Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-10-18

New York, Oct. 17-The tOLmast of
the cup challenger Shamrock was car
ried away twenty-five minutes after
the big single-sticller had crossed the
starting line today, and her enormous
club topsail with it's 5000 feet of can
vas came rafting down on the deck,
leaving her a hopeless cripple No
amount of pluck or courage could face
such a catastrophe and Captain Ho-
garth Immediately abandoned the race,
towing back to anchorage as soon as
he had cleared away the wreckage. The
Columbia continued over the course
alone, placing to her credit the second
of the races for the Americas cup.
The accident to the Shamrock ruined
the race and caused the keenest regret
among the yachtsmen and the thou
sands of sightseers who We're on hand
to witness what had promised to be a
glorious duel 1t is unfortunate that
the defender should have been the
beneficiary of an accident, as there is
little glory in beating a cripple. but the
rule is ironclad. If crippled before the
start, time for repairs is allowed. but
once over the line if anything carries
away the sufferer must make such re-
pairs as he can, or if rendered hors du
combat, as the Shamrock was today, he
must take the consequences.
There is good sense and logic behind
the rule. The races are q test of the
construction as well as of design and
could have had his choice in the matter
he would generously have declined to
continue, in view of the crippled cOndi-
ton of his rival. But the rules gave
him no alternative. He was in duty
bound to go on and as he finished well
within the time limit the race was his.
Had the accident not occurred, how
ever, it is believed the Yankee boat
would have repeated the beating she
gave the challenger yestrday. During
the twenty-five minutes the yachts
sailed she had gone through the Sham /
rocks lead like a streak and had estab
lished a lead of more than 100 yards on |
the weather bow
The accident today shows what del
adays and how close to the limit of |
safety it is built. 1t is a superlatively !
light structure weighted down by enor-
nous ballast to carry the gigantic |
spread of canvas. The most delicate |
and scientific adjustment of weights is |
required. The simple breaking of a
stay today wrecked the Shamrock. The |
-f-ah he,.Iy of tIn 1-f W
helps to support the slender spars give |
way, and this support removed, her /
Oregon pine topmast as big as a tele /
graph pole, sixty feet long and fourteen /,
inches in diameter, snapped off like a
match just above the lower mast-cap- /
This mast was not only supporting ]
the pressure of a fifteen knot breeze |
against her big kite, but was also sus- |
tanning the crushing weight of the sail |
itself and the two club topsails, each !
forty feet long.
Later in the afternoon the Shamrock !
was towed up to the Erie basin in the |
upper bay. A new topmast will be |
sent up tomorrow and she will be re- !
measured. She viii probably be taken |
out for spin tomorrow to try her new |
stick and the third race of the series /
will be sailed on Thursday. This race I
will again be over a windUard and lee
ward course, and e TIE Columbia
wins, the series will have been com
pleted without giving the Shamrock an
opportunity to test her merits in her
favorite point of sailing over a trian-
gular course.
A NOBLE LOSER.