The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1899-10-05


where a white float with red ball was
placed to mark the turning point.
The Columbia was admirably handled
throughout the race. Though the Sham
rock was first across the line by 43 sec
onds, the Columbia's Deer island crew
of Yankees, wearing their picturesque
watch caps in Iselin's colors, were so
much handler than their Scotch rivals
that they had the Columbia's spinnaker
and balloon jib set first by three min
utes. The spectators marveled at the
cloud of canvas the Leviathans carried.
Straigh. up into the air the slender
yards carried the point of the pyramids
of canvas for 175 feet. 1t is hard to
realize that this means the height of an
ordinary 12-story building, and that the
frail hulls were bowling along under
the pressure of $4,000 feet of canvas.
A Beautiful Spectacle.
The Columbia was the first to the
mark, and as she reached the stake
boat the excursion fleet gathered there
to greet her unbottled their enthusiasm
and gave her an ovation from a thou
sand whistles. The feet also courteous
" saluted the Shamrock as she went
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, squeezing and pinching until
her headsails trembled, but without
avail. The Columbia not only held as
high, but outfooted her tack after tack
The yachts made beautiful spectacle
as they beat to windward, heeling over
to the breeze, the water sliding swiftly
back from their shark-like bows. When
ever they smashed into an unusually
large sea the spray spurted from either
side 20 feet into the air.
Shamrock in the Lead.
After the Columbia had gotten a
mile ahead and the yachts were way
over under the Jersey shore the breeze
again half failed and the Shamrock
drew gradually ahead. 1t was marvel
Gus that in so light breeze a boat
could slip so swiftly through the sea.
After that the Shamrock was never
headed, but from that time to the finish
the Columbia had nothing but bad luck.
In addition to her faster footing powers
in the extremely light air, every puff of
the capricious wind seemed to strike
the Shamrock and leave the Yankee
boat practically becalmed. Edge as she
would toward every streak of wind, she
seemed unable to find it. The Sham
rock gained foot by foot until she over
hauled the Yankee, crossed her bows,
and when the time limit was up was
fully a quarter of mile ahead. Taken
altogether, there could not have been
a more unsatisfactory race, and yet as
a result of it the friends of the cup de-
fender seemed proud of the showing
cup is safe.
Excitement I'm London.
At midnight the main arteries were
thronged with people eXcitedly dis
cussing the result of the yachting con-
test with an intensity that no Derby or
'dlslIS ooeI h"|S wi SiH'iNN' anu
which more nearly approached the
scenes incident to an American presi-
Dental campaign than anything Eng
land has heretofore known. Notwith-
standing the fact that the country is OF
The verge of war, the result of the race
>bliterated from the public mind every
question of politica! moment. The the
lters were practically empty, and the
?ewsboys reaped rich harvest. Until
very late hour the halG-penny pap""s
sold for sixpence, ard even at that price
he demand exceeded the supply.