The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-18
HAD COVERED FIVE MILES
THE COLUMBIA WAS LEADING
AT THE TIME.
SHE KEPT AND FINISHED THE RACE
She Was Well Within the Time Limit and the
Race Was Hers. It is Believed She
Would have Won il in Any
Event.

New York, October 1.-THE topmast
of the cup challenger Shamrock carried
away twenty-five minutes after the big
single stickers had crossed the starting
line today and her enormous club sail
with it's 5000 feet of canvas, came rat
Ting 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
wreckage.
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 keenest
regret among the yachtsmen and the
thousands of sight-seers who were on
hand to witness what had promised to
be a glorious duel.
1t is unfortunate that the defender
should have been the beneficiary of an
accident, as there is little glory i'll beat
lll& Cripple Dut l1f iuic 10 ibA-Nldus
If crippled before the start, time for re-
pairs is allowed, but once over the line
il anything carries away the sufferer
must make such repairs as he can, or,
if rendered hors de combat, as the
Shamrock was today, he must take the
consequences There is good sense and
logic behind the rule. The races are Il
test of construction as well as design
and seamanship. Doubtless, if Mr.. Ise-
lin could have had his choice in the
matter, he generously would have de-
clined to continue in view of the Grip
Piled 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 that the Yankee boat
would have repeated the beating she
gave the challenger yesterday. During
the twenty-five minutes the yacht sailed
she had gone through the Shamrocks
lead like a streak and had established
lead Of more than three hundred yards
on the weather bow.
When the Puritan fOuled the Genesta,
on the inside course in 1887, carrying
away the challenger's bowsprit and tp-
most, although the race was at his
mercy under the rules, Lord Richard
Sutton magnanimously refused 10 claim
it. TO avoid just such contingency,
in which the beneficiary Of an accident
is always reluctant to claim his rights,
special clause was added to the ICsu-
lar rules this year, leaving absolutely
no option in the matter. his clause
was signed by Sir Thomas Upton ana
Mr. Iselin a few days before the date
of the first attempt to race.
The accident today shows what deii-
cate machine racing ya:ht i now
adays, and how close to the limit OF the
safety it is built 1t is a supeciutivciy
light structure, weighed down oy cnCr-
nous ballast to carry the gigantic
spread of canvas. The most delicate
and scientific adjustment of weights is
required. The simple breaking of Il stay
today wrecked the Shamrock.
The wire backstay of the topmast,
which helps to support the slender spars,
gave way and this support removed, her
Oregon pine topmast as big as Il tele-
graph pole, sixty feet long ana fourteen
inches in diameter, snapped off like
IA match just above the low.r mast
cap. This mast was not only support
ing the pressure of 15-knot breeze,
against her big kite, but was also sus-
tanning the crushing weight of the sail
itself and the two club tops al yards.
each forty feet long. Later N the after-
noon the Shamrock was towed up 10 The
Erie Basin, in the upper bay. new
topmast will be set up tomorrow, and
she will be remeasured. She will prob
ably 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 Column
bia wins the series will have been com
pleted without giving Shamrock an OPP
portunity to test her merits in her fa
vorite point of sailing over triangu-
lar course.