His hope had been high. But, like the true
sportsman that he Is. the sting OF defeat
has left no bitterness, and with undaunted
courage he intimates that he may be back
with better boat to try again. During his
stay here Sir Thomas has made himself
more popular than any previous challenger.
and the yatchsmen of this country will %
glad to welcome him back.
Except for the repeated fiukes and tho
unfortunte accident TO the challenger on
Tuesday, this series of races has been un-
marred by a single untoward incident The
boats have had two fair and square races,
one in light airs and the other I'm a heavy
blow, and Sir Thomas is perfectly satisfied
that he was beaten by the better boat
JUST WHAT Upton WANTED.
To-day's race was a glorious test of the
rough weather qualities of the two yachts.
There was too much freshness in the air
for comfort and IL was far too rough for
iandlubbers. The sky was overcast with
cold gray clouds. and the fierce flaws of a
chilling blast out Of the northeast whipped
the foam out of the racing waves until they
whitened the face Of the sea. Outside the
ocean was riot Of whitecaps. Some OF
the holiday feet declined to brave the pcrils
of the harpies riding on the northeaster.
and those that did rolled and plunged I'm the
tumbling billows, sending all but the old
salts below.
The prayer of Sir Thomas for wind was
answered. 1t was blowing twenty-five miles
hour at the lightship-enough wind and
enough sea TO make any racing machine
So he nil hat
weather any gale. were under shortened
sail, and the wind fairly tore the steam
from the exhaust and the smoke from the
stack into shreds.
The course fifteen miles before the wind
south by west, carried the yachts straight
down the Jersey coast 10 point OF Long
Branch, so that the race sailed in plain
view Of the thousands perched upon tho
heights of Navesink and stretched along the
shore from Seabright to Asbury Park. The
crew OF the Columbia were prepared for the
fray In yellow oilskins and sou 'westers, and
those OF the Shamrock in white canvas. IL
was blowing too hard for club topsails. and
both shippers contentcd themselves with
hoisting small working topsails. Both
yachts fed across the starting line before
the twenty-five-knot breeze wing and wing.
their spinnakers breaking out like puffs OF
white smoke and setting hard as plaster
The Shamrock was over a minute and one
second before the defender. But this was
not due 10 superior seamanship. Captain
Barr held of for that length Of time after
the green boat crossed I'm order that he
might get the position astern. where he
could have an opportunity TO blanket his
rival.
A PRETTY PICTURE.
The yachts made beautiful picture al
they sped away with outstretched pinions.
The Columbia carried her spinnaker boom
at an angle of almost 45 degrees. This al
lowed the big sail to belly far out forward
and draw like a locomotive. But IL was
rather dangerous. and twice an extra pun
carried the sail forward and up until 1t
tumbled over the stay But the Deer isle
sailors each time had IL back In place In 4
jify. The Shamrock had such mishap-
as Hogarth carried his boom much lower.
The Yankee trick. however. did It's work.
lifting the head OF the Columbia out OF the
water until she seemed 20 be skimming over
the surface.
The sxeursion boats trailing down ~