The Portland daily press., 1899-10-04


tors marveilsd at the cloud of canvass the
big boats carried. Straight up into the
air, the slender skyacraping yards carried
the point OF the pyramids for l75 feet. Ii
Is hard to realize that this means the
height Of an ordinary history building
and the frail hulls were bowling along
under the pressure OF l4.O00 feet Of cam
vass. The twin ball oons with their fol-
lowing wind lifted the Columbia along
like a great gull In the ten-knot bresze
and carried her In ten minutes past the
Shamrock But when the wind died to six
Knots as 1t did within few minutes, the
Shamrock forged steadily ahead until at
the end OF IS minutes she led by 200
yards. Then q sudden haul OF the wind to
the north northwest reached the Columbia
hrst. The big bellisd spinnsker was tax
en- In, her mainsail was smartiy ~ bed
and she passed the Shamrock as II the lat
ter had been moored to her wharf. In
stead OF run, the canting of the winu
now made 1t reach for tins outsr mark,
but the Colombia gradually edged over
toward the Jersey coast with the inten-
--N@@ - tpttA8H tno WAuA dSscEM ANU Guu-
ming straight beforeit. 1ne manoeuvre
ives successfully accomplished after GROSS.
Ing the Shamrook bow, but just as the
spinnaker was set aboard the Lolum bia,
the wind canted back co the north north
east and left her with her cloud Of can
vass shiyering like q collapsed balloon.
lhe Shamrock had starred to follow the
ftninp m hfasa tsmtn -.
her spinnaker boom as II to break out
the big sail, hut as the wind held from
the new quarter, she gybed her main
loom instead and reached straight for the
mark. Although the manoeuvre Of the
ColuH.bia had been successful, it was a
costly one anu she lost several minutes by
holding ON to her immense canvass In the
vain hope that the wind would shift
back again. but when she did change
her sails, she nude up for lost sime by
nnt-footing her ANITA onlst She seemed
Co skim over the water, scarcely making
u ripple where she entered 1t and leaving
y wake of foam behind her.
khe Shamrock made more fuss forward
and dragged wave aft. ColumUi was
tirst to the mark, and as she rounded tue
stake boat the excursion fleet gathered
there to greet her, unbottled their entnu-
slasm nna gave her an ovation from a
thousand whistles. The 1eet also saluted
the Shamrock as she swept around, tN O
minutes and one seroRd later. In the
beat home against head wind the
Columbia showed her heels to the Irish
boat unmissnkably while the wind held.
Time after time. the Shamrock tried for
the weather gauge, luffing, squeezing ana
pinching until her head saiis trem bled,
but without avail. 4he Columbia not
only held as high, but outf0oted her,
tack after tack. Abe yagnts made a
hsautifuI spectacle as they beat to wind.
ward, hseling over to the breexs, the wat
er sliding swiftly back from their shark-
like bows Whenever they smashed into
an unusual sea, the spray sparted from
sither side 20 fest Into the aif. Alter the
Columbia had gotten miis ahead and
the yachts were way over on the jersey
shore, the breeze again half failed and
The shamrock drew gradually ahead.
1t was marvellous that in SO light a
brsszs a boat could slip swiftly through
the sea. After that the Shamrock was
never headed, but from that time TO the
finish the Colum bia had nothing but bad
luck. II addition to her faster footing
power in the extremely light air, every
putt of the capricious wind seemed to
strike the ShRmrock and leave the Yam.
kee boat becalmed. Edge as she woula
toward every streak of wInsi she seemed
unable to find 1t. The sham rock gained,
foot by foot until she overhauled the Yam
see, crossed b1ws and when tne time linn
1t was up was fully a quarter a mile
ahead. Taken altogether there could not
have been u more unsatisfactory race anu
yet, as result OF IL. the friends of the
cup defender seem proud of the showing
r he made and confident that the cup is
safe.
1I0AV ID kNE IVA OAVU I'M