The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-04

the big leviathans carried. Straight up
into tho air the sky craplng yards car
ried the point OF the pyramids OF can
vaS for It's feet 1t is hard to realize
that this means the height of an ordin-
airy history building and that the frail
hullS were bowling along under the
pressure of $4,000 feet of canvas.
The twin balloons with their follow
ing wind lifted the Columbia like
great gull in the 10-knot breeze and
carried her in 10 minutes past the
Shamrock. But when the wind died to-
six knots, as it did within few min
utes, the Shamrock forged steadily
ahead until at the end Of As minutes she
led by go yards. Then a sudden haul
of wind to the north-northwest reached
the Columbia first. The big-bellied spin@
maker was taken in, her mainsail was
smartly gybed and she passed the
Shamrock as if the latter had been
moored to her wharf. Instead of a run,
the &c nting of the wind now made il
reach for the outer mark, but the CO.
lumhia gradually edged over toward the
Jersey coast with the intention of get
ting the wind astern and running
straight before 1t. The maneuVre was
successfully accomplished, but just as
the splnnaker was set aboard the Co
lurabia she canted back to the north
northeast, and left her with her cloud
balloon. The Shamrock had started to
follow the Columbia's tactics. Twice
she lowered her spinnaker boom as if
to break out the big sail, but as the
wind held from the northern quarter,
she gybed her main boom instead of
reaching straight for the mark AL
though the maneuvre for the Columbia
had been successful, it was costly
one, and she lost several minutes by
holding on to her immense canvas in
the vain hope that the wind would shift
back again.
But when she did change, her sails
made up for lost time by outfeoting her |
the water, scarcely making ripple I
where she entered it, and leaving a
wake of foam behind her.
The Shamrock made more fuss for
ward and dragged wave aft. Co
lunlbia was first to the mark, and as
she rounded the stake boat, the excur-
sion fleet gathered there to greet her
and gave her an ovation from a thou
sand whistles. The fleet also saluted
the Shamrock as she swept around. two
minutes and one second later. On the /
beat home against head wind, the
Columbia showed her heels to the Irish |
boat Enthusiastically while the wind /
held. Time after time the Shamrock
tried for the weather gauge, luffing and |
but without avail. The Columbia not
only held as high, but outfooted her
tack after tack.
The yachts made a beautiful specta-
Gle as they beat to windward. heellng
over to the breeze, the water gliding
swiftly back from their shark-like
bows. Whenever they smashed into
an unusually large sea, the spray squirt
ed from them 20 feet in the air. After
Columbia had gotten mile ahead and
the yachts were over under the Jersey I
shore. the breeze again half failed and
the Shamrock drew gradually ahead.
1t was marvellous in SO light a breeze,
a boat could slip so swiftly through the
sea.
After that, the Shamrock was never
headed, but from that time to the fin
ish, the Columbia had nothing but bad
luck. In addition to her faster foot
ing power in the extremely light air,
every puff of the capricious wind seem
ed to strike the Shamrock and
leave the Yankee boat practically be-
Gained Edge as she would towards
every streak of wind, she seemed I'M
able to find It The Shamrock gained
foot by foot until she oyerhauled the
7 ankee. crossed her bows and when /
the time limit was up, was fully a. quar-
ter of a mile ahead.
Taken altogether, there could not
have been a more unsatisfactory race
and, as a result Of it, tho friends of I
the cup defender seem proud of the
showing she made, and confident that
the cup is safe.