The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-17

as they raced away like hounds. Their
sails TO the nautical eye were perfection
in fit. They looked as if they mf CHIT
have been carved out of alabaster, so
firm and faultless were the lines. 1t
was soon apparent that the white flyer
was forging ahead. The clear water be-
gan to show between them. The Column
bia not only seemed to mtfoot the
challenger, but the experts saw that she
pointed higher. Ii was astonishing how
she sliced her way mp into the wind
Within fifteen minutes She had lead
of five lengths and from that time ON
the race WAS hers. The patriots were
iuhilant and the bands, which began
playing, never stopped until the race
was over. The Columbia seemed mare
tender than the foreigner. showing wards
of her bronze Underbody as she lcacrd
away with her lee rail almost awash
Steadily she continued 10 draw ahead
until within half an hour, having nm
equivoclly demonstrated her superiority
in windward work. 1T became only
question of how far the white flyer
would beat her rival to the outer nElak
As the yachts got farther ont the
seas grew more turbulent and the spray
spnrted higher from their bows Many
excursionists came to grief. and the tug
boats, plunging through the head seas,
sent the spray aloft to their IDIOT
houses, and some of them were flooded
from stem to stern. The work of the
patrol fleet was perfect THE rev ME
cutter slime ahead to leeWagd and tho
s1s, - hal.l
the yachts in the hollow Of grnyips.
right angle which changed direeetca
with each tack aah kept tie yachts rs
free from interference as If they tad
been sailing in the mitltaie of the At
lantic.
The Shamrock footed val6antly. bur
neither in speed ncr in pointing could
she compare with the Columbia Then
the three shippers on the challenge
put their heads together and tried new
tactics. The Shamrock made Il dozen
short tacks. Evidently her shippers were
under the impression that she was Quick
or ON her neel and better ut fore reach
ing than the Yankee boat. but the Co
lurntia proved quite as nim5le as the
Shamrock.
Timed by Il stop watch both houts verc
Fifteen seconds i'm Stays and when the
Britishers write home they wail tell the
friends that the white beauty WITS fully
as clever as the challenger ut fcre-restfl-
Ing. When the Shamrock cot thrcaggl
with This line OF tactics. tae Columbia
had increased her lead until She was half
a mile ahead. At the end Of another half
hour as the wind continued TO freshen
the Shamrock took in her kaby i:b tcp-
c.a6l baf x.~ifh I.v1t
headsail she might Ire allie to hug ihe
wind closer. The Columbia held ON to
hers and as the Shamrock cid not inn
prove her position at the end of ten
mfmltes her shippers again set the sal
BY ] O'clock the Shamrock was fully
mile and a half asteln. and the Co
lumbia was a winner all over. As ahe
Associated Press boat ON her way 20
the outer mark passed the Maurtn=,
Captain Evans, WHO was Oh the bf. dye,
shouted, Amt she a peach?''
Nothing could have been pletticr than
the way in which the Columbia swept
around the outer mark. graceful as
swan Both boats had edged far 70
the southwark of their course and rs the
rules required tlat the mark should I've
passed ON the starboard hand, the. Co
over on the starboard tack rs she M
preached the foot AS she neared it her
spinnaler pole was BIKE knights lance
in rest. AS she swung around she eased
off her mainboon, let her srinnaker ro,e
drop 10 port. and breaking out the cloud
of canvass. fled homeward like a scared
deer. Her hig balloon jib bossomed out
As seconds later. The few ships Of the
excursion fleet at the Gutter mark gave
her a rousing reception. The Shamrock
was already hopelessly beaten. a quar-
ter of Il mile from the hcme rum the
Columbia crossed the path of the Shanl-
rock still beating to windward, and,
robbed her of the wind for n minute
as shc went past. Tt was nine minutes
and forty-nine seconds later when the
Shamrock swung round the mark and
squared away for the finish. The e&-
c,IrIsi;on boats, however. hung ON cour
teously until she had rounded and gave
her quite an ovation.
The official time ut the turn was:
Columbia 1:4S:f9.
Shamrock :5S:0S.
The Columbia was already almost two
miles away. and in the thickening mist
could hardly be discerned The bells in
tbe engine room of the excursion boats
iineled for full speed and they went
Moving down on either side Of the
course to be in at the death Sir
Thomas. of the yacht Erin, remained
abeam of the challenger, giving what
moral support he could to his beaten
boat.
Sir Thomas and his friends aboard
looked fully as diseonsolate as they felt.
Some Of them seemed to have lost all