The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-08-14
COLUMBIA AND DEFENDER TO- DAY
To Race or Newport-Start Set for
 lO:50 n.

Newport, R. l., Aug. 13.--If it were not for the fact that both the Colum bia | and the Defender have entered the race tomorrow for the Astor cups, the event would be almost featurelese, for tonight out of a fleet of over sixty
 sail, sloop and schooners, only six
 yachts, three each, have signitied their
 intention of entering the race. Still it
 is more than likely the race will be witnessed by a great fleet of yachts
 and a large crowd on the club steamer.
 and that the contest will be fully as in-
 teresting as those in years gone by.
 Again, the race this year has the add
 ed attraction Of a cup de1ender as one
 of the contestants, and i- will be a
 great disappointment if she does not
 fulfil the tradition and win. Puritan
 took the cup in 1885, the Maytlower in
 1886, the Volunteer in 1887, and Vigilant
 in 1893, but the Defender failed to win
 through an unfortunate accident five
 miles from the finish when she had a
 winning lead. A victory for the Co.,
 lumbia is on the cards. and over q
 course of thirty-eight miles, a lead of
 five or six minutes would satisfy every
 one. The contest, called this year for
 the second time the Astor cup race, was
 instituted many years ago by ogden
 Goelet who offered two cups, one for
 schooners and another for sloops. Col
 onel John Jacob Astor came promptly forward two years ago, after the death
 of MT. Goelet and offered cups that
 the race might be perpetuated. There should certainly be good race to-mor- row, not only between the two biz fly CTS but in the schooner class, between Colonia, Amorita and Quisetta. Rival ry between all three of the yachts has been very great during the entire cruise, while that between the Amorita and Quisetta has been carried through a number of years. Amorita succeeded in capturing the vice commodores cup, offered for the schooner winning the most club runs of the cruise, but the Colonia also took two of the races and is one of the fastest in the fleet. IL is likely, however, that others will enter by tomorrow morning, The club has two courses for the race, depending, of course, on the wind. In both cases the yachts will start and finish at Bren- toms reef lightship and each course will be thirty-eight miles long
 Number f is Block Island course, so- called, and is usually sailed in q southwest breeze, which gives the yachts beat to the windward of about fourteen miles, to the whstling buoy northwest of Block island, a run 1 before the wind of eighteen miles to | West Island and reach back to the | finish of six miles. Course No 5 is | usually sailed with the wind from the | east and carries the boats around the | Vineyard sound and Hen and Chickens | ightship. each seventeen miles from the | start and about four miles apart. To- night the wind is from the southwest l and it looks as if the first named course would be the one selected
 The start will be made at 1O.30 the ;loops being sent away first, with the schooners following five minutes later. The yachts will sail with time allow lnce and there is no limit on the race Tuesday the wind-up cups will be con ested for the Columbia and the Defed- Ter also sailing and on Wednesday af- er the Owl and Gamecock colors have been fought for by the crews of the leet the squadron will disband.
 After five days of all kinds of racing
 md weather necessitating the frequent handling of light sails, the yachtsmen njoyed well earner rest to-day, near y all coming ashore. It was fortunate hat it was not racing day on account f the fog which lifted for a few hours hut cI>y i,, l light. Better conditions are looked for The fleet is still a large ne and is likely to remain so until the al 1