The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-13
FEARS FOR THE CUP
The Columbia and Sham
rock Com
pared.
lNew York Tribune.)


The respective chances of success as
between the challenger Shamrock and
the cup defender Columbia are grad
ually being discovered. The COlumbia's
performances are now well known, and
the several tests that have been made of
the Shamrock off Sandy Hook have told
good deal. The Shamrock has shown
herself to be exceedingly fast in brisk
breeze, and all the New York spectators
who witnessed her trials in this kind of
a wind We're satisfied that the boat will
give the Columbia hard time of it in
such weather and in windward work
On the other hand, the performance
in light weather have not been of the
kind to create any fears for the lightly
moving Herreshoff boat. The Columbia
has proved herself amply able to give
the Defender an average of five or six
minutes in light weather, and the more
feeble the airs the more the Columbia
can beat her.
! In 1895 the Defender was the fastest
craft in light airs that had ever been
known, and it may be regarded as a
credit to the American builders that
they have been able to produce another
boat that can win by a margin of this
much. AS to her ability to go to wind
ward in a heavy sea and wind as well
as might be liked, there is considerable
doubt
The Columbia has shown herself able
to defeat the Defender in the largest
average of weather, and in the weather
which is most prevalent in the neigh
borhood of New York, so that there can
| be no possible doubt as to the wisdom
of her selection. But the fact remains
IA &c in a hot tirc on
| the recurrence of the most usual wea-
Their conditions, and without much pre-
paration in boat construction for any
kind of heavy weather. The only wind
ward performance that the Columbia
has given in fairly strong breeze has
created doubt, not only as to her abil-
| ity to beat the Defender, but also as to
her ability to defend the cup success
| fully against good, heavy weather
yacht
This is where the Shamrock is evil
IDENTIFY strong Before fifteen minutes
had elapsed she was the best part of a
mile ahead of 10-knot tug that was
painting and struggling along in her
rear. In that wind she was running at
| least two knots faster than the press
| boat whose speed was ten knots an
hour. There was a consensus of opinion
| that windward speed such as the Sham
rock showed in that wind and sea had
never been witnessed before.
In the second trial of the Shamrock
she was put through a sea that was
! heavier than any witnessed off Sandy
| Hook this year when the yachts were
| out, Her windward work in this COM
motion was peculiarly good She could
| beat here faster than an ordinary tug
| could steam dead to windward. That
is to say, she could tack to a point five
miles dead to windward faster than an
ordinary tug could in this sea steam the
distance in a straight line The writer
was privately informed by the captain
| of the steam yacht Erin, which trav-
eled alongside, that the speed here was
| shown by the patent log to be twelve
knots an hour, so that there can be no
| doubt as to the pace here shown.
The confidence that has been eX-
| hibited by Sir Thomas Upton and the
much more experienced yachtsmen who
are on the Shamrock and the Erin is
now thought to have a good deal of
! reason behind it. 1t has been said that
Fife particularly prepared the boat to
win in reaching, but the Shamrock $
will be her stronghold against the Co
lumbia. On the contrary, her best
points with the American defender will
almost certainly be windwar0 work
and running, and especially in brisk
winds.
AS a synopsis of the chances so far
suggested by practical tests, it may be
said that in light average weather and
especially in catspaws and drift
ing airs. the Columbia seems
to have an excellent chance
to defend the cup successfully.
1t is to be regretted that no one knows
what the Columbia is worth in going to
windward on heavy day; but judging
| by her one performance off Sandy
| Hook as compared with those of the
| Shamrock in the same locality, there is
| reason to doubt the issue under these
conditions The Columbia has been
much improved in speed by the intro
duction of more internal ballast and by
the use of light hollow steel mast.
| How far these improvements will aid
| her under the conditions referred to no
| experiments have proved, but unless
| there has been marked change in her
| speed since she discarded her heavy
wooden mast it is almost certain that
| she would be beaten in windward work
| of really brisk winds, and in the &C
companying seaways. The New York
Yacht Club is taking its chance on
| light weather.
| There never was a race for the Amer
| ica's cup in which the chances for sue
| cess seemed beforehand to be so dis
| tributed between the boats No human
| being can at present have safe reasons
| for assurance, one way or the other
| and it is probable that the wind gods
will be the final aIbiters.