The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-04
EIDED In M RACE
TIME LIMIT EXPIRED BEFONE
COLUMBIA OR SHAMROCK COULD
CROSS THE LINE
FINISH Was -FOUR HILES orr
WINDS WE'RE PROVOKINGLY Err
Ratio, AND GAVE YACHTS
NO CHANCE TO RACE
SHAMROCK IS A FAST BOAT

Proved Much Better Than the EN-
pertS Had Observation-Disclosures
OF Columbia, However, Are Not
Discouraged, and Are Yet CONT
dent That the Americas Cup Is
Safe-Lipton Is Delighted.
NEW YORK, Oct. 3.-As the sun set,
great ball of fire, behind the Navesink
hills. and the sparkling stars came out
into the fiawless heavens, the biggest
crowd of sightseers and yachtsmen that
ever sailed down to Sandy Hook to wit
ness the attempt of a foreign mug hunt
er to wrest from America the yachting
supremacy of the world returned to
town tonight, crestfalien and disappoint-
ed The winds from the caves of old
ocean had proved too light and shifty and
the first of the international series of
1899 between the two greatest racing ma
chires ever produced in England and
America degenerated into a drifting
match ard had to be declared off, because
neither could reach the finish line in the
time allotted by the rules
To avoid just such winds as occurred
today in which luck and not the crew
and yachts win, the rules provide that if
one of the boats does not finish within
five and one-half hours, the race is de-
clared off, so at the end of the time this
evening when the yachts We're still four
miles from home, with the Shamrock
leading by something more than a quar-
ter of a mile, the committee officially de-
clared that there had been no race. The
yachts were then taken in tow by their
respective tugs and brought back to their
anchorage inside Sandy Hook. The clean
limbed racers had sailed out this morn
Ing fresh for battle, but the sea had re-
fused field of conflict. Under the rules
the first race is now postponed for two
days, until Thursday.
The day promised we'll at first. The
sky was smirched with a few dirty
clouds, but clear enough to permit
the thousands of spectators who lined
the Jersey shore to see almost every foot
of the course. The waves were crested
with white caps here and there, and a
fairly fresh breeze blew out of the north
east. but after the Columbia and Sham
rock had crossed the line the wind turn
ed flukey and variable and the race was
a fizzle almost from the start. But the
fluke today gave the yachting sharps and
the spectators much to think about-and
some surprises.
The Columbia is undoubtedly the pref
tier boat. She is tail, stately, with grace
full lines and towering masts The Irish
boat, with her broader beam and longer
base line, looked slower and heavier
Perhaps her green color makes her look
clumsier, as if she were forced through
the water, while the slim Columbia
pierces it like a rapier.
SHAMROCK A GREAT BOAT.
Though indecisive in every respect as
to the abilities of the great rival single
stickers, tCday's race indicates that the
Irish boat, with her English skipper and
her Scotch crew is the ablest sloop ever
sent across the Atlantic in the hope OF
lifting the l00-guirea cup which the Amer
lea brought back fortyeight years ago,
and which has since been successfully de-
Tended against the world
During the five and a half hours sail
the Shamrock was thrice ahead and twice
tho Yankee boat showed the way. For
the first ten minutes the Shamrock led,
and then for five the Columbia s graceful
lines showed ahead of the Shamrock; for
rcck, then for three hours it was the Co
lumbia, and for the last hour and a half
it was the Shamrock led the way The
breeze blew as high as twelve knots an
hour and as low as three, and shifted
about through eight points of the com
pass.
Each in turn beat the other running
before the wind and was in turn beaten
beating against the wind at various
CT of ba
experts who saw the boats sail today
are disinchned to believe that there is
pin to choose between them. but when
the race is closely analyzed it is abso-
lutely proven that the Columbia showed
her superiority at every point of sailing.
runEing, reaching and beating whenever
the wind freshened. and that it was only
in the lightest air that the Shamrock
could make headway against her Both
had their share OF good and bad luck.
The Columbia had the better of the shift
ing wind on the run down to the mark,
and beat the Shamrock minutes and A
seconds, while on the beat home. after
increasing her lead to over a mile at
one time the Shamrock overhauled the
Yankee and was a quarter of a mile
ahead with the time allowance expira-
ton.
COURSE WAS CLEAR.
The feature of the race which pleased
everybody most was the perfectly clear
field which was maintained. For the first
time this year the government took a
hand to prev ent a repetition of the un-
fortunate occurrence which marred the
race when the accompanying excursion
boats in their frenzied eagerness to let
Admiral Dewey will leave here for
crowded down upon the racers until their
back wash impeded their progress through
j ~,
file his protest The government was de-
terrnined this year that the course should
be protected against unofficial trespass-
ers. A fOtflla of revenue cutters and
swift torpedo boats, flying red-barred
white flags guarded the course keeping
excursion steamers, yachts and tugs at a
perfectly safe distance from the canvas
ciol1d racers On the way down they
17.air,tained two parallel lines, a mile
anart. two line fences through which
not one of the pushing, crowding feet of
excursion vessels was permitted to poke
her nose The broad eXpanse OF sea in
side without wash or swell, was lee clear
and free for the maneuvecing of the
racers. On the way back the patrol YES
sells were equally efficient,
When the yachts were on the starboard
tack the torpedo boats were in column
oa the same course, and the revenue cut
+ers abreast behind the yachts, thus
forming a right and left hollow, in which
the yachts sailed without embarrassment
When the yachts changed course each
vessel of the patrol fleet changed by
simply altering the direction of the NOV
ing angle, and keeping the excursion
II will be the first formal conference be-
close when the hope of finishing the race
was given that the excursion boats