The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-18

the cup challenger Shamrock was car
ried away Is minutes after the big
single-sticker had crossed the starting
line to-day, and her enormous club
| topsail with it's 5000 square feet of
canvas, came rattling down on the
| deck, leaving her a hopeless cripple.
| No amount of pluck or courage could
face such a catastrophe, and Captain
Hogarth Immediately abandoned the
race, towing back to the anchorage
after he had cleared away the wreck
age.
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 keen
est regret among the yachtsmen and
1 thousands of sightseers who were on
hand to witness what had promised to
I be glorious duel
| 1t is unfortunate that the defender
| should have been the beneficiary of an
accident, as there is little glory in
| beating cripple, but the rule is IRON
clad. If crippled before the start, time
| for repairs is allowed, but once over
the line, if anything carries away the
! sufferer must make repairs as he can,
| or if rendered hors du combat, as the
| Shamrock was to-day, he must take
the consequences There is good sense
and logic behind the rule. The races
| are test of construction as well as
| of design and seamanship. Doubtless
| if Mr.. Iselin could have had his choice
in the matter he generously would have
| declined to continue in view of the
crippled condition 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 yesterday. Dur
| ing the rs minutes the yachts sailed,
she had gone through the Shamroek's
| lead like streak and had established
a lead of more than 300 yards on the
| weather bow.
When the Puritan fouled the Genesta
on their inside course in 1887. carrying
away the challenger's bowsprit and the
| topmast, although the race was at his
| mercy under the rules, Lord Richard
| Sutton magnanimously refused to claim
! it. To avoid just such a contingency,
! in which the beneficiary of an acci-
dent is always reluctant to claim his
| rights, special clause was added to
the regular rules this year. leaving alb
solutely no option in the matter. This
| clause was signed by Sir Thomas Lip
ton and Mr.. Iselin a few days before
the date of the first attempt to race.
i The accident to-day shows what del
icate machine a racing yacht is nova
days and how close to the limit of
safety it is built 1t is a superlative-
ly light structure. weighed down by
enormous ballast to carry the gigan-
| tic spread of canvas.
A Stay Broke.
The most delicate and scientific ad-
justment of weights is required. The
| simple breaking of a stay to-day
wrecked the Shamrock. The wire back
stay of the topmast, which helps to
support the slender spars, gave way
and. this support removed, her Oregon
pine topmast, as big as a telegraph
pole, go feet long and IA inches in diam
eter snapped off like match just
| above the lower mast cap This mast
was not only supporting the pressure
Of 1o-knot breeze against her big
Kite, but was also sustaining the
crushing weight of the sail itself and
the Two club topsails, each 40 feet long.
Later in the afternoon the Shamrock
was toWed up to the Erie basin, in the
| upper bay. A new topmast will be set
tomorrow and she will be remeasured.
she Will probably be taken out for a
| SPIN tomorrow to try her new stick,
and the third race of the series will
be sailed on Thursday. This race will
again be over a windward and leeward
| course. and If the Columbia wins the
series will have been completed without
giving the Shamrock an opportunity
to test her merits in her favorite point
| of sailing over a triangular course.
The day had promised a glorious con-
test. There were only gray neutral
tints in the morning. but hard, strong
12-knot breeze out of the east kicked
up the white caps and the wind and
tide helped to pile up the tumbling
waters. The pulses of the sportsmen
| throbbed in anticipation and big ex-
cursion fleet plowed out to witness the
second duel between the Shamrock and
| the Columbia. Some of the small sail
ing fleet got outside, plunging their
bowsprits under and wetting their head
sails as they wallowed in broken water
until they were glad enough to square
| away for more placid seas. Later in
the day the wind drove the clouds
away, leaving an almost flawless vault
of blue overhead. The shining waters
and the gay flags and bunting made
a brilliant marine picture. The race was
to be over an equiateral triangle, 10
miles to the leg. which would give the
challenger a chance at her favorite
point Of sailing-reaching. AS soon as
| the committee signaled the course, a
beat to windward the excursion boats
lined up rail to rail. back of the light
ship. to watch the jockeying for posi-
tion. Never probably was there a
| more magnificent exhibition of eXcit-
| ing starts in a cup contest, and the
lrishman carried off the honors. The
two yachts wheeled and circled about
| ike big white guEls. each striving for
the advantage, their hulls and decks
and sails cleaning in the sun.
| Nearly Collision.
The shamrock finally got the Column
Dla under her lee two minutes before